US2091809A

US2091809A - Container

Info

Publication number: US2091809A
Application number: US50074A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lisle Harold L De
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-11-16
Filing date: 1935-11-16
Publication date: 1937-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1954-08-31

Description

Aug., 31, 1937. H. l.. DE LlsLE CONTAINER Filed Nov. '16, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 3l, 1937.

j ZZ /7 54/ ffy J9 H. L. DE LlsLE 2,091,809

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

y sheet materiall as tracings, blueprints, etc. used in drafting rooms. Such sheet material is usually of large size and the filing and handling of such material for ready reference with a minimum of diiiiculty and without injury to the sheets is a matter of importance.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide unitary means for storing the sheets in at condition and for elevating certain of the uppermost sheets for access to sheets lower in the stack, the uppermost sheets being held and clamped in elevated position when desired.

In some aspects the present invention is a specic improvement on theA devices of my prior Patents No. 1,746,610 issued June 17, 1930, and No. 1,924,109gissued August 29, 1933.

The present invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view showingy the major part of an illustrative container associated with a cabinet or the like, a portion of which is shown in section, partsbeing broken away for convenience;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the structure taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with the parts in normal position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the parts in alternative position; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail v1ew.

In the illustrative construction shown in the drawings the container is shown in the form of adrawer I adapted to slide horizontally on runners I I within the cabinet I 2, the container being shown in Fig. 1 in outermost or open position,-it being understood that the drawer and parts oi the cabinet not shown are of conventional construction, and need not be shown. Both the drawer and cabinet are desirably of sheet metal construction for strength and for re resistance, and the drawer has a flat bottom I3 Iupon which are stacked the separate flat-lying sheets I4. The drawerl shown has a front wall I5 and parallel side walls I6 extending longitudinally.

The side walls I6 are desirably spaced apart a substantially greater distance than the width of the sheets I4 so that the sheets are received between inner walls I'I each spaced a suitably short distance laterally inwardly of its adjacentl outer wall I6. l

The space between each pair of walls I6, I'I

therefore provides a channel I'Ia in which is received one of the pairs of links and levers for elevating certain of the sheets, the sheets being thus protected from contact with the mechanism along the edges of the sheets where they are 5 particularly susceptible to be torn or frayed.

-A cover element I8 in this instance in the form of a partial closure for the drawer is carried, as here shown, medially longitudinally of the container on one side of a pair of levers I9, each of 10 which is pivoted to the container as at 20 in one of the channels Ila, brackets 2I being secured therein :for this purpose. The cover member I8 therefore spans the sheets and since it terminates short of the iront and rear of the drawer the sheets extend both rearwardly and forwardly beyond this cover member. Thus the forward portions of the sheets may be raised and folded back over the cover member I8 to provide access to sheets lower in the stack. In this instance also I have shown an auxiliary cover member 22 in the form of a section hinged'as at 23 to the main cover member I8, the section 22 extending almost to the front wall of the container and near this point having hand-gripping means such 25 as the opening 24 therein for readily raising it. In order that the cover section 22 may follow the sheets downwardly regardless of the number of sheets in the stack, this section terminates laterally short of the inner side walls Il permitting it to rest on the bottom I3 when there are no sheets in the container. Thus the forward portions of the sheets are normally prevented from curling upwardly and being damaged thereby. 'Ihe inner side walls I'I are also desirably cut out 35 as at 25 to permit the main cover element I8 to be received therein in closer` proximity to the sheets in the vicinity of the forward edge of the member I8.

When access is desired to, say, a sheet 26 lying 4o some way down in the stack of sheets I4, the cover section 22 is first folded back over the cover member I 8 and the sheets 21 normally uppermost of the sheet 26 are then also folded back over both the section 22 and the cover member 45 I 8. The cover member I8 may then be swung upwardly on its pivots 20, leaving the sheet 26 exposed over the greater part of its area so that it may be readily removed and returned to the drawer in its proper place without removing the sheets 2l entirely from the drawer.

My present improved unitary device includes means next described for maintaining the sheets 2l in elevated position and temporarily clamping them inthat position so that the hands of the operator may be entirely free for handling the sheet 26.

In the present embodiment such means includes a pair of bar links 28, each of which is flexibly secured to the container in one of the channels Ha. In this instance, as best shown in Fig. 4, a link 28 has at its forward end a trunnon pin 29 which may be rigidly secured to the link and which extends laterally on each side thereof, one end of this trunnion pin being received in a slot 3U or other runway in the channel Ha. The slots 38 as here shown may be formed in a bearing block 3| secured to the inner face of the outer wall I6. ward end of the link has somewhat in the nature of a lost-motion connection with the drawer, for enhanced exibility. The other end of the trunnion pin 29 which is not received in the slot 38 may be extended toward the inner wall Vl'l to guide the pin in the slot and prevent casual displacement from the slot by abutment with the inner wall H upon tendency to displace the pin from the slot. The upper end of each of the links 28 is also slotted as at 32 and receives therein a headed stud 33 or other pivot member secured to the cover levers or pivoted supports I9.

In accordance with my invention also, the links 28 are extended rearwardly as at 34 beyond the rearmost ends of the slots 32 and thus beyond the cover elements when elevated and desirably when in slightly rearwardly inclined position as shown in Fig. 3. To these rearward extensions 34 of the links 28 are secured, transversely of the container, a clamping member such as the cylindrical rod 35. Thus when the cover elements are raised as shown in Fig. 3 with the sheets 2l folded thereover, the free ends of the sheets are frictionally engaged between the cover elements and this bar 35, and so are prevented from being casually displaced from this elevated position by the weight of the sheets themselves or by other accidental means. The inner walls I1 are desirably notched as at 36 to receive the rod 35 when in lowered position as shown in Figs. l and 2.

When access to the sheets has been completed, the cover element may be dropped forwardly, releasing the sheets from the clamping means and causing them to fall back into position in the drawer with the cover elements I8 and 22 overlying them to hold them smoothly flat. Thereupon the entire drawer may be pushed rearwardlyminto the cabinet to restore it to storing position.

It will be apparentv that when the cover element I8 is dropped forwardly from the open position shown in Fig. 3, it will move the links 28 forwardly relative to the slots 3l)- while at the same time permitting the links to dropv with element I8 toward the horizontal. At the same time or at least when the links 28 reach the end of their forward movement relatively to the slots 38, the studs 33 .on the levers i9 will move forwardly in the elongated slots 32 of the links 28, thus moving the cover element I8 away from the clamping rod 35 and releasing the sheets 21. The distance between the notch 36 and the forwardend of the slot 30 is just sufcient to permit the rod 35 to be received in the notch 36 when the trunnion pin 29abuts the forward end of the slot.

vSuch changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

Thus the for- 1. A container of the character described for holding loose sheets in a stack, a cover member pivoted to the container at each side thereof medially from front to rear and having a main portion terminating short of the front of the container whereby the forward portions of the sheets maybe folded back thereover, and elevated with the cover upon movement upwardly of the cover on its pivot, a pair of links flexibly connected to the container and the cover to support the cover in position inclined slightly rearwardly of the vertical, and a rod carried by the links parallel with the cover and disposed immediately rearwardly of the cover in its rearwardly inclined position, whereby the said folded back forward portions of the sheets are frictionally engaged by the rod when the cover is in said l rearwardly inclined position.

2. The structure of claim l wherein the cover comprises a main portion and a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said section being adapted to c over the said forward portions of the sheets'when in flat condition and to be folded -back therewith between the main portion and the rod.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a main portion and a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said section being adapted to cover the said forward portions of the sheets when in flat condition and to be folded back therewith between the main portion and the rod, and wherein the cover members are of sheet metal.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a main lportion and a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said section being adapted to lcover the said forward portions of the sheets when in flat condition and to be folded back therewith between the main portion and the rod, and wherein the said section has hand-gripping means thereon.

5. The structure of claim l wherein the links are slotted and the cover carries headed studs movable in said slots.

6. The structure of claim l wherein the links are -each flexibly connected to the container on a movable pivot for limited movement longitudinally of the container.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the links are slotted and the cover carries studs movable insaid slots, and wherein the links are each flexibly connected to the container on a movable pivot for limited movement longitudinally of the container. o 8. 'I he structure of claim whereinvthe container is a drawer of sheet metal and has channels therein at each side thereof from front to rear, the links being secured in said channels whereby the sheets are ,guarded therefrom.

9.-The .structure of claim 1 wherein the containeris a drawer of sheet metal and has channels therein at each side thereof from front to rear, the links being securedY in'said channels whereby the sheets are guarded therefrom, and wherein the drawer contains a slotted block in each channel and the links carry pins secured fast thereto and movable in the slots in the blocks, and wherein one of the walls of each channel cooperates to hold the pins of the links in said slots.

10. In a structurev `of the class described a drawer of sheet metal having channels therein at each side thereof from front to rear, links being flexibly secured in said channels, a main cover member pivoted to said links and to the drawer apart from the links, the inner wall of each channel being cut out downwardly to receive the links and said cover member, and an auxiliary cover member exibly connected to the main cover member and terminating transversely of the container short of said inner walls.

11. 'Ihe structure of claim 1 wherein the links are flexibly connected to the container forwardly of the points where the cover is pivoted to the container.

12. A container of the character described for holding loose sheets in a stack, a cover member mounted in the container and pivoted thereto at each Side only of the container and adapted to swing toward and away from the sheets, said member terminating short of the front and rear of the container whereby the forward portions of the sheets may be folded back thereover and elevated therewith, a pair of links flexibly connecting the member and container, and clamping means carried jointly by the member and links for engaging the portions of the sheets folded over the member.

13. In a container of the character described for holdng loose sheets in a stack, thecombination of a cover member rotatable in the container, and upon which the sheets are adapted to be folded back, supporting means carried by the container for the cover member, and means carried by the container for clamping the sheets to the cover member, actuated into and out of operation by relative movement of the cover member and support.

14. 'Ihe structure of claim 13 wherein the supporting means is in the form of two links having a. lost motion connection with both the container and the cover member and the clamping means includes a transverse rod carried by free ends of the links and between which and the cover member the sheets are held.

HAROLD L. DE L'ISLE.