US2180524A - Hat packing stay and combination thereof with a hat box - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 21, 1939. J G, HUY'E 2,180,524

HAT PACKING STAY AND COMBINATION TH EREOF WITH A HAT BOX Filed July 6, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wv 'g2. q 2.0

J. ca. HUYE 2.180524 HAT PACKING STAY AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A HAT BOX Nov. 21, 1939.

Filed July 6, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J.. G. HUYE Nov. 21, 1939.

HAT PACKING STAY AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A HAT BOX Filed July 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNiTED STATE HAT PACKING STAY AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A HAT BOX Joseph G. Huye, New Orleans, La. Application July 6, 1937, Serial No; 152,218

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the combination of hat packing stays in a hat box for storing and/or shipping hats and also to such hat packing stays v or supports per se and to the several features thereof.

In the hat manufacturing business it is of great importance from a commercial View point that felt hats shall be so packed that if shipped they will not be subjected to the pressure of any sustaining packing elements, or impressed or indented by or marked by any packing element. Also, it is of importance that they shall not be dented or mussed up in any manner, but shall be received substantially in perfect ironed condition, the same condition in which they were at the time of completion at the factory.

Also, it is of importance to reduce as far as possible the number of packing boxes required, the weight of material used in making such boxes, and in general the expense entering into such packing.

Also, it is of importance to reduce as far as possible the time per hat required in such packing by the packer, the weight of the packing stays used, and to simplify the packing process and to reduce the number of packing elements required to be used.

The present invention has been developed with the foregoing considerations in mind and has for its primary objects to provide a combination of elements whereby the packed hats in superposed relation will be held against endwise or sidewise and/or vertical movement; to provide a combination of parts whereby no part of any hat will be subjected to the Weight of any other hat or to the weight of any packing element; to provide individual means for sustaining the weight of the individual hats, no part of any of said means resting upon any hat or any part of any hat in such way as to transmit thereto the weight of any other hat or of any packing element; to

provide individual means for centering each hat in the box and by contact with the wall or sides of said box hold each hat in centered position; to guard against any abrupt sharp edge of any packing element coming into contact With the brim of any hat; to provide a telescopic superposed built up multiple hat stay construction extending from the top to the bottom of the hat box and so centering and holding each individual hat as to prevent movement of any hat in the direction of the axis of the box; to provide hat stay means of such construction and so related in the built up combination that the lower stay will rest and be supported directly by the upper face of the bottom of the box and each stay above the bottom stay will rest directly upon and be supported by the surface of theimmediately lower stay; to provide in such a built up stack arrangement a construction whereby each hat will rest by its 'brim directly upon the upper face of its supporting stay and will be held or limited against endwise movement by stops having wide surfaces presented toward and closely adjacent to the upper surfaces of the brims of the respective hats but will have no part actually in contact with any part of the hat brim or' brims,

whereby each of the "hats will merely supportits own weight and will be held in a sort of floating relationship in the stack; to provide guards associated with each stay member for disposition between the central openings in each stay member and the crown of the hat encircled thereby to prevent any marking of the hat crown by said edges; and to provide said detail improvements in the stays; also to provide a construction of stay which may be formed preferably by a single stamping operation and which may be stored and shipped flat in sheet form condition the same as a flat sheet of paper and yet which may be quickly erected into operative stay condition, whereby a large supply 'of stays may be kept readily at hand in the packing room and quickly erected and used as needed during the packing operation.

In the accompanying drawings: I Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of a stack of three hats and their stays arranged in alternation as arranged in a box which is shown in section; s Fig. 2, a sectional View on the .line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 3, a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4, a section on the line l4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5, a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6, a sectional View on the line 6 -6. of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figured, a plan'view of one of the stays or stay bodies in fiat sheet form condition;

Figure 8, a perspective viewof one of the stays or stay bodies in erected condition;

. Figure 9, a plan view of one. of the crown guards in fiat condition; v

Figure 10, a perspective view of one of the crown guards in operative form ready to be applied in operative position to one of the stays or stay bodies;

Figure 11, an enlarged fragmentary detail view of one end portion of one of the stays or stay bodies in erected condition; and

Figure 12, a sectional view on the line l2-l2 of Figure 11, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, A designates the body of the box; B, the top of the box; C, the bottom of the box; and D, the hats having brims d and sweat bands e.

Each of the stays or centering means I is formed as a flat sheet of preferably paper board or paste board material perferably flatly resilient in character with a central opening 2 to receive the crown of a hat about which it is to be applied and has preferably integral side portions 3 and end tongues 4, there being score lines 5 marking off the sides 3 from the sheet or body I to facilitate the folding of the sides 3 inwardly slightly beyond the vertical to constitute upwardly extending slightly outwardly inclined bracing flanges 3 in erected condition; and there being score or fold lines 6 marked across the base of the respective end tongues 4 to facilitate the folding down of these tongues 4 into operative position wherein they serve to lock the parts in erected condition.

Corner portions 9' extend from the respective end portions of the side portions or flanges 3 and fold at an obtuse angle with relation thereto along score or fold lines 1 respectively extending at obtuse angles from the respective score lines 5, whereby the respective portions 3 will be disposed in an upwardly and outwardly inclined vertical position when the corner portions 9 are disposed in a horizontal position, that is to say when their upper and lower edges are horizontal in the erected condition of the stay. Preferably integral with the extreme end portion of each corner portion 9' is an end lap portion ll folded over into transverse position at right angles to the portions 3 along the scored or fold line 9 respectively, so that in the erected condition the end or lap portions H at each end of the stay will extend at obtuse angles to their respective corner portions II and at right angles to the side flanges 3 and will have their adjacent end edges substantially in abutment as illustrated in Figures 6 and 11. A tongue [3 will be cut out of each end lap H adjacent the score or fold lines 9 along three sides and left connected along its remaining long side with the corresponding cornerportion 9', whereby in erected condition each said tongue l3 will project in the plane of its corresponding corner portion 9 beyond the score or fold line or hinge 9, as illustrated in Figures 8 and 11, also I2 to fit into and interlock with cooperating notches l2 formed in the sides of the respective end tongues 4 in the erected condition of the stay.

Each end lap l l is formed with a short out l5 extending from its lower edge to form a short tongue l1.

Each end tongue 4 is formed with a preferablydovetailed notch i4 in its lower end edge or portion, such notch I4 leaving on either side of it locking tongues IS with downwardly and inwardly inclined inner edge portions.

' The medial portions of the side flanges 3 are formed with upward movement limit stops 2|, preferably integral with said medial portions and preferably folded inward along the respective scored or fold lines [9 to present wide stop faces closely adjacent to, but spaced from, the upper faces of the brims of the hats in the assembled operative condition or relation of the stays and when the package is right side up, said limit stops 2| serving to engage the said upper faces of the brims of the hats and to support the hats in case the package should be inverted. The lower portions of the flanges 3 on each side of said medial portions carrying the stops 2| may be cut away as illustrated, to cut down the shipping weight of the packing stay, and preferably each bracing flange 3 will be formed with a hand opening 23 to facilitate the handling of the stay and also to cut down weight. Also preferably at diametrically opposite points on opposite sides of and centrally lengthwise of the opening 2 the flat portion or top of the stay will be formed with openings 20 to receive the interlocking tongues 30 of the crown guard. These openings 20 may be formed by cutting away the material along three sides in a generally U-shaped cut so that the material delineated by said out may be depressed, or the material may be cut out entirely according as may be preferred.

To erect one of the stays the side bracing flanges 3 are folded along their respective score lines 5, the end tongues 4 are folded along their respective score or fold lines 6, the corner portions 9' are folded along their respective score or fold lines I, and the end laps H are folded along their respective fold lines 9. As thus folded, the end laps II are moved into parallel relation behind, and preferably in contact with, the inner faces of the respective end tongues 4 with the respective tongues l3 fitting in the respective cooperating notches tive sides of the respective end tongues thereafter the respective pairs of interlocking tongues I! of each respective pair of end laps II are pulled or pressed endwise outward through the respective notches l4 of the respective end tongues 4 to respectively overlie and interlap with the respective lapping tongues l6 of the respective end tongues 4. In this condition the stay will be locked in erected condition.

Each corner portion 9' in such erected condition extends across a corner portion of the top of the stay l, leaving projecting beyond said corner portion 9' a supporting portion or surface l8, upon which may rest and be supported the corner portions 9 of the next higher packing stay as the same are arranged in stacked relationship in a box. Also said corner portions I8 serve to engage the sides of the packing box to prevent sidewise movement of the stay and the hat supported thereby. Of course these portions I8 of the stay will be of such extent and of such edge contour as may be required by the cross sectional size and form of the box with which they are to be used, being angular in the present embodiment because the box with which they are to be used is of oblong octagonal cross sectional form. Were a so-called square box with rounded corners to be used, such supporting portions l8 would have correspondingly curved end edges.

Where hats are packed at the factory for purposes of shipment and/or storage for a considerable length of time the crown guards 24 will preferably be employed, a pair of such guards being used to each hat packing stay, said guards being inserted in and on opposite sides of the opening 2 and interlocked with the stay by having the tongues 30, formed by the U-shaped cut in their respective thumb pieces 26 depressed along their hinge line connections 29 and inserted in the respective holes 20 in the respective portions I2 in the respec- 4 and serve :to prevent contact between 11f the topofathesstay'body=or top. The thumb pieces :26 are formed by the upwardly convergiing :cuts .25 and integrally connected .with :the bodies of their respective 'ICIOWII guards 24 along the hinge, scored .or fold line 121. These guards the relatively narrow-sharpedge of thehole 2 and the opposed outer face f the hat crown received therein.

The'upper packing stay I is-preferably formed and constructed and erected in'the same manner :as above set forth, except thatit is vof such height that, together with the other stays used in the stack,-it'wil1:make a stackcof a composite height equalling or substantially equalling the distance between the-upper face of the bottom of the box :and :the-lower face of the top of the box, thereby preventing any :relative endwise movement or any substantial relative endwise movement.

The lower edges of the cornerportions 9' of the lower stay willrest upon the upper face of the bottom of the box, the corresponding edges of the corresponding portions of the other stays will rest on and be supported by the portions I8 of the next lower stays and the upper face of the upper stay 1' will be in engagement "with, or in substantial engagement with the lower face of the top of the box.

While the embodiment of packing stay illustrated is preferred, this stay may be made in a number of diiferent other forms omitting many .of the details illustrated and substituting some others having the some general purposes. For instance it is not necessary that a separate fastening means shall not be used in substitution for the-tongues l1 interlocking with the tongues l6;

also while the tongues l3 fitting in the cooperating notches I2 are a desirable feature, they are not essential and may be omitted. Also while it is preferred that the corner portions 9', flat portions II and end tongues 4'all be disposed in vertical planes, it is-not essential.

.Put another way it may be said thatit will be sufficient if the packing stays are such that the upper faces of the main body thereof will support the hat resting thereon and will offer supporting surfaces for cooperatingportions of parts depending from the upper portion 'or body or supporting surface of the immediately next above stay at points beyond the rim of the hat resting thereon and is so formed as to prevent appreciable or substantial endwise and/or sidewise movement as disposed in a shipping or storing box, there being some means provided depending toward the brims of theresp-ective hats and out of contact normally'therewith for-preventing their movement in the direction of the axis of the stack to an appreciable extent in case the package iould be inverted.

When the retail packer receives thepackage and has inspected the same "to see the'condition of the hats as received,in repacking'them he may omit to replace the crown guards 26, since the boxes will be placed upon his shelves for convenience in disposing of his stock and there will be no such handling .of the "boxesas would cause the crowns of the hats to rest against or contact with the edges of the openings 2 of the respective hat stays.

Also, and for the same reasons, should the hat .manufacturer know that the hats were to be immediately disposed of and that the packages were to be shipped by'truck for instance from the factory and so not subject to repeated rehandling, the manufacturer might also omit the use of said crown guards 24.

a tubular box body,

stack or any portion thereof "stay resting directly on the 'Whileit is preferred thestops .zl shall be of the construction, and'shall dependor extend from the respective-side flanges 3, as shown, this is .not

shown in my pending application Ser. No. 97,703, filed August 24, 1936 for Hat packing stays and combination package and it is not essential that they be integral with said top or body or flanges.

I claim:

1. A storing and shipping package comprising a bottom closing the lower endof said'body, in combination with a plurality of packing stay units and a plurality of hats, said hats .and' stay units being arranged in alternation in nested superposed stack relation in said box, each said stay unit comprising a collapsible packingstay formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and a pair of hat crown guards interlocked with said stay and disposed in said opening between the wall edge defining the same and the opposed face of said hat crown, each said stay in erected condition comprising an upper supporting body, upwardly inclined side flanges depending from said body, movement limit stops extending from said flanges to points closely adjacent the hat brim immediately below said body to limit the movement of the said hat brim toward said body, corner flange portions integral with said side flanges and extending aptact the opposed internal face portions of the box with which it is used at such points as will suffice to prevent substantial shifting movement of the in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the stack, the lower upper face of the box bottom and .the remaining stays resting directly on and being supportediby the upper faces of the respective next "lower stays, and the cornbined height of said stays as arranged in stack relation being substantially equal to the distance between the upper face of the 'box'bottom and the lower face of the box'top, and sad box top being substantially in engagement with the upper end of said box body.

'2. A storing and shipping package comprising a tubular box body, a bottom closing the lower end of said body, in combination with aplurality of packing stay units and a plurality of hats, said hats and stay units being arrangedin alternation in nested superposed stack relation in saidbox, each said stayunit comprising a collapsible packing stay formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown, each said stay in erected condition comprising an upper supporting body, upwardly inclined side flanges depending from said body, movement limit stops extending from said flanges to points closely adjacent the hat brim immediately 'below said body to limit the movement of the said hat brim toward said body, corner flange portions integral with said side flanges-and extending appreciably below said side flanges at points beyond said hat brim to provide a clearance for the same and to rest on the 4 used at such points as will suffice to prevent substantial shifting movement of the stack or any portion thereof in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the stack, the lower stay resting directly on the upper face of the box bottom and the remaining stays resting directly on and being supported by the upper faces of the respective next lower stays, and the combined height of said stays as arranged in stack relation be- ;ing substantially equal to the distance between the upper face of the box bottom and the lower face of the box top, and said box top being substantially in engagement with the upper end of said box body.

3. A collapsible hat packing stay for use in packing a hat in a box, said stay comprising a centering stay body formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and of such size and shape as to contact opposed portions of the inner face of a box body with which it is to be used at such points as to prevent substantial movement relative to said box body in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof, and limit stops connected with portions of said stay and in operative use depending closely adjacent to and spaced from a hat brim, in combination with end tongues integral with the respective ends of said body and foldable to depend therefrom substantially at right angles thereto, side flanges integral with said body and foldable to depend therefrom at an acute angle thereto so as to be upwardly and outwardly inclined, corner flanges respectively integral with the end portions of each side flange and respectively foldable at obtuse angles thereto to extend across end portions of the body with their upper edges in supporting contact with the lower face of said body, and end laps respectively integral with the ends of the respective corner flanges and respectively folded at obtuse angles thereto to lie substantially parallel to, and to engage the inner face of, the corresponding end tongues depending from the respective ends of said body, the said corner flanges and the corresponding side portions of the corresponding cooperating tongues being formed with cooperating interengaging bracing means, the lower edge portions of said tongues and the corresponding lower edge portions of the corresponding end laps being formed with interlocking means to lock the flanges and end laps in erected position and the ends of the adjacent end laps in erected relation substantially abutting to prevent unintentional disengagement of said interlocking means, and said corner flanges extending downward sufficiently beyond the lower edges of said side flanges to provide a clearance for a hat brim between the plane of the lower edges of said side flanges and the plane of the lower edges of said corner flanges.

4. A collapsible hat packing stay for use in packing a hat in a box, said stay comprising a centering stay body formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and of such size and shape as to contact opposed portions of the inner face of a box body with which it is to be used at such points as to prevent substantial movement relative to said box body in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof and limit stops connected with portions of said stay and in operative use depending closely adjacent to and spaced from a hat brim, in combination with end tongues connected with the respective end portions of said body and foldable to depend therefrom, side flanges connected with said body and foldable to depend therefrom,corner flanges re- -spectively'connected with the end portions of each side flange and respectively foldable to extend across end portions of the body, and end laps respectively connected with the respective corner flanges and respectively foldable to lie substantially parallel to, and to engage the inner face of, the corresponding end tongues depending from the respective ends of said body, the said corner flanges and the corresponding side portions of the corresponding cooperating tongues being formed with cooperating interengaging bracing means, the lower edge portions of said tongues and the corresponding lower edge portions of the corresponding end laps being formed with interlocking means to lock the flanges and end laps in erected position, and said corner flanges extending downward sufficiently beyond the lower edges of said side flanges to provide a clearance for a hat brim between the plane of the lower edges of said side flanges and the plane of the lower edges of said corner flanges.

5. A collapsible hat packing stay for use in packing a hat in a box, said stay comprising a centering stay body formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and of such size and shape as to contact opposed portions of the inner face of a box body with which it is to be used at such points as to prevent substantial movement relative to said box body in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof and stops connected with and depending from portions of said stay closely adjacent to and directly above and spaced from a hat brim to limit movement of said hat axially of the opening in said stay, in combination with end tongues connected with the respective end portions of said body and foldable to depend therefrom, side flanges connected with said body and foldable to depend therefrom, corner flanges respectively connected with the end portions of each side flange and respectively foldable to extend across end portions of the body, and end laps respectively connected with the ends of the respective corner flanges and respectively folded to lie substantially parallel to, and to engage the inner face of, the corresponding end tongues depending from the respective ends of said body, the lower edge portions of said tongues and the corresponding lower edge portions of the corresponding end laps being formed with interlocking means to lock the flanges and end laps in erected position, and said end laps extending downward sufficiently beyond the lower edges of said side flanges to provide a clearance for a hat brim between the plane of the lower edges of said side flanges and the plane of the lower edges of said end laps.

6. A collapsible hat packing stay for use in packing a hat in a box, said stay comprising a centering stay body formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and of such size and shape as to contact opposed portions of the inner face of a box body with which it is to be used at such points as to prevent substantial movement relative to said box body in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof, and stops connected with and depending from portions of said stay closely adjacent to and directly above and spaced from a hat brim to limit movement of said hat axially of the opening in said stay, in combination with side flanges integral with said body and foldable to depend therefrom, corner flanges respectively integral with the end portions of each side flange and respectively foldable at obtuse angles thereto to extend across end portions of the body with their upper edges in supporting contact with the lower face of said body, and

means for securing said corner flanges in such I relationship.

7. A collapsible hat packing stay for use in packing a hat in a box, said stay comprising a centering stay body formed with a large central opening to receive a hat crown and of such size and shape as to contact opposed portions of the inner face of a box body with which it is to be used at such points as to prevent substantial movement relative to said box body in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof, in combination with side flanges integral with said body and fold- JOSEPH G.

to limit movement 10

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