US2596881A

US2596881A - Material storage and handling container

Info

Publication number: US2596881A
Application number: US150869A
Authority: US
Inventors: Francis E White
Original assignee: BIRMINGHAM FABRICATING Co
Current assignee: BIRMINGHAM FABRICATING Co
Priority date: 1950-03-21
Filing date: 1950-03-21
Publication date: 1952-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1969-05-13

Description

May 13, 1952 F. E. WHITE MATERIAL STORAGE AND HANDLING CONTAINER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filedv March 2131950 FRANCIS E .WHITE Gttornefs May 13, 1952 F. E. WHITE 2,596,881

MATERIAL STORAGE lAND HANDLING CONTAINER lFiled March 21, 195o 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Il V li" NI il FRANCIS E WHITE Gttorneys Patented May 13, 1952 MATERIAL STORAGE AND IHANDLING CONTAINER Francis E. White, Birmingham, Ala., assignor to Birmingham Fabricating Company, Birmingham, Ala.

Application Miarch 21, 1950Seral N0. 150,869

2 Claims.

This invention relates toimprovements in material storage and handling containers of the type designed to be stacked one on top of the other, usually with a fork lift truck.

It is already known in the art to provide auxiliary Ymeans to permit tiering of containers in superimposed relation. With the present invention the inherent construction of the containers permits superimposing in nested relation, to prevent lateral displacement, without the use of tiering lugs or other extraneous means.

Attempts have been made in the art, as eX- empliiied in the patent to Powell No. 1,875,141 of August 30, 1932, to provide containers susceptible of tiering but it has been found necessary to utilize separate base units for the containers engageable by fork lift trucks for elevating the containers into the desired position. Containers made in accordance with the teaching of this invention are self-suicient and eliminate the cumbersome, costly, separate bases. This is accomplished by constructing the container of a unit bottom and sides, the terminals of the sides being engaged by end walls which are extended below f the bottom to form legs. The space below the container bottom within the confines of the legs is suiiicient to accommodate the fork of a lift truck. f

Another object of the invention is to equip the upper terminals of the container end walls with combination support and guard rails constructed and arranged to support containers in vertical alignment and positively prevent longitudinal displacement or skewing of the containers when nested.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a container which has strengthening corrugations in the sides, ends and bottom, the corrugatlons in the ends being vertical throughout and running at right angles to those in the sides and bottom.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a container constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing in fragmentary phantom lines another container superimposed thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the container;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2. looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing to advantage the relation of the corrugations in the ends, sides and bottom;

Figure Llis an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating the manner of securing an end and side of the container;

Figure 5 is an end elevational View of a modiiied form `of the invention, with the bottom shown in dotted lines, wherein rivets are employed to secure the ends to the sides and bottom;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional View taken along the line 6 6 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing in detail the manner of securing an end and side of the container;

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken along the line 'I-'I of Figure 5, i1- lustrating the relative positions of the runner, end and vertical corrugation; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing to advantage the manner of riveting the bottom to a lcontainer side.

In the drawings is shown a metal container which includes side walls 9 and a bottom wall I0. As shown advantageously in Figure 3, said walls and bottom are formed from a single sheet of metal and are provided with strengthening corrugations II extending horizontally along the entire length of the sides. These eorrugations protrude outwardly from the sides. The container also includes end walls I2 which are Awelded or otherwise secured to the terminals of the side walls 9 and extend below the bottom I of the container to form legs I3. The legs issue into runners I4 each substantially coextensive with the breadth of its leg. Vertical corrugations I5, formed in the ends, protrude outwardly, and extend uninterruptedly from the tcp to the bottom of the legs. At the top of each end wall and running the length thereof are angle irons each designated I6 and each comprising a support or seat portion Il and a guard rail I8.

In the preferred form of the invention, ends I2 are fused to the margins of walls 9 and bottom III as indicated at I9. A continuous weld has been found to be the most effective fusion means to withstand the stresses to which these containers are subjected.

In the modi-ded form of the invention shown in Figure 5, the side walls and bottom are riveted to the end walls, as indicated at 20. Figure 6 clearly shows a preferred form of riveted joint. In this embodiment the lateral extremities of bottom I0 are bent downwardly at points intermediate the horizontal corrugations II to form 3 anges 2| through which rivets 2U a1' driven to secure the bottom and end walls together. The extremities of horizontal corrugations II of bottom I fit into the recess in the vertical corrugations I5 to effect a contiguous joint between the bottom and end walls.

In use, theunderside of the bottom wall I0 is engaged by the projecting fork of the lift truck and the container elevated to a point above a similar container. By proper manipulation of the truck, the container is lowered until its runners Il engage the seat portion I1 of angle iron I6. container skewing or longitudinal displacement. The reverse procedure is followed in removing the container.

Many advantages flow from a container constructed in the foregoing manner. First of all by running the corrugations vertically in the ends-and legs, thev stiffness of the corrugations is continuous from the angle irons to the runners. Also, when the containers are stacked, these vertical corrugations act as efficient co1- umns and transmit the loads straight through from the topmost container to the bottom of the stack. Furthermore, a container constructed in accordance with this invention, permits the use of heavy corrugations since with this structure it is not necessary to bend corrugations around corners.

Although I have herein described the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited thereto and that many changes could be made without departing from the scope of the claims hereto appended.

Iclaim:

- 1. A containercomprising integral side walls and a bottom wall, the walls being provided at Guard rails I8 eliminate the danger of aV intervals with horizontally arranged corruga- 4 forks of a hydraulic lift, the end walls being provided with vertical corrugations, and a combined support and guard rail secured to the top of each end wall for accommodating the lower portions of the end walls of an identical container whereby a plurality of identical containers may be stacked and heldin stacked condition against skewing or longitudinal displacement.

. 2. A container comprising a unit including parallel side walls and a connecting bottom wall formed from a Vsingle sheet, horizontally a1'- ranged corrugations extending at intervals in the side and bottom walls, end walls secured to the opposite terminals of the side and bottom walls, the lower ends of said end walls extending below the sideand bottom walls to provide therewith an external space for accommodating the lifting -forks of a hydraulic lift, Vertical corrugatons in said end walls, and a right angle bar secured to the top of each end wall to provide a support and-guard rail for a superimposed identical container unit.

` FRANCIS E. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date `527,642 White Oct. 16, 1894 746,597 Sochurek, Sr. Dec. 8, 1903 '786,674 Y- Polski Apr. Ll, 1905 1,328,030 Bard Jan. 13, 1920 1,387,655 Shaw et al. Aug. 16, 1921 1,431,813 Judd Oct. l0, 1022 1,875,141 Powell Aug. 30, 1932 1,947,055 Moerman Feb. 13, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 262,556 Great Britain Dec. 16, 1926 476,782 Germany May 25, 1929