US3246787A - Knockdown shipping container - Google Patents

Description

A ril 19, 1966 H. G. BELL ETAL KNOCKDOWN SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 27, 1964 Ila 74M 5 a m NA WAG vu m m 56 I W R ww A3 .A H u W ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,246,787 KNOCKDOWN SHIPPING CONTAINER Harry Guthrie Bell and Jacob Douglas Gay, Jr., Paris, Ky., assignors to Gay-Bell Corporation, Paris, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed Feb. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 347,900 1 Claim. (Cl. 217-42) This invention relates to a shipping container, and more specifically to one which may be easily and quickly disassembled for storage or return shipment, and which, in the reverse, may be quickly set up to form a sturdy container.

There are many commercial instances where a product must be packaged for shipment in a rather substantial container, primarily for purposes of protection. In such cases, disposal of the container after use represents a considerable waste.

In this circumstance, and in others where it is desirable to provide a reusable shipping container, care must be taken so that the economy realized will not be lost by the expense of shipping the container back to its origin, or of storing the empty container.

Accordingly,-it is a general object of this invention to provide a shipping container which is easily and quickly knocked down into a'small fiat package for storage or shipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a knockdown shipping container which, when set up in its open form, provides a sturdy container.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of such a container which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

These objects, along with others which will become apparent to the skilled worker in the art upon reading this specification, are accomplished by that certain construction and arrangement of parts shown in detail in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a side wall of the container of this invention, when viewed from inside the container;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of an end wall of the container of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the union of a side wall and end wall of the container of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective showing of a channel member secured to a side wall;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 6; a

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one way of securing the end wall of the container to the bottom;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing a modification of the invention; and

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a portion of a side wall and a portion of the container bottom.

Referring first to FIGURE 4, the top end portion of a side wall 10 is shown provided with a channel member indicated generally at 11. The channel member includes .a flat base 12, an outer'side wall 13, and an outwardly projecting chime section 14 integrally formed with the inner wall 15. The chime section 14 is provided with a flat surface 16 facing toward the inside of the container, and against which the end walls of the container bear in a manner more fully described hereinafter.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a side wall 10 is provided with a channel member 11 at least along its end edges. If desired, similar channel members 11a can be secured to the top and bottom edges of the side panel, for the purpose of supporting the top and bottom walls of the container respectively. Or if desired, one may conveniently use, along the top edges, the end hoop construction shown and described in a co-pending application, Serial No. 347,901, filed February 27, 1964, in the names of Harry Guthrie Bell and Jacob Douglas Gay, Jr., and entitled End Hoop for Containers and the Like.

It will, of course, be understood that the channel members 11 may be secured to the side walls in any manner. It has been found that a plurality of staples passing through the outer wall 13, the container side and the inner wall 15 near the free edge of the outer and inner walls is very satisfactory. When secured in this manner, the staple 17 projecting through the inner wall 15 serves as a slight abutment to hold the end wall (or bottom or top wall as the case may be) against the flat surface 16 of the chime section (see FIG. 3).

FIG. 2 shows in end elevation, one of the end panels for the knockdown container of this invention. The end wall 18 is provided with the four hook members 19, arranged in pairs of two adjacent each side edge of the end wall 18. As seen in cross-section in FIG. 3, the hook member 19 includes a base portion 20 which is secured flat against the end wall 18 .by means of the fasteners 21. The hook member 19 also includes a hook portion 22 which is oifset from the base portion 20 as clearly shown in the drawings.

The channel members 11 secured to the end edges of the side walls 10 are provided with a plurality of slots 23 arranged to mate with and engage the hook portions 22 of the members 19.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the bottom edges of the side walls 10 are each provided with a channel member 11a which is in all respects identical with the channel member 11 described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the inwardly facing flat surface 16a of the chime section 1401 serves to support the bottom 24.

It is believed that the assembly of the elements of the container of this invention will now be clear. A pair of side walls 10 each having the channel members 11 on each end edge and a channel member 11a along its bottom edge are held in spaced apart vertical position. A bottom wall 24 is laid in place on the surface 16a of the channel member 11a, and the end walls 18 may be inserted between the staples 17 and the flat surface 16 of the channel member 11, with the hook portions 22 engaged in the notches 23 in the channel member 11. It will, of course, be apparent that the hook portions 22 are inserted into the slots 23, and then the entire panel 18 is pushed downwardly until its bottom edge rests against the bottom 24 of the container. The container top may then be secured in place in any desired manner.

FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings also illustrate one method whereby the end wall 18 may be secured to its position resting against the bottom 24 of the container. This is accomplished by securing the channel members 11b (identical with the members 11 described above) to the end edges of the bottom 24. The channel members 11b are then provided with a central slot 23b, which is engaged by the eccentric locking arm 25 which is pivotally secured to the end panel 18.

It will now be apparent that by virtue of the construction of this invention, it is possible to produce a shipping container which, when set up in condition for use, forms a very rigid shipping container; and yet it may be quickly and easily knocked down into six fiat pieces for storage and shipment.

In the case of a smaller container, the side and end walls may desirably be fabricated corrugated boXband. In this case, the end wall 30 will be provided with the metal strip 31 spanning its entire width as shown in FIGURE 7, and secured thereto as by the staples 32. The outer ends 31a of the strip 31 are bent outwardly, and

extend through the slots 33 in the chime section 34 of the hoop and liner 35. These ends 31a may then be bent over, thereby securing the end wall in place.

In the preferred form of this embodiment, the strip 31 will be secured to the outer side of the end wall 30 as shown. The bend 31b of the strip 31 may then be spaced inwardly from the side edge of the end wall itself, so that these side edges fit fiush against the inner Wall of the hoop and liner, wherein they will be engaged between the flat surface 36 of the chime section and the staples 37, as described above.

Having fully and clearly described the invention in terms of an exemplary embodiment and a modification thereof, it will be understood that no limitations are to be inferred thereby.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

A knockdown shipping container comprising:

(a) a pair of side walls,

(b) a channel member having an inwardly projecting chime section secured to the end edges of each said side wall, said chime section of each said channel member having at least one slot and a flat surface facing toward the inside of said container,

(c) a channel member secured to at least one longitudinal edge of each said side walls, said channel members having a bottom supporting surface,

((1) a pair of end walls, the plane of said end walls being substantially parallel to the said flat surface of said chime sections,

(e) at least one hook member secured to each side edge of each said end wall and engaging said slot in said chime section, the outer side edge on each said end wall bearing against said flat surface of said chime section when said hook is engaged in said chime section, said hook members each comprising a base portion secured to said end walls and a hook portion offset therefrom,

(f) a bot-tom abutting said channel member on said longitudinal edge of said side Walls,

(g) additional channel members having inwardly projecting chime sections secured to the end edges of said bottom, said last named chime sections each having at least one slot, and

(h) a locking arm pivotally mounted on each end wall adjacent the bottom edge thereof and engaging said slot in said last named chime section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,719 6/1911 Reineke 217-69 2,307,682 1/1943 Kamper 217-12 FOREIGN PATENTS 390,279 4/ 1933 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

THERON E. CONDON, Examiner.

Images