US547486A - Jason h - Google Patents

Description

' Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

(No Model.)

J. H. GREENSTREET. SHIPPING CRATE. No. 547,486.

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SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,486, dated Cctober 8, 1895.

Application filed May 6, 1895. Serial No. 548,279- (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J AsoN H. GREENSTREET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new invention is to provide a crate, box, barrel, or

other package, which shall be durable, inexpensive, and simple, and constructed in such manner that the parts can be made up at the factory and shipped in knockdown form to the consumer to be quickly and readily put together by him.

The objectI also is to providea construction wherein the contents will be well ventilated, and a construction that will hold its shape under severe test without any bulging out of the sides caused by the weight of the contents Aor otherwise.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference refer to like parts, Figure l is an end' view of the woodmetal material from which the top, bottom, and sides of my improved crate are constructed, the same being shown in this figure as spread out preparatory to being bent into the box form shown in the dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a complete crate or box, showing the solid wooden ends and that portion of the Wood-metal material which forms the lid in a raised position. Fig. 3 is a detail in end view of a modified construction for a large-sized crate, in which the sides, ends, top, and bottom are made in separate pieces and are united to each other at their meeting edges by means of metal clasps or staples, and Fig. 4t is a view in top plan of Fig. 3.

The material of which my improved box, crate, or barrel is made is composed of wooden slats of suitable length, which are joined in parallel series by means of a plurality of metal strands, (wires or tlat metal strips,) which are made to pass transversely across the slats and are secured at eachintersection by means of staples or by means ot' tac-ks or nails. A mixed construction, using part wire and part strips, may be used to advantage, the wire,beingcheaperthan the strips, effecting a saving in cost, and the strips being secured by tacks or nails driven through them into the staves, prevent any slipping or movement of the staves longitudinally along the wires. It is not desired, however, to limit this invention to the use of Wires or strips, as either may be used alone or both together without departing from the spirit of this inn vention. It is important, however, that all wires'and strips be on the same side ofthe slats and on that side of rthe slats which will be outermost when the wood-metal material thus produced is formed into the sides, top,

the wires secured by means of the-staples Z),

and B the strips secured by means of the nails b. In order to produce a stronger and more rigid box, those of the slats which come next to the corners of the completed box will preferably be of extra thickness, as shown at` A. In making up the material before the same is bent into the form of a box the space between the slats A will be equal to the thickness of the said slats, so as toadmit of their being brought into position at right angles to each other in forming the corners.

C represents the ends of the box, and for small and medium sizes will be of wood in one piece or a plurality of pieces fastened together with battens. v The corners will be notched, as at C', to accommodate the extra thickness of the corner-slats A'. This notched construction, in combination with the heavy corner-slats, greatly adds to the strength of the nished box. The top of the box or package will beleft unnailed until after the box is illed,and the metal strands will form hinges, whereby the cover will be secured to the box. When the box is properly filled, the cover will be closed and secured by nailing the ends of the slats to the box ends. To securely fasten the front edge, a lap or curtain, consisting of an extra slat A2, will be provided, Which will be bent down against the front of the box and nailed to the same. The bending down of the curtain will serve to stretch the Woodmetal material of the top.

In extralarge crates or boxes the top bottom, sides, and ends may all be made in separate pieces from Wooden slats connected by metal strands in the manner as described and the several parts united at the corners of the box or crate by means of the metal fasteners D, of usual construction, or in any convenient and secure manner. Vhere only minimum strength is required, it will not be necessary to make the corner-strips extra thick, and a slat of uniform thickness may be used for the entire construction, and the ends of course will not be notched atthe corners. I am aware that packages have been made of a fabric formed of wooden slats woven between strands of wire. The woven nature of the fabric in which the wires are interlaced or woven back and forth from the outer face of one of the slats to the inner face of the next, and so on, makes the fabric elastic in its nature and gives a package constructed from such material the power to stretch equal to the extent of the loose tension and to assume undesirable shapes from the weight of the contents. This interlacing (weaving) is wholly absent in my construction. All of the metal strands are on the same (outside) face of the slats. The strands are drawn taut and are fastened immovably to the slats, enabling me to produce from such a material an ironbound `firm package, which will under severe test hold its proper shape and form. By nailing or riveting the slats to the metal band I greatlyincrease the strength of the packages formed. In the woven construction two small wires, which can be broken separately, are used, while in my construction the same weight of metal, being in a single integral strand, affords greater strength and security. Instead of a single wire strand a cable consisting of two or more wires might be used Without departing from the spirit of this in vention.

What I claim as my invention is A crate or package constructed of wooden slats and metal strands crossing said slats approximately at right langles and Asecured to the face of the said slats at each intersection, said material comprising the top, bottom1 and sides of the box or package, those slats ofthe said piece which come next to the corners of the box being of greater thickness than the other slats, for the purpose described, and said crate or package having ends in separate pieces secured to the rest of the box and said ends having notched corners to receive the extra thick corner slats, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JASON II. GREENSTREET.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. MINTURN, W. B. BASSETT.

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