US2417302A

US2417302A - Chick box

Info

Publication number: US2417302A
Application number: US546280A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph G Huye
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1944-07-24
Filing date: 1944-07-24
Publication date: 1947-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1964-03-11

Description

J. G. HUY-E CHICK Box.

Filed July 24, 1944 March 11, 1947.

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TF'OGCDO" Patented Mar. 11, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHICK BOX Joseph G. Huye, New Orleans, La.

Application July 24, 1944, Serial No. 546,280

3 Claims.

1 This invention relates to paste-board or paperboard chick boxes for use in shipping young chicks, usually day old chicks, from a hatchery to customers over a relatively wide area as is now common practice, and has primarily in mind an of crushing or bend ng the supports of boxes or smothering their chick contents, it being noted it is usual to pack or ship as many as 200 chicks in one box divided 50 chicks to each compartment; to provide a strong support or platform positively interlocked with the box top at a number of points spaced from each other both lengthwise and transversely of the individual supports or platforms to distribute the transmitted load over a wide area of the corner portion of the box top and to brace the support against strains, pressures and jars from all directions to prevent its collapse, rupture or separaton from the box top; to provide such platforms and the box tops of such construction that they may be qui kly interlocked together simply by manual manipulation and without employing any adhesive, stitching or other securement means beyond the interlocking portions of the supports and box tops; to provide such supports or platforms of such construction that they may be shipped and stored fiat and folded or erected into set-up condition and snapped into tightly interlocking engagement with the corresponding portions of a box top when needed for use; to provide a hollow and perforated support structure to cooperate with the corresponding portions of the box top and openings in said box top port-ions to ventilate the outer comer portions of the box while firmly interlocking with said portions and providing strong non-deformable supports or platforms; and to provide a construction of support or platform that particularly lends itself to large quantity production methods entirely by sheet material stamping operations on a very economical basis and which may be easily and quickly erected and applied with a minimum of time and effort.

in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a box embodying the preferred form of my invention;

Figure 2, a top plan view thereof, with one corner portion of the top B broken away;

Figure 3, a side elevation thereof, with one corner portion of the top B broken away;

Figure 4, a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5, a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6, an exploded view of one of the supports or platforms and the cooperating corner portion of the cover B, with the interlocking tongues and fingers of the platform or support positioned to be received by the corresponding slots and openings in such cooperating corner portion of cover B; and

Figure 7, a plan view of a support or platform in its fiat or blank form condition as shipped and stored.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, A designates the box body; B the box top; and C the usual partitions dividin the interior of the box into four compartments, as is usual. The sides of the bodyA and the top B of the box will preferably be formed with a plurality of ventilating holes or perforations D over areas spaced from the corners, it being usual to leave the corner portions imperforate to maintain the strength and rigidity of the box. This practice, however, has resulted and does result in risk of insufl'icient vent'lation in the outer corner portions of the box, having in mind the fact that the ChlfkS are prone to collect and pile in the corners with the risk of smothering some particularly if there is any lack or insufficiency of ventilation.

Similarly the partitions C will be formed throughout their length and height with a plurality of such perforations D in accordance with usual present day practice to provide for free flow of air at all points between adjacent compartments.

While the box bodies A and tops B may be of any known usual or conventional construction, they preferably will be of a folding or knockdown set-up construction so that they may be shipped and stored in a flat state to conserve shipping and storing space and in the embodiment illustrated the bodies A and tops B are of the construction shown or described in my Patent No. 2,193,925 granted March 19, 1940, being an interlocked corner construction.

The individual supports or platforms comprise or consist of a top panel I, with side flanges 3 integral therewith and folding vertically downward at right angles thereto along fold lines 2 and end flanges 5 integral with the panel I and similarly folding vertically downward at right angles thereto along fold lines 4, said end flanges 5 each having integral with each of its sides a bracing and support tab I folding inward in a horizontal plane at right angles to its corresponding end flange 5 along the corresponding fold line 6 to lie parallel with each other and substantially parallel to and substantially in contact with the respective inner faces of the respective end and medial portions of the respective side flanges 3, such tabs! being of such length that in the erected condition of the support or platform they will extend approximately to the adjacent wall of the ventilating opening D in their corresponding side flange 3, but will approximately clear such opening to allow f unobstructed ventilation therethrough.

The end flanges each have preferably integral therewith preferably centrally located fingers 9 depending vertically from the lower edges of the respective flanges 5 in the erected condition of the support or platform and received in the corresponding long narrow slots 8 of the corresponding corner portion of the box top B in the applied relation of the support or platform to the top B, as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

The side flanges 3 each have preferably integral therewith preferably centrally located tongues II depending vertically from the lower edges of the respective side flanges 3 in the erected condition of the support or platform and received in the long and wide cooperating openings [0, each of which has a long inner side and a shorter outer side wall which registers or substantially registers, in the associated relation of the parts, with the outer face of the corresponding side flange 3, the difference in length between the inner and outer sides or walls of the respective openings I0 resulting in the leaving or forming of locking corners I2, as shown in Figures 2 and 6. The respective end portions of the tongues II are horizontally notched out to form end locking tabs I3, the upper wall of such notches being in the same plane as, and continuations of the lower edges of the side flanges 3 respectively, and in the applied relation of the parts the locking corners I2 respectively are received in such notches respectively and have their lower faces engaged by, or overlying, the upper edge faces of the respective locking tabs I3.

The end tabs 1 of the end flanges 5 will preferably be of the same Width as the side flanges 3 so as to engage the lower face of the panel I and the upper face of the box top B in the applied relation to contribute positively to the bracing and supporting of the panel I and to the stiffening of the support as a unit and also, by substantially its full length engagement with the box top B to maintain the end flange with which it is integral perpendicular to the box top B and the panel I or substantially perpendicular to the panel I.

The side flanges 3 as interlocked with the box top B will confine the end tabs I of the respective end flanges 5 against their inherent tendency to spread laterally due to the resiliency along the fold line 6 to maintain them substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to, and substantially in engagement with the area of the opposed inner faces of the respective side panels 3, and said tabs I in turn due to such inherent resiliency and tendency to spread laterally outwardly away from each other will shove outwardly against the respective side flanges 3 and maintain the locking tabs I3 vertically beneath the locking corners I2 or the laterally outer face of the respective tongues II against the face of the outer short walls of the respective wide openings ID.

The fingers 9 depending from the end flanges 5 and received snugly in the openings 8 which preferably are only of such length as to just snugly receive such fingers 9 will prevent any movement in a direction laterally of the support by the support with relation to the box top B and will efliciently resist any twisting strain tending to move the support with relation to the box top B, thus cooperating with the support as a whole to relieve the locking tongues ll of any lateral or twisting influences, and the inner edges of the notches in the tongues II in cooperation with the adjacent faces of the locking corners I2 will effectively resist any shoves or strains in a direction parallel to the side flanges 3, thus relieving the fingers 9 from stresses exerted in that direction.

To apply a support to a corner portion of the box top B it is simply necessary to take a support in its flat state as shown in Figure 7, fold the end tabs 1 along their respective fold lines 6 to project from the same side of, and perpendicular to, their respective end flanges 5, then fold the respective end flanges 5 toward each other along their respective fold lines 4 until the edges of the tab 1 engage the opposed face of the panel I, then fold the side flanges 3 toward each other along their respective fold lines 2 until perpendicular, or approximately perpendicular, to the panel I, when the support will be in erected condition or form as illustrated in perspective in Figure 6 and in cross-section in Fig. 4 and iongitudinal section in Figure 5, and thereafter the support is snapped into position on the corner of the box top B, the lower ends of the fingers 9 being aligned with the slots 8 and the locking tabs I3 of the locking tongues II pressed or bent slightly inward to clear the locking corners I2 and the support or platform as a whole pressed toward the box top B until the lower edges of the sides 3, end flanges 5 and tabs I rest on the upper face of the box top B with the fingers 9 in their cooperating slots 8 and the tongues II in their cooperating openings I0 with their outer faces substantially in engagement with the corresponding short outer walls of said openings, when the locking tabs I 3, due to the inherent slight resiliency of the paste-board or paperboard or corrugated board or other material from which they are stamped, will spring back to straight position, that is, in line with the rest of their respective locking tongues I I, and will lie respectively beneath the respective locking corners I2.

The large area of the openings I2 will accommodate the thickness of material of the neck portion of the locking tongues I I respectively between the adjacent end walls of the respective locking corners I2 and still leave a relatively large unobstructed ventilating area in communication with the interior of the individual support or platform, the ventilating holes or perforations D through the side flanges 3 providing for communication between the interior and exterior of said supports, whereby provision is made for the efficient ventilation of the extreme outer corner portions of the interior of the chick box without weakening the corner construction of the box top due to the shape and position and location of the ventilating openings I0 and to the large outline edgewise contact of the support with the box top B.

While it is preferred that the panel I, side flanges 3 with their locking tongues II and their locking tabs I3 and the end flanges 5 with their side tabs 1 and fingers 9 all be stamped from one integral piece of corrugated paper board or paper-board or paste-Board and this is necessary to my invention considered in a restricted sense to obtain the advantages of low cost of manufacture which is of considerable importance in devices of this nature, it is not essential to my invention, considering it in its broad aspects, that there be end tabs such as l, or that they or other portions be integral with each other or with the panel I, nor is it essential that the size and shape of the ventilation openings l2, or the locking flanges II and locking tongues l3, or the ventilation openings or perforations D or the fingers 9 and the cooperating slots 8 or the end flanges 5 or side flanges 3 be as shown and described, it being sufficient if they be of such size, shape and construction as to cooperate to serve the functions in accordance with the conception of the invention as above indicated.

I claim:

1. A chick box structure comprising a cover havin corner portions each formed with a pair of spaced slots and a pair of spaced wide openings disposed between and at right angles to said slots, said openings having each a long inner wall and a shorter outer wall, the outer portions of the end walls of said openings being disposed at an abrupt angle to said shorter outer wall and then flaring to the adjacent ends of said inner long wall to form lock corners, in combination with hollow ventilating spacing supports respectively interlocked with the respective corner portions of said cover, each said support comprising a top panel, end flanges respectively integral with and depending at approximately right angles from the respective end portions of said panel, side tabs respectively integral with and extending inwardly at approximately right angles from the respective side portions of the respective end flanges and being substantially of the same height as said end flanges, fingers respectively integral with and depending from the respective end flanges and received by the respective slots of a corner portion of said cover side flanges respectively integral with and depending from the respective side portions of said panel and being substantially of the same height as said end flanges, locking tongues respectively integral with and depending from the respective side flanges and received by the respective spaced openings of said cover corner portion, and locking tabs respectively integral with said respective locking tongues and extending beneath the respective locking corners.

2. A chick box structure comprising a cover having corner portions each formed with a pair of spaced slots and a pair of spaced wide openings disposed between and at right angles to said slots, said openings each having a long inner wall and a shorter outer wall, the outer portions of the end walls of said openings being disposed at an abrupt angle to said shorter outer wall and then flaring to the adjacent ends of said inner long wall to form lock corners, in combination with hollow ventilating spacing supports respectively interlocked with the respective corner portions of said cover, each said support comprising a top panel, end flanges respectively depending at approximately right angles from the respective end portions of said panel, side tabs respectively extending inwardly at approximately right angles from the respective side portions of the respective end flanges and being substantially of the same height as said end flanges, fingers respectively depending from the respective end flanges and received by the respective slots of a corner of said cover, side flanges respectively depending from the respective side portions of said panel, locking tongues respectively depending from the respective side flanges and received by the respective openings of said cover corner portion, and locking tabs respectively extending from said respective locking tongues beneath the respective locking corners.

3. A chick box structure comprising a cover having corner portions each formed with a pair of spaced slots and a pair of spaced wide openings disposed between and at right angles to said slots, said openings each havin along inner wall and a shorter outer wall, the outer portions of the end walls of said openings being disposed at an abrupt angle to said shorter outer wall and then flaring to the adjacent ends of said inner long wall to form lock corners, in combination with hollow ventilating spacing supports respectively interlocked with the respective corner portions of said cover, each said support comprising a top panel, end flanges respectively depending at approximately right angles from the respective end portions of said panel, fingers respectively depending from the respective end flanges and received by the respective slots of a corner portion of said cover, side flanges respectively depending from the respective side portions of said panel, locking tongues respectively depending from the respective side flanges and received by the respective openings of said cover corner portion, and locking tabs respectively extending from said respective locking tongues beneath the respective locking corners.

JOSEPH G. HUYE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,966,672 Lang July 17, 1934 1,706,804 Miller Mar. 26, 1929 2,113,097 Schaefer Apr. 5, 1938 2,331,867 Marshall Oct. 12, 1943