US778641A - Collapsible receptacle. - Google Patents

Description

No. 778,641. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

L. s. DUDLEY & D. R. BEBOUT.

GOLLAPSIBLB RECEPTAGLB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1904.

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9. L..l i 94 UNITED STATES Patented December 27, 1904.

PATENT ()EEIcE.

LEON S. DUDLEY AND DELMAR R. BEBOUT, OF EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS.

COLLAPSIBLE RECEPTACLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,641, dated December 27, 1904. Application filed January 9, 1904- Serial No. 188,310.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEON S. DUDLEY and DELMAR R. BEBOUT, citizens of the United States, and residents of Effingham, in the county of Eflingham and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Collapsible Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in collapsible receptacles, more particularly to bathing-tubs of moderate capacity and suitable for use with a portable shower-bath.

In carrying out our invention we make use of certain novel constructions and arrangements of parts, such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of our invention in its collapsed state. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the invention in position to serve as a receptacle, and Figs. 3 and 4 are views of details.

A indicates the bottom of the tub, which is provided with sides 1 1, preferably integral therewith and adapted to lie in the same plane with or assume a vertical position with relation to the bottom A. The tub may be composed of any suitable waterproof flexible material such as rubber cloth, for instance-and is preferablyrectangular in shape. The edge of the sheet is bent or folded over to form ahem or pocket (t (t on each side of the tub, the outer edge of the hem being again folded inwardly to form a selvage 1 l, the material of which the latter fold is formed being secured to the hem in any suitable manner; but the hem eX- cept as hereinafter provided is not secured at its free edge to the outer surface of the side of the tub.

At the corners where the sides meet we pro vide stiffening and strengthening devices, as follows: A strip of material 2, preferably patent-leather and of trapezoidal outline, as shown, is inserted between the hem a and the side wall of the receptacle, the inclined side of the strip lying parallel with a line drawn diagonally through the corners of the sheet. A

similar rectangular strip 3 is placed adjacent to and slightly removed from the end at of the strip 2. Strips 2 and 3 are inserted between the I fold or hem a and the walll of the tub, being secured therebetween in any suitable manner. Each side of the sheet adjacent the corners is provided with a series of these devices, as shown. Straddling the corners of the tub, to which they are secured, are bails which carry rings 7 7 in the loops thereof. These bails may be composed of leather or other flexible strong material, if desired. The walls 1 1 on their inner faces are also provided with fastening means 8 8, such as the usual form of snap-closures for gloves, which fasteners are secured to one another when the receptacle is set up. The strips 3 3 have secured thereto a button 9 of anysuitable type, which button is located near the outer edges thereof and is designed to receive a loop or eye formed in the ends of a flexible connection 10, the bight 15 of this cord connection passing through the ring 7.

Between the corners of the sheet and eX- tending along the sides thereof are wire supports 11 11 of a general right-angular form, as shown, the connecting-bars l2 12 thereof removably received between the fold or hem (6 and the wall 1 and the inwardly-projecting legs 13 13, resting upon the floor or other surface beneath the bottom of the tub. We prefer to make these supports of round material in order that the frictional wear of the supports on the sheet may be reduced as much as possible, and the supports may be covered or bound, if deemed desirable.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when our improvement is in its relaxed state, as shown in Fig. 1, the walls contain the stiffening- strips 2 and 3, which also reinforce and strengthen the corners, and that the shank of bail 6 is fastened to the corners of the tub, and that, furthermore, the shanks of the buttons 9 9 pass through the walls 1 1, the hems a a, and the interposed strengthening-strips 3 3, but close enough to the upper edge of the walls to prevent leakage. The snap-buttons 8 8 also are secured through the side walls, hems, and stiffening-pieces 2 2. The supports 11 11 are removable from the pockets formed between the hem and wall in order that the receptacle may be rolled up and occupy a minimum amount of space.

It will ILIO also be observed that the adjacent strips 2 2 at the corners are spaced apart, whereby a fold or pucker 14 is formed when the device is set up, as shown in Fig. 2.

In setting up the device the fasteners 8 8, which are located on the inside faces of the side walls, are forced or otherwise secured to.- gether to bring the corners tightly and snugly against one another. The supports 11 11 are then placed in position in the pocketsbetween the strips 3 3 to retain the sides in place against the weight of the water contained in the receptacle.

When it is desired to empty the contents of the receptacle, the bights 15 15 of each cord are gathered in the hand, whereby the four corners of the tub are lifted simultaneously, the flexibility of the tub when raised causing it to assume an elongated shape and permitting the discharge of its contents into a jar or other suitable receptacle with ease and facility, the cord passing freely through the rings 7 7. The space left between the strips 2 and 3 is to prevent the formation of an abrupt or sharp bend in the leather or other stifiening means when the tub is lifted. Such a bend would be formed if the stiffening means consisted of a single integral piece.

It is obvious that the sides 16 16 may be of any desired height suitable for a foot-tub, for instance, and that many other changes in the form and arrangement of the several parts described can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. In a collapsible receptacle the combination with a bottom, walls therearound and a continuous hem on each wall, of a support comprising an integral U-shaped member, the connecting-bar of which is received in the hem and legs integral with the U-shaped mem her and projecting beneath the bottom at approximately right angles to the U -shaped member.

'2. A collapsible receptacle comprising a bottom and sides, a plurality of separate and independent pieces of stiffening and reinforcing material secured to the walls, the pieces of reinforcing material adjacent each corner of the receptacle being cut bias, the biased edges being parallel with each other and spaced apart therefrom, means for detachably fastening the corners of the receptacle to gether, the fold so formed being accommodated between the biased edges of the adjacent stiffening-pieces and means for retaining the walls of the receptacle in upright position.

3. A collapsible receptacle comprising a bottom and walls the material of which the walls are composed being folded outwardly at their upper edges, separate pieces of stiffening material inserted and secured between the plies of the fold on each side of the corners of the walls, means carried by the corners of the walls for removably forming each corner into an outfold to reduce the area inclosed by the walls and stifien the latter, means removably engaging the Walls for retaining the latter in upright position and means for raising the receptacle.

L. A collapsible receptacle comprising a bottom and walls, a ring carried at each corner of the wall, flexible means secured at either end to the sides of the walls adjacent the corners, the loop or bight of the flexible means passing through the rings, means for releasably forming outfolds at the corners of the receptacle, and removable means for retaining the walls in upright position.

Intestimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEON s. DUDLEY. DELMAR R. nnsonr.

Witnesses:

H. B. WnMsINe, C. L. NoLTn.

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