US2706574A

US2706574A - Receptacle

Info

Publication number: US2706574A
Application number: US338762A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph J Clement
Original assignee: Rigidized Metals Corp
Current assignee: Rigidized Metals Corp
Priority date: 1953-02-25
Filing date: 1953-02-25
Publication date: 1955-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1972-04-19

Description

April 19, 1955 J. J. CLEMENT RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1953 INVENTOR. (JOSEPHJ. CLEMENT BY @MQQ/zov v% United States Patent RECEPTACLE lioseph J. Clement, Williamsville, N. Y., assignor to Rigidized Metals Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application February 25, 1953, Serial No. 338,762 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-4) This invention relates to containers or receptacles particularly adapted for packing and transporting articles.

The containers or receptacles which form the subject matter of the present invention may be used for various purposes, but the principles of the present invention will be discussed herein particularly in connection with containers or receptacles which are especially well suited to the packing and transporting or shipping of ammunition. Ammunition cases present unusual requirements as to strength, rigidity, shock resistance, and other characteristics. Their use for military purposes makes the ability to stack the cases for transportation or shipment in a secure and space saving manner, a matter of extreme importance. Further, since these cases are often finally delivered to the point of use by dropping from airplanes with the use of parachutes, structural requirements of strength, rigidity and shock resistance to withstand this particular use are extremely high.

The salient characteristic of the receptacle or container of the present invention is the unusual external configuration of the device and the manner in which the contuiner proper and the cover member therefor cooperate in producing the novel external configuration of the container or receptacle. This novel configuration lends itself in an unusual manner to stacking and shipping of a number of containers and likewise produces a structure which is highly resistant to external shocks and impacts. Further, the particular configuration of the container of the present invention afiords the above important advantages while at the same time the interiors of the containers lend themselves readily to efficient packing and utilization and the contents are freely accessible when the containers are open.

The principles of the present invention will best be understood from a study of the specific embodiment of the invention which is set forth herein by way of example. However, while a specific form of receptacle or container is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the following specification, it is to be understood that the principles of the present invention are not limited to the particular form shown by way of example and that numerous mechanical modifications may be made in this exemplary structure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The invention is not to be considered as limited otherwise than as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of one form of the container of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a general end elevational view thereof with portions of the end wall thereof broken away for clearer illustration;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the container of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat schematic elevational view showing one manner of stacking a number of the containers;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing another stacking arrangement; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the manner of stacking a number of empty receptacles in open position.

Speaking generally and considering the box proper and the cover member as a whole, the container illustrated and described herein by way of example comprises a generally elongated box having parallel vertical end walls but with the side, bottom and top walls forming a geometric figure having eight sides. The two medial or central sides of the upper portion of this figure form a reentrant angle extending longitudinally along the top of the box and the two medial sides at the bottom of the figure form a similar re-entrant angle extending generally along the bottom of the container. A pair of side walls at each side of the container extend outwardly and meet mid-way of the receptacle from top to bottom to form a right angle, this portion of the container being the portion 8f greatest horizontal dimension, viewed endwise of the Referring more particularly to the form of container illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and having reference especially to Fig. 2, the bottom and side walls of the container proper are made up of an inner metal sheet 10 which is formed longitudinally into a double V- shape and a similarly formed outer metal sheet 11 which comprises a series of protuberances and depressions. The sheet 11 may be of the general type shown in Ewald Patent No. 2,441,476 dated May ll, 1948. Certain of the depressed portions of sheet 11 are spot welded or similarly secured to the inner sheet 10 to form a rigid laminated structure of high strength-to-weight ratio.

The end walls of the box proper are designated 12 and 13 and in the illustrated instance comprise solid panels which match the bottom configuration of the box proper at their lower sides and extend upwardly to match the end view configuration of the cover member of the box, as will presently appear.

The cover member of the box, like the principal part of the body of the box, is formed of an inner metal sheet 15 and an outer sheet 16 of irregular surface configuration. This laminar cover structure is of inverted V- shape generally similar to the shape of the bottom and side walls of the container so that the closed containerhas an end outline that best may be described as an octagon with two re-entrant angles forming, roughly speaking, a sort of double diamond shape.

More specifically, the box portion proper comprises two longitudinal

re-entrant bottom walls

20 and 21 and outwardly slanting

side walls

22 and 23. The cover element 15, 16 likewise comprises two central re-entrant longitudinal

top wall portions

25 and 26 and a pair of opposite longitudinal

side wall portions

27 and 28. The side wall portions of one side of the container, namely the box side wall portion 22 and the cover side wall portion 27, are connected by a longitudinal hinge 30 whose component parts may be welded or otherwise longitudinally secured to the terminal edges of the box proper and the cover member in any desired manner.

The outer longitudinal edges of the opposite side wall portions of the box proper and the cover member, that is the box side wall portion 23 and the cover member side wall portion 28, are provided with means for selectively locking the cover in closed position. In the form of the present invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, such closure means comprise generally a pair of companion flanges on the meeting edges of the box proper and cover member and locking channel means adapted to fit over the flanges and secure them against separation.

The flange carried by the box proper is designated 33 and the cover member flange is designated 34. A pair of

channel members

35 and 36 are pivoted at their inner ends to the flange 33 of the box proper as at 37 and 38, respectively, and the cover member flange 34 is notched in the vicinity of the

pivotal connections

37 and 38. Accordingly, when the

channel members

35 and 36 are in the outwardly projecting position in which channel members 36 is illustrated in Fig. l, the cover may be freely raised from the box proper.

To fasten the cover member in closed position the

channel members

35 and 36 are swung to the position in which channel member 35 is illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein the flanges of the channel member embrace the

companion flanges

33 and 34. The channel members are secured in closed position by means of end clips 40, only one of which is illustrated in the drawings, the clips 40 being adapted to overlie the ends of the channel members as best shown in Fig. 2, and being selectively secured in such overlying position by means of screws 41 provided with swinging bail type gripping portions 42 and threading into portions of the body portion proper of the box.

The end members 12 and 13 of the box proper are etained by

end flange members

45 and 46, respectively, which end flange members may be welded or otherwise ixed to the laminated

wall portions

10, 11. The cover nernber is likewise provided with

end flange members

47 and 48 which extend over the upper edge portions of ihe end wall members 12 and 13 when the box is closed.

Handle members

50 and 51 are attached to the cover and

flange members

47 and 48, respectively, and extend across the re-entrant portions of the cover member.

It is believed that the manner in which the peculiar configuration of the boxes or containers facilitate interlocking stacking will be clear from a mere inspection of Figs. 4, 5, and 6. As shown in Fig. 4 a lower tier of boxes 55 rests upon any flat surface 56 and a second tier of boxes 57 rest in turn on the lower tier of boxes 55. A third tier of similar boxes would rest on the boxes 57 of the second tier in such manner that they would directly overlie the several boxes 55 of the lower tier.

Fig. 5 illustrates a more compact stacking arrangement which involves the use of bottom supporting rails 60, the upper edges of which are notched tosupport a series of boxes 61, 62 and 63 with alternate boxes at different elevations as clearly shown in Fig. 5. This special stacking arrangement furnishes, a kind of honeycomb nesting of the boxes which is very efficient from the standpoint of economy of space and also provides a very stable and solid stacking arrangement.

- A further advantage of the boxes of the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein a group ofempty boxes or cases 65 are stacked in wide open position. For stacking the empty cases as shown in Fig. 6, the end panel members 12 and 13 are arranged to be readily removed I from the remainder of the body portions of the box for separate stacking and handling. 1

Such removal is accomplished by merely withdrawing the end panels 12 and 13 from the grooves formed by the

end flange members

45 and 46. When the end panels are in assembled position and the box is closed the end panels reinforce and rigidity the longitudinal walls of the box proper and the cover member.

When the boxes are stacked in either their closed condition, as in Figs. 4 and 5, or in their empty, open position, as in Fig. 6, the

handle members

50 and 51 serve to retain the stacked boxes against endwise displacement.

What is claimed is:

l. A container comprising a rigid body portion and a cover member hinged thereto along one longitudinal edge thereof, said body portion comprisinga pair of spaced vertical end walls and a longitudinal connecting wall' portion of W-shape in transverse cross section, said cover member being of inverted W-shape in transverse cross section to seat downwardly against'said longitudinal connecting wallportion and form a box having generally the shape of two diagonally disposed laterally overlapping squares in transverse cross section.

2. A container comprising a rigid body portion and a complementary cover member, said body portion comprising a pair of spaced end walls and a longitudinal connecting wall portion of W-shape in transverse cross section, said cover member being of inverted W-s'nape in transverse cross section to seat against said longitudinal connecting Wall portion in edge to edge relation and form a box having generally the shape of two diagonally disposed laterally overlapping squares in transverse cross section.

3. A container comprising a rigid body portion and a cover member hinged thereto along one longitudinal edge thereof, said body portion comprising a wall portion of W-shape in transverse cross section, a generally vertical panel member at each end of said longitudinal wall portion interfitting therewith and liftable thereirom when said cover member is raised, said cover member being of inverted W-shape in transverse cross section to seat downwardly against said longitudinal connecting wall portion and form a box having generally the shape of two diagonally disposed laterally overlapping squares in transverse cross section, said cover member when closed preventing displacement of said vertical panel members.

4. A container comprising a rigid body portion and a complementary cover member, said body portion comprising a wall portion of W-shape in transverse cross section, a generally vertical panel member at each end of said longitudinal wall portion interfitting therewith and liftable therefrom when said cover member is raised, said cover member being of inverted W-shape in transverse cross section to seat against said longitudinal connecting wall portion in edge to edge relation and form abox having generally the shape of two diagonally disposed laterally overlapping squares in transverse cross section, said cover member when closed preventing displacement of said vertical panel members. a

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Skolnik Apr. 10, 1945