US3426933A - Composite shipping boxes - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1969 J. w. STECKE COMPOSITE SHIPPING BOXES She'et Filed Aug. 15, 1966 INVENTOR. MOHN w $750K! Feb; 11 1969 w, s c

' COMPOSITE SHIPPING BoXEs Filed Aug. 15, 1966 R 2 m c m m S United States Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to field boxes or containers for shipping citrus fruits, and provides field boxes employing pre-molded plastic panels or side members of a design to render such boxes sturdy and to a great extent immune to moisture and rotting.

The containers have wooden end panels and wooden partition members to which the side and bottom panels of a thermoplastic material are nailed. The panels are of corrugated shape to give them structural strength and for convenience of nailing the panels to the end partition members, the ends and center of the panels are provided with integrally formed seating areas which have flat surfaces on opposite sides for engaging the edges of the end and partition members with the body of the seating areas filling in the grooves of the corrugated ends. Nails may be driven through the seating areas of the panel into the wooden ends and partition section and banding iron is wrapped around the exterior of the assembled panel on the outside flat surface at the end and partition sections. The construction lends itself to the speedy assembling of the parts and adapts the molded panel sections for use as replacements on the present-day wooden shipping field boxes.

Shipping boxes for fresh citrus fruit must conform to the specifications of the State of Florida for the standard legal shipping boxes, crates or containers to be used in shipping fresh citrus fruits. Such specifications require the box be made to certain specified dimensions which are of no significance in connection with the construction and design of boxes made in accordance with this invention.

It is found that shipping boxes for citrus fruits are mostly damaged by breakage of the side or bottom panels that extend between the end walls and center partition that is usually provided for such boxes, and the construction must be such that repairs and replacements of broken parts can be made in the field with a simple tool like a hammer or hatchet.

In accordance with the present invention, the general design of present-day shipping boxes is not changed, so that repairs of wooden boxes can be made with the plastic panels of this invention by simply nailing the panels to the wooden end and partition members of the boxes. It is a primary object of this invention to provide shipping boxes for fresh citrus fruit utilizing wooden and end partition members and plastic floor and side wall panels, the panels being of corrugated shape to give them structural strength, and are provided with what may be designated seating areas for mounting and nailing on the wood ends and partition member and for receiving the standard banding.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective, partially cut away, of a shipping box for fresh cirtus fruits, embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of a portion of the panel "ice strip and end wall cut away, taken along the line 2-2, FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of a panel used as part of the bottom wall of the box;

FIGURE 4, a cross section, partially in elevation, taken along the line 4-4, FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5, a portion of the panel taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6, a cross section taken along the line 6-6, FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevational view of the panel of FIGURE 3.

With reference to the several figures of the drawings, the numerals 1, 2 and 3 designate the end and partition walls of a shipping box, and the numerals 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, the floor and side wall panels, respectively. The end walls and partition members are cut out at 10 to provide openings for the ends for gripping cleats 11 that extend across the end and partition walls. The numeral 12 designates bands having perforations 13 for receiving nails 14 by which the panels and floor boards ar assembled. The numeral 15- designates vent holes.

Both the floor panels and the side wall panels 4 through 9 are alike and are made by the injection molding process as an integral solid panel member of corrugated shape, as shown, and are provided with rounded edges or beads 16, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. At the ends and at the center of the panels, the panel is provided with nailing sections, such as are shown at 17, 18 and 19 of FIGURE 3, and in detail in FIGURE 6, the nailing sections having straight faces 20 and 21 for engaging the faces of the end boards 1 and 3 and the dividing center piece 2, the nailing sections being recessed, as shown at 22, to reduce the mass of the molded section, and thereby reduce the weight and cost of the panels. As shown in FIGURE 2, the nails 14 are driven through the holes 13 of bands 12, then through the nailing section and into the board 1 of the end wall. Similar nailing sections, as shown at. 18 in the center of FIGURE 1, are provided on the panels for nailing the panels to the dividing wall 2.

The bands 12 extend across the top of the cleats 11 and around the bottom of the shipping box to tightly secure the panels and end and divider walls as a unitary member.

Because, as shown in FIGURE 6, the nailing areas have straight faces 20 and 21, they will line up with the edge faces of the end walls and dividing wall, as well as with the bands 12, so that there is no displacement of the panels or the bands because of the corrugated shape of the panels.

It is evident that shipping boxes utilizing plastic panels made by the injection molding process are relatively inexpensive, but because they are impervious to weather conditions and have a much longer life, they are commercially feasible. Also, they are readily repaired in the field by the use of a nail and hammer, if they are damaged, as by loosening of the band or if one the panels is fractured. It can obviously be readily replaced whether it is a bottom or side panel.

The plastic panels can be employed either to make repairs by replacing wood panels currently used, or they can be built as new shipping boxes. The wood ends and center can be used in constructing new boxes with plastic panels, as is shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. Also, the plastic panels can be used only at the top sides of the boxes, one on each side where the breakage mostly occurs. If the shipping box for citrus fruit is made entirely of plastic material, the end and partition walls can be molded to adapt them to the corrugated shape of the panels, and the nailing area can be eliminated except at the face of the panels for receiving the bands.

It is evident from the foregoing description of this invention that shipping boxes made of plastic are relatively strong and durable and while the initial cost may be greater than an all-wooden box, it would be more economical to use in the end. It is estimated that there are over ten million wood shipping boxes in the field, of which about 25% are repaired annually by replacement of the outside boards, and by means of the present invention, these costly repairs can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. A container for gathering and shipping fresh citrus fruit and the like comprising end walls of substantially rectangular shape having seating faces for mounting side and bottom panels thereon, panel members of thermoplastic material molded to corrugated shape to give them structural strength and having nailing sections with integrally formed seating areas filling in the grooves of the panels with flat faces engaging the seating surface of said end walls, and for receiving banding strap metal wrapped around said panels and nailed to said end walls through said seating areas.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1 having a partition member with seating faces and in which the side and bottom panels have integrally formed mailing sections at the ends and at the portion of the panels for engaging the partition member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 570,763 11/1896 Morrill 217-36 1,930,988 10/1933 Townsend 217-40 1,932,294 10/1933 Stuart 217-36 2,011,801 8/1935 Denny 217-36 2,483,269 9/ 1949 Fender 220-4 2,974,819 3/1961 Melville.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

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