US2788912A

US2788912A - Tray

Info

Publication number: US2788912A
Application number: US473878A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward H Simonsen
Original assignee: SIMONSEN METAL PRODUCTS COMPAN
Current assignee: SIMONSEN METAL PRODUCTS Co; SIMONSEN METAL PRODUCTS COMPAN
Priority date: 1954-12-08
Filing date: 1954-12-08
Publication date: 1957-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1974-04-16

Description

April 16, 1957 E. H. SIMONSEN TRAY Filed Bag. 8, 1954 u l ho United States TRAY Edward H. Simonsen, Elmwood Park, 111., assignor to Simonsen Metal Products Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application December 8, 1954, Serial No. 473,878

4 Claims. (Cl. 22022) This invention relates to sheet metal receptacles and is more particularly concerned with trays suitable for use in utility, tool or tackle boxes of the general type wherein the main body of the box accommodates relatively large objects and one or more trays are provided to hold relatively smaller objects.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a traylike receptacle having upstanding side walls and a plurality of cross partitions or dividers which are adapted to extend between the side walls and which are detachably connected at their ends with oppositely disposed portions of the side walls.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a tray having cross partitions or dividers which are readily movable from one place to another for increasing or decreasing the size of the compartments into which the tray is divided and which interlock with portions of the sides of the tray to tie the same together and prevent their bulging or being forced inwardly toward each other.

It is another object of the invention to provide a partitioned tray-like receptacle in which the partition members have their ends mounted in recessed slots provided in the upstanding side walls of the receptacle with the ends of the partition members adapted to interlock with portions of the tray side walls which adjoin the slots.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a receptacle having side walls provided with inwardly opening slots which face in opposite directions and cross partition members having oppositely directed end flange formations adapted to pivot in the slots and interlock with the side walls when in partition forming relation therein.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the tray structure which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tray having a plurality of partition members mounted therein with one of the partition members only partially swung toward interlocking position.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 to an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the cross partition members to an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, to an enlarged scale, showing one of the slot formations in the tray side wall.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated an open top receptacle of tray-like form which is adapted for use in a tackle box and which has incorporated therein the principal features of the invention. The tray 10 is preferably formed of one piece of metal in a drawing operation and is provided with side walls 11 having oppositely disposed aligned pairs of slot formations 12 which are adapted to receive the ends of cross partition or divider members 13.

The slot formations 12 are identical and only one will be described in detail. Each of the slot formations 12 is formed by pressing inwardly a predetermined area in 2,788,912 Patented Apr. 16, 1957 2 V the side wall 11 to form therein an inwardly projecting recess 14 and providing a vertically extending opemng 15 which faces inwardly in the direction of one end of the tray. The vertically extending portions of the tray 4 wall which are adjacent the opening 15 are pressed inwardly difierent distances or amounts so that the

wall portions

17 and 18 thus formed are in vertical planes which are in spaced or oifsetrelation and generally parallel with the side wall '11, the

wall portions

17 and 18 being spaced inwardly a suflicient distance to provide the opening 15 which is of suflicient size to receive the end of a cross partition member 13. The slot formations 12 are aligned in opposite side walls 11 and each aligned pair thereof provides a pair of openings 15 for receiving the ends of a cross partition member 13 with the openings 15 in opposite walls 11 facing towards opposite ends 16 of the tray 10.

The cross partition members 13 are generally rectangular and formed at opposite ends with bent over

portions

19 and 20 forming relatively small or narrow end flanges which extend in opposite directions generally normal to the plane of the body of the partition. The partition has cut away end or corner portions at 21 and 22 above and below both

end flanges

19 and 20. The top edge of each partition 13 is preferably beaded at 23 and a series of inwardly spaced holes 24 is provided adjacent the head 23 for receiving the leaders of fishing hooks or the like to hold the same in stretched out relation in the tray. The bottom edge of each partition 13 is preferably flanged as at 25.

The partitions or dividers 13 may be readily secured in the tray by positioning the flange 20 at one end in an opening 15 while the partition member 13 is held at an angle relative to the side Walls 11 as indicated in dotted line in Fig. 2, and thereafter swinging the partition to bring the flange 19 at the other end into engagement within the opening 15 in the oppositely disposed slot formation 12. The over-all length of each partition member 13 is slightly greater than the distance between the inwardly projecting wall portions 18 adjacent the slot openings 15 so that when the partition 13 is swung into final position the last engaged flange is snapped over the side wall portion 18 and the flanges 19 and 29 are brought into locked relation with the side walls 11. To remove the partition from engagement with the side walls 11 it is merely necessary to spring the one end slightly to cause the flange at that end to move past the projecting side wall portion 18 and thereafter the flange at the other end may be freed from engagement with the opposite side wall by pivoting the partition.

In the form of the tray which is illustrated in the drawings the slot openings 15 in the opposite side walls 11 face toward opposite ends of the tray 10 and the

end flanges

19 and 20 of the cross partition member 23 extend in opposite directions so that the

flanges

19 and 20 enter the slot openings 15 from opposite directions when the partition 23 is installed in the tray 10. However, the slot openings and the end flanges may be constructed so that the openings face in the same direction and the end flanges extend in the same direction which will permit the cross partition to be installed in the tray by moving both end flanges in the same direction toward the slot openings and thereby eliminate the swinging movement which is necessary in the illustrated form of the apparatus.

While specific materials and particular details of construction have been referred to in describing the illustrated form of the invention, it will be understood that other materials and different details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A receptacle having side walls in oppositely disposed relation, said side walls having cooperating relatively end portions of cross partition members, the adjoining vertical side wall portions which define each slot being in generally parallel planes which are .in spaced inwardly offset relation to the body of the side wall member whereby the slots face in the direction of the end wall members with the respective slots in each pair thereof facing in opposite directions said slots terminating short of the upper edges of said side wall members and having their 'upper ends closed. a v

3. An open top receptacle having upstanding side wall i and cross partition members removably mounted between said sidewalls, said side walls being of relatively thin plate-like material and having portions thereof ofiset inwardly to form recesses extending inwardly of the outer surface, said ofiset portions having vertical slots arranged therein which have their upper ends closed and which are in oppositely aligned relation with the slots opening on the inside of the receptacle and facing in opposite directions and said :cross partition members each having flanges at opposite ends thereof which extend in opposite directions and which are adapted to be positioned in interengaging swinging relation in said slots.

4. A receptacle having plate-like side walls in oppositely disposed relation and said side walls having oppositely disposed inwardly extending recess forming portions, relatively narrow elongate vertical slots in said recess forming portions which are arranged in alignment and open in opposite directions, the side wall portions immediate- 1y adjacent the vertical. sides of each of said slots being in inwardly oliset relation and in parallel planes and the upper ends of said slots being closed, and cross partition members having projecting end flanges adapted to be positioned between said side walls and to pivot into interlocking relation in said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,230,830 Ickes June '19, 1917 1,823,285 Petritsch V Sept. 15,1931 1,867,455 Humphrey July 12, 1932 1,939,651 Bales Dec. '19, 19.33 2,705,588 Huckstep Apr. 5, 1955