US1325323A - Eoldable crate - Google Patents

Description

H. HARSH.

FOLDABLE CRATE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1919.

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Patented Dec.16,191 9.

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HOWARD HABSH, 0F OSAKIS, MINNESOTA.

FOLDABLE CRATE.

Application filed May 2, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Hot ARD HARSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Osakis, in the county of Douglas and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Foldable Crate, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to improvements in crates, the primary object ofthe invention being to provide a collapsible or foldable crate thatis self-contained, that is to say, one in which all the parts are so connected together that it is impossible to accidentally separate them, and therefore the-liabil ty of loss of any of the parts of the crate is en tirely eliminated. I Y

A further ob'ectof the invention is to provide a crate of this character in which the various elements are so constructed as to cooperate in locking the crate in both open or operative and closed or knocked-down condition, andwhich is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and extremely practical and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the various novel features of construction and combination of parts as will be clearly understood from the following description and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved crate, with parts broken away to better show certain features of construction; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the crate locked in its operative or upright position.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, 2 designates a bottom, which is preferably, although not necessarily, made solid and which has secured thereto around its sides and ends a base board 3. To the bottom 2, within said base board are hing edly secured a pair of side walls 4 and end walls 5 and 6, these side and end walls being formed of horizontal slats connected together by vertical brackets in the usual manner. Each of the end walls is provided at each end thereof with a corner post 7. The side walls 4 are provided at their upper ends with angle members 8, which project Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Serial No. 294,312;

over the ends of the end walls 5 and 6 and assist in preventing such end walls from falling outward when the walls are swung upward into open or operative position. At the longitudinalcenter of the bottom 2 I provide a partition 9, which is hinged to the bottom and is adapted to abut against the center brackets of the side walls 4 when the partition is in upright position. In order to retain the partition in its upright position, I'have provided wires 10 which are connected at one end to the top of the end wall 5 and at the other end to the top of the partition, in such manner that when the end wall is raised to upright position it will also raise the partition 9 and whenthe partition is folded down it will carry the end wall 5 down also. '1

To the outer edge of each of theside walls 4 is attached by means of hinges 11 a top or cover member 12 and 18 respectively, these cover members being made up of lon gitudinal slats connected by brackets in a manner similar to the side Walls. These cover members are adapted to overlap approximately at the middle of the width of the crate, and for this purpose the brackets of one of the cover members are placed in staggered relation to or out of alinement with those of the other. The lengthwise slats of the cover member 12 are omitted at theplace where it is overlapped by the member 13, said member 13' also'having a space within the overlapping area in which the lengthwise slats are omitted, as clearly shown in Fig. 1,'for a purpose presently to be described. The crosswise extending slats or brackets at the ends of the cover member 13 are cut outor'recessed, as shown at 14, so that when this cover member-is in operative position the corner posts at one end of each of the end walls project into these recesses and are thus maintained in upright position between said brackets and the angle members 8. The post at the opposite end of each of the end walls projects into and is held in a similar manner by a recess 14 formed in each of the end brackets of the cover mem-v ber 12, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The overlapping of the cover members 12 and 13 is for the purpose of locking the crate in upright or operative position and at the same time retainingthe cover securely fastened against accidental opening. This is accomplished by the provision of a metal strap 16 secured at the outer end of each of the end brackets of the cover member 12, the end brackets of the cover member 13 being recessed or cut away as shown at 17 for permitting these straps to project up through said brackets. A similar strap 18 is provided on the upper side of the center bracket of the cover member 13 in alinement with the straps 16 when the cover members are in overlapping position, whereby when in such positlon a locking board 19 may be slid through such straps, thus filling the space left without slats in the overlapping covers and retaining the cover members securely locked together and making the collapse of the crate impossible. For the purpose of locking the crate in its knockeddown condition, I have provided at each end of the cover member 13 a spring-pressed locking bolt 20 secured to the end brackets between the slats. Any suitable form of spring-pressed bolt may be used for this purpose, and the base board at each end of the crate has a hole bored therein which will be in alinement with the bolt when the crate is in folded position so that on pressing down the cover member the bolt will be shot into the openings and thereby lock the crate in its folded condition.

When it is desired to collapse or fold the crate, the locking board 19 is removed and the cover members lifted. The end wall 5 is then pushed inwardl and, owing to its wire connection with t e center partition, carries the latter down with it. The opposite end wall 6 is then folded inwardly, after which the side wall carrying the cover member 12 is folded inwardly, the board 19 having been passed through the straps 16 so as to be retained thereby. Lastly, the opposite side wall carrying the cover member 13 is folded down into the base board, the springpressed bolts carried thereby projecting into the holes in the base board and securely locking the crate in its knocked-down condition.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a crate which is practically a unitary structure, the parts being so connected that loss is impossible, the members cooperating to securely lock the crate in its upright position, and which when locked in its knocked-clown condition is very small and compact, thereby occupying but little storage space and producing a crate which is easy to handle and adapted to be quickly set up for use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A foldable crate, comprising a bottom, side and end walls hinged to said bottom, a dividing partition hinged to said bottom, means connecting said partition with one of said end walls whereby said end wall and partition are swung in unison, a pair of overlapping covers one hinged to each of said side walls, means carried by said covers for retaining said end walls in upright position, and cooperating means also carried by said covers for locking the same in covering position.

2. A foldable crate, comprising a bottom, side and end walls hinged to said bottom, said end walls being provided with corner posts, a pair .of overlapping covers one hinged to each of said side walls, said covers being provided with recesses for receiving the upper ends of said corner posts when in upright position, and cooperating means carried by said covers for locking the same in overlapping position.

3. A foldable crate, comprising a bottom, side and end walls hinged to said bottom, said end walls being provided with corner posts, a pair of overlapping covers one hinged to each of said side walls, said covers being provided with recesses for receiving the upper ends of said corner posts when in upright position, the overlapping portions of said covers being provided with alined guides for retaining a member in position for locking said covers in overlapped relation.

4. A foldable crate, comprising a bottom provided with a base board extending therearound, side and end walls hinged to said bottom, a dividing partition hinged to said bottom, means connecting the dividing partition and one of the end walls for holding the partition and end wall in elevated and spaced relation, a pair of covers one hinged to each of said side walls, all of said hinged members being adapted to be folded on said bottom within said base board.

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

HOWARD HARSH.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPMAN, CLYDE W. LONG.

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