US3531012A

US3531012A - Sliding lid box construction

Info

Publication number: US3531012A
Application number: US788251A
Authority: US
Inventors: George G Bergh; Robert G Bergh
Original assignee: Bergh Bros Co Inc
Current assignee: Bergh Bros Co Inc
Priority date: 1968-12-31
Filing date: 1968-12-31
Publication date: 1970-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1987-09-29

Description

Sepbzg, 1970 l 'GQ G, BERGH ETAL *l l3,531,012

f SLIDING LID-BoxcoNsTRUcTIoN v l Filed Dec. 31, 1968 'K v 3 sheetssmul GEORGE G. BERGH BY ROBERT G. BERGH sep1.2a, 1970 G, @,'BERGH HAL 3,531,012

sLIDmG LID Box CONSTRUCTION' Filed Dec. 51. 1968 A s 'sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR,

GEORGE G. BERGH BY ROBERT G. BERGH sept. 29, .1970

G. G. BERGH ET AL SLIDING LID BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 31, 1968 34 FIGRTA 3 Sheets-Sheet :5v

INVENTOR.'

GEoRGE G. BERGH BY ROBERT G. BERGH United States Patent O 3,531,012 SLIDING LID BOX CONSTRUCTION George G. Bergh and Robert G. Bergh, North Attleboro, Mass., assignors to Bergh Bros. Co., Inc., Attleboro Falls, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Dec. 31, 1968, Ser. No. 788,251 Int. Cl. B65d 43/20 U.S. Cl. 220-41 9 Claims ABSTRACT F 'I'HE DISCLOSURE A box construction including a base covered by a lid. The lid, which may be slid in either of two directions in order to expose selected portions of the box interior, is slidably connected to an underlying stop member. The stop member is in turn slidably connected to the box side walls. The extent to which the lid may be moved in either direction is limited by engagement of the stop member between one end wall of the base and the opposite end of the lid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to box constructions having two-way slidable lids, and more particularly to an improved means for guiding and limiting movement of said lids.

The arrangements which have heretofore been proposed for slidably mounting box lids for limited two-way movement usually suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, most such arrangements employ exposed tracks, stops and the like which detract from the overall appeaarnce of the assembled -box combination. Furthermore, the means employed to guide and slidably support the lids in known box constructions frequently lack sufcient strength and rigidity, particularly when the lids are opened to one extreme or the other.

These problems and disadvantages have now been overcome in a novel smanner by the present invention, a primary object of which is the provision of an improved means rfor slidably supporting, guiding and limiting the movement of a two-way slidable box lid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-way sliding lid arrangement wherein the means for guiding and limiting movement of the lid is completely hidden from view, regardless of whether the lid is opened or closed, the net result being a box construction having a greatly improved appearance.

Another object of the present invention is to slidably support and guide the movement of the box lid relative to the base section by a novel means, the strength and rigidity of which is undiminished by fully displacing the lid in either direction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efficient means for slidably connecting a box lid to the base section, which means greatly facilitates the task of finally assembling the base and lid components.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will Ibecome more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a box combination embodying the concepts of the present inventiton, with the lid in an open position exposing a portion of the box interior;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken along lines 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing structural details of the base section, lid and stop member;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the stop member;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the stop member;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate the method of assembling the box construction herein illustrated.

Turning now to the drawings with initial reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a box assembly generally indicated at 10 comprised basically of a base section 12 covered by a two-way slidable lid 14. The base section includes

side walls

16a and 16b joined by end walls 18a and 18b. In the embodiment herein illustrated, the side and end walls of the base section are provide along their upper and lower edges with integral inwardly extending upper and

lower flanges

20 and 22. A bottom member 23 is supported on the lower flanges 22 of the wall members and is held in place by means of inserts 26, the latter being in face-to-face contact with the interior surfaces of the wall members and wedged between the bottom member and the upper flanges 20.

The lid 14 is constructed in a manner similar to that of base section 12. More particularly, lid 14 is also provided with

side walls

28a and 28b joined by

end walls

30a and 30b. The lid walls are each provided with inwardly disposed upper and

lower flanges

32 and 34. A planar cover member 36 is surrounded by the side and end walls of the lid and is held in place by means of inserts 28 (see FIG. 3) wedged between the cover member and the upper flanges 32 extending inwardly rfrom the end walls '30a and 30b.

Lid 14 is slidably connected to an underlying stop member generally indicated at 40. As can best be seen by further reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, in the embodiment herein disclosed stop member 40 is divided into two sections 40'a and 40'b along a diagonally extending line 42. The

sections

40a and 40b are joined together along line 42 by means of a tongue 44 on section 40a seated in a groove 46 in section 4011-. Tongue 44 is provided with a generally concave recess or indentation 8 which is adapted to receive a shoulder 50 on the bottom 52 of groove 46 when the

sections

40a and 40b are aligned in a mated relationship. Each of the

sections

40a and 40b of the stop member are further provided along their side edges with grooves 54a and 54h defined by a pair of

parallel flanges

56 and 58. In the preferred embodiment herein disclosed, flange 56 is of a greater width and extends laterally beyond the edge of lower flange 58.

When the box components are fully assembled as shown in the drawings, the lid 14 is slidably connected to the stop member 40 by virtue of the fact that the lower flanges 34 on the lid side walls 28a and 28h extend into the

grooves

54a and 54b in the edges of the stop member. By the same token, the stop member 40 is slidably connected to the base section 12 by virtue of the fact that the upper flanges 20 on the base side walls 16a and 16h also extend into the same grooves 54a and 5411. As can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, this arrangement results in the lower flanges 34 on the

side walls

28a and 28b of lid 14 being in lface-to-face sliding contact with the upper flanges 20 on the

side walls

16a and 16b of the base section 12. In other words, the lid is slidably supported on the base section, with the stop member 40 acting as a means for guiding and limiting the sliding movement of the lid relative to the base section. Face-to-face contact between

flanges

20 and 34, is, however, not a strict requisite. Under certain conditions, it may be desirable to cock the lower flanges 20 up slightly, and/ or to cock the upper flanges 34 down slightly, so as to provide a line Contact Ibetween both anges. This alternate construcf tion would have the advantage of decreasing frictional resistance between the lid and base section.

The foregoing construction permits the lid 14 to be slidably displaced relative to the base section 12 in two directions along an axis parallel to the lbase side walls 16a and 16h. When the Ilid is in the fully closed position, the underlying stop member 40, its side grooves 54a and 54b, and the

flanges

20 and 34 on the base and lid are completely concealed. This presents an attractive appearance which has heretofore been unobtainable with conventional known sliding lid box constructions.

When it is desired to expose one area of the box interior, for example the area designated at A in the drawings, the lid 14 is simply pushed towards the base end wall 18a. This initially causes the lid to be slidably displaced relative to stop member 46, with the lid flanges 34 running in grooves 54a and 54h. Sliding movement of the lid relative to the stop member will continue until such time as one end of the stop member is contacted Vas at 60 (see FIG. 3) by the flange 34 on the end 30b of the lid. Thereafter, the stop member will be carried along with the lid until such time as the opposite end of the stop member is contacted as at `62 by the upper flange 20 of the base end wall 18a. At this point, further movement of the lid towards base end wall 18a will be prevented, thus exposing the interior portion A of the box interior.

It should be noted that even with the lid 14 in the open condition as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the stop member 40 remains completely concealed, thus presenting an extremely neat and attractive appearance. Also, it should be noted that in the preferred embodiment herein disclosed, the

flanges

20 and 34 on the base section and lid extend fully into and bear against the bottoms of the grooves 54a 54b in the side edges of stop member 40. This effectively resists lateral shaking and twisting of the lid relative to the base section, even when the lid is in the maximum open position.

When it is desired to expose the opposite interior area B of the box, the lid 14 is simply pushed in an opposite direction towards end wall 18b. The lid will move freely over stop member 40 until such time as the stop member is engaged by the lower flange 34 on the end wall 30a of the lid. Thereafter, the stop member will be carried along with the lid across the length of the box until it is contacted by the upper flange 20 on the end wall 18b of the base section, at which point the lid will be in the oppositely disposed extreme open condition with section A of the base completely covered and section B completely uncovered.

We have found that the use of a two part stop member 40 made up of sections 40a and 4flb considerably simplifies assembly of the box components. This is illustrated by reference to FIGS. 7A-7B wherein the assembly of the box is illustrated schematically. More particularly, the first step in assemblying the box as illustrated in FIG. 7A wherein it can be seen that the lid 14 is simply inverted and the two

sections

40a and 40b positioned as shown in an offset relationship within the perimeter of lower lid flanges 34.

The next assembly step (FIG. 7B) involves superimposing the inverted base section over the inverted lid section 14 to completely cover the offset

sections

40a and 40b of the stop member.

Thereafter, as is shown in FIG. 7C, the base section 12 is slid relative to the underlying lid 12 in the direction indicated, thus causing section 40b to 'be pushed into the interlocked position with section 40a with the shoulder 50 seated within the concave recess 48 in tongue 44. As section 40b is pushed into a mated position with section 40a, the shoulder 50 will contact and ride along the edge of tongue 44 as at `64. This will tend to push the two

sections

40a and 40!) apart, thus exerting a slight spreading action on the side walls of the box and lid. This spreading action will increase until such time as the shoulder 50 seats itself snugly in recess 48. When this occurs, the side Walls of the base section and lid will spring -back and the two sections of the stop member 40 will thereafter be held together. At this point, all of the box components are in 4 the interlocked relationship shown in FIGS. 1-4 and the basic components are fully assembled.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should now be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain minor changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto. For example, a one-piece stop member 40 may if desired be employed. Also, the stop -member may be comprised of a laminate of differently dimensioned layers rather than a solid piece with grooved edges. The box may take on any desired configuration, as long as there are at least two sides parallel to the axis along which the lid is to be slid. The basic construction of the lid and base section may also -be modified, such as for example by fixing the bottom and

cover members

24 and 36 by means other than the use of

inserts

26 and 38. The only requirement is that there be some means on the base section and lid, such as the

flanges

20 and 34, in slidable interlocked relationship with other means on the stop member 40, such as the

grooves

54a and 54b.

Finally, it should be understood that the terms base section and lid are to be construed in the broad sense as defining two slidable cooperative elements enclosing the interior of a Ibox or similar container. With this in mind, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lid 14 shown in the drawings might actually be part of the base section of another box, thus making it possible to slidably interconnect one or more base sections in a stacked relationship.

It is our intention to cover these and all other changes and modifications of the embodiment herein chosen for purposes of disclosure which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein claimed.

We claim:

1. A box comprising a base section, a lid, a stop member underlying said lid, and means for slidably connecting said stop member to both said base section and said lid, whereby said lid may be slidably moved in opposite directions relative to said base section in order to expose opposite portions of the interior of said base section.

2. The box claimed in claim 1 further characterized by said base section having a bottom member with oppositely disposed side and end walls, a flange coextensive with and extending inwardly from each of said side walls, said flanges being seated in grooves located in the edges of said stop member.

3. The box claimed in claim 2 further characterized by said lid having inwardly disposed flanges overlying the flanges on said side walls, the anges on said lid also being seated in the said grooves.

4. The box as claimed in claim 3 further characterized by said stop member being divided into two sections along a line which is disposed angularly with respect to the grooves in the edges of said stop member, the said sections being joined along said line by means of a tongue on one section seated in a groove in the other section, and means on said tongue and groove for inhibiting movement of one of said sections relative to the other in a direction parallel to the said grooves in the edges of said stop member.

5. In a box assembly having a base section and a lid, means slidably connected between said base and said lid, said means comprising a stop member underlying said lid, said stop member having oppositely disposed edges parallel to oppositely disposed sides of said 'base and lid, a groove in each of said oppositely disposed edges, and inwardly disposed flanges on the sides of said base and lid, said flanges extending into said grooves to thereby provide a slidable connection between said stop member and said base section and lid.

6. The means claimed in claim 5 further characterized by said stop member being diagonally divided into two sections along a line disposed angularly with. respect to the said oppositely disposed edges, said sections being joined along said line by a tongue on one section seated 1n a groove in the other of said sections, and means for preventing movement of one section relative to the other in a direction parallel to the said oppositely disposed edges.

7. A box assembly comprising in combination: a base section having a bottom and oppositely disposed parallel side Walls joined by end Walls; a lid overlying said base, said lid having side and end edges coextensive with the upper edges of the side and end Walls of said base section; `a stop member underlying said lid, said stop member having oppositely disposed side edges, grooves in the side edges of said stop member and, inwardly disposed flanges on the side walls of said base section and the side edges of said lid, said anges being seated in the grooves in the side edges of said stop member, thereby permitting said stop member to be slidably displaced relative to said base section and lid in a direction parallel to the said flanges.

8. A box assembly comprising in combination: a base section having a bottom with oppositely disposed side walls joined by end walls; a stop member connected to said base section for movement along an axis parallel to said side Walls, the movement of said stop member relative to said base section being limited by said stop member contacting said end walls; and a lid overlying said stop member and having side and end edges, said lid `being connected to said stop member for movement in opposite directions relative to both said stop member and said base section along said axis, the movement of said stop member relative to said lid being limited -by said stop member contacting said end edges.

9. The box assembly claimed in claim 7 further characterized by the side walls on said base section and the side edges on said lid having inwardly disposed anges, and grooves in oppositely disposed edges of said stop member, said flanges being slidably seated in said grooves to thus provide a means of slidably connecting said stop :member to said base section and said lid.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,012,033 8/1935 Atwater 220-41 X 2,378,003 6/1945 Duell 220--41 X GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 217-62