US2854165A

US2854165A - Collapsible container

Info

Publication number: US2854165A
Application number: US461994A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mitchell E Foster; Alan H Purcer
Original assignee: PACKING MATERIAL Co Inc
Current assignee: PACKING MATERIAL Co Inc; PACKING MATERIAL COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1954-10-13
Filing date: 1954-10-13
Publication date: 1958-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-30

Description

sep t- 30, 1958 M. E. FOSTER ET AL 2,854,165

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Filed Oct. 13, 1954 v4 Sheets-Sheet l 51 /4 :gj INVENTORS MITCHELL E. Fosrze 3 \Lv 7 Hum! H PURCEE ATTORNEYS.

M. E FOSTER ETAL COLLAPSIBLEZ CQNTAINER' Sept. 30, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13. 1954 m a a V\ V VV V VVVu o gg m Wm 4 v V w vvvvv FIG. 5

INVENTORS MITCHELL E. Hasrse 5 ALA/V H. Puecse h m,

ATTORNEYS Sept 30, 1958 M. E. FOSTER ETAL 2,854,165

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Filed Oct. 13, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent ce COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER Mitchell E. Foster, Birmingham, and Alan H. Purcer, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Packing Material Company, Inc., Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application October 13, 1954, Serial No. 461,994

2 Claims. (Cl. 217-3) This invention relates to pallet type containers and has particularly to do with a knock-down type of container in which the bottom wall is fashioned as a pallet.

Pallet type containers are used extensively for crating appliances and the like for shipping and are also used for shipping and storage of a variety of small work pieces. In many instances, it is desirable to provide a container of this type that can be knocked down so as to be shipped by the manufacturer to the user, returned to the user or stored by the user in a flat, compact condition. At the same time, with respect to many articles shipped or stored in pallet type containers, the container must be relatively substantial with respect to rigidity; but rigidity is not of prime importance. Thus there is a need for a pallet type container which can be knocked down to a compact size and which combines light weight with relatively great strength. The provision of a container meeting these requirements is the object of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of one form of pallet type container constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the container shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the container shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a side and end wall panel of the containershown in Fig. l in the knocked down condition.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a pallet type container of modified construction.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the container shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the container shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a side and end wall panel of the container shown in Fig. 6 in the knocked down condition.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 1010 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the strap hook used at corners of the container illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 through 5, the container illustrated includes a side wall unit 10 and a bottom unit 12 which comprises a pallet. The pallet 12 includes a top supporting surface 14 which can be formed as a wood frame. To the underside of the supporting surface 14, there is attached a plurality of wood spacer blocks 16; and to the bottom faces of these blocks, wood slats are nailed. This construction of a pallet is generally conventional and permitsthe forks of a lift truck to be inserted below the supporting face 14 from any side of the pallet.

The side wall unit 10 in the form illustrated herein comprises two rectangular panels 24) and 22 each of which is folded along a transverse score line 24 into a side wall panel 26 and an end wall panel 28. These 7, 2,854,165 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 panels are formed of fibre board such as corrugated board or other similar low-cost material.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, the panel 26 is reinforced on its inner face both in a vertical and a horizontal plane by a rectangular frame member and the panel 28 is similarly reinforced on its inner face by a frame member 32. These frames are formed of thin slats of wood. In the embodiment illustrated, frame 30 includes upper and lower horizontally extending

slats

34 and 36 and vertically extending

slats

38, 40 and 42. Frames 32 likewise include horizontally extending

slats

44 and 46 and vertically extending

slats

48, 50 and 52. These slats are secured together in the manner illustrated to form the

frames

30 and 32 with the overlapping portions of the slats nailed together and nailed, stapled or otherwise secured to the inner faces of

panels

26 and 28. it will be observed that

frames

30 and 32 are spaced apart slightly as at 54 and that the ends of the horizontal slats terminate a short distance inwardly of the vertical edges of

panels

26 and 28 as indicated at 56. It will also be noted that the

slats

48 and 52 are spaced at short distance inwardly of the opposite ends of

slats

44 and 46 as indicated at 58 and that the

slats

38 and 42 are spaced at short distance inwardly of the ends of

slats

34 and 36 as indicated at 60.

When the

panels

20 and 22 are folded along the score lines 24 and arranged on pallet 12 in the form of the container illustrated, it will be noted particularly with Figs. 3 and 4 that at each corner of the container, a rigid reinforced construction is provided At the corners adjacent the score lines 24, the end faces of

slats

34 and 36 abut against the inner faces of

slats

44 and 46 and the end face of slat 42 abuts against the inner face of slat 48. Likewise, at the open corners of the container, the end faces of

slats

34 and 36 abut against the inner faces of

slats

44 and 46 and the end face of slat 38 abuts against the inner face of slat 32. This arrangement of the slats at the open corners of the container is referred to in the claims as a right angle abutting relationship. The container is thus provided with well supported corners.

The slats from which the

frames

30 and 32 are fashioned are preferably relatively thin an wide. For example, the slats are preferably from two to four inches in width and from A" to /8" thick. Slats of these proportions have been found to combine light weight with relatively great strength. It may be supposed that slats of this size would tend to warp; but we have found that when the

frames

30 and 32 are nailed or stapled to the

corrugated paper panels

28 and 30, the inherent stiffness of these panels prevents these slats from warping.

When it is desired to assemble

panels

20 and 22 on pallet 12, the two

panels

22 and 24, each of which comprises a side wall panel 26 and an end wall panel 28, are arranged together in the form of a tube as described; and a wire band 62 is fastened around the girth of the container near the upper edge thereof. A conventional spring steel strap may be used in place of the wire band 62, if desired. The open tube is then placed on pallet 12. For the purpose of locating the side wall unit on pallet 12, each corner of the pallet has secured thereto a right angle bracket 64 which is preferably stamped from sheet metal. Brackets 64 prevent the tubular side wall unit 10 from shifting laterally on pallet 12. These brackets also reinforce the lower corners of the unit 10 and thus eliminate the need for a steel band 62 around the lower end of unit 10. Corner brackets 64 are secured to blocks 16 by nailing as at 66; and if desired, nails 68 may also be driven through brackets 64 into

frames

30 and 32 to prevent the unit 10 from working up from the pallet 12 due to vibration of conveyances, etc. We have found, however, that unit 10 can be firmly held on pallet 12 by looping wires 70 around the lower slats 36 and the side edge portions of pallet 12.. The wires 70 extend through apertures 72 in the side wall panels 26. Referring now to Figs. 6 through 11 where a modified form of container according to the present invention is illustrated, the .side wall unit is designated74 and the bottom unit comprises the pallet 76. Pallet 76 :is constructed generally the same as pallet 12 with a top supporting surface 78 preferably formed of wood, with wood blocks 80 and with wood slats 82 nailed'to the bottom there is secured a frame 96. Frame 94 comprises top and

bottom wood slats

95 and 97 and vertically extending

slats

98, 100 and 102. Frame 96 comprises top and bottom slats 104 and 106 and

vertical slats

108, 110 and 112. It will be observed that the lower slats 106 and 97 extend along and adjacent the lower edges of

panels

84 and 86 and that the vertically extending slats project outwardly down beyond the lower edges of

panels

84 and 86 as indicated at 113;

To assemble the

panels

84 and 86 with-the pallet 76, the

panels

84 and 86 are'first folded along the score lines 88 into right angle shape and then positioned relative to one another to form the rectangular tubular unit 74. At the open corners of unit 74, the

panels

84 and 86 are provided with strap books 114. These hooks are L-shaped (Fig. 11) and are provided with notches 116 which, when the panels adjacent the open corners of the container are moved vertically towards one another, interengage and thereby provide a very rigid corner construction. At the corners of the container where the corrugated board forms the connection between the side and end panels, a wire loop 118 is secured to reinforce these corners.

The tubular unit 74 thus formed is then slipped over pallet 76 with the projecting ends 113 of the vertical slats pointing downward. The projections 113 engage the side edges of pallet 76 and thereby prevent lateral movement of unit 74 relative to pallet 76. Unit 74 may be prevented from shifting upwardly on pallet 76 by driving nails through the projecting ends 113 and the adjacent positioned blocks 80 on pallet 76. However, for the purposes of rendering the assembly and disassembly of these containers simpler, it is preferred to retain the unit 74 firmly in place on pallet 76 by nailing wood blocks 120 to the inner faces of two or more of the projecting portions 113 of thevertical' slats when the frames 96 are originally formed. The blocks 120 are arranged to-engage the underside of'the frame which provides the top supporting surface 78 of pallet 76. Each support block 80 of the pallet adjacent the cleats or blocks 120 is spaced slightly inwardly from the side edges of pallet 76 to accommodate these blocks as illustrated in Fig. 10. The lower edges of blocks 12% may be chamfcred as at 122 so that to interconnect the unit 74 with the pallet 76, it is simply necessary to position the unit 74 on pallet 76 and then push it downwardly so that the vertical slats on which the blocks 120 are secured are flexed outwardly by reason of the chamfer 122 andthen snap inwardly to a position wherein the blocks 12%) engage the underside of the top supporting surface 78. We have found that if a block 120 is secured to the inner face of projection 113 of the two center slats 110 on the side walls 92, side wall unit 74 is effectively prevented from working up from pallet 76 it will be appreciated, of course, that other means such as illustrated at 79 in the previous embodiment of container illustrated may be employed for holding the side wall unit 74 firmly on the pallet 76.

Thus it will be seen that the collapsible pallet type well protected by the container.

'4 container disclosed'herein is admirably suited for use in those instances where a light weight, fairly rigid collapsible type of pallet container is required. The combination of the wood slat frames with the corrugated hard board wall panels provides a very rigid construction. The wood frames impart rigidity to the corrugated wall panels; and at the same time, the corrugated board imparts further rigidity to the wood frames. The containers described herein can be knocked down into a very compact condition for storage by or shipment'to the user. At the same time, the containers are designed such that they can be assembled and disassembled very readily and quickly without the use of nails. Furthermore, the containers are constructed so as to afford substantial protection to the merchandise crated therein.

Referring to Fig. 8, for example, it will be noted that an article such as designated by broken lines 124 is very In. each form of container described, the side faces of the article are spaced from the outer surface of the container by two thicknesses of wood slats and one thickness of corrugated hard board. Thus, the liability to damage the' merchandise within the container is minimized. It will be appreciated, of course, that the vertically and horizontally extending slats need not be positioned entirely on the outer face or the inner face of the wall panels. These frames may be constructed such that the corrugated board is sandwiched between the horizontally and vertically extending slats. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the side wall unit of the container may be formed of two individual end panels and two individual side panels suitably secured together in the manner illustrated either in Fig. 4 or Fig. 8; or, if desired, all the panels may be secured together by using tape or the like at the corners of the container in' accordance with general commercial practice.

We claim:

l. A collapsible pallet type container comprising a rectangular pallet forming the bottom wall of the container and a pair of rectangularly shaped fiberboard panels on the pallet,'each forming one side wall and one end wall of the container, each panel having a pair of open rectangular wood frames secured to the outer side thereof, each frame having a pair of wood slats spaced longitudinally of the panel and extending transversely thereof, said slats forming the vertical side edges of the side and end walls formed by the panel, each frame also having a pair of wood slats extending adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges of the panel and being secured to the ends of the transversely extending, slats in overlapping relation, the transversely extending slats of the adjacent ends of the two frames on each panelbeing spaced apart longitudinally of the panel so that each panel canbe folded along a line between said last two mentioned slats into a flat compact condition wherein the inner faces of the portions of the panel forming'the side and end walls are in coplanar engagement and wherein the frames are disposed on opposite sides of the folded panel, the transversely extending slats at the other ends of the frames and the ends of the longitudinally extending slats adjacent said last mentioned transversely extending slats extending outwardly beyond the vertical free edges of the panels, said panels each being bent into L- shape along said line and arranged on said pallet with their free vertical edges at -a pair of diagonally opposite corners of the pallet, wire loops extending through said overlapping end portions of the frames at the corners of the container formed by said bend lines, the outwardly extending edge portions of said longitudinally extending slats and said transversely extending slats at said diagonally opposite corners being arranged'in right angle abutting relation and releasable hook means for holding said last mentioned corners in assembled relation, said hook means comprising two pairs of L-shaped straps each comprising two side walls joined at an angled corner, one pair securedto each of thepanels at "di r agonally opposed corners, one strap in each pair having an upwardly opening notch at the angled corner thereof and the other having a downwardly opening notch at the angled corner thereof, said straps being releasably interengaged at said notches to hold said panels in assembled condition.

2. A collapsible pallet type container comprising a rectangular pallet forming the bottom wall of the container and a pair of rectangularly shaped fiberboard panels on the pallet, each forming one side wall and one end wall of the container, each panel having a pair of open rectangular wood frames secured to the outer side thereof, each frame having a pair of wood slats spaced longitudinally of the panel and extending transversely thereof, each framealso having a pair of wood slats extending adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges of the panel and being secured to the ends of the transversely extending slats in overlapping relation, the transversely extending slats of the adjacent ends of the two frames on each panel being spaced apart longitudinally of the panel so that each panel can be folded along a line between said last two mentioned slats into a flat compact condition wherein the inner faces of the portions of the panel forming the side and end walls are in coplanar engagement and wherein the frames are disposed on opposite sides of the folded panel, the ends of the longitudinally extending slats adjacent the opposite ends of the panels extending outwardly beyond the vertical free edges of the panels, said panels each being bent into L-shape along said line and arranged on said pallet with their free vertical edges at a pair of diagonally opposite corners of the pallet,

wire loops extending through the end portions of the longitudinally extending slats at the corners of the container formed by said bend lines, the outwardly extending edge portions of said longitudinally extending slats at said diagonally opposite corners being arranged in right angle abutting relation, and releasable hook means for holding said last mentioned corners in assembled relation, said hook means comprising two pairs of L- shaped straps each comprising two side walls joined at an angled corner, one pair secured to each of the panels at diagonally opposed corners, one strap in each pair having an upwardly opening notch at the angled corner thereof and the other having a downwardly opening notch at the angled corner thereof, said straps being releasably interengaged at said notches to hold said panels in assembled condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Koester Apr. 24, 1956