US2689077A

US2689077A - Packing and shipping container

Info

Publication number: US2689077A
Application number: US284351A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Main
Original assignee: Container Corp
Current assignee: Container Corp
Priority date: 1952-04-25
Filing date: 1952-04-25
Publication date: 1954-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 1971-09-14

Description

p 14, 1954 J. w. MAIN PACKING AND SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed April 25, 1952 f nz/eni'ar x ames Z/Zffczzln A v N I R Patented Sept. 14, 1954 PACKING AND SHIPPING CONTAINER James W. Main, Bellvue, Wash., assignor to Contamer Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application April 25, 1952, Serial No. 284,351

3 Claims.

The improved packing and shipping container comprising the present invention is primarily adapted for use in connection with the packing and shipping of fruits and other delicate edibles. The invention is however capable of other uses and the improved container may, if desired, with or without modification, be employed for the packing and shipping of a wide variety of frangible articles whether edible or otherwise.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a packing and shipping container which may be formed entirely of containerboard stock having rigid ends, and having sides which perform the dual function of cushionin the fruit while at the same time gently compressing the fruit together to prevent shifting of the container contents.

The provision of a paperboard container of the character briefly outlined above being among the principal objects of the invention, an equally important object is to provide a container which will accomplish these aims without occasioning outward bulging of the side walls, and which will enable a number of the containers to be stacked upon one another squarely without danger of toppling and without the weight of the containers in the upper levels of the stack being transmitted directly to the articles contained in the lower levels of the stack.

With these and other objects in view which will become more readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying single sheet of drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a container constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. In this view certain parts have been broken away to more clearly reveal the nature of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1 with the cover removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which the outer container shell is formed, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of a pair of lining, cushioning and reinforcing elements employed in connection with the present invention respectively and showing the same arbitrarily folded and sprung to the position which they assume in the assembled container structure.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1, a blank In is shown and is capable of being folded into the form of an outer container shell l2 (Figs. 1 and 2) of generally rectangular configuration. The blank ill 2 III is comprised of nine panels or sections I4, l6, I8, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 and the material of the blank is preferably corrugated paperboard of conventional material having smooth opposite exterior liners and a corrugated medium therebetween.

The various panels are separated from one another by fold lines which are in common desi nated at 32 and which may be of a conventional type.

The blank I!) is adapted to be folded into the form of outer container shell [2 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and, when so folded, the panel 22 constitutes a shell bottom while the panels l6 and 28 constitute the shell sides. The panels I4, and 26 constitute one composite end of the shell in the erected structure, while the panels I3, 24 and constitute the composite end thereof.

In erecting the container shell l2, the panels [4, l6 and I8, and the

panels

26, 28 and so may be folded upwardly as units to bring the sides l6 and 28 into position. Thereafter the panels I8 and 26 may be turned inwardly and the panels 3t and [4 respectively may then be turned inwardly so as to overlap the panels l8 and 26. The thus erected structure may be fixed in its erected position in any suitable manner and by means well known in the art, as for example by stitching, gluing or otherwise adhering the end panel sections, [4, 20 and 25, and I8, 28 and 30 together, or by the application of adhesive tape to the vertical edges of the carton shell at appropriate places.

To complete the container structure, a pair of

inner liners

34 and 36, shown in Figs. 4 and 5 respectively, are inserted in the erected container shell l2 in a manner that will now be described in detail.

The

liners

34 and 36 are identical in construction andeach consists of a flat blank of the paperboard material which is divided into two panels or

sections

38 and 40 by means of a transverse fold line 4|. In Figs. 4 and 5, the blank form of the

liners

34 and 36 is shown in full lines while the form which the erected blanks assume when assembled in the container shell I2 is shown in dotted lines.

Each panel section 38 is of a width substantially equal to the height of the

container shell sides

16 and 28. Since the blanks which form the

liners

34 and 36 are of uniform width throughout, the width of the panel sections 43 is equal to the height of the composite carton shell end walls.

The length of the panel sections 38 of each of the two

liners

34 and 36 is slightly in excess of the longitudinal extent provided for it within the container shell and, depending upon the thickness of the paperboard material employed for the container shell, it may be substantially equal to, slightly greater than, or even in certain instances slightly less than the actual meas ured longitudinal extent of the side walls l6 and 28. The longitudinal extent of each of the panel sections 46 is preferably slightly less than the measured inside transverse width of the composite end walls of the container shell. Preferably it is approximately equal to the width of the end flaps or

panel sections

28 and 24 of the blank 18.

Referring now to Fig. 2 it will be seen that reading from right to left, i. e. from the inside of the container shell outwardly, the composite left hand end wall of the shell includes the panel sections or

flaps

20, 26 and [4. Since, in the blank l8, these panel sections are cut of equal longitudinal extent, they may be caused to assume, in the erected shell structure, the relationship illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the transverse edge 42 of the panel section 26 (Fig. 3) and the longitudinal edge 44 of the panel section 28 (Fig. 3) are in longitudinal alignment. The transverse edge 46-of the panel section 38 of the liner 34 may thus be introduced into the space existing between the edges 42 and 44 and the side is to firmly wedge or grip the end region of the panel section 38 in position at the corner of the carton shell as shown in Fig. 2.

The panel section 40 of the liner 34 is folded at a right angle to the plane of the anel section and the corner represented by the fold line 4| is brought into the upper right hand corner of the container shell as viewed in Fig. 3. Since the longitudinal extent of the panel section 38 is slightly greater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner face of the outer end wall panel at one end of the container to the inner face of the inner end wall panel at the other end of the container, the panel section 38 will assume the inwardly bowed configuration shown in Fig. 2 for cushioning and other purposes that will be made clear presently.

The right hand end of the container shell I2 is similar in its construction to the previously described left hand end thereof and, reading from left to right, i. e. from the inside of the shell outwardly, the composite wall includes the panel sections or flaps 24, I8 and 30. Thus the transverse and longitudinal edges 66 and 52 of the panel sections 24 and I6 respectively, in the blank 18, will assume positions of substantial contiguity so that the edge 54 of the panel section 38 of the liner 36 may be introduced into the space existing between these two edges and the inner face of the side wall 28. The liner 36 is folded along the line 4| at a right angle and the folded edge introduced into the lower left hand corner of the container shell as viewed in Fig. 2 so that the panel section 48 lies inside the panel section 20 and in substantial coextensive contact therewith. As in the case of the liner 34, the panel section 38 of the liner 36 will likewise assume an inwardly bowed condition in direct opposition to the bowed panel section 38 of the other liner 34.

In assembling the

liners

34 and 36 in the erected container shell I2, in the manner indicated above, the panel sections 38 have a tendency to spring inwardly to the bowed configuration illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6 due to the resistance of the blank carton material to bending. This inward springing of the panel sections provides a clearance between the medial regions thereof and the adjacent inner faces of the two side walls 28 and I6.

Depending, of course, upon the extent to which the container is filled, the inwardly bowed panel sections 38 will yield proportionately. If the container is tightly packed it is possible that the bowed panel sections will become substantially straight and yet its resistance to such straightening will effectively prevent outward bowing of the

container sides

16 and 28 so that little difiiculty will be encountered in installation of a suitable cover member such as the lid designated in its entirety at 56.

It is to be noted that the panel sections 38 of the

liner members

34 and 36 are crowded so to speak into a dimension which is slightly less than the longitudinal dimension of these panel sections. Thus, if the overall longitudinal dimensions of the panel sections 38 and of the side walls i8 and 28 are exactly equal, then the panel sections 38 still must be crowded into dimensions which are less than the full longitudinal extent of the panels 38 by an amount equal to the thickness of the infolded

container end flap

18 or 26 as the case may be.

It will be understood that this length-differential between the dimension of the panel sections 38 and the dimension into which they are crowded may be varied within reasonable limits either by varying the length of the panel sections or by varying the thickness of the container material. Generally speaking, the greater the length differential, the greater will be the bulge.

Finally, it is to be noted that the end edge regions 46 of the panel sections 38 are firmly wedged or looked within the space existing between the edges 42 and 44 of the

panel sections

26 and 26 respectively (Fig. 3). The end edges of the panel sections 40 of the

liners

34 and 36 are similarly held against inward movement by virtue of their edge contact with the end regions of the panel sections 33 on the opposing liner. The inward bulge of the panel sections 38 affords resistance to inward swinging movement of the panel sections 48 and, in this manner, the

liners

34 and 36, once installed in the outer container shell, are firmly locked in their assembled positions.

The invention is not to be considered as limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. Only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

I claim:

1. A packing and shipping container for fruit and other frangible and perishable articles comprising a rectangular box-like structure formed from a single piece of paperboard cut, scored and folded to provide a bottom wall panel, a side wall panel substantially contiguous with and connected to the bottom wall panel along each side thereof and an end wall panel connected to each end of the bottom wall panel and each end of each of the side wall panels, the three end wall panels at each end of the container being lapped one upon another with one of the end wall panels that is connected to a side wall panel at such end disposed at the outside of the container end, each of the other two end wall panels at such end of the container having a vertically extendtical end wall liner section, the side wall liner section having a length slightly greater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner face of the outer end wall panel at one end of the container to the inner face of the inner end wall panel at the other end of the container, the vertical edge region of each side liner section remote from the end liner section being slidably interposed and frictionally held between the contiguous free vertical edges of the end wall panels adjacent thereto and the adjacent inner surface of the adjacent side wall panel, the medial regions of each side wall liner section being sprung inwardly of the container.

2. A packing and shipping container as set forth in claim 1 in which the transverse extent of each end liner section is substantially equal to the transverse extent of the adjacent innermost end panel and in which the free vertical edge of said end liner section is seated in a vertical corner of the structure in edge abutting relation to the inside face of the side liner section of the other liner adjacent to the free end of such section.

3. A packing and shipping container for fruit and other frangible and perishable articles comprising a rectangular box-like structure formed from a single piece of paperboard cut, scored and folded to provide a bottom wall panel, a side wall panel substantially contiguous with and connected to the bottom wall panel along each side edge thereof and an end wall panel connected to each end of the bottom wall panel and each end of each of the side wall panels, the three end wall panels at each end of container being lapped one upon another with one of the end wall panels that is connected to a side wall panel at such'end disposed at the outside of the container end, each of the other two end wall panels at such end of the container having a vertically extending free edge terminating substantially contiguous and adjacent to the other and closely adjacent to the inner surface of the adjacent side wall panel, and a pair of generally L-shaped liners for said box-like container, each liner being composed of a single longitudinal sheet of relatively stiff yet bendable paperboard material folded along a transverse line to provide a vertical side wall liner section and an adjacent vertical end wall liner section, the side wall liner section having a length slightly greater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner face of the outer end Wall panel at one end of the container to the inner face of the inner end wall panel at the other end of the container, the vertical edge region of each side liner section remote from the end liner section slidably interposed between the contiguous free vertical edges of the end wall panel adjacent thereto and the adjacent inner surface of the adjacent side wall panel, the medial regions of each side wall liner section being sprung inwardly of the container the end section of each liner being substantially coextensive with the inner surface of the container end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,514,295 Scurich July 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 28,514 Great Britain 1913