US2533663A - Crate - Google Patents

Description

R. J. BYERS Dec 12 1950 CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 2, 1947 Dec. 12, 1950 R. J. BYERS 2,533,663

I CRATE Filed July 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 640% J Bram Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims. 1

This invention relates lack strength and rigidity since none of the sides I would be interlocked in any way with each other orwwith the ends. While some of the known types of crates are provided with members which interlock to give the crate rigidity, it has been.

my experience that the type of interlocking employed requires the crate to be assembled in a sequence of steps which are unnecessarily timeconsuming.

Furthermore, I have found known types of interlockin'g to be deficient, particularly in those,

crates where thecrate sides are offset from each other, in'maintaining the sides self-centered and compensate for irregularities in the dimensions of members in contact with each other. the types of wood used to make packing crates are quitepractical for the purpose, it is evident, that a packing crate. is hardly a finished article of cabinet work. Consequently, preformed blanks.

may vary in dimensions and a satisfactory type of interlock should afford compensation for this variation.

, With the foregoing in mind, I have invented a, crate which can be quickly assembled from preformed blanks, and which, when assembled, is

to a crate construction. and more particularly to a crate construction While,

in allowing variation in the amount of ofiset to .j'

satisfactorily strong and rigid. In fact, my crate i particularly adapted for production line work' where articles are to be quickly crated and dis patched for shipment. In accordance with the teaching of my invention, preformed blanks can be, assembled at chosen locations along a conveyer line. With such an assembly line, ar ticles to be crated can be secured, say at one and the opposite ends of the crate which, of

course, can be the top and bottom of the crate, are both secured in interlocking relationship with the offset sides. I employ a type of interlock between adjacent sides of the crate which provides firm lateral support by means of the cleats thereof. Unlike many structures of this type, the side cleats have vertical end surfaces in interlocked abutment, thus providing unusually great resistance to the collapse of the sides inwardly, or sidewise shiftingthereof. This feature is of particular advantage in the central portion of the sides where thelateral support furnished by the top and bottom of the crate is relatively ineffective, and the intermediate cleats which are mutually supported furnish strong resistance to collapsing forces on the sides. Likewise, my interlock provides strong resistance to relative shearing forces on the sides of the crate, as would occur in lifting upwardly on the raised pair of opposed sides on structures of this type. The interlock further tends to maintain each side firmly self-centered and yet is adapted to allow for variation in the'dimensions of mem bers of individual sides of the crate to some extent. In order to further facilitate rapid setting up of the crate, I form the crate sides as sections of a wire-bound mat which can be quickly folded to set up the crate sides. Often with this type of construction, the side cleats have of necessity beenrelatively narrow, due to the fact that the sides were offset the entire width of the cleats. In my construction the cleats may be relatively much wider, thus providing a much more rugged and durable crate.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a crate suitable for the shipment of heavy articles such as stoves, motors, etc., which can be completely assembled in a short space of time and which is, nevertheless, sufficiently strong and rigid for the purpose intended.

It is another object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate which is especially adapted for crating articles on a production line basis in that preformed crate sections can be located in such a manner that rapid assemblage of the crate can be accomplished by following a predetermined sequence of steps.

It is still another object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in which the crate sides are interlocked with each other and with both of the crate ends.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in which the crate sides are interlocked with each other by interlocking members which tend to center said sides and 3 which maintain adjacent sides ofiset from each other.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide such a shipping crate in which the crate sides are interlocked with each other by interlocking members which maintain adjacent sides of the crate offset from each other but which permit slightwariations in the 'amount of such' offset to compensate for-"dimensional irregularities in the members in contact with each other.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a shipping crate in which the crate sides,

are formed by folding a wirebound mat or blank into set up position, said mat including rn'e-mbers which interlock to resist strongly"botlflat' eral collapsing forces and vertical shearing forces exerted on the sides.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a shipping crate in which the crate sides e t we y leie e Wi ee et 9 bl ck into set up position wherein the amount of offset of adja'cent sides does not limit" the width or the interlocking side cleats:

' These and other" ob jects and advantages of my"irivention will' becoinei pparefit from the followingdetailed'des'c tion with I ttached drawings'in which:- 7 Figure {1 illustratestalic manner of crating' areas; for saipaiem; in sees-mascawith the teachingf mydfiveirtionf Figure?isan'explodd isometric view of-a crate' cons t ruction accordancewith the teachin'g o f inverfitio Figure is' an---elevatiorial *view; broken away" in"part;0f-"t l1"efold'able wire bound mat or blank which forms; the; crate si'des, sai'd'matbeing shown as 1am 'ou't flati I Figure 4 1s aview'similar tothatoffFigure 3, but after he crate sides have been ofise't; alter-- natelj'pi paratoryf to folding o'f the" ma tf v Figure-dis a plan View of the'b'ottom of'the crate; i: below;

Figure 8*isaviewdobking front-h e insi'izle'o f the toward a: corner" thereof and shows" members oi adjacent sides of the crate partiallyinterlocked according to m invention.

member- H? to which the article being shipped" is securely fastened. r p

The -'crat e*bottom" 1 Dis of substantial strength, such} strength beingsecured by positioning rela tively sturdy slats i! crosswise with respect to relatively sturdy cleats i2. A'scan be' observed" hammers-2 of the-drawings;- the ends of slats l cleats-1| Z'f' and are substantially flush with-theouter-most"'edge's'of the cl'eats'l2": S1at'sf H and cleats 12 are secured together" in a suit oritaken in conjurieiylooking upward at -the crate from ig'u're 6;{ is; sectional view takenf on me able manner, as by nails. While the ends of slats H are substantially flush with the outermost edges of cleats i2, the ends of the cleats extend beyond the outermost edges of the slats II and this arrangement is provided for a purpose that will be further explained later in this specification.

Aplurahty" of substantially vertical si'desl3, l i', i5 and iii are"supportedby and" attached to the crate bottom 6'8. As can be observed from Figures 2 and 3 cf the drawings, each of thesecratesides consists of cleats extending lengthwise of the side, these cleats being substantially horizeatarm the"crate shown in the drawings,

' and 'slatsfsecure'd tosaid cleats in a suitable manner'; suchas by bei'ng stapled thereto. For example} thercrate-side l3 includes horizontal top and bottom cleats H and i3 and an intermediate'horizontal cleat is positioned midway between said topand bottom cleats. A plurality of uprig-htsla'ts 2d are attached' t'o said henmater cleats; the ends of said slats being? sub-' stantially fiush with the upp'er surfa'c of the top cleat H and the lower surface of thebots cent crate side l6 includesfhoifizontal top-and? bottom cleats s 21 and 22 and? a-- horizontal 2- cleat ZB pos'itioned midway between said: top3'and -b'otjtom cleats. A pair of substantially upr-ig'hti slats; 2%" and a pair'oi' diagonal bracing slats 2'5 ar I attached to 'said horizontal cleatsi: The? endsof the slats- 2d and- 2 5 are substantially flush with the up ered e oi: top cleat 2 l:- and the lower edgeof bottom cleat 22; respectively; use of diagonal br-ac'i'n'g sia" instea'd of -havihg; all? of the upright slats vertica'l-;-, is of course; 0 tio'nal, but'it is preferableto employ s'uch' 'di'a onal slats wheir'th'e crate sides are 'ofsubstanw tiallengtn Asis illustrated in. Figure: 2v of tl'fci side" i5 is identical to crate side |s=,:= and crate? side Hi isfidentical to crate side 3, no: detailed:

' description of-the' cratesidsl1i and l-E'is demcti necessary;

lhefcrate top 2 6E c'onsists ofz ai= plurality of rel tively sturdy cleats 21' which are secured cross-wise" relationship to a plurality of slats 2 As can bcob'served from l igiure z ofthe'draiwingsrthe'endsofthe'cleatsiifl project beyondthe cute n'iost'laterafe'dgesof"the 'cle'atsifll Since I' "ave I illustrated a type of crate which is to be? I employ 'slat s in -thetop which are less sturdy than" slats ll of the" crateb'ottorni' In othe'fi words; the crate top does not: have to carry the Weight Of theatre-1e: belilg sliip pedi a'n'd' ft)? tlfl 5 reason; need n'o't be n'i'a'de as sturdy as the Grate? Frorn arfobs'ervation of Figiii-eZ' of th di'aitli irig's,- it is-se'en that adjacent sids 'ofthelcfa e: are alternately" offset" from each other vertically raised with respect to crate sides l4 a to" put it another way, 'cratsides l4 and f6 ap pear to be lowel' ed 'with respect 'to'ciat" l 3 and t 51y This positioning of" the assesses is achiev'ed iri-the follo ine mannerl I I Each' ci'ate s-ide 'isi at least initially' a section? of a wire-bound mat or blank designated generally by the numeral 29 in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings: When the mat 29 is laid out flat, the individual crate sides are positioned in longitudinal alignment with their longitudinally extending cleats also in longitudinal alignment. The crate sides are foldably secured together by a plurality-offiexible wire binders 30, 3| and 32 which are attached to'the outer surfaces of the sides by means such as staples 33. As can be observed from Figure 2 of the drawings, the wire binders extend along the outer side surfaces opposite the horizontal cleats of each side. For example, for side I3, wire binder 30 is opposite cleat i'l, wire binder3| is opposite'cleat I9 and wire binder 32 isopposite cleat I8.

Each of the horizontally extending side cleats has itsends notched to form a centrally positioned generally rectangular recess at each end of the cleat and opening laterally thereof. When the wire-bound mat 23 is laid out flat as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, these recesses are positioned in directly opposing relation. Notice, for example, recesses 34 and 35 shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. When it is desired to set up wire-bound mat 29-, adjacent sections of this mat, i. e., the crate sides, are offset alternately from each other to move the formerly opposing grooves out of alignment. After this is accomplished, the

mat 29 can be readily folded to set up the crate sides.

As this folding takes place, the cleat ends interiock'by virtue of the lateral and end opening of the cleat end recesses to hold the cleat sides in final offset relationship. Reference to Figure 8 of the drawings. willillustrate how this takes place. The cleat recesses there shown are the recesses 34 and 35 shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. As is further shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, recess 34 has moved vertically downward from cleat recess 35. When mat 29 is folded, an upper projecting cleat end portion ottongue 36 engages in the opposed cleat recess 35 and a lowerprojecting cleat end portion or'jtongue 31 engages inits opposed cleat recess 34 to form a slidable pivot for crate sides I4and I5. The recesses 34 and 35 are preferably of somewhat greater height than tongues 35 and 31 so that the amount of offset between crate sides I4 and I5 can be varied slightly, if required, to compensate for irregularities in the dimensions of the members of the sides of the crate. Furthermore, since the ends of the cleats are similarly shaped, when they interlock with each other they will tend to center the sides. This will also be readily apparent from Figures 3,4 and 8 of the drawings.

Again referring to Figure 8 of the drawings, it will be observed that cleat 38 has a lower tongue 39 of approximately the same size as upper tongue 36 thereof, each tongue having a height or width somewhat less than one-third of the width of the body portion 40 of the cleat. Similarly, cleat 4| has an upper tongue 42 of approximately the same size as the other tongues and somewhat less than one-third the width of body portion 43 of cleat 4|. Depending upon the tightness of the assembly, upper tongue 36 of cleat 38 and lower tongue 31 of cleat 4| may or may not abut the ends of the recesses 35 and 34 respectively. In any event, the amount of space between these parts will be sufficiently small so that, should the crate sides tend to shift laterally inward, the tongues would readily engage the ends of their respective recesses to-prevent furtherrelative 6 shifting. This relation between adjacent interlocking ends will be termed in horizontal interlocking proximity. This interlocking is particularly valuable in the intermediate portion of the sides where the top and bottom have little lateral influence, and the intermediate horizontal cleats, as for examplecleat 23, will resist any inward pressure centrally of side I6 (Figure 2) due to.

the support by the end of cleat I9 of side I3 and the end of the corresponding cleat of side I5. Likewise, the height of recesses 34 and 35 is preferably only slightly greater than the height -of tongues 3'1 and 35 so that after a small amount of relative vertical shifting in either direction, one or two of thesurfaces of the recesses and tongues would readily engage to preventfurt-her relative shifting. The ends of interlocking cleats are thus in vertical interlocking proximity also. Forexample, if side I4 shifted downwardly with respect to side I5, the upper surface of recess 34 would engage the lower surface of recess 35 and further shearing of sides I4 and I5 would be strongly resisted. Such a shearing force might be created in lifting the crate by grasping sides I3 and I5. As seen in Figures 4 and 8 in the illustrated embodiment, the sides I4 and I5, for example, need be offset less than one-third the height of the body portions of the cleats before interlocking can be accomplished, and by modification of the size or position of the recesses, any desired size cleat could be used. Thus the cleats can be substantially Wider, and the width of the cleats is not limited by the distance the sides are to be offset.

, offset of the crate sides shown in Figure 4 of the,

- The flexible wire binders 30, 3| and 32 aresufficiently flexible to permit the amount of initial as shown in Figure 4 0f the drawings, the flexible binders are angled at each line of offset. This causes the flexible binders to extend at an angle to the horizontal at the corners of the crate as is indicated at 45 in Figure 2 of the drawings. When the flexible binders are tightened to secure the crate sides together, these binders will pull up on the depressed sides to lock said sides against downward movement. As has been previously described, tongue 31 on cleat 4| of crate side I5 interlocks with recess 34 of cleat 38 of crate side I4, and similarly, tongue 36 interlocks with recess '35. Since crate side I4 is a depressed side, the flexible binders 30, 3| and 32 urge said side upward with the result that this side is firmly locked against vertical movement by these binders and by the tongues of cleats of the sides adjacent thereto, as well as by the tongues of side I4 and the tongues of the adjacent sides. The same is true of the other depressed side I6. For, the. raised crate sides I3 and I5, the wire binders 30, 3| and 32 urge these sides downward with the tongues of cleats thereof bearing downward against the tongues of cleats of the depressed sides. Hence, the raised sides are likewise doubly locked against vertical shifting.

After the crate sides have been set up in the manner just described, the crate top 26 is placed in position with the ends of cleats 21 resting upon the upper surfaces of the top cleats 38 and 2| of cleat sides I4 and Hi. The thickness of these cleats 21 is such that, so positioned, they, will ale low the top-slirfacesi was za-sm restfiushwitki the upper surfaces of the top cleats: 38- and 1 2.4-

of-cleat sides lllfxand I16 with" slats '2 8:: abuttingithe lateral-surfacesaofcle'ats: I'Tan'd 4'1 Thus; since the-outermost lateral surfaces of outer cleats 2-9 abut: inner lateral surfaces of cleats l1. and; 41;.

cleats-: I1 and fl." Th us:- positioned-,;the crate top zi 'is i-nailed 'in: place: From this it can beaseen thatthecrate top is effectively interlockedwith the 'craite sides.

T oriiplete the c'rate'; the assembledsides and top are' placed in position on the? crate-bottomed that the cor-responding; bottom cleats I B and 4% of the crate sides 13 and? [5: rest uponthe pro jecting end portions of crate bottom cleats I2. When -the'bottom cleats i=3 a'nd lfi of: crate sides I3 and I5 are 50 positioned; the corresponding: bottcmzdeatsn' and 22 f? crate sides [4 and I6 wiil lie substantially against the outermost sides of the crate bottom: cleats I25v The thickness of cleats l2 is illustrat'edas being'somewhatgreater' than-the amount of ofiset between adjacent sides; Thhspasbestseen in Figures and 7, the cleats I? will' project beneath the: completely assembled crate: and serve-' as runners-,lby" virtue of which tfie crate' may beeasily slid over smooth surfacesiii handling If the/cleats 12 were flush; there wou d" be a:- danger-that the ends of side: slats wows contact the surface and produce undesii able friction" there'awitl i as well as a danger of injury to the slats, particularly since, in-practice; the individual side sla t" end-s often? rojectconsiderably beneath the bottom" side cleats; The elevation 01 slats H of course;v facilitates hari diing of the crate. Figur'e'i5 shows the crate'bot tom cleat's' I 2 in lateral contac't withithe bottom the: entire length of said: cleats: Also; it can beed that the crate bottom cleats 26 extend. lithe bottom cl'eats l aian'd 4 5 01" cratel'side's 1 l5; cratabottom slats H l are-posh tinned so 'that there'is' a slat I l iii lateral contact with a? bottom cleat of each oi the: crate sides l3 and I5} said lateral contactbeing: throughout substantiall the entire" length of said cleats. The amount by Wlii the ends 01 i bottom cleats [1 project beyond: theoutermostbottom cleats H is; substantially equal to thewidth of the/bottom cleats I8 and of: crate sides" [Sand l5: so that these bottom cleats" are funy supportea'by the crate bottom cleats I Asindicated in Figures 5' an 7; the crate bottom cleat may be secured tiybottom clefatsf H3 and 46:- ot c'r'at'e" sides [3 and by anysilitable means, safer-example; nailsNL Figure 6 of the-drawings discloses the: relationsnip-between the crate bottom cleats and the bot? tom olea tsol theerate sides in detaih As shown there; crate bottom oleat' [2" extends under crate liottoin slat H- and beyorid" this slat an amount equal to the width of the" bottom oleat [B of crate sid I Hence, this bottoni cleat of'the" crate is siiug'ly'positibned one ledge havin asresurfaces the" side SU'I faCe AB O'f slat I I an'd the top surface to or cleat ac. 'l h'e'se' surfaces are identified in Figur'e 2 of the" drawings: and there is a similar ledge formation ad jace nt each cor ner of-the ratebottom;

e '1 of the drawings illustrates in: detail al contactl'etween the crate? bottom and the bottom cleats er and: 22 oi crate" sid'sf M and iii". Ascan be observed from its lower surface 50 ofiset upwardly from. the. lower surface 5|-of cratecbottomcleat IL. The; side: surface 5% of cleatfl is abutted against -the: side surface of cleat l2- and is also abutted'} against the-end-surface 54--of slat I ll This an rangement providesa firm mechanical interlock between thecrate bottomand the a crate sidesa Lateral shifting: of the cratebotton iv in any di-..

reaction isresistecthy. the bottom cleats of the crate sidessince,: at substantially every point around theperipher of the crate bottom,,.there is abottom cleat of a crate side incontact therewith, substantially in the same-"manner as withthe topcrate.-

admirably to expeditious crating-of articlesffor shipment. Crate top-s, bottoms and sidemats can be preiormed" and? placed" on location prior-- to use. Generally, the crate bottoms will be piled at one location andthe side mats and crate tops assembled' to" form hoods that are positioned at another location alonga conveyor assembly line.- Thisenables the packers to mountthe articlesit'o beshipped on the crate botwms, attach them thereto,. and let the at;- tachedarticle and crate bottom move forward to the next location where the sides and top.

which have been assembled as'a hood, which is V lowered over the article, and connected to the crate bottom;

Figure 1' of the drawings illustrates such asequence of. operations. A conveyor 55 is. illils trated; having a platform 56 and a plurality of conveyor rollers 51. The crate bottoms, with the articles being crated secured thereon; are pushed along" the roller'sl'fl to tnelocation where thecratin'g'is completed. Figure I shows am'otortil'secured'by'bolts'59 t'o'the crate bottom Hli Asthe motor reacnestne location shown the right handportion of Figure 1, the pre-assemibledcrate'sides and top are lowered, as a hood; over the'motor'; As" the cratesides andtop" are lowered; the packer'is enabled to properly cen ter' the sides and top because the lower" edges of the" bottom cleats" 4*! and 22' of crates'id'es f6 and lGu-each' the crate bottom Win-advance of tnelower cleats it and 4'6 of'crat'e sides [3 and 5 5*. The" lower edges of botto-m'cleats 4'? and 22 are-thus lea-ding edges while lower edges of bot-- tom cleats l8 and" 46' aretrailing edges. Thus being able" to utilize these" leading edges for guiding action; the packer can very easil center crate sidesand top"- and quickly bring the bottom" cleats !8 and 4'6 of crate sides l3 and [5 into position on the ledge surfaces adiacent'each corner of the crate bottom; Once the crate sides and top are in position with respect to the crate botto1n,.the crate sidescan be nailed to the crate bottom. Thereafter, it desired,v the wire binders can" be given a final tighteningand the ci=ated" article pushed farther along the conveyerline. a A" sequenceof operations performed as above describedlminimilzes the time required to effect crating of? relativelyheavy. article's; With the crate sides and top setup as a'hood', this hood can be quickly placed overthe article and the pro-vision ofleading. edges for guiding thehood into properly centeredposition prevents mis a-l-ignment' such as: might cause one edge of the hood togo down" between the conveyor rollers. Fnrthermore, the hoodcould be turned end:- for end prior to being. lowered over the article and this' will make no diiTerence since opposite sides of -the orate2are identical.

The above described construction lends itself These advantages are secured by constructing component parts of the crate in accordance .with the teachings of my invention. Obviously, certain modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Instead of employing rectangular recesses and rectangular tongues, as shown in Figure 8, the tongues could be modified to-have a tapered cross section of gradually diminishing height along the length thereof as the ends of the cleats are approached. Such a structure wouldbe slightly easier to assemble in interlocked relation, but might have somewhat less strength and rigidity than the structure of Figure 8. Since the rectangular recesses have a somewhat greater height than the interlocking tongues, a taper is unnecessary for satisfactory rapid assembly and for compensation for irregularities of dimensions of the sides.

Accordingly, while I have shown and described an' embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intendto be restricted solely thereto but that I intend to cover all modifications thereof which will be readil apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A wire-bound shipping crate comprising a plurality of sides alternately vertically offset from each other to provide opposite pairs of raised and lowered crate sides, each of said sides having top and bottom cleats extending substantially the length of said side and each flush with the end of its respective side, and each of said cleats having a recess centrally of each cleat end to provide tongue portions adjacent said recess, the tongues of cleats of the lowered sides of said crate being positioned below the tongues of cleats of raised sides of said crate to maintain the re spective sides offset from each other and prevent vertical shifting, at least one of said tongues hav- I ing surfaces thereof in contact with surfaces of a recess throughout at least a portion of said surfaces to prevent said sides from shifting sideways, wire binders attached to and surrounding the crate sides, a crate bottom and a crate top having ledge surfaces provided adjacent opposite ends thereof, said ledge surfaces being in contact with the bottom cleats of the raised crate sides and top cleats of the lowered crate sides, respectively, to prevent horizontal shifting thereof.

2. A shipping container com rising a plurality of sides each including a plurality of cleats extending lengthwise of the side and eachfiush with the end of its respective side, and each of said cleats having vertically spaced tongues at each end thereof, and at least one laterally opening recess defined between the tongues at each end of said cleats, the tongues of cleats of adjacent sides of said container being in lateral contact with each other throughout at least a portion of the surfaces thereof to maintain said adjacent sides of said container vertically oifset from each other, wire binders attached to and surrounding said container sides, and oppositely disposed container ends attached to said container sides.

3. A shipping container comprising a plurality of alternately offset sides surrounded by flexible binders, each of said sides including longitudinally extending cleats and each flush with the end of its respective side, and each of said cleats having central recesses at the ends thereof, and pairs of tongues defined by said recesses in contact with similar tongues at the ends of similarly positioned cleats of adjacent sides of said conspaced from the other tainer to maintain said adjacent sides adjustably offset from each other in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axes of said cleats, oppositely positioned container ends, and means securing said container ends to said container sides, one of said container ends being substantially flush with corresponding ends of opposed groups of container sides and other container end being substantially flush with one group of opposite ends of the container sides and group for ease in movement of the crate.

4. A shipping container comprising a pluralit of alternately offset sides surrounded by flexible Ibinders, each of said sides including longitudinally extending cleats and each flush with the end of its respective side and each of said cleats having centrally recessed end portions thereon in contact with recessed end portions onthe ends of similarly positioned cleats of adjacent sides of said container to maintain adjacentsides of the container offset from each other in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axes of said cleats, and oppositely disposed container end members connected to said container sides.

5. In a shipping container having a plurality of sides each including similarly positioned longitudinally extending cleats each flush with the end of its respective side, means for maintaining adjacent sides of said container oifset from each other in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axes of said cleats, said means comprising'spaced tongues positioned at the ends of each of said cleats, at least one of the tongues at the ends of each of the cleats of adjacent sides of said container being in lateral contact with a corresponding tongue on an adjacent cleat throughout at least a portion of the lateral surfaces on said tongues, said tongues being spaced to permit reduction in the amount of offset between adjacent sides of said container, and flexible binders attached to and laterally encircling the sides of said container, said binders also being offset at the edges of adjacent sides to urge the laterally engaging surfaces of said tongues into contact with each other.

6. In a shipping container having a plurality of substantially vertical sides, each including similarly positioned horizontally extending top and bottom cleats each flush with the end of its respective side, means for maintaining adjacent sides of said container vertically offset from each other, said means comprising pairs of vertically spaced tongues at each of the ends of said cleats, each pair of tongues defining a slottherebetween and said tongues being positioned adjacent the upper and lower edges of said cleats, the tongues of the top and bottom cleats of one set of con tainer sides being positioned below the tongues of the top and bottom cleats of another set of container sides with the tongues and slots of said one set of sides being interlocked with those of said another set of sides and the surfaces of said interlocked tongues being, at least in part, in contact with each other to maintain adjacent container sides offset vertically from each other, and flexible binders attached to and surrounding the sides of said container, said binders urgin said surfaces into interlocked contact with each other.

7. A wire-bound shipping crate comprising a plurality of sides alternately vertically offset from each other to provide oppo i pairs of raised and lowered crate sides, each of said sides havi g bottom and intermediate cleats ex-

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