US1441579A - Banana crate - Google Patents

Description

P. G. HATCHER. BANANACRATE FILED OCT. I8. 1921.

Jan. 9, 1923. I

WIT/V58? I 6 c7" 5 A TTORNEYS Patented Jan 9, 1923. v

I tense 'rnnsroiv one immense, or Joimsnoiso, ARKANSAS.

. Barrens cne'rn Application filed October 18, 1921. Serial No. 508,5ee.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be 1t known that I PhESTUN Unit i i 7 Haronnn a citizen o'iithe United States i i g I i g and a resident or Jonesboro, in the county oi: Craighead and State of Arkansas, have invented certain no and useful improvements in Banana Crates, of which the followingis a specification. i

This invention relates to wooden receptacles, and more particularly to an improved crate especially"adapted for shipping bananas or the like such as when the bananas are shipped in abunch on the stalk. The primary object of the invention is to provide a folding crate especially adapted for shippingbzinanas as specified and which may be readily folded or collapsed so as to occupy a niininiiun z nnount of space when returnedand which zitthe some time may be very economically produced as well as presenting a ready-built construction which is both strong and durable so as towithstand rouglrusage in shipment end more adeptable for general use and for packing purposes, said crate being provided with a bottom portion and an inside hoop at the top adapted to maintain the crate or basket in an open or eiitended position, as well as permitting the-lining thereof with piiper and the provision of a top of plain wood, basket material such as reed or other woven ma! terial of at similar character, paper or cloth, either of these materials working); success fully with the construction illustrated, without the necessity or employing; expensive hooks, hinges, or fasteners of any sort.

Qther initl further objects of my invention will become readilyfapparent to persons skilledyin the art, from a" consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

F igure 1 a perspective view of the improved banana crate folded or collapsed.

l iguire 2 a longitudinal sectional ViBW thereof showing the crate extended or set up for" use, and s Figurefi is a top plan View thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in

which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several viewegmy improved banana crate is shown as comprisi ig; a, series of longitudinal staves or stri s 10 preferably ofrelatively thin,

and lig t wood or the like, in the manner of barrel stoves, but disposed in upwardly painted to branching or divergent relation from the bottom portion 1i prcierably consisting of ii solid piece otwood of circular or other form in plan, thus providing intervening spaces 12 eniargingin width toward the top of the crate. The star or strips 10 are connected at a plurality of spaced points preferably at the ends or top and bottom portions of the crate and intermediately at equi distantly spaced pointsby means of flexible strips or hoops 13 of narrow and thin strips of strap iron or tin, preferably protect the same from rusting and having the ends thereof-secured in overlapping relation to the coves as indicated at 14;, staples or the like 15 being employed for securing said hoops toull of the staves.

in this manner, mvingg to the flexibility or bendable charai'zter oi the hoops, the crate may be readily collapsed from the extended or open position of circular cross section or the like, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, to the relatively flat form shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. The bottom portion '11 is secured to the inside of one of the staves by a flexiblestrip ofsheet metal indicated at '16, thus forming ahinge for the bottom which i may be swung between the staves when collapsed, in the manner hown in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the draw ng from theposition shown in Figure 2. The strip is secured to the side of the stave and to the top face of the bottom portion '1 and will readily bend to permit the folding thereof as shown in Fig. 1, or to allow the same to drop orto be folded down to theposition shown in Figure 2 in order to hold the crate in position and iit the sainetiine form a bottom for supporting the bananas or other material shipped therein. in order to liinit the'movement of the bottom to the position shown in provided, the same consisting of strips of sheetn etal rebent upon themselves intermediately as shown at 18, said rebent portionbeing offset inwardly to form shoulders while the leg portions are disposed in contact as indicated at 151 and secured by a Figure 2, a plurality oi": lugs or stops 1? are I i a I claim is the same being secured together as indicated at 21 and hinged to the same stave as the bottom portion by a flexible metallic or sheet metal strip 22 extending; inwardly, said strip being secured to the outer face of the ring or hoop 20 and to the side of thestave so as to permit the hoop to bend in-.

wardlyto the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, when the crate 1s collapsed or to be extended against the other staves 1n order to hold the crate in form in conjunction with the bottom plate as heretofore described. ln order to hold the hoop 20 in this position, a plurality of clips 23 are secured to spaced staves of the crate at the outside thereof and are in the form of doubled or relatively stiff sections of sheet metal securedagainst the enter faces ofthe same as indicated at 9A; and bent over the top edges thereof anddownwardly and inwardly in spaced relation thereto as indicated at 25 in Figure 3 so as to receive.

the [hoop 2O beneath the same, that is between the downwardlyand inwardly bent portions forming the clips proper and the inner faces of the stares so as to trictionally hold and retain the hoops in this position;

as clearly shownin Figures 2 and 3 ofthe drawings. v y y y A llnlng of paper or the like indicated at preferably consists of two sections and the top of the crate may be disposed in any suitable manner as by a circular piece of wood corresponding to the bottom pertion 11, top of basket material such as reed, or'of paper or cloth. It will beseen that the construction described obviatesthene- "cessity of employing expensive hooks. fast-c eners or hinges of any sort and the device is therefore extremely light inweioght and maybe easily collapsed or set up for use.

In View of the foregoing it is thought that 1 the operation of the device will be readily apparent and in View of the simplicityand practical value that it will readily commend! itself to those skilled in the art,

Havingthus described my invention what 1.Acrate of prising staves extending longitudinally of the crate, flexible strips encircling and connecting the stares, a bottom hinged to one of thelstaves at the inside and colla sible therewlth, said botto being adapted tobe opened out to hold the crate in form, and

a hoop. at the top of'the crate hinged to a stave, and adapted to hold the top portion of the crate extended form,-

the classdescribed connjhold said i 2, crate of the class described C0111 prising staves extending longitudinally of the crate, flexible strips encircling and connecting theistaves, a bottom hinged to one oi": the staves at the inside and collapsibletherewith,

said bottom being adapted to be swung outwardly to hold the crate in form, a hoop hinged to a stave adjacent the upper end thereof and to the inside thereof to swing inwardly in opposite direction to the swing of the bottom portion, whenthe stares are collapsed together with the flexible strips thereof,a lining and top portion engaging said hoop, and clipscarried by certain of the staves and lisfposed in spaced relation to the inside of said. stares hold frictionally said hoop therein when the erate is extended.

3.'A crate of prising staves extending longitudinally of the crate, flexible strips encircling and connecting; the staves, a bottom hinged'to of the staves, atthe inside and collapsible.

one

to receive and the class described com therewith, said. bottom being adapted to be opened out to hold the crate in form, and a hoop at the top of the crate and also hinged tothe same stave that the bottom is hinged to, and adapted to'hold the topportion of the crate in extended form. r I i 4. A crate of the class described con1- prising the crate,- endless flexible strips encircling; and connecting the staves, a bottom hinged to one of the staves at the inside 'and' fold able thereon, said botto beino'adapted to be swung outwardly to hold the crate in form, atop bracing member hinged to the same stave as the bottom and disposed ad:

staves extending longitudinally of jace'nt the upper end thereof to collapse 4 with the staves and within the body portion or to hold the top portion in anextended position by engagement with the inner faces of the staves, andmeans to hold the same in an. extended position.-

5. A crate of'the class described comprising stayes extending longitudinally. of the crate, flexible strips GIICllCllllpj and connecting the staves, a bottom hingedto one,

opposite direction from the direction of fold of the bottom portion when the staves are collapsed together with the fiexiblehoops thereof, a lining and top portion engaging said hoops, and the staves and lisposed inspaced relation tosaid staves atthe'insideto receiveand hoop therein twhen extended.

, PRESTON HATGHER.

clips carried 1 by certain of;

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