US2974818A - Milk crate - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1961 Filed May 13, 1958 H. REHRIG 2,974,818

MILK CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Houston Eefirig BY 4 Z/;5 MATTOR Y5 March 14, 1961 H. REHRIG 2,974,818

MILK CRATE Filed May 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Houston fie/2m ATTO EYS llnited rates The present invention relates to a crate construction and more particularly to a metallic milk crate or the like wherein a rod-plate-rod assembly is utilized.

In the manufacture of metallic milk crates, the side and bottom walls are frequently fabricated from metallic rod stock and metallic sheet or plate stock is utilized for side rails, corners, name plates and the like. For example, in my earlier filed US. Patent No. 2,850,199, I have disclosed a novel crate corner construction wherein a metallic sheet corner insert is secured to lateral and vertical rod members forming the framework of the crate sides. Also, in my earlier filed U..S. patent application Serial No. 631,721, filed December 31, 1956, I have disclosed a structural assembly and method which also utilizes such sheet metal inserts secured by the structural rods of a crate or the like.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of Patent No. 2,850,199 and application Serial No. 556,587, filed December 30, 1955 and application Serial No. 631,721, filed December 31, 1956.

I have now found that the inventions disclosed and claimed in both of the above-identified earlier filed applications are of general utility and may be utilized in fabricating the crate bottoms as well as the crate sides and corners. In the specific crate bottom hereinafter described in detail, a hollow side rail is utilized in conjunction with a lower peripheral stacking rail formed of rod stock. The bottom closure wall of the crate is defined by a plurality of longitudinally and transversely extending rods having terminal portions inserted into the hollow side rail and also having portions adjacent to, but spaced from, the terminal inserted ends secured to the peripheral stacking rail. The side rail laps the stacking rail, at least partially, and the sheet metal stock of the hollow side rail is apertured at the points of juncture of the bottom rods and the stacking rail rods, and the rods are welded or otherwise secured through the side rail apertures.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the present invention proposes the formation of a rod-plate-rod assembly for metallic milk crates or the like wherein a pair of adjacent structural rods are secured together by welding or the like through an aperture formed in a piece of sheet metal interposed between the rods. More specifically, the sheet metal is normally provided an offset portion conforming at least partially tothe contour of one of the rods, and this conforming portion of the sheet metal is apertured to accommodate rod-to-rod engagement and direct welded attachment of the rods to one another.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an improved milk crate utilizing a rod-plate-rod assembly.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of an improved milk crate wherein a pair of angularly disposed structural rods are secured together in direct abutment through an aperture formed in a sheet metal element.

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Yet another important object of the present invention is the provision of an improved crate structure wherein one or more walls of the crate are defined by angularly related rod-like members having a sheet metal element interposed therebetween and conforming, at least partially, to one of the members, the element being apertured to accommodate direct contact between the members.

Yet another important object of this invention is the provision of a metallic crate bottom wall wherein a sheet metal side rail has a laterally extending flange partially lapping a rod-like stacking rail and a plurality of bottom wall-defining rods traverse the crate bottom and overlie the stacking rail, the side rail flange being apertured to accommodate contact between the bottom rods and the stacking rail, and the bottom rods being secured to the stacking rail through the apertures.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

On the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a metallic milk crate of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the plane 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the plane 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the plane 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the plane 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a sheet metal element of the illustrated crate;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the plane 77 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the planes 8-8 of Fig. 7.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a crate of the present invention comprising a lower peripheral stacking rail 1.1 in the form of a rectangular piece of rod stock having its ends butt welded to form an enclosed loop. Superimposed upon the stacking rail 11 is a side rail indicated generally at 12 (Figure 7.)

This side rail 12 is fabricated of sheet metal and is of generally rectangular outline and comprises an inner upstanding wall 13, a substantially horizontal top wall 14, an outer vertical wall 15 and a transverse lower or bottom wall 16. The bottom wall is provided with an integral laterally projecting flange 17 which is arcuate in contour and which closely overlies the stacking rail 11. The side rail 12 is preferably made in four sections, one section extending along each side of the rectangular crate and each section being substantially identical in contour to that illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings.

The crate bottom wall is defined by a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending bottom rods 20, the longitudinal rods having oifset portions 21 elevating the rod ends for alignment with the upper surface of the stacking rail 11. Intermediate horizontal portions 22 of the bottom rods are aligned with the upper surface of the' stacking rail and the terminal ends 23 of the rods are oifset further, as at 24, for entry into the interior space 17 defined by the hollow side rail 12.

The intermediate portions 22 of the bottom rods directly contact the stacking rail 11 through apertures 19 formed in the dependent arcuate flange 17 of the side rail. These contacting intermediate portions 22 of the bottom rods 20 and the stacking rail 11 are secured together, as at 25, by suitable means, as by welding. It

will be noted that the curvature of the arcuate flange 17 of the side rail 12 at least partially laps the exterior surface of the stacking rail 11 with the curvature thereof being suflicient to accommodate the direct passage of'the bottom rod into intimate contact with the stackin rail 11.

Preferably, this weld 2S uniting the bottom rods 20 and the stacking rail 11 is relied upon to secure the side rails 12 to the stacking rail 11 with no other external fastening means being utilized. The aperture 19'is of a size correlated with the size of the rod 2% and provides close clearance therewith so that the rigidity of the structure is enhanced. It will be noted that the side rail wall 13 is notched as at 26 to accommodate the entry of the terminal portion 23 of the bottom rods 20 thereinto,

these notches 26 being aligned with the apertures 19.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of bottom rods 20 are utilized and such rods cooperatively define the crate bottom, the longitudinal rods 20 and the transverse rods 26 being welded to one another at each point of their intersection to define an integrated bottom for the crate.

As best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the crate side walls are defined by upstanding generally U-shaped rod-like side elements 30and 31. The elements 30 are positioned adjacent each of the corners of the crate and are composed'of generally vertically extending, elongated legs 32 joined to one another by upper .bight portions 33. The legs 3-2'terminate in laterally offset lower terminal portions 34 inserted into the side rails 12 through apertures formed in the top walls 14 thereof.

These side elements 30, 31 are secured in position by peripheral, generallyhorizontally disposed closed loops of rod stock 35, 36, 37, and 38. These closed loops 35-38, inclusive, lend lateralstrength and rigidity to the crate construction and are secured to each of the vertical elements 30 and 31, as by welding.

To protect bottles disposed interiorly of the crate 10 from damage during handling, sheet metal corner guard elements are provided, such sheet metal corner elements 40 having a transverse contour illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 and comprising generally angularly related web portions 41 and 42 extending vertically throughout the length of the element 40.

The terminal vertical edges of the portions 41 and 42 are provided with integrally formed grooves 43 extending throughout the length of the sheet metal corner and of a contour to conform generally to the cylindrical periphery of the rods 32. The grooves 43 of sheet metal elements 40 are provided with vertically aligned apertures 44. These apertures are of a size to accommodate contact between the peripheral rods 3537 and the vertical legs 32 of the vertical elements 30, and the contacting rods 35-37 and the vertical legs 32 are secured together by suitable means, as by welds 45.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 and :Figs. 4-6, inclusive, this rod-plate-rod assembly may bealso utilized to provide a name plate 50 for the crate. This name plate 50 comprises a sheet metal plate 51 having arcuate terminal portions 52 along both its upper and lower extremities, these arcuate portions conforming to the periphery of the peripheral rods 36, 37 and being provided with apertures 53 through which the peripheral rods 36 and 37 contact the depending legs 32 of the elements 31. The contacting legs 32 and elements 36, 37 are secured together by suitable means, as by welds 55.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention thus provides a new and improved rodplate-rod assembly wherein rod-like structural elements of the crate are secured to sheet metal elements thereof by the abutment and securing together of the rod-like elements through the apertures formed in conforming portions of the sheet metal. The rod-like elements may be the bottom rods 20 and the stacking rail 11 or these rod-like elements may be the vertical legs 32 of the side members 30 and the peripheral rods 35', 36 and 37. In either event, the abutting rod-like elements are secured together through apertures formed in the sheet metal elements. Similarly, the sheet metal elements themselves may be the corner elements 40, the name plates 50 or the side rails 12.

The securing together of the rods through the sheet metal apertures prevents the necessity of welding the rods to the sheet metal. The light gauge sheet materials normally employed in the side rails 12, the corner guards 40 and the name plate 5!} heat up much more rapidly than the heavier metal employed in the rod-like stacking rail, side member or horizontal member stock, and the application of suflicient heat to provide a good bond of the rod members to the sheet metal burns the lighter gauge sheet metal. The utilization of a degree of heat which can be tolerated by the sheet metal does not effect an accurate bond of the rod-like members, since they cannot be heated sufliciently. Thus, applicant has provided a new, novel, and highly advantageous rod-plate-rod assembly which may be utilized in fabricating crates or similar articles from any combination of rod-like stock and sheet metal stock.

What I claim is:

l. A crate comprising a rectangular bottom member, side walls comprising vertical rod-like members secured to the bottom member, a corner guard comprising a body of sheet material having at each side a vertically extending groove for receiving and overlying each vertical rod-like member adjacent a corner of the bottom member, said sheet material having an opening extending across each of said grooves, a horizontal rod-like member on the side of the sheet material opposite to the vertical rod-like members, and means directly connecting the vertical and horizontal members through said openmgs.

2. A crate comprising rectangular bottom and side walls, each of said walls comprising aplurality of longitudinally and transversely extending rod-like members welded to each other into a generally rectangular grid, a corner member of sheet material extending longitudinally along a corner edge of said crate, said member having a longitudinally extending groove along each side edge thereof for receiving on one side surface of said sheet material a rod-like member extending longitudinally along the side of the respective walls intersecting at said corner edge, saidsheet material having openings therein extending transversely across each of said grooves, transversely extending rod-like members ofeach of said respective walls lying against the other side surfaceof said sheet and extending across said openings, and a weld disposed within each of saidopenings securing the longitudinal rod-like members in both of said grooves to each transverse rod member overlying an opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,455 Hardman May 18, 1943 2,375,302 Karelius May 8, 1945

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