US2149242A - Crate for milk bottles and the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1939. H, A. KEINER El AL CRATE FOR MILK BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed April 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l van/250215 Feb. 28, 1939. H, A. KEINER ET AL I CRATE FOR MILK BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed April 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1' rzverzl o Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,149,242 CRATE FOR MILK BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Henry A. Keiner, Richmond Hill, N. Y., and Robert Stoddard, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Milk Bottle Crate Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois, and Keiner Williams Stamping 00., Richmond Hill, 'N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 15, 1935, Serial No. 16,312

Claims.

This invention relates to crates for milk bottles and the like and the primary object of our invention is to improve the construction of such crates,

Crates having the walls thereof formed from a plurality of spaced slats have been so constructed heretofore that it'ha's been quite difficult to replace a broken slat because of the manner in which the slats were secured, and an important object of our invention is to facilitate the replacement of a broken slat so that this can be accomplished quickly and economically.

Another object is to effectively reenforce the corners of the crate and an ancillary objectis to utilize the corner reenforcements to space the slats of the walls of the crate.

Furtherobjects are to insure rigid support of the lowermost slats of the walls of the crate to therebyincrease the rigidity of the crate; to reenforce the walls of the crate intermediate the top andflbottom edges thereof; to effectively protect the corners of the crate and the ends of the uppermost and lowermost slats of the crate; to securely retain bottle supporting members at the bottom of the crate and to facilitate installation of these bottle supporting members; to reenforce opposite walls of the crate and the bottle receivingmembers by extending a reenforcing member between opposite walls of the crate and passing the bottle supporting members through this reenforcing member; to arrange dividing rails in the crate to define bottle receiving spaces in alignment with the bottle supporting members and to interconnect the dividing rails at the intersections thereof; to form the dividing rails to provide ice supporting platforms at the intersections-of the rails; to provide upper and lower sets of dividing rails and to reenforce these rails by reenforcing members extending between the sets of rails at the intersections of therails of each set; to effectively prevent displacement of the members interconnecting the slats of the walls of the crate; and to provide a crate of simple and economical construction which will effectively withstand severe usage.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 on Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective detail view of one of the dividers;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken substantially on the line 39 on Fig. '7;

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional detail view taken substantially on the line Illlil on Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective detail view of the modified form of the dividers; V

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of construction;

- Fig. 13 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional detail View showing a modified form of separator installed in position;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the separators shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating a further modified construction for the bottom of the crate;

Fig. 16 is a view of a modified form for the divider support; and v Fig. 17 is a detail view of a divider support.

The crate as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, includes end walls It and. I! and side walls l8 and I9. Each of these walls is madeup of a plurality of slats. The uppermost slat lfia in the end Wall [6 has a medially located recess 20 in the lower edge thereof and the adjacent slat lBb has a medially located recess 2| in the upper edge thereof. The recesses 20 and 2| cooperate to provide a handhole 23, a handhole 24 being similarly formed in the end wall H.

The side walls l8 and I9 extend between the end portions of the end walls It and I1 and the walls are firmly interconnected at each corner to prevent separation. The slats comprising the various walls are spaced apart and we have combined the means for spacing the slats apart with means for reenforcing the corners. Thus we provide combined separating and reenforcing members 25 (Fig. 5) which include right angularly extending limbs 26 and 21. Embossures 28 and 29 are provided near the ends of the limbs 26 and 21, respectively, and openings 3|] and 3| are formed in the embossures 2B and 29. respectively.

A corner member 32 is also provided at each corner of the crate. Each corner member 32 comprises right angularly extending parts 33 and 34 which are respectively engaged with the outer faces of the end and side walls. Each of the lowermost slats of the'side walls, as for example the slat l8e of the side wall l8, has a recess 35 in the lowermost edge at each end thereof. The

part 34 of each corner member includes an extension which, in the case of the side wall it, is folded into the recess 35 adjacent the corner member, as indicated at 36 (Fig 3). The extension is then folded up over the inner face of the lowermost slat [8c of the side wall, as indicated at3ta, and then across the top edge of this slat to terminate in spaced relation with the outer face of the slat, as is indicated at 361). An opening 3'! is provided in the section 361) in alignment with a bore 38 in the slat 18c.

Each end wall includes a shoe piece 33, to be described more fully hereinafter, at the lower end thereof, and each shoe piece has a recess 40 in the lower edge at each end thereof. The part 33 of each corner member 32 includes an extension like the extension 36 which is arranged in the adjacent recess 44, and this extension also includes sections which extend over the inner face of the shoe piece and the inner face of the lowermost slat of the end wall. Another section of the extension extends across the top of this: lowermost slat of the end wall and is arranged similarly to the section 36? I The uppermost slat of each wall is recessed on its outer face near the ends thereof, as indicated at 4|, and the upper ends of the parts 33 and 34 of the corner members are inset as is illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein the upper section 34' of the part 34 is inset to be disposed in the recess 4| in the outer face of the slat Ma. The upper sections of these parts are so inset to permit the limbs of corner caps to be extended thereover in alignment with the main extent of the parts 33 and 34. This is also illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein a depending limb 42 on the corner cap, generally indicated by 43, is aligned with the main extent of the part 34. The corner cap 43 includes a depending limb 44 which depends over the inner face of the slat 68a and it also includes other depending limbs which embrace the upper slat Ilia of the end wall IS in the same way in which the limbs 42 and 44 embrace the slat 18a. The opposite depending limbs are connected together and to the slats embraced therebetween by rivets such as 45. The slats of each of the walls intermediate the top and bottom slats have a bore therein near each end thereof, such bores being indicated by 46 in Fig. 3, and pins 47 are passed through these bores to secure the slats in position. The pins 41 are of a length about equal to the height of the slats of the Walls, which slats are of uniform height.

In assembling a wall, for example, the wall l8, the bottom slat We is inserted into the area enclosed by the lower end of the part 34 and the sections 33, 36a and 36b of the extension of said part 34. The bore 33 that extends about halfway through slat 486 is aligned with the opening 31 in the section 35b. Then a pin 41 is passed through the opening 31 into the bore 38. Since the bore 38 extends only halfway through the section I86 a pin 41 so installed projects above the section 361). Then one of the combined separating and reenforcing members 25 is arranged in position by passing the pin 41 through the opening 38 in the embossure 28. Then the bore 46 at the proper end of the slat I8d is passed over the installed pin 41 which then extends about halfway through this bore 46. Thus when a second pin 41 is inserted into the bore 46 it Will engage the top of the first pin and will extend above the top edge of the slat l8d. Then anher combined separating and reenforcing member 25 is positioned above the slat l8d by passing the second pin 41 through the opening 30 in the embossure 28 of this member. The slats I80 and ltb are mounted in position in the same manner as the slat Hid and then the slat l8a is mounted over the slat Mb. The lower edge of the slat lBa rests on the top of the embossure 28 of the combined separating and reenforcing member 25 at the top of the slat I82), and the uppermost pin 41 projects into the bore 46 that extends about halfway through the slat 18a. The above described procedure is also carried out at the opposite end of the wall l3 which is therefore completed when the slat |8a is in position.

Then the end wall it; is built up in a similar manner starting with the lower slat lBe to which a shoe piece $39 will have been joined as will be described. The combined shoe piece and slat Hie are handled in the same manner as the slat l8e. When the slat Ilia is in position the wall IE will have been built up.

Next the corner member 43 is installed at the top of the corner between the walls l8 and IS with the depending parts thereof positioned as described. Rivets 45 are passed through the depending parts of the corner member 43, parts 33 and 34, and the uppermost slats and fasten these parts together. These rivets extend across the upper ends of the uppermost pins 41 and prevent displacement of the pins. Thus the end and side walls are securely connected at each corner since the above procedure is carried out at each corner of the crate.

The lowermost slats Hie and He of the end walls 16 and H are of less height than the other slats in the end and side walls but when the shoe pieces 35.? are added to the slats the and He the aggregate height of these slats and shoe pieces is equal to the height of the other slats. The shoe pieces 39 are joined to the slats Hie and I Te by nailing or in other suitable manner, and the location of the nails will be described more fully hereinafter.

As best shown in Fig, 9, the shoe pieces 39 are routed in their upper surfaces near the outer edges thereof to provide grooves 48. A plurality of rods 49 are provided and these rods are arranged in pairs to provide bottle supports at the bottom of the crate. Each of these rods has a right angularly extending foot portion 50 at each end and these foot portions 54 are mounted in the grooves 48. As illustrated in Fig. 7, grooves 5| are formed in the top surface of the shoe pieces 39 which extend from the grooves 48 to the inher sides of the shoe pieces'39. The grooves 5| are arranged in pairs across the crate so thatwhen rods 49 are rested therein a pair of rods will extend below each of the bottle receiving spaces defined by the dividing rails, to be explained more fully hereinafter. the shoe pieces 39 and the bottom slats I66 and He preferably pass through the shoe pieces adjacent the grooves 5! so as to pass through the right angle defined by the foot portions 50 and the main extent of the rods 49. Nails so located The nails which interconnect ceiving-spaces in the crate and that the bottle receiving spaces are defined by dividing rails.

Inthe crate as illustrated, there are two sets of I extend between the side walls I8 and I9 and intersect the rails 52 and the areas bounded by these intersecting rails and the rails and the walls of the crate ailord the bottle receiving spaces. The ends of the rails 54 rest on the top edges of the lowermost slats I8e and I9e of the side walls I8 and I9 and are secured thereto by nails 55 which have enlarged heads that cooperate with the embossures 28 to space the slats I8e and I8d and He and IM apart. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the rails 52 and 54 are preferably formed of fiat strips and intermediate the. intersections of these rails one with the other they are bent downwardly to provide'depen'ding flanges 55 which cooperate with the peripheries of round bottles mounted in the bottle receiving spaces to retain these bottles in position.

The upper set of dividing rails consists of rails 51 that extend between the endwalls I6 and I1 and rails 58 that extend between the side walls I8 and I9. The rails 51 and 58 are. wider than the rails 52 and 54. Tongues 59 are struck from the rails 51 and 58 near the ends, as best illustrated in Figs 'l and 8. These tongues engage the inner sides of the walls to which the rails are secured 'and afford reenforcement. In the form of the invention shown, the ends of the rails 51, beyond the depending tongues 59, are rested on the top surfaces of the slats I6d and I 1d in the end walls and are secured thereto by nails 60 which have enlarged heads that cooperate with the embossures 29 to space the slats I60 and I1-c from the slats I6d and "(1. The ends of the rails 58 beyond the tongues 59 rest on the top edges of the slats I8cl and I9d of the side walls and the ends of these rails are secured to these slats by nails 6| which have enlarged heads that cooperate with the embossures 28 to space the slats I and I from the slats I 8d and I9d.

The upper rails 51, 58 are bent downwardly at their side edges and at spaced intervals intermediate the intersections of the rails to pro- 'vide depending flanges 62 which engage and assist in retaining the bottles in spaced relation in the pockets formed for them by the'intersecting rails. These rails 51, 58 are made of strips wider than the strips of the lower rails 52, 54 and the overlapping portions of the rails between the flanged portions provide substantial platforms 63 at the corners of the pockets formed by the intersecting rails. In practice the crate is filled with bottles of milk and crushed ice is thrown in upon the rails 51, 58 and distributed around the bottles. The rails not only retain the bottles in spaced relation but they substantially fill the space between the bottles and constitute a support for the crushed ice and retain it about the bottles for refrigerating purposes. Lugs 54' at the intersections of the rails are spaced apart on one set of rails toreceive the rails of the other set upon which they are. clenched. These lugs interconnect I the rails sufficiently to hold them rigid and prevent them from separating. The rails may be securedtogether at their intersections by riveting or welding, or they may be formed as shown in Fig. 11 in which the rails 51' are curved transversely or formed concavo-convex at their intersections with the rails 58 and the edges 51" tend to dig into the surface of the rails 58' and prevent relative movement. The rails 51, 58 are, of course, rigidly secured at their ends to the walls of thecrate and for some purposes it may not be necessary to provide any interconnection between the rails at their intersections, but we prefer to connect the rails to hold one set of rails snugly against the other set and thus provide a grid-like divider having its parts sufficiently united to distribute the strains throughout the grid and to all of the fastening devices, and to relieve the strain upon individual rails and fastening devices, and to furnish that degree of rigidity desirable for dividing means of this kind.

Further reenforcement for the dividing rails at the intersections thereof may be afiorded by extending reenforcing members between the intersections of the rails 52 and 54 and 51 and 58. A reenforcing member for this purpose is shown in Fig. '7 and is indicated by 64. This reenf orcing member includes a concave-convex body having foot portions 65 and 66 at opposite ends thereof. The foot portion 55 is rested on an intersection of the rails 52 and 54 and is secured thereto in an approved manner as by spotwelding, riveting or the like. The foot portion 66 is mounted below the intersection of the rails 51 and 58 vertically aligned with the intersection of the rails 52 and 54 to which the foot portion 65 is secured and this foot portion 66 is connected to the intersection of the rails 51 and 58 in an approved manner as by spotwelding, riveting or the like.

A modified form of such a reenforcing member is shown in Fig. 16 and this member is formed from a fiat strip. The body 64' includes foot portions 65' and 66. The foot portions 65' and 56' are arranged in vertical alignment and the body 64' extends from one end of one foot por tion to the aligned end of the other foot portion so that the reenforcing member, when viewed in side elevation, is substantially U-shaped. A reenforcing member of this kind is mounted in position in the same manner as that in which the reenforcing member 64 is mounted in position.

A further modified form of reenforcing member is shown in Fig. 17 and herein the body 64 includes right angularly extending walls, one of which is longer than the other. The extending end portions of the longer wall are bent into parallel relation with the ends of the shorter wall to provide foot portions 65 and 66". This reenforcing member is mounted in the same manner as that in which the reenforcing members 64 and M are mounted.

The bottom slats of the side walls and the bottle supporting members 49 may be reenforced by extending a substantially V-shaped reenforcing member such as 61 between such lowermost slats and engaging the fiat foot portions, such as 88 at opposite ends of the member 61, with the inner sides of these lowermost slats. The foot portions 68 may be secured to the slats by nails 69 or in any other approved manner. Aligned openings 18 are formed in the inclined sides of the V-shaped member 61 and the supporting rods 49 are passed through these openings. Thus by mounting the member 61 midway between the end walls I6 and I1 this member not only reenforces the lowermost slats of the side walls but also the supporting rods 49.

The combined separating and reenforcing members 25 of the form shown in Fig. 5 do not provide ledges or platforms on which ice may be supported at the corners of the crate and do not include bottle engaging flanges which will retain the bottles in the corner bottle re ceiving spaces against movement. Therefore a combined separating and reenforcing member such as that illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 may be provided for use between the slats I60 and ltd and lie and Hd in the end walls and the slats itc and Mid and I and IM in the side walls so as to be aligned with the dividing rails 57 and 5% This member is indicated by 25' and includes embossures 28' and 29 similar to the embossures 28 and 29 but instead of including right angularly extending limbs the member 25' is formed from a substantially square sheet of material which is bent downwardly digenally opposite the outermost corner thereof to provide a bottle engaging flange 62. The space intermediate the depending flange t2 and that part of the member 25 aligned with the embossures 28' and 29 provides an ice supporting platform 63. The flanges 52 serve to hold the bottles in the corner bottle receiving spaces against movement.

in the invention as thus far described, the slate of the various walls have been secured in position by passing short pins 41 through bores extending through the slats at opposite ends thereof. When one of such slats is broken the rivets 55 passing through the uppermost slat in the wall in which the broken slat is contained are removed as well as the other rivets passing through the corner caps 43 through which these first named rivets pass. The corner caps 43 are then removed after which the slats may be lifted from position, and when the broken slat is reached it is removed and replaced and the wall is reassembled as described.

In Fig. 12 a modified form of construction for the interconnection of the slats of the walls is shown and in this construction no corner caps are provided at the upper edges of the corners. In this construction the lower ends of the corner members, generally indicated by 32', are arranged in the same manner as the lower ends of the corner members 32 and the slats We and Hie are mounted in position in the manner described. However, instead of employing a plurality of short pins 4? a long pin 41 is provided. Furthermore, the bores in the uppermost slats extend entirely through these slats as indicated at at and the long pins 47 extend through these bores ts" beyond the tops of the slats i811 and 55a as illustrated in Fig. 12. Furthermore, the upper end of the part 34" of the corner member 32 is bent inwardly as indicated at Std to pass across the top of the slat I81: and this part is then bent downwardly as indicated at that to extend over the inner face of the upper slat its and the pin M passes through an opening in the part Sta. To prevent displacement of the upper end of the pin 41 it is peened over. It will also be noted that the pin 4'? extends through a bore 38 that extends entirely through the lowermost slat Hie. The lower end of the pin 4'! extends through an opening in the section 3.6 and this end of the pin t? is also peened over. Rivets 45 pass through the parts 34" and 35a and the uppermost rail iBa to secure this rail in position. The part of the corner member 32 corresponding to the part 33 of the corner member 32 is arranged similarly to the part 34 of the corner member 32 to embrace the upper edge of the slat 16a. When a broken slat is to be replaced in a construction employing the pins 41' the peened parts at corresponding ends of the required pins 41 are straightened to permit removal of these pins whereupon the parts such as the parts 34a and 35a are straightened to permit the removal of the slats down to the broken slat.

Either the corner arrangement shown in Fig. 3 or that shown in Fig. 12 can be used in connection with the other novel features which We have described heretofore but one or the other of these constructions should be used at all corners of a particular crate.

In Fig. 15 a modified form for the shoe piece 39 is illustrated and herein the lower end and parts of the inner and outer faces of the shoe piece 39 areembraced by a metallic strip H which is retained in position by nails T2 or the like. Moreover, a metallic strip i3 embraces the bottom edge and lower parts of the inner and outer faces of the bottom slat We of the side Wall shown herein. This strip '53 is retained in position by nails 14 or the like. Thus, Fig. 15 shows how the bottom edges of the crate may be effectively protected against damage.

so crate of this invention has the corners thereof effectively protected against damage and if one of the slats is broken in the use of the crate, as happens quite frequently, this slat may be easily replaced. The pins interconnect the slats and impart rigidity to the crate and the loose mounting of the slats on the pins facilitates repair and replacement without lessening this rigidity.

The dividing rails 5'5, 58 are made of strips sufliciently wide to form a grid which substantially fills the space between the bottles and not only maintains the bottles in spaced relation but also forms a support which will hold crushed ice about the bottles. The icing of bottled milk in crates for wagon delivery is quite necessary in hot weather and the grid formed by the dividing rails retains the crushed ice about the bottles in a satisfactory manner. The dies necessary for forming the dividing rails are comparatively inexpensive and the rails can be easily assembled in cross formation and secured together and to the walls of the crate to form an inexpensive grid which is strong, sufiiciently rigid for all purposes and supports the ice packed about the bottles. By securing the rails together at their intersections they are maintained against the relative movement to which they may be subjected in commercial use of the crate and this also increases the rigidity of the grid.

The spacers on the corner reenforcing members insure uniform spacing of the slats without requiring separate parts for this purpose, and these reenforcing members being connected to the pins which interconnect the slats serve also to strengthen and increase the rigidity of the crate. The manner of mounting the bottle supporting rods in the walls of the crate is simple, novel and can be accomplished at low cost and the rods are firmly held against displacement.

While we have illustrated and described selected embodiments of our invention it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail ourselves of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a crate for bottles and the like, a plurality of dividing rails extending between opposite walls of the crate, the rails extending between one set of said opposite walls intersecting the rails extending between the other opposite walls, the

spaces defined between said intersecting rails and said rails on the walls of the crate affording bottle receiving spaces, certain of said rails having por tions of substantially concavo-convex formation at least at the points of intersection of these rails with other of the rails, the concavo-convex formation of said portions providing sharp edges at the lower corners thereof, said other of said rails having substantially flat portions at least at the points of intersection thereof with said certain of said rails, said sharp edges digging into said substantially flat portions to interconnect the rails at the points of intersection and permit relative movement thereb etween.

2. In a crate for bottles and the like, a plurality of dividing rails extending between opposite walls of the crate, the rails extending between one set of said opposite walls intersecting the rails extending between the other opposite walls, the spaces defined between said intersecting rails and said rails and the walls of the crate affording bottle receiving spaces, the parts of said rails intermediate the intersections thereof being bent downwardly to provide bottle engaging flanges, certain of said rails being of substantially concavo-convex formation to provide sharp edges at the lower corners thereof engageable with the rails intersecting said certain rails to dig thereinto and prevent relative movement between the intersecting rails.

3. In a bottle crate having means therein defining bottle receiving spaces, bottle supports at the bottom of said crate and aligned with said bottle receiving means, and means for retaining said bottle supporting members in said crate and including portions at the lower edges of opposite walls of said crate each having longitudinally extending grooves therein spaced inwardly from the sides of said portions, said portions having other grooves therein extending in angular relation with the first named grooves from said first named grooves to only one side of said portions, said bottle supporting members having angularly extending foot portions thereon arranged in said longitudinally extending grooves upon passage of said bottle receiving members through said other grooves, the extension of said bottle supporting members through said other grooves preventing movement thereof toward and away from each other and the disposition of said foot portions in said longitudinally extending grooves preventing longitudinal movement of said bottle supporting members relative to said opposite walls.

4. In a bottle crate having means therein defining bottle receiving spaces, bottle supports at the bottom of said crate and aligned with said bottle receiving spaces, and means for retaining said bottle supporting members in said crate and including members secured at the lower edges of opposite walls of said crate and having longitudinally extending grooves in the upper edges thereof spaced inwardly from the sides of said members, said members having other grooves in the upper edges thereof and in which said bottle supporting members are seated, said bottle supporting members having angularly extending foot portions thereon arranged in said longitudinally extending grooves to prevent longitudinal movement of said bottle supporting members relative to said opposite walls.

5. In a bottle crate, a plurality of cross-rails dividing the crate into bottle receiving pockets, said rails being formed from flat strips of substantial width and at least one of said rails at 7 each intersection being of concavo-convex formation at its intersection with the other rail at said intersection and having the concave side thereof adjacent said other rail, the rails being bent at their side edges at the sides of said pockets to form bottle engaging flanges and forming horizontal platforms at their intersections between said bottle receiving pockets whereby said convex side of said one rail and said other rail support crushed ice distributed thereon and about the bottle for refrigerating purposes.

HENRY A. KEINER.

ROBERT STODDARD.

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