US3393827A - Nestable and cross-stackable container - Google Patents
Nestable and cross-stackable container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3393827A US3393827A US632596A US63259667A US3393827A US 3393827 A US3393827 A US 3393827A US 632596 A US632596 A US 632596A US 63259667 A US63259667 A US 63259667A US 3393827 A US3393827 A US 3393827A
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- Prior art keywords
- container
- containers
- cross
- nestable
- stacked
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/04—Open-ended containers shaped to be nested when empty and to be superposed when full
- B65D21/043—Identical stackable containers specially adapted for nesting after rotation around a vertical axis
- B65D21/046—Identical stackable containers specially adapted for nesting after rotation around a vertical axis about 90°
Definitions
- FIG. 2 INVENTORZ DONALD J. ASENBAUER HIS ATTORNEY July 23, 1968 D. J. ASENBAUER 3,393,327
- This invention relates to nesting and cross-stacking containers. More particularly, the invention relates to a nestable, cross-stackable container of substantially uniform thickness throughout which can be integrally formed from a single piece of sheet material as well as being fabricated by injection molding techniques and the like. While the present invention specifically contemplates the use of plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, its application is nevertheless not to be thus limited.
- the present invention is directed to a rectangular, nestable and cross-stackable container having a length approximately equal to twice its width and having upwardly and outwardly sloping (upwardly diverging) side and end walls integrally connected at their lower extremity to a bottom wall, said side, end and bottom walls having a unique configuration to be described more fully hereinafter so that identical containers may not only be nested in a conventional manner but also may be cross-stacked, i.e., interlocked in a novel stackingconfi'guration to form a very stable unit.
- the shipping boxes generally employed suffer from one or more serious shortcomings. Those made of insubstantial material such as cardboard cannot be stacked to a sufficient height and are difiicult to clean. Wood and metal construction materials do permit stacking but they not only add to the weight of such containers but also increase their cost.
- substantially full containers are stacked one upon another during transportation and nested together when empty for their return to the harvesting area.
- Such containers which are capable of stacking and nesting are currently available. These containers, however, are stacked one upon another with each stack being a separate entity within itself.
- the stacks are quite unstable and during transportation rock and weave and frequently topple, or at least subject the contents thereof to a constant rocking motion which has an adverse effect on the contents, particularly if the contents are so-called soft fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes.
- the present shipping container is particularly suitable for construction from lightweight, low-cost materials, i.e., heat formable plastics.
- the instant container has a unitary integral construction not possible with wood materials and very costly with metallic materials.
- the present container not only can be conveniently nested with identical containers but also can be cross-stacked, i.e., interlocked in a square configuration thereby producing a very stable unitary stack of containers.
- This cross-stacking feature is particularly suitable for containers used for shipping soft fruits and vegetables since stacks of the present containers are significantly more stable, i.e., the respective containers and stacks do not weave and rock to the motion of the truck, boxcar or the like. In other words, produce shipped in the instant containers do not suffer from the undesirable road shock produced by the constant rocking of conventional containers.
- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the container
- FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the container
- FIGURE 3 is a side view in partial cross-section of two containers in normal nesting position
- FIGURE 4 is a crosssectional view of the two nesting containers of FIGURE 3 taken on line 44 thereof;
- FIGURE 5 is a side view in partial cross-section of several containers in stacked arrangement.
- FIGURE 6 is a reduced side view in partial crosssection taken on line 66 thereof.
- FIGURES 1-6 of the drawings the nestable and cross-stackable container A of FIGURES l and 2, containers A and B of FIGURES 3 and 4, and containers A, B, C and D of FIGURES 5 and 6 are all identical. Since all containers are identical, like parts are identified throughout by like reference numerals, therefore, in the following description reference will be made to one of the containers A, B, C, etc., only whenever a cooperative relationship of two or more containers are involved in the description.
- an integrally formed open top rectangular container A having an over-all length approximately twice the over-all width measured at the widest portions thereof including the bead, and formed from a single sheet of plastic, metal or the like comprises a bottom or bottom wall 20 integrally connected to upwardly diverging side walls 21 and 22, and upwardly diverging end walls 23 and 24.
- bottom wall 20 is upwardly indented or deformed to form an inverted U-shaped trough 25 having substantially vertical side walls 25a and 25b.
- Trough 25 has a transverse width approximately twice the width of bead 40.
- Side wall 21 at its upper extremity is outwardly and upwardly indented or deformed on either side of the transverse axis of the container to form notches, shoulders or supporting inner shelves 26 and 27 in bead 40, each having a longitudinal width approximately equal to the outside width of bottom wall 20-.
- Side wall 22 is likewise indented at its upper extremity to form corresponding notches, shoulders or shelves 28 and 29.
- Side Walls 21 and 22 and end walls 23 and 24 at their upper extremity project outwardly and downwardly a short distance to form bead 40 for strength and ease of handling.
- Two or more containers may be nested together to form a very compact stack as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4.
- container B is inserted into container A. This can be accomplished simply by aligning the longitudinal axis of container B with the longitudinal axis of container A with container B above container A and then container B is lowered until the containers engage with each other. Any reasonable number of containers can be nested in this manner. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, when containers A and B are thus nested, the side and end walls of container A will be in close contact with the corresponding side and end walls of container B.
- FIGURES and 6 Stacking of the instant containers can be easily and effectively accomplished as shown in FIGURES and 6. It is readily apparent that a very stable, substantially square interlocking stack is obtained which can be conveniently palletized for ease of transportation.
- containers C and D cross-stack and interlock with and upon containers A and B.
- containers E and F (not shown) cross-stack and interlock with and upon containers C and D.
- Containers A and B are placed in side-by-side arrangement with their side wall beads 40 in contact with their longitudinal axes parallel to each other. Then containers C and D are stacked upon containers A and B with their respective axes parallel to each other with their axes at right angles to the axes of containers A and B.
- container D is not only supported by shelves 27 and 29 of containers A and B, but also interlocks therewith wherein slot or trough 25 of container D engages bead 40 of side wall 21 of container A and bead 40 of side wall 22 of container B.
- container E interlocks with containers C and D, as shown in FIGURE 5 wherein slot 25 of container E fits over and engages bead 40 of side wall 28 of container C and bead 40 of side wall 22 of container D.
- the side walls 21 and 22 and end walls 23 and 24 may preferably be stepped slightly outwardly and upwardly to form one or more continuous reinforcing rings 30 parallel to bottom wall 20 around the periphery of the container.
- An integrally formed open-top rectangular crossstacking and nesting container having a length approximately equal to twice the width thereof at the widest portions of said container, comprising a bottom wall, upwardly and outwardly diverging side and end walls connecting with said bottom wall, said side and end walls terminating at their upper extremity in a continuous circumferential bead, midway between the end walls and transversely to the longitudinal axis of the container, said bottom wall is upwardly deformed to form an inverted U-shaped trough having a width approximately equal to twice the width of said circumferential bead, said side walls at their upper extremity being outwardly deformed on either side of the transverse axis of the container to form a pair of supporting inner shelves in each of said side walls having a longitudinal width approximately equal to the outside width of the bottom wall and adapted to support a superimposed stacked container.
- a container as defined in claim 1 which is integrally formed from a single sheet of plastic material.
- a container as defined in claim 1 which is integrally formed of plastic material and having a substantially uniform thickness throughout.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Stackable Containers (AREA)
Description
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US632596A US3393827A (en) | 1967-04-21 | 1967-04-21 | Nestable and cross-stackable container |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US632596A US3393827A (en) | 1967-04-21 | 1967-04-21 | Nestable and cross-stackable container |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US3393827A true US3393827A (en) | 1968-07-23 |
Family
ID=24536161
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US632596A Expired - Lifetime US3393827A (en) | 1967-04-21 | 1967-04-21 | Nestable and cross-stackable container |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US3393827A (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4304334A (en) * | 1979-11-13 | 1981-12-08 | North American Beverage Cases, Inc. | Nestable and stackable bottle case |
US4919268A (en) * | 1985-06-08 | 1990-04-24 | Creative Design And Packaging Cardiff Limited | Containers |
USD428059S (en) * | 1999-04-30 | 2000-07-11 | Haworth, Inc. | Paper tray |
US6189705B1 (en) | 1999-04-30 | 2001-02-20 | Haworth, Inc. | Nestable-stackable tray |
US7510089B2 (en) * | 2004-04-01 | 2009-03-31 | Rubbermaid Incorporated | Stackable and nestable article holder |
BE1023211B1 (en) * | 2015-06-17 | 2016-12-21 | FACIL CORPORATE, besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid | Reusable stackable and nestable container for storing and / or transporting goods. |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2064518A (en) * | 1932-06-23 | 1936-12-15 | Brogdex Co | Art of transporting and/or storing articles in unit containers |
FR1177039A (en) * | 1957-05-28 | 1959-04-20 | Aluminiumwerke Gottingen G M B | Opened shipping and storage container for fish, meat, fruit and similar products |
DE1176059B (en) * | 1962-09-24 | 1964-08-13 | Linke Hofmann Busch | Tank car for the transport of liquids |
-
1967
- 1967-04-21 US US632596A patent/US3393827A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2064518A (en) * | 1932-06-23 | 1936-12-15 | Brogdex Co | Art of transporting and/or storing articles in unit containers |
FR1177039A (en) * | 1957-05-28 | 1959-04-20 | Aluminiumwerke Gottingen G M B | Opened shipping and storage container for fish, meat, fruit and similar products |
DE1176059B (en) * | 1962-09-24 | 1964-08-13 | Linke Hofmann Busch | Tank car for the transport of liquids |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4304334A (en) * | 1979-11-13 | 1981-12-08 | North American Beverage Cases, Inc. | Nestable and stackable bottle case |
US4919268A (en) * | 1985-06-08 | 1990-04-24 | Creative Design And Packaging Cardiff Limited | Containers |
US5054617A (en) * | 1985-06-08 | 1991-10-08 | Creative Design And Packaging Cardiff Limited | Improvements relating to containers |
USD428059S (en) * | 1999-04-30 | 2000-07-11 | Haworth, Inc. | Paper tray |
US6189705B1 (en) | 1999-04-30 | 2001-02-20 | Haworth, Inc. | Nestable-stackable tray |
US7510089B2 (en) * | 2004-04-01 | 2009-03-31 | Rubbermaid Incorporated | Stackable and nestable article holder |
BE1023211B1 (en) * | 2015-06-17 | 2016-12-21 | FACIL CORPORATE, besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid | Reusable stackable and nestable container for storing and / or transporting goods. |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: MIDLAND-ROSS CORPORATION, 20600 CHAGRIN BLVD. CLEV Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NESTIER CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:003921/0847 Effective date: 19811030 Owner name: NESTIER CORPORATION Free format text: RELEASED BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:MIDLAND-ROSS CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:003921/0855 Effective date: 19811029 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: VANGUARD INDUSTRIES, INC. Free format text: ASSIGNOR WISH TO CORRECT SPELLING OF FIRST WORD OF ASSIGNEES NAME IN ASSIGNMENT DATED DEC. 4, 1972FROM VANGUARD, INDUSTRIES, INC., TO VANGUARD INDUSTRIES, INC.;ASSIGNOR:SHELL OIL COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:004048/0013 Effective date: 19800410 Owner name: VANGUARD INDUSTRIES, INC., VIRGINIA Free format text: ASSIGNOR WISH TO CORRECT SPELLING OF FIRST WORD OF ASSIGNEES NAME IN ASSIGNMENT DATED DEC. 4, 1972FROM VANGUARD, INDUSTRIES, INC., TO VANGUARD INDUSTRIES, INC;ASSIGNOR:SHELL OIL COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:004048/0013 Effective date: 19800410 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BUCKHORN MATERIAL HANDLING GROUP INC., AN OH CORP. Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:NESTIER CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:004235/0116 Effective date: 19830630 |