US783274A - Folding basket or crate. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

A. O. HUBBARD. FOLDING BASKET 0R CRATE.

- APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11, 1902.

2 SEEETEF-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

A. 0. HUBBARD.

FOLDING BASKET 0R CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1902.

(It'll011:1:11111111111111111! 'IIIIIIII Patented February 21, 1905,

Urrn STATES PATENT rricn.

ARTHUR O. HUBBARD, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FOLDING BASKET OR CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 783,274, dated February 21, 1905. I

Application filed Iuly 11,1902. Serial No 115,185.

To all whom it WMLZ/ concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR O. HUBBARD, of

Minneapolis, I-Iennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Baskets or Crates, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to baskets or crates designed particularly for shipping articles of merchandise. These baskets are usually folded when empty so that the swinging parts, such as the top and bottom, are on the outside of the folded package and in course of transportation by freight or express are frequently torn off and lost, even though apparently securely fastened when shipped. This frequent loss of a cover or bottom necessitates repairs nearly every time a shipment is made and is a source of constant annoyance and considerable expense to the shipper.

The object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a folding or collapsible basket or crate which when folded will have no loose swinging or unprotected parts to be torn off and lost in transportation.

A further object is to provide a basket of simple but very strong and durable construction and one that is capable of withstanding the rough usage to which an article of this kind is usually subjected.

The invention consists generally in a collapsible basket or crate having a hinged top and bottom and side and end walls provided with vertical pivots, two of said pivots at the diagonally opposite corners of said basket being offset from the corner, whereby when the basket is folded lengthwise a space will be provided between the side and end walls wherein said swinging top and bottom will be suspended and protected.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view of a folding basket or crate embodying my invention, showing the cover closed and partially broken away to expose one of the fastening devices. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section showing the top and bottom in their closed position. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal edge view of the basket when collapsed and ready for return shipment. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the manner of hinging the top and bottom. Fig. 6 is a detail of the sliding bolt for securing the bottom in its closed position.

In the drawings, 2 and 3 represent, respectively, the ends and sides of the basket, which are composed of a series of thin upright slats connected at their ends and near the middle on each side by narrow bars or cleats that are nailed securely to the slats. At two of the diagonally opposite corners of the basket I provide the abutting cross bars or cleats with metal clips 4, having loops or eyes 5 to receive the vertical pivot-rods 6 at the corners of the basket and upon which the walls swing when the basket is being folded or set up. At the other two diagonally opposite corners I provide vertical bars 7, which are secured to the abutting sides 2 by metal straps 7, having eyes 9, corresponding to those heretofore described with reference to the clips 4, to receive pivotrods similar to those described. The ends 3 have clips at the corners of the basket near the straps 6 and corresponding to those at the opposite corners and having eyes or loops to receive the pivot-rods that are offset from the corners by the bars 7. The straps 7 extend down over the sides of the basket, both inside and out, a sufficient distance to protect the corners against injury and securely fasten the bars 7 in position.

At the bottom of the basket on one side I provide a bracket or car 10 to receive one end of the rod 11, which passes through U-shaped clips 12, provided on the swinging bottom 18, and enters the bar 7 on the opposite side of the basket through one of the retaining-straps 7 thereon. This rod and the clips form a hinge for the bottom of the basket on one side, and its opposite side is provided with flanged cligs 14:,Wl1i0h overhang the edge of the bottom and are adapted to engage hooked clips 15, that are provided on the side wall. The clips 14 and 15 are so arranged that when they engage and interlock the bottom of the basket will be substantially horizontal and in its proper open position. The plates or clips will prevent further downward movement of the bottom, and I prefer to provide a sliding bolt 16, having an end 17 in position to be engaged by the finger to push the bolt into a socket 18 in the wall of the basket. This bottom is made up of a series of vertical slats and cross-cleats, as described withreference to the ends and sides. The clips 12 not only form a portion of the hinge for the bottom 13, but also serve to strengthen the same and bind the slats and cleats firmly together. WVhen it is desired to fold the box, the bolt 16 is withdrawn from its socket and the bottom raised to a vertical position against the side wall adjoining which it is hinged.

The cover ortop of the box 19 is also made up of a series of vertical slats and cross-cleats and is hinged in a similar manner as described with reference to the bottom, except that the bracket or ear at one end of the hinged pivot or rod is longer than the bracket 10 to permit the cover to drop down to a vertical position inside of the bottom when released, as shown clearlyin Fig. 3, and the pivot-rod of the cover is set in from the edge to accommodate it to the greater length of the ear or bracket. In other respects the manner of hinging the cover is the same as that of the bottom. To prevent the cover from dropping down to its folded position prematurely, I provide bolts corresponding to the one provided in the bottom entering sockets in the side wall at the top, and I also provide protecting-plates 21 over these bolts. Between the bolts I provide a lingerhole 22, wherein the finger is inserted to lift the cover to its horizontal closed position or to raise it to permit access to the basket. The ends are provided with suitable handles 23.

To fold the basket, the bolts in the top and bottom are withdrawn, the bottom is raised to a vertical position, and the cover or top allowed to drop down over it. The sides and ends are then collapsed lengthwise of the box into the shape shown in Fig. 3, where each side will be in line with an end, and between the sides and ends so alined a space will be formed to receive the top and bottom, which will be secured at only one end, but will be inclosed by the walls and prevented from swinging in either direction, and hence thoroughly protected against injury, and their hinges will be between the walls and there will be no projecting or protruding parts that will catch or strike upon other articles during transportation. The bars 7 at the ends of the folded package will prevent the walls from being further collapsed and will hold them rigidly against racking or twisting and will form with the walls a regular symmetrical package,which can be placed in a small space and easily handled.

By inclosing the swinging cover and bottom of the basket I not only prevent their swinging and becoming damaged by catching or striking on other articles, but at the same time I am able to dispense with all hooks, straps, or other fastening devices that are usually employed in the attempt to secure these swinging parts in the crates or baskets as usually constructed and folded.

I claim as my invention 1. A folding basket or crate,comprising side and end walls having vertical corner-hinges to permit each side to be folded lengthwise in line and in substantially the same plane with an end, two of the diagonally opposite hinges being composed of bars rigidly secured on one vertical edge to the opposite ends of said side walls at right angles thereto and their opposite vertical edges beingpivotally connected with said end walls whereby an inclosed space will be formed between the opposite walls when the basket is folded, and a top and a bottom hinged near one of the walls and adapted to hang vertically within said space when folded and be protected from injury and prevented from swinging by the inclosing walls.

2. In a folding basket or crate, a bar 7 secured to a wall at the corner, angle plates or brackets provided at the opposite corner on the same side near the top and bottom respectively, one bracket projecting toward the middle of the basket beyond the other, and a top and bottom having pivots mounted respectively in said brackets and said bar and whereon said top and bottomare suspended one beside the other when the basket is folded.

3. In a folding basket or crate, a vertical bar 7 secured to a wall at the corner, angle plates or brackets provided at the opposite corner on the same side near the top and bottom, one bracket projecting in toward the middle of the basket beyond the other, a top and a bottom for said basket, each provided with clips 12 and rods 11 passing through said clips and mounted in said bar and said brackets and whereon said top and bottom swing to a horizontal position when the basket is set up or to a vertical position one beside the other when the basket is folded.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of June, 1902.

ARTHUR O. HUBBARD.

In presence of RICHARD PAUL, M. NOONAN.

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