US572998A - Shipping-crate - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. H. JEWBTTf SHIPPING CRATE.

No. 572,998. Patented Dec. 15, 1-896.

. w igzsses l NITED STATES PATENT Prion.

JOHN H. JEVETT, OF MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN.

vSHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,998, dated December 15, 1896. Application filed $eptember 25, 1895' Serial No. 563,625. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. J EWETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Menominee, in the county of Menominee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Shipping-Crate, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shipping-crates for the transportation of vegetables, small nursery stock, or merchandise, and particularly to crates to be used by farmers and truckgardeners, my object being to provide a rigid crate of such construction and dimensions that four similar crates may be nested together to form a compact handy package for convenient return from market, firmly braced and held in place by the mere assemblage of the said four crates.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the various details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully specified and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one of my crates. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of four crates assembled in nested relation for return shipment.

Reference being made to parts by numerals, l designates the end slats, which are rigidly secured by wire, nails, screws, or other means to corner-posts 2, the ends of said slats 1 being flush with the outer sides of said posts 2 and the outer sides of the uppermost and lowermost slats being flush with the respec tive ends of said posts. The sides of the crate are made of similar slats 3, alined with the end slats and secured to the outer sides of posts 2, so as to overlap the end slats 1 and terminate flush with the outer face thereof. One or more of the upper side slats 3 on one or on both sides are bowed or warped inwardly slightly, as at 4, thereby to retain their nested arrangement with certainty, as more particularly explained later on. Bottom slats 5 are provided lengthwise of the crate and secured to the lower ends of posts 2 and to strengthening-cleats 6, which are fastened to either end of the crate. These bottom slats 5 are provided with beveled ends '7 to enable the crates to be more readily nested. The

particular form and arrangement of parts above set forth are not essential, but may be greatly varied. For instance, a greater or less number of slats may be used and they may be set transversely or otherwise, and the posts may be dispensed with or modified.

The dimensions of my improved crates are such that the outside height of the crate is equal to the inside width thereof from side to side next to the corner-posts, and the inside length from post to postis equal to twice the outside width. The. result of these proportions is that two crates 8 and 9 may be placed on end side by side within a third crate l0, exactly filling the same from side to side and from end to end, and a fourth crate 12 may be then placed in reversed position over crates 8 and 9, thereby completing a neat compact bunch of crates which rigidly brace each other. The beveled ends of the bottoms of crates 8 and 9 materially aid in forming this package, making the nesting easier by wedging away the sides of crates 10 and 12. The nested crates are securely held together by means of the gripping action of the bowed sides 4 of crates 10 and 12, so that no nails, hooks, or binding-cords are required to retain the crates together for handling.

The loose shipment of individual crates is very destructive thereof, because heavy packages are carelessly thrown against them, whereby they are split and broken or racked out of shape. By my arrangement all this is obviated, inasmuch as rigid bracing effects are produced at every weak point, particularly midway of the length of the crates, at which point the inner sides of crates 8 and 9 form a sort of plate-girder to sustain the sides and bottoms of crates, 10 and 12.

What I claim is 1. A shipping-crate consisting of suitable ends, sides and bottom composed of slats and joined together to form a rectangular crate, one of the slats of the sides being bowed inward for the purpose of binding against a similar crate placedwithin the primary crate, whereby the nested crates are prevented from separating, substantially as described.

2. A nest of four equal and similar crates having their sides, ends and bottoms composed of slats, two of said crates being placed side 7 by side with their ends resting in a third crate,

and a fourth crate placed in inverted position over the projecting ends of the first two crates, one or more of the slats of each crate beingbowed inward, whereby the outer crates are adapted to frictionally engage the inner 5 crates, substantially as described.

3. A shipping-crate having suitable sides, ends and bottom composed of slats, one of the slats being made of greater length than the others but having its ends in planes 00- IO incident with the ends of the other slats, I

whereby an inward fiexure is imparted to the long slat, substantial as and ro'r the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in 15 the presence of two witnesses.

i JOHN H. J EXVETT.

\Vitnesses:

I-IALsEY B. MoULToN, FRANKLIN I-I. BROWN.

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