US2739752A

US2739752A - Container

Info

Publication number: US2739752A
Application number: US391977A
Authority: US
Inventors: John I Pritchett
Original assignee: HIGHLAND CONTAINER Co Inc
Current assignee: HIGHLAND CONTAINER Co Inc; HIGHLAND CONTAINER COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1953-11-13
Filing date: 1953-11-13
Publication date: 1956-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1973-03-27

Description

March 27, 1956 J. l. PRITCHETT 2,739,752

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 13, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN J. PR/TC'l-lfiTT wa /{MA ATTORNEYJ March 27, 1956 J. l. PRITCHETT CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 13, 1953 I n I m I I u n I I I I I I I a I I n I u I n I I I I I u m I \u m m o u my Wm .H I o 4 March 27, 1956 J. 1. PRITCHETT Q 2,739,752

CONTAINER Filed NOV. 13, 1955 3 Sheets Sheet 5 ant 5. zfizwa United States Patent Q i CONTAINER John I. Pritchett, Jamestown, N. C., assignor to Highland Container Company, Incorporated, a corporation of North Carolina Application November 13, 1953, Serial No. 391,977

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-37) This invention relates to containers and more particularly to a paperboard container adapted for carrying or shipping articles placed therein. Illustrative but nonlimiting uses for the container are for packaging and shipping fruits and vegetables, and for carrying or shipping a plurality of metal parts, such as, small electrical devices, although the container may be found useful for many other purposes.

An important feature of this container is the locking of the bottom of the container by thrusting an extension panel thereon through the bottom of the container and laying it against an inner side. This arrangement also provides a double thickness in the bottom of the container which greatly increases its load carrying capacity and practically prevents any rupture of the container even when packed with relatively very great loads, short of the bursting strength of the paper itself.

Another advantageous feature of this container is the tapering of the sides in connection with the above noted bottom locking feature and by which the set up container is adapted for nesting when empty, and which also provides advantageously for arranging air circulation through the container when filled and stacked side by side with other similar containers.

Still another commercially important feature of the invention is the smooth interior surface thereof, which facilitates the packing and shipping of fruits and vegetables without damage.

These and other features and advantages of the container of this invention are described further below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container embodying the present invention, and showing a top closure therefor in place;

Fig. 2 is a further perspective view showing the interior of the container illustrated in Fig. 1, with the top closure therefor removed and inverted;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section detail of the container taken substantially along the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a further vertical section detail taken substantially on the line 44 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank from which the container shown in Figs. 1 to 4 may be formed.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention comprises a container, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, having two pairs of

opposed side walls

12 and 14, and 16 and 18, joined serially to form an assembled side wall structure. In the embodiment shown all of the

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18 are tapered downwardly to narrowed bottom edges, although the container might be formed according to the present invention with only the

side wall pair

12 and 14 tapered in this manner, if desired.

The bottom of the container 10 comprises a bottom wall hinged at the bottom edge of the side wall 12 and having a locking panel 22 hinged at the opposite edge thereof, with the locking panel 22 tapering toward this hinged edge in correspondence with the taper of the op- 2,739,752 Patented Mar. 27, 1956 posed

side walls

12 and 14. This locking panel 22 is disposed in face to face relation at the inner face of the adjacent side wall 14 so that its side edges are disposed to bear downwardly against the inner faces of the side walls 16 and 18 (as seen best in Fig. 2) to lock the bottom wall 20 in place against downward pressure. A second bottom wall 24' is hinged at the bottom edge of the side wall 16, and a flap 26 at the bottom edge of the side wall 18, so that with the flap 26 disposed to overlie the inner face of bottom wall 12 and the second bottom wall 24 disposed to overlie the flap 26, the bottom of the container 10 is provided with continuous support along the entire extent of the side wall bottom edges and thereby greatly strengthened.

Handle flaps 23 for the container 10 are formed at the top edges of at least one pair of the opposed side walls, such as 12 and 14, and these handle flaps are arranged in relation to a separate top closure or cover for the container 10, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 30. The container top 30 comprises a .top Wall panel 32 having pairs of

opposed side flaps

34 and 36 hinged at the edges thereof, with each side flap of the opposed pair 34 having an auxiliary flap 38 hinged at the bottom edge thereof, and each side wall flap of the opposed pair 36 having lateral flaps 40 hinged at the ends thereof, these lateral flaps 40 being disposed at right angles to the side flaps 36 and inside the side flaps 34 with the auxiliary flaps 38 doubled inwardly thereover. The container top 30 is further formed with clearance slots 42 for the previously mentioned handle flaps 28 so that access to these handle flaps 28 is allowed when the top 30 is in place.

Fig. 5 shows a form of blank from which the container 10 as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 may be erected, and in which the

side walls

12, 18, 14 and 16 are shown integrally hinged in series in the order named from top to bottom; the integral hinging being effected at score lines 18', 14', and 16, arranged to provide the previously noted tapered form for the opposed pairs of

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18. To complete the serially connected arrangement of these side walls in the containerltl, the side wall 12 has the edge thereof opposite the score line 18' defined by an oppositely arranged score line 12 at which an assembly flap 44 is hinged. This assembly flap 44 is suitably coated with an adhesive, as indicated by stippling in Fig. 5 so that it may be secured to the outer face of the side wall 16 adjacent the free side edge thereof as indicated best in Figs. 1 and 2 by folding the bottom portion of the blank as shown in Fig. 5 upwardly about the score line 14', so that the side Walls 14' and 16 are disposed to overlie the

side Walls

18 and 12, respectively, it will be seen that the adhesive coated assembly flap 44 can be secured against the outer face of the side wall 16 as just noted above and it should be noted that this assembly step completes the only joint at which positive fastening in the structure of container 10 is employed or required. It

should also be noted that upon completion of this assembly step, the container 10 is arranged in collapsed position for convenient handling during shipping or storage prior to use. Alternatively the assembly flap 44 might be secured to the side wall 16 by any other convenient assembly means, if desired, such as by metal stitches or staples, or by adhesive coated tape made of paper reinforced with glass or sisal fiber or the like, orof cloth, or of a combination of paper and cloth coated with adhesive.

The previously mentioned bottom wall 20, second bottom Wall 24, and interposed bottom flap 26 are shown integrally hinged, respectively, at the bottom edges of the

side walls

12, 16 and 18 along score lines 20', 24', and 26', with the bottom wall 20 having the locking panel 22 integrally hinged at the score line 22 along the edge thereof opposite the score line 20'.

With the container 10 assembled in collapsed position by means of the assembly flap 44, as just described above, erection of the container 10 lo the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4 may be accomplished by first moving the pairs of side Walls 12 and lid, and 16 and 18, so that they are squared in opposed relation; then folding the second bottom wall 24 and the bottom ilap 26 upwardly against the inner faces of the

adjacent side walls

16 and 18; then folding the bottom wall 26 and locking panel 22 with respect to the side wall 12 so that the locking panel 22 is brought upwardly inside the side wall 14 and disposed in face to face relation therewith; and finally folding downwardly the bottom flap 26, to overlie the adjacent side edge portion of the outer bottom wall 29, and the inner bottom wall 24, to overlie the bottom flap 26.

In order to facilitate disposition of the locking panel 22 in relation to the inner face of side wall 14, the side edge,

portions of the locking panel 22 are preferably formed with score lines 46 having an opposite inclination with respect to the taper of the side edges of locking panel 22, so as to allow easy flexing of these side portions for passing through the narrowed bottom of the tapered container 16.

The previously mentioned handle flaps 28 provided for the container 10 are shown in Fig. 5 integrally hinged at score lines 28' along the top edges of

side walls

12 and 14, these hinge lines 28' serving to dispose the handle flaps 28 foldably on the side walls 12 and 14- so that after extension through the clearance slots 42 of the container top 31? they maybe folded laterally to maintain the top Sit in place. i

The

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18, and the locking panel 7 22, may also be advantageously formed with suitable slots,

I claim:

A paperboard'blank for a containen said'blankbeing scored to define a series of four integrally hinged side walls with the scoring arranged so as to form at least one terminal side wall and the alternately spaced side wall of said series with a common taper in the direction of said hinging, and integrally hinged assembly flap at the edge of said terminal side wall remote from the adjacent side wall, a bottom wall integrally hinged at the edge of said terminal sidewall that is narrowed bythe taper thereof, a locking panel integrally 'hinged at the edge or said bottom wall remote from the edge thereof that 'is hin'ged to said terminal side wall, said locking panel being of the same dimensions as said alternately spaced side wall and having a corresponding taper and b'ingformed with score lines that extend from its bottom hinged edge corners to the top edge thereof with an inclination opposite to the taper of its side edges, a bottom flap integrally hinged adjacent said hinged bottom wall, at the-corresponding edge of said adjacent side wall, a bottom panel intcgrallyhinged at the corresponding edge of. the other terminal side wall of said series and being of the same dimensions as said bottom wall, the side wall'intermediate said adjacent side wall and said other terminal, side wall having a free. bottom edge terminating at the integral hinges of said bottom flap and said bottom panel, at least one of saidside Walls having an air circulating aperture and said locking panel having an aperture registering with any apertures formed in the side wall with which. it is coextensive, and handleflaps integrally hinged at the top edges of an op-- posed pair of said side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 203,899 Dunn May 21, 1878 1,342,770 SelZ Iune8, 1920 1,493,460 Pinkerton May 6, 1924 1,941,819 Walker Jan. 2, 1934 2,237,706 Islieb Apr. 8, 1941 2,618,429 Donnell Nov. 18, 1942