US2225958A - Casing - Google Patents

Description

J. MANDEL Dec. 24, 1940.

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din/"J 2 I Hahde/ i ATTORNEYS J. MANDEL Dec. 24, 1940.

CASING Filed March 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR Jaca Mandel ATTORNEYS- Patented Dec. 2 4, 1 940 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASING Jacob Mandel, New York, N. Y., minor to Pronto le Com, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 17, 1939, Serial No. 262,450 6 Claims. (01. 229-49) The present invention relates to collapsible Fig. 4 illustrates a fragmentary plan view of files, such as are employed, for example as stortwo horizontally adjacent casings, the adjacent age files. walls being in section to show the interlocking It is the general object of the invention to promechanism therebetween; while 5 vide a collapsible casing for files of the drawer Figs. 5 and 6 are sections taken on the lines 5 and casing type which can be conveniently col- 5-5 and 6-4 of Fig. 4. lapsed and erected and in its erected condition The four casings A, B, C, D shown by way of presents a neat and pleasing appearance. example in Fig. 1, are composed essentially of a It is the further object of the invention to promain body portion Iii and a front end reinforc- 10 vide a file casing of rectangular form whose main ing frame ii. The main body portion i0 may be 10 body portion is made of relatively inexpensive made of any suitable light material such as cormaterial, such as paper board, or very thin sheet rugated or other paper board, or thin sheet. metal, which itself is not quite able to withstand metal. In the form of the invention illustrated the weight of a number of superposed files within the drawings, the casings are shown as made 16 out distortion and excessive wear, but which, in of paper board which is provided with scorings, accordance with the invention, is provided with a as shown at i2, along which the blank of which reinforcing structure of simple configuration the casing body is composed may be molded to which stifiens the casing at the corners and reprovide the side walls i3, bottom wall it, top ceives and transmits vertical loads on the casing. Wall i5 and end wall i 8 in a manner well under- 20 It is the still further object of the invention stood in the art and as shown, for example, in 20 to provide an improved means for connecting e pa ent to Scheinman and Mandel No. superposed casings to each other to prevent lathe 5 8 y is preferably e of eral or endwise displacement of one with respect a single integral Piece of material, the end walls to the other; and to provide also means for holdbeing formed 0 u fl ps extending from h m horizontally adjacent stacks of columns of o o d i e w ss c n be bes s 25 files against similar displacement, from Fig. 1, the flaps l7 and 18 extend from the More specifically, it is an object of the inven- Side Walls Of the casing and the ps l9 and 20 tion toprovide a casing interlocking means which from the top and b t m W the er fl ps can be used both to tie vertically superposed meeting upon the outside of the casing along the f ings to each other and likewise horizontally adjaline H and th nd wall be n h d in erected 30 cent casings; the stacking or tying means being condition with the aid of an adhesive paper or of such character that any casing of a group of 010th a The free ends of the Casing blank vertically and horizontally interlocking casings may meet at the o r td Co ner Of the can be removed from the battery of casings withs n 88 ew in IG- 2 n be Connected y n out disturbing the other casings. adhesive paper or cloth tape 23. The construc- 35 Further objects nd advantages of t inven tion so far described is well known and need not tion will appear from the following more detailed be e forth in further detail e p to P t Out description. that for shipping purposes the casing is in com- In the accompanying drawings forming part pletely collaps d conditi n. the tape 2 e n s of the specification, are illustrated by way of excured to only one of the adjacent end wall flap 40 ample. satisfactory embodiments of my improved the casing being desi n d to be erected to casing and stacking or interlocking constructions. the rectan ul r ndi ion Sh wn in Fi 2 at th In said drawings, place of use, at which time the tape 22 is secured Fig. 1 represents a front view elevation of four to the other o h en w ll sec i ns I9, 20, while casings constructed in accordance with the inits free ends are secured to the side walls i3. 45

vention and interlocked both vertically. and hori- In accordance with the present invention, the zontally, the drawers being omitted for the sake open front end of the casing which receives the of greater clearness; drawer (not shown) is provided with a reinforc- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a casing, the body ing frame ii which can be easily and conveniof the casing being shown in position for receivently fitted over the front end of the casing and 50 ing the front end reinforcing frame; secured thereto. The. frame ii is structurally Fig. 3 shows a fragmentary side elevation, separate from the casing andis preferably made partly in section, of two superposed casings with of sheet metal. The frame is of channel crossthe stacking or interlocking mechanism in posisection, and may be made of an integral piece of ti n h sheet metal, suitably bent, the inner flange Ho 55 being preferably shorter than the outer flange llb. The inward bending of the inner flange may be facilitated by removing triangular portions of metal from the original fiat blank at points corresponding to the Joints He. The ends of the reinforcing frame may meet at one of the corners, for example, as shown at lid, and be suitably united by soldering, welding or the like. If desired, thin angled members may be soldered or welded to the meeting edges of two adJacent flanges, preferably the outer longer flanges, upon the inner face thereof, as indicated at Me. If desired, the frame may be made with one of the sides, such as the bottom side, separate from other three, the two being then united at their ends by welding or the like.

The reinforcing frame II is made sufficiently strong, not only to keep the walls of the casing in their normal right angular relationship, but also to withstand a weight of loaded casings stacked above it. To this end, the frame is made of suitably strong metal, the channel cross-section of the frame contributing greatly to its strength, as is well understood. If desired, relatively fiat angle irons may be inserted between the inner and outer flanges at certain or all of the corners of the frame in order to increase the rigidity thereof. These angle irons are suitable fixed within the frames, as by soldering or welding.

The metallic reinforcing frame is intended to be fitted, as already indicated, upon the front edges of the walls of the casing. In order to facilitate the assembly of these parts and at the same time insure a strong although releasable union therebetween, I provide upon the front edges of the casing walls (by which term I include the side, bottom and top walls) or at least upon certain of such walls, relatively rigid clips 25 preferably made of metal which may be mounted upon extensions 26 of the casing walls and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as

by pinching, as indicated at 21; The ends of the extensions 26 and their covering clips 25 are short of the adacent corners of the casing by an extent sufficient to accommodate the angle irons 24 embedded within the frame H. The frame can thus be mounted upon the casing with the clips 25 reaching as far as possible into the space between the flanges Ha and llb, and in fact until they contact the inner surface of the front wall I if of the frame. By properly dimensioning the clips 25 and the angle irons 24, the edges of these parts would be substantially in contact with each other when the frame is in assembled position upon the casing; thereby, the clips and angle irons act substantially as a continuous metallic filler within the outer frame H and act to reinforce the latter and hence strengthen the casing. It will thus be seen that my improved front end reinforcing structure comprises a complete. and rigid frame II which is completely detachable from the casing to enable the latter to be collapsed during shipping or for storage, and parts 25 which are intended to be permanently secured to the casing but in no way interfere with the collapse thereof, the parts 25 cooperating with the parts 24 to provide an additional reinforcing structure.

In order to fix the reinforcing frame upon the casing to prevent displacement thereof upon opening of the drawer, especially when the casing is not secured to vertically or horizontally adacent casings in the manner described hereinbelow, as when only a single file is used, I provide spring tongues upon certain of the clip members 25, such as those located on the top and bottom walls of the casing. These spring tongues may be struck from the body of the clips themselves, as shown at 28. The raised rear ends of this tongue are adapted to be engaged by relatively rigid lugs 29 struck downwardly from the body of the longer flanges llb of the metallic frame. It will, of course, be understood that the fianges llb are longer, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the casing, than the clip members 25 and in the assembled condition of the frame on the casing, the forward edge of the lugs 29 passes just beyond the rear edge of the spring tongues 28. To release the frame from the casing for purposes of collapse of the latter, the spring tongues may be depressed by inserting a suitable tool into the opening 30 in the frame II in advance of the lug 29 so that the frame can be slipped forwardly over the depressed spring tongues 28.

Collapsible files now on the market are provided with means for securing vertical stacks and horizontal rows of individual casings against displacement relative to each other. In one form of construction, the stacking devices comprise elongated sheet metal members which are received in straps provided at the sides of the casings, the straps being struck from the body of the metal composing vertical reinforcing members, the stacking device passing through the straps on superposed casings and the ends of the stacking device extending considerably below the lower strap and considerably below the upper strap, thereby requiring a considerable vertical displacement between superposed casings to effect disengagement of one from the other. Interlocking between adjacent vertical straps is effected by means of lateral hooks on the stacking devices which can be engaged with each other only by relative vertical movement between the horizontally adjacent files. In a battery of such horizontally and vertically interlocked files, it is impossible to remove a centrally positioned file, that is, one surrounded on all sides by other files, without dismantling practically the whole battery. Thus, where the battery of files is employed for more or less frequent use and it is desired to remove a file to store it away more or less permanently as a "dead file, it is extremely diflicult to remove the file without disturbing a large numbe: of the other files.

In another type of stacker mechanism now on the market, the stacking member is provided with ribs which interlock with similar ribs on a sacking member positioned on a vertically adjacent stack of casings, the two being held together by a pin or bolt entering the more or less circular passageway formed between the interlocked ribs. Upon removal of the pin, the adjacent stacks can be moved horizontally with respect to each other, so that a whole stack can be removed without disturbing the other stacks. However, to remove a lower file in a stack of files, the upper files must be lifted to enable the stacking members to be released from the file to be removed. This usually means the removal of all of the files positioned above the one to be separated.

In accordance with the present invention, a stacking mechanism is provided which enables a file to be removed quickly and easily, no matter where it is located in a battery of files, practically without disturbing any of the other files. I accomplish this result by providing interconnecting means between the files which can be readily released to enable a file to be detached from the tion illustrated in the drawings, these interlocking means pass through the juxtaposed walls of adjacent casings perpendicularly vtothe planes of such walls and-preferablythrough the reinforcing structures associated with the front ends of the walls. These interlocking devices are accessible from the interior of the individual casings upon opening of the drawers. To remove any particular file, therefore, it becomes necessary only to open the drawer of the file and if necessary also the drawers of the adjacent files, and release the interlocking means. i

The interlocking devices that may be employed in my improved mode of securing vertically and horizontally stacked flies to each other may take a great variety of forms and in fact may comprise any known and suitable type of fastening means. In the construction illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings. these interlocking means are shown in the form of a bolt and wing nut, but as already pointed.

out, any other known type of fastening devices may be employed. The screws and nuts are shown respectively at 3| and '32. The top and.

bottom portions of the reinforcing frame are provided with apertures 33 which are adapted to register with openings 34 in the top and bottom walls of the casing and with similar apertures on vertically superposed and underlying casings. The superposed casings can thus be secured to each other to prevent lateral and longitudinal movement with respect ,to each other, by inserting the bolt through the registering apertures 33 and 34, as shown in Fig. 3, and then engaging the nut 32 upon the protruding end of the screw. The side portions of the reinforcing frame II are similarly provided with apertures 35 disposed to register with similar apertures 36 in the side walls of the casing, the screws being sumciently long to pass through the two adjacent walls and reinforcing frames of horizontally juxtaposed casings. Suitable washers may be employed to bear against the paper walls, or the clip members 25 may be extended to provide bearing surfaces for the screw heads or nuts at the inside surfaces of the casing walls.

It will be noted that the openings 34, 35 and 36 are conveniently arranged in the corner portion of the casing and reinforcing frame between the projecting clip members 25. They may, however, be arranged elsewhere along the periphery of the open end of the casing and correspondingly along the metallic frame. I prefer, however, to arrange them as illustrated, as in such position the mounted screws 32 cause no interference with the movement of the drawer or with the insertion or removal of the contents of the drawer of the file.

Similar securing means may be provided at the rear of the casing, the side walls and, if

desired, also the top and bottom walls, being provided with suitable metallic reinforcing members which are suitably apertured to receive the screws. In general, it will be sumcient to provide only vertical reinforcing members at the rear portions of the side walls, such members extending along substantially the whole height of such walls but not interfering with the clips of the casing. For most purposes, however, the securing of the rear portions of the casings to each other can be dispensed with.

An assembled battery of casings is shown in Fig. l, which illustrates the manner of securing the casings to each other in such a manner as to prevent displacement of the individual files. From Fig. 1 it will be readily understood that where it is desired to remove one of a battery of files, the fastening means associated with the particular file can be released and the file removed practically without disturbing'the other 'flles. It will be noted that the file above the one that is removed will remain in suspended position, being held to the files to each side of it by the fastening means. As the file is removed, the rear end of the file immediately above it can be propped, if desired, where no interlocking means for the rear of the files is provided. Although only one fastening means is illustrated as being provided for the side walls of the casing, it is apparent that more than one such means may be provided, preferably arranged above the side walls of the drawer. Should it be desired to provide an interlocking means adjacent to the bottom of the side walls, the side walls may be provided with an enlargedaperture, to receive the fastening means so as to keep the end ets at the sides of the reinforcing frames, the horizontally adjacent casings can be brought into direct contact, thereby not only conserving space, but preventing the accumulation of dust and other matter between columns of casings.

While I have described my invention specifically in connection with a paper casing, it will be obvious that casings made of other materials may be employed, such as a metal coated paper or cardboard casing or an all-metal casing, particularly one which is unable to withstand heavy compressive stresses and accordingly requires the provision of a reinforcing front frame.

I claim:

1. A collapsible casing comprising an openended quadrilateral structure having top, bottom and side walls, made of paper material provided with score lines between the adjacent walls along which the walls may be hingedly moved to erect or collapse the casing, a rigid reinforcing frame separate from the casing and adapted to be fitted over the front edges of the walls at the open end of the casing, extensions on at least certain of the casing walls intermediate the lateral edges thereof, and stiffening means 30 f Fig. 1, that by the elimination of straps or sockassociated with said projections and acting to facilitate assembly of the reinforcing frame upon the casing.

2. A casing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stiffening means comprises reversely bent metallic sheathing members secured to said projections.

3. A casing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stiffening means comprises reversely bent metallic sheathing members secured to said projections, at least one of said sheathings having a tongue projecting from the outer surface thereof, and lugs extending from the reinforcing frame and adapted to interlock with said tongues to secure the frame to the casing.

4. A casing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stiffening means comprises reversely bent metallic sheathing members secured to said pron the adjacent edges of neighboring stiffening' a tongue projecting from the outer surface thereof, lugs extending from the reinforcing frame and adapted to interlock with said tongues to secure the frame to the casing, and an aperture in the frame through which the said tongue may be depressed to disengage the same from the lug and enable the frame to be detached from the casing.

5. A collapsible casing comprising an openended quadrilateral structure having top, bottom and side walls, a rigid reinforcing frame separate from the casing and adapted to be fitted over the front edges of the walls at the open end of the casing, extensions on at least'certain of the casing walls intermediate the lateral edges thereof, stiffening means associated with said projections and acting to facilitate assembly of the reinforcing frame upon the casing, and angle plates secured to at least certain of the comer portions of the frame inwardly thereof and adapted to occupy the angular interval between means.

angular interval between adjacent metallic sheathings on the casing so as to form therewith a reinforcing structure within the reinforcing frame, and releasable interlocking means on the frame and on at least one of the metal sheathings.

JACOB MANDEL.

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