US3144156A - Box with reinforcing prtoecting shoe - Google Patents

Description

g- 11, 1954 P. A. OPROMOLLA BOX WITH REINFORCING PROTECTING SHOE Filed April 26, 1963 INVENTOR.

PETE/P A- OPE/7011A ATTORNEY j I J United States Patent 3,144,156 BOX WITH RETNFORCING PROTECTING SHOE Peter A. ()promolla, 48 Columbine Ave., Merrick, N.Y. Filed Apr. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 275,946 1 Claim. (Cl. 21769) This invention relates to boxes, and more particularly to wooden crates or carriers, such as used for handling and shipping milk bottles or cartons.

Boxes of the character indicated must be of sturdy and comparatively inexpensive construction and be capable of sliding on the flooring of trucks without catching and breakage. It is known practice to furnish the bottom of such boxes with two or more generally parallel metal shoeing members, extending the length of the box and serving as skids to protect the wood of the box and also to provide rounded edges or ends to facilitate passing over irregularities. Boxes of this type are comparatively expensive, and it is the general object of the present invention to provide a box having comparable advantages in operation but requiring the use of much less metal and providing for a very simple attachment of the metal shoeing elements.

In my previous Patent No. 3,071,278, granted I an. 1, 1963, for Improvements in Box, I have disclosed an improved form of shoe for application to the corners of a box bottom, the shoe fitting in diagonal slots adjacent the corners in such a way as to protect the wood while not weakening the same due to the slotting. While this type of protection is entirely suitable for most applications, some heavy duty uses require further protection, and in particular protection of the box ends between the corners thereof, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of shoe for this purpose.

With these objects and still others which will appear in the following description in mind, the invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts and details of construction which will now first be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing and then be more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a bottom isometric view of the box of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top isometric View of a metallic shoe element utilized in the box of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified form of box construction.

The box 1 may be used for a variety of purposes but a typical use is for holding a number of milk bottles or cartons, as, for example twelve quart milk bottles. The side walls 2, end walls 3 and bottom 4 are composed of rectangular wooden panels, each of which may be a single piece or formed of two or more boards joined together as by means of tongue, grooving and glueing connections in the usual way. The end walls have hand holes 5 (FIG. 1) for lifting and holding the box. The box bottom 4 may be of less width than the end walls 3, stopping slightly short of the side walls 2 and may be rebated as shown in FIG. 3 to a greater distance than the thickness of the end wall 3, so that the boxes stack with the bottom of the upper box fitting inside the walls of a subjacent box. The rebating of the box bottom (FIG. 3) forms a horizontal surface terminating in a vertical shoulder 11. Parallel to the end walls 3 of the box and to the vertical shoulder 11 is a slot 12 and a generally channel-shaped shoe or reinforch ing and protecting member 13 which has an inner lip or depending flange 14 which fits within the slot 12.

The web 15 of this shoe extends to the shoulder 11 and outer flange 16 covers this shoulder extending up to the surface 10 previously mentioned, being continued by a horizontal flange extension 17 which extends almost to the end of the box bottom.

The shoe as shown in FIG. 2 is conveniently rolled out of sheet metal strip of suitable gauge and metal (as, for example, about 22 gauge galvanized or otherwise surface protected sheet steel). Dimples 18 are formed at convenient intervals, such as every five inches or so along the shoe 13. These dimples extend downwardly from the surface 15 generally and are recessed centrally as indicated at 19 so as to be centrally flush with the web 15 and are punched with rivet holes 20. The flange extension 17 is also punched out with marginal apertures 21 for accommodating nails used to hold the box bottom to the box end walls 3 and these apertures may be somewhat more closely spaced together toward the ends of the shoe 13 than at its middle. As will be understood, the shoe 13 may be formed as a strip of any desired length in a continuous manner and then stamped, punched and cut to form elements as shown in FIG. 2 of convenient lengths corresponding to the size of box to be reinforced and protected.

In assembling the shoe 13 to the box bottom 4, the box bottom is drilled and countersunk as at 22, 23 in FIG. 3 forming rivet holes at the same spacing as the rivet holes 20 in the shoe 13. Rivets 24 positioned in the bores 22 and countersinks 23 as shown and passing through the holes 20 have their ends 25 riveted or peened over so as to join the shoe 13 securely to the box bottom 4. As will be understood, the grain of the wood in the box bottom a will be generally parallel to the side walls 2 and, hence, at right angles to the length of the shoe 13. While the rebating at 10, 11 and slotting at 12 somewhat Weaken the box bottom 4, the reinforcement afforded by the shoe 13 eliminates this weakening efl ect, due to distribution of stress lengthwise of the shoe 13 providing maximum protection against splitting or breaking of the wood at the ends of the box bottom crosswise to the grain at its narrow section overlying the shoulder 11. The dimple 18 extending below the rivet end 25 protects the latter and provides a smooth sliding surface for the box, while the web 15 and shoulder flange 11 provide complete protection against impact of the bottom ends of the box bottom 4.

The shoe 13 may be assembled in the box bottom 4 before or after it is joined to the end walls 3. In most cases, a protecting metal strap 26 will be used at each end of the box, the strap running over the top and around the sides and being secured to the box at suitable intervals by nails 27. The bottom nails 27 may pass through the strap 26 (FIG. 3) and apertures 21 or the flange 17 between apertures joining strap, shoe, box bottom and end walls together. Where the straps 26 are not employed, the structure may be fastened together by nails 27 as indicated in FIG. 4.

The apertures 21 in the shoe preferably extend out to the edge of the flange 17 thereof, so that the location of these apertures can be seen while nailing the strip 20 in place. The strip 20 may be slightly back of the edge of the flange 17, as indicated in FIG. 3, or in line with or slightly overlapping the same, depending on the method of application of the strip. The interruption of the edge of flange 17 by the apertures 21 also prevents the transmission of stress along the flange in the case of impact against its edge at any point.

Where the shoe is assembled to the box after securing the bottom 4 to the end Walls 3, a nail 27 may be used (as shown in FIG. 4) for holding the shoe in place while the rivets 24 are inserted and riveted over. Where the shoe is assembled to the bottom in advance, a shorter nail or tack 27 may be used to tack the shoe temporarily in place while riveting.

What is claimed is:

A rectangular Wooden carrier box comprising side Walls, end Walls and a bottom, the bottom being rebated at its ends for a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the end Walls and having slots parallel to and spaced from the said rebated ends, the slotting being to a less depth than the rebating, and reinforcing protecting shoes, comprising channel members, each such shoe having a web portion secured to the box bottom, a narrow flange received in the said slot, a wider flange covering the box end adjacent the rebating and lying inwardly of the plane of the inner surface of the box end, and a flange parallel to its web portion substantially covering the rebated end of the box bottom, the Web portion of the shoe having centrally recessed domes providing sliding surfaces, and

riveting through the box bottom and recesses of the said domes, securing the shoe to the box bottom, the last mentioned flange having a plurality of apertures, nails accommodated by said apertures and securing the box bottom to the adjacent end Wall, and metal strapping around the ends of the box, overlying the last mentioned flange and secured to the box bottom and end by said nails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,432,359 Rosenthal Oct. 17, 1922 2,850,204 Rehrig Sept. 2, 1958 3,071,278 Opromolla Jan. 1, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 207,755 Austria Feb. 25, 1960

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