US2344270A - Portable crib - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1944. v SCHUBERT 2,344,270

PORTABLE CRIB Filed March 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEHTOR, [Vi/f0 Schubert March 14, 1944. M. v. SCHUBERT PORTABLE CRIB 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Marsh 10 I YEN TOR, flili'on V. Schubert,

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 PORTABLE CRIB Milton V..Schube'rt; North Manchester, Ind; assignor to The Schubert Company; North Manchester, Ind a firm comprised of Milton, V. Schubert and Albert E. Cottey Application March 10, 1942, SerialNo. 478,685

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a structure for use as a portable crib, granary, or silo for holding grain, such as wheat, soy beans, shelled corn and ear corn. When used as a silo, the structure is suitable for holding the common ensilage and may also be used to store cut hay.

A primary object of the invention is to provide such a structure in sectional form wherein the sections are originally constructed in fiat form for ease of storage and shipping, and when erected may be bowed into arcs of a circle so that the completed structure is substantially cylindrical. Moreover, by providing the separate sections, the diameter of the finished crib may be made as great or small as may be desired, depending upon the number of sections utilized.

A still further important object of the invention resides in the fact that, particularly during war time, available materials other than metals may readily be employed. Wood, for example, is very suitable for use in this structure but elements made of concrete, plywood, pressed wood and the like may be utilized in those sections of the country where availability and price permit.

It often happens that storage space is not immediately available upon harvesting of the grains or crops for ensilage and hay, and some quickly set up structure is desirableto take care of the emergency. The structure embodying the invention is particularly designed to meet such emergencies because of itsrelatively' low initial cost, speed of setting up, tightness; as well as being in a convenient form for storage when disassembled and one section nested upon another.

A further important object of the invention is to provide means for circumferentially tying the various elements in each section, one snugly against the other so as to provide a substantially air-tight wall when so desired. The invention incorporates means for automatically increasing the tension of these circumferential tying members when theindividual section is pulled from the original flat condition to the arcuate-s-hape which it assumes in the wall of the crib.

These and many other objects, and advantages of. the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as i1lustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a side of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view;

Fig. 3, a view in elevation of the outside of a wall section;

Fig. 4, a view in elevation of the left-hand end.

of the wall section in Fig. 3';

Fig. 5, a view in elevation. of the right-hand end of the wall section;

Fig. 6, a view in section on the line 6-6 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7, aview in detail in horizontaltransverse. section through a. joint between adjacent sections;

Fig. 8, a view in. perspective. and partial section in detail of the anchoring means of a tie member; and

Fig. 9", a view in outside elevation in perspective of a fragmentary part of a section wall in modified form for use as an air vented storage wall.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

In the drawings, referring first to Figs. 3-6 inclusive, 2. unit wall'section is formed'by placing a plurality of staves, I'll edge to edge between a pair of headers H and I2. While not limiting the invention to the precise dimensions, one parti'cular commercial form is produced by using staves l x 4" and2 x4 headers. The lengths of these various units H], H and I2 are'the same and may be supplied as desired, such as eight, ten, twelve and fourteen feet. These staves and headers may be made out of any suitable material as' above indicated, but at the present time, wood is available and'is quite suitable for the purpose. The 2"x4" headers II' and I2 are turned on edge to have opposing faces abut the outermost edges of the outermost staves, ID in the group. The number of staves employed will depend, of course, upon the size of wall section desired, but forv sake of convenience in'handling without excessive weight, the width of each section is made to be approximately six feet.

In order to tie the staves Ill and the end headers H and I2 together; into the one unit,

a plurality of wires are inserted through holes in each" of those members and the ends of the wires anchored on the headers H and I22 Specifically; each of the staves I0 is provided with a hole passing therethrough from one edge to the opposite edge with its axis parallel to the outer face of the stave, the passageway or hole being located off-center to be nearer the outer face of the stave than the inner face, as best indicated" A number of these passageways arein Fig. 6. providedthroughout the length. of each stave H1 in spaced apart parallel alignment, as indicated in Fig. 3. Each stave-10' is symmetrical in respect to the location and sizes'of these horizon-' tally disposed passageways. Each header II and I2 is correspondingly bored through to have passageways in alignment and matching with those through the staves III. A wire I 3, such as a number nine steel wire having a rather high degree of elasticity, is threaded through one set of these passageways from header II to I2. The passageways are made to be of that diameter which will best permit the wire to be readily inserted therethrough with no appreciable clearance therearound. The end of the wire extending through one header, header II for xample, is bent at a right angle to extend by a short length along a slot I4, diagonally across the outer face of the header. The slot may be a saw kerf, for example, where wood headers are employed. By running the slot diagonally across the header face, a longer length of wire may be used across the header face than were the slot at right angles to the header edge. This bent over end is forced down into the slot I4 and there secured by any suitable means, such as by staples I5, here shown as two in number, in order to have the outermost exposed part of this bent over wire and the overlapping staples fiush with the outer face of the header.

The wire I3 is of such length that it may be pulled through the header I2 with the staves I compressibly interengaged one against the other between the headers II and I2, and the wire then bent downwardly along the outer face of the header I2 and then inserted back through the next lower set of passageways through the header I2, staves I0 and header II. Preferably the wire is bent sharply from that length emerging from the header I2 and then'bent sharply again where it returns back through the header I2 in order that there be no tendency for the wire to shift at these points. 7 The sharp bends provide anchors in that respect. Again the end of the wire, which is provided of sufficient length to protrude through the header II, is bent over sharply to follow along another slot, Fig. 4, and pressed and secured therein by any suitable means, such as staples I as used on the other end of the wire. This end of the Wire is likewise forced down into the slot so that its outermost side and the engaging staples are flush with the outer face of the header I I. In the same manner wires are inserted through the adjacent sets of holes throughout the lengths of the staves and headers, as indicated in Fig. 3. The tension applied to the wire I3 in each instance is just sufficient to bring the staves III and headers II and I2 into snug engagement, one with the other.

A plurality of sections thus formed as above described are set on edge on any suitable foundation II, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, to have the outer'face of one header II in contact with the outer face of the next adjacent header I2. Each section is bowed to assume an arc of the circle whose diameter is that of the desired finished crib or bin. In bowing each section, the inner edge portions of each stave will be forced quite snugly, on against the other, while the outer edge portions may tend to separate slightly, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. In this respect, the headers II and I2 extend outwardly from the outer faces of the various staves I0, being those faces toward which the wires I3 are more closely spaced.

As each section is bowed around into arcuate form, the wire I3 is placed under increasing tension, depending upon the degree of curvature to which the section is bowed. By spacing the wires I3 toward the outer faces of the staves II), the maximum possible thickness of stave is between those Wires I3 and the inner faces of the individual staves In to provide for structural strength.

The adjacent headers II and I2 are bolted through the outwardly extending portions, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, by bolts I8. Preferably the headers II and I2 are bored for these bolts at the factory where the sections are produced so that the bolt holes 34 will be uniform in spacing apart, and most particularly, so that the holes 34 in the respective'headers will be in perfect alignment to permit easy insertion of the bolts therethrough.

In most cases it is desirable to provide doors orentryways through the side of the crib 0r bin. The structure readily lends itself to the provision of such entrances. For example, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the header II of one section is spaced apart from the header I2 of the next adjacent section and this spacing is secured by means of bolts I9 extending through those headers with nuts 20 and 2I thereon abutting opposing faces of those headers II and I2, and nuts 22 and 23 on the outer ends holding those headers I I and I2 in the fixed, spaced apart dimension. For convenience in erection, thumb screws or wing nuts 23 are employed.

While a variety of forms of doors may be employed or spaced apart slats used where ear corn is to be stored, one particular form of door is herein shown as an example. In this form, a plurality of separate door units 24 are employed, each unit comprising a plurality of transversely placed boards 25 secured together by end vertically disposed battens 26. The inner faces of the headers II and I2 carry door jambs 21 and 28 respectively thereon behind the nuts 20 and 2I to serve as means against which the door units 25 may bear, particularly where the inner faces of the door units 25 are desired to be kept flush with the inner edges of the headers II and I2, Fig. 2. These units 25 are spaced one above the other throughout the length of the opening left between the headers II and I2. Any suitable means may be employed to secure them in position when no pressure of grain or the like is had from the inner side. One particular form as herein shown, consists of slats 29 secured across the outer edges of the headers I I and I2, one slat in the present form for each unit 25, and bolts 38 and 3| secured to and extending from each unit 25 pass outwardly through the respective slats 29 to receive on their outer ends suitable nuts, such as the wing nuts 32. Thus, as is customary in silo constructions, a unit 25 at a time may be removed to permit access into the interior of the crib or bin.

Where ear corn is to be stored, particularly early in the season, it may be desirable to pro vide a crib to permit circulation of air therethrough. In this case, a structure such as is indicated in Fig. 9 is employed wherein the staves II! are spaced apart by spacing blocks 33 inserted between adjacent staves ID, the wires I3 passing through the blocks in each instance. The wires I3 may be tensioned, as above indicated, in the same manner since the spacing blocks 33 are compressibly engaged between adjacent staves Ill. The width of these blocks 33, of course, determines the spacing between staves I0, and therefore th amount of air that may be allowed to circulate.

While it is not shown herein, and does not form a part of the invention per se, it is obvious that the crib or bin may be provided with a suitable roof to protect the contents against the elements. No reference above has been made to the particular formation of the abutting edges of the staves l0. These edges may, as indicated in Fig. 6, be parallel one with the other when the wall unit section is in its fiat form. However, where additional protection is desired against entrance of air, such as may be thought necessary in holding ensilage, these edges may be of matched construction of any suitable form, one such form being indicated in Fig. '7 where the common tongue and groove construction is indicated as is found in flooring. In fact the common 1" x 4 dressed flooring serves very well to constitute the staves l0.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wall sections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising a plurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edges substantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members in each wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner faces of said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond the outer faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending under tension through all of said wall members and said end members between their inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of said wires with said end members to retain said wires under tension to cause original abutment between and throughout said wall member edges, whereby bending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increase said wire tension and abutment pressure along one portion of said edges; and bolts passing through a pair of each juxtaposed end members outside of the plane of the outer faces of said wall members.

2. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wall sections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising a plurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edges substantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members in each wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner faces of said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond the outer faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending under tension through all of said wall members and said end members between their 5 inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of said wires with said end members to retain said wires under tension to cause original abutment between and throughout said wall member edges, whereby bending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increase said wire tension and abutment pressure along one portion of said edges; and bolts passing through a pair of each juxtaposed end members outside of the plane of the outer faces of said wall members; said wire and end member interengaging means comprising end portions of said wires bent over onto the end faces of the end members, whereby upon securing one end member against another, said bent over wire portions are retained against tendency to straighten under said increased wire tension.

3. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wall sections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising a plurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edges substantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members in each wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner faces of said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond the outer faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending under tension through all of said wall members and said end members between their inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of said wires with said end members to retain said wires under tension to cause original abutment between and throughout said' wall member edges, whereby bending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increase said wire 40 tension and abutment pressure along one portion of said edges; and bolts passing through a pair of each juxtaposed end members outside of the plane of the outer faces of said wall members; said wire and end member interengaging means comprising end portions of said wires bent over onto the end faces of the end members, whereby upon securing one end member against another, said bent over wire portions are retained against tendency to straighten under said increased wire tension; each of said end members having slots across their opposing end faces, into which slots said wire portions are positioned.

MILTON V. SCHUBERT.

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