US2326648A - Collapsible cardboard structure - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 10,1943. v, HORR 2,326,648

COLLAPSIBLE CARDBOARD STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 12, 1942 INVENTOR John Vflon" BY M ATTOR Y5 Patented Aug. 10, 1943 "2,326,643 e 7 OOLLAPSIBL canpnoaiuiSTRUCTURE- M i JehnV. Horr, North Tarrytown, N. assignor to Einson -Freeman 00., Inc, Long Island City,

' N.'Y.-, a corporation of Delaware Y J Application September 12, 1942, Serial-No.458,131

' 2 Claims, (Cl. 312-1402) My present: invention relates generally lapsible cardboard structures. l

It is ageneralobject-of my invention to' provide astructure which is adapted to be'used a a serving bar, i. e., a device which may be caused to assume an upright position, on the floor and provided with a horizontal supporting surface or bar top upon which-bottles, glasses, and other paraphernalia may be rested tozfacilitate the serving of drinks or the'like.,. The present structure is v staunch and rugged inconstruction, and maybe used on repeated, occa )A more particular object of my invention is to provide a device which may be inexpensively manufactured of cardboard or its equivalent,

which allows this section tobulge forwardly at V the sides toform convex side, portions on the front wall of the device'whenthe structure is set up; and the bartop, memberis provided with a; free edge which conforms to this convexity so that the various parts may be mutually braced in a simple yet emcient mannenf The structure ispreferably. provided with a second bracing member; similar to the bar top member, but hinged to the backsection at a lower region,

thereby bracing the structure in, a desirable manner atthe' lowerpart thereof .i ,A particular feature of my invention resides thereby making it possible to sell the item at a low price-or to award it as a premium forjad vertising or similar purposes. 7

A further object of my invention is to pro.-

. vide a structure which maybe readily adjusted from a substantially compact collapsed condition into a rigidifie'd sturdy set-upcondition, and vice versa. This permits the structure, when collapsed, to be efficiently stored or shipped in a minimum amount of space. I

The present improved structure consists essentially of front and back sections which are hingedly connected so. that they may be collapsed together jinto superposed collapsed condition, or readily v adjusted, into separated relationship to form an upright tubular body adapted to-rest firmly on the floor. Associated with this body structure is a member which is so shaped that it may be wedged into an operative position spanning the gap at the top of the tubular body, therebyiorming a bar top or serving surface, These elements areso constructed and arrangedwith respect to meanother, and with respect to certain cooperating bracing elements, that the procedures involved in collapsing the device or adjusting it in set-up position are extremely simple and may be carried out'even by unskilled persons;

In the preferred embodiment of my inven tion, the member which serves as the bar top is permanently hinged to atleast one of the front and back sections so that it may be swung from an inoperative substantially vertical position to an operative substantially horizontal position. Preferably this bar top is hingedlyconnected to the backsection of the structure,- near the top.

The preferred embodiment'of the invention in the provision of a means whichibecomes auto matically operative, when the structure is set I up to adjust the front and backsections into separated set-up relationship. Thisjis preferably accomplished by a toggle link associated,

in' a special 'manner with the bar top member.

A similar toggle link may be used to advantageinzassociation with the lower bracing member.

A -further feature of my. inventionresides in the provision of at least one transverse brace which lies beneath and affords a strong; support for the horizontal bar 13 ,1 When the st'ruc ture isset up. A similar transversebraceis preferablyprovided beneath the lower bracing" member, and the transverse brace at @the lower portionofv the structuretis of furtherutility in strengthening ,-and rigidif ying}the structure at the-floorflevel. Y n .7 M: I achieve the foregoing general: objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear orfbe pointed out,in.thev manneriillustmtively e m q n thes accompanying drawin i Figure vention, shown in set-up condition; I

Figure 2 is across-sectional view takenfsubstantially along the line 2 -7-2 of Figure 1;

v Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure'2 -show bar top beingpartly brovice shown in Figure 1.

;The bo'dy portion of the structure composed 1 is a-perspective'view of a structure 7 constructed in accordance with the present in is a'plan view of thestructure, in

cross-sectional view taken, sub= structure as a whole.

of a substantially rectangular rear panel l0, and a wider substantially rectangular element ll whose end portions 12 are secured,by adhesive meansor otherwise, to the opposite margins of the panel Ill. Vertical score lines l3 are provided in the element H at the opposite sides of the structure. These score lines are so positioned that the lineal distance between them, measured along the element l I, is substantially equal to the lineal distance between them, measured around the rear of the device. therefore be said to divide thestructure into front and back sections hingedly connected at the sides. By the term ffront section it will be understood that reference is made to that por- 7 tion of the element II which lies between the score lines l3; and by the term back section, it will be understood that reference is made, as a unit, to the rear panel I0 and to those portions of the element H which lie rearwardly of the scorelines l3.fi-'

-"Because of the fact that the width of the front section, when laid flat, is thus substantially equal to the width of-the-back section, when laid-flat,

it follows that the front and back sections may be collapsed together into substantially superposed relationship. This is 'the relationship which they assume when the structure as a whole iscollapsed. When it is-set up, the front and backsections assume the 'separatedrelationship shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, thereby forming an upright tubular body. 1

Adjacent to the score lines l3, the-front'section is preferably provided with a series of close- 1y spaced vertical scorings whichallow the front isection to bulge forwardly in the convex manner shown in ,thedrawing when the'device isset up. This imparts an attractive appearance to the The element i4 adapted to serve as a bar top, is hinged to the back section near the upper edge of the latter. This is preferably accomplished by providing the member 14 with a rear e'xtensipn 15 which is in hinged relationto the member 14 and which is secured, by adhesive means or otherwise, to: the upper part 'of the rear panel I0.-,-This allows the member I4 to be swung from an inoperative position substantially parallel to the rear panel l0 into an operative substantially horizontal position} The operative position is indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 4. In FigureBythe member I4 is shown in an upwardly-adjusted positionfbut it will beunderstood that a complete collapse of the structure will bring-the member l4 into-substantially a vertical plane. The relationship of parts shown in Figure} (and These score lines l3 may fact that the member l4, during its adjustment into the operative position of Figure 2, automatically brings about a separation of the front and back sections. This is preferably accomplished by a toggle link [1. This link is hinged at its forward end to the front section of the tubular body, and at its rear end to the mid-portion of the me ber M. Thi y e accp pl s d y proi i ia rear atta hment l p '8 on th link ll, this flap being secured to the underside of the member l4, and by providing a similar forward attachment flap I9 on-the link 11, the flap I9 I being secured to the rear'surface of thefront seetion ll, The parts are so constructed that the rear hinge line 20 is exactly at the center of themember ld, while the hinge line 2| is in horizontal alignment with the hinge line 16. As

a result, the link I! and the rear portion ofthe carried out, a handhole shown'also in dot-and-dslsh lines inl ligureli) inupper marginof the-front section, and the parts are thus -heldin' mutually braced relationship.

Moreover, the upstandingedges ofthe front and 1 back sections afford an attractive and "useful guard rail to prevent articlesfrom inadvertently sliding or falling fromwthe bar top when the str'uctureis used. sf

Oneof the features of 'my invention in the til horizontal position, shown in Figure *2.

member l4 serve as toggle braces, so that when the member I4 is swung downwardly, the front and rear'sections of the'.'bodyiare mechanically forced apart until ultimately thefmember ll lies "flat, as shown in Figure 2",Iand the attachment flap lBis in horizontal alignment with the toggle'link l1... 1 a g In accordance with my invention, at least one transverse brace is provided to afford extra supportfor the bar top I4. Preferably, two spaced braces are provided, and. they may advantageouslybe formed as integral parts of the a ttach- 'ment flap-l9. ,One such-brace consists of the strip 22 which is hinged at 23 to one side-of the flap l9, and secured at its rear end, as 'at '24,'to

the rear panel 10; The strip is made collapsible by theoprovision. of a score line 25 at itsmidportion, A similar bracing strip 25' is arranged at the cpposite'side of the attachment nap I9.

Each of the braces 22 and 26 is so positioned that when the structure is set up the upperedge of the bracing strip lies in a horizontal plane substantially coincident with the hinge lines- I6 andil, whereby the bar top may rest firm-1y against these transverse braceewhen the struc tureisdsedi 1 l 'io afford access to the underside of the memher 54,, so that this member may be prishedup wardly when a efthe structure is to be I is provided in the rear panel 59 directly beneat" the hinge line l5. 1

l The structure may-be i ntly reinforced in the lower regionwith an a; N .1315 of parts sim ilar to those just described. Thus, the member i4 is in one sense a racing m rnherwhieh spans the gap at the rep at the tubular body and which assumes ar infor'cing wedged position between the front back section's when the structure is set up.

A similar'bracing member is provided in -tlie' :l'ewer par-t er" the structure, this hinged at 25 to the rear panel and being adapted tQSWH'lQ vertical 'pe'sition intof'the ope n at-subs tantia' ly ive substantially The member 23 if desired, form an integral part of the rear panel it as indicated in the present die-wing. The n".

and is adapted to assume thewedgedbraeing V posi icn'shcvin in Fig-urea when'the structure is v Preferabhgthe nee; rber -25 is associated w th a togg-le link 8-8 and with transverse colizipsible braces-3i and'fl, these various elements 7 bein associatedwith one another and function ing in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore described inconnectien with the bai" top memberll. =It should behoted, however; that rn-ber 2 8 has a free edge which conforms to the convexity of the rrant-section,

the braces 3i and 32 extend all the way to the floor level, and that these braces thereby afford not only a bracing support for the member 28 but a reinforcement of the foundation of the structure at the fioor level.

In order to make it easy to adjust the member 28 upwardly, when a collapse of the structure is to be carried out, the member 28 'is preferably provided with a hand hole 33.

It will thus beseen that I have provided a structure of relatively simple character, requiring for its manufacture nothing more than cardboard or equivalent sheet materiahand that the structure may be readily adjusted betweena suba stantially fiat collapsed condition and a rigidified operative condition. In setting the device up it is merely necessary for theuser to press the members l4 and 28 forwardly until they assume the I positions of Figure 2; and in order to restore the part to a collapsed relationship, it is merely necessary to insert the hand through the hole 21 and impart an upward movement to the member l4, and to grasp the member 28 with the aid of the hole 33 and to pull the member 28 upwardly ina similarmanner. Then, by merely pressing the front and back sections of the body together,

, ative substantially vertical position into an operative substantially horizontal position spanning the entire structure readily collapses into a sub-.

stantially fiat condition. y

In general, it will be understood that the de tails herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of the invention may be modified by those skilled in the art withor to be separated to define a tubular body, a bar top member hinged to the upper part of the back 7 section and adapted to be swung from an inoperative substantially vertical position into an operative substantially horizontal position spanning the gap at the top-of said body when the structure is set up, and means controlled by said member as it is swung into operative position for ad- :justing the'front and back sections into separated set-up relationship, said means comprising a. toggle link hinged at its forward end to the upper part of the front section and hinged at its rear end to the midportion of said bar'top mem-' ber. f

2. A collapsible to be used as a serving bar, comprising upright front and back sections hingedly connected at the sides to allow them to be collapsed together or to be separated to define a tubulanbody, avba'r top member hinged to the upper part of the back section and adapted to be swung from an inoper-,

the gap at the top of 'saidbody when the structure is set up; means controlled by said member as it is swung intofoperative position for adjusting the n front and back sections intoseparate'd set-up relationship, said means comprising a toggle link hinged at its forward endto the upper part of the front section andat its rear end tothe midportion of said bar top'member, and at least one transverse brace extending between the front and back sections and adapted to afford support for the bar top member when the latter is swung into operative position, said brace comprising a collapsible strip hingedly connected at its ends to the front and back sections'gsaid brace and toggle link being portions of a single cardboard piece.

' v JOHN V. H ORR. V

front and back sections hingedly connected at;

the sides to allow them to be collapsed together j cardboard structure adapted I

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