US982350A - Folding crate. - Google Patents

Description

A. J. GONE.

FOLDING CRATE.

APPLICATION IILED rm. 5, 1910.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

INVENTOR.

Mia

WITNESSES: ('3. WI/ZZZ To all-whom it may concern:

tmirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ARTHUR J. CONE, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

romaine CRATE.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. CONE, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident .of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Folding Crate; and I do hereby decla-reihe following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 1 it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

-My invention relates to improvements in folding or collapsible crates, and has particular reference to the construction of the botto'ms'and covers of such crates. I The ob ect of my invention is the pro- VlSlOIl, in a crate of th1s class, of a simple,

improved and highly etlicient construction of bottom and cover forthe same, whereby such arts are capable of being easily and laced in engagement with or rerom a crate, and which whenin movement relative to the crate body or accidental removal therefrom.

The operation, construction and arrangement of the parts of the invention are fully described in the following specification, and

a preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in -which,-

. position therein.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate with the parts comprising my invention in Fig. 2 is section of the same'on the line w a: in Fig. 1, with the locking means of the cover depressed to permit a removal of the cover, and Fig. 3 is a similar section with one end of the cover partly raised.

Referrin to the drawings, 1 designates the body of a crate, which is shown as being rectangular in form, and as having its sides and ends composed of parallel. slats or bars Qand 3, respectively, the upper and lower slats ofthe ends being designated 3 and serving asholding-strips for the bottom and cover. These slats or bars are arranged at the corners in alternating or-Istaggered relation,'so thatthe slats of the same side or end 'are'spaced apart, as shown. Rods or bolts 4 pass vertically through the corners and pivotally connect the sides and ends to- Specification of Letters Patent, Application filed February 5, 1910. Serial No; 542,335.

gether to adapt them to be folded in compact form when not in use.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

I I I a series of strips 7 preferably broader t an the slats or bars 2 and '3, and being of sulficlcm. length for their-ends to project under and over the top and bottom holding-strips 3, respectively. Three strips 7 are connected together by cross-pieces 8 and 9, the former of which has its ends projected beyond the edges of the closures to rest on or bear against the outer edge of the upper and lower side slats 2, to limit the inward movements of said parts.

The strip 8 is disposed near one end of its closure member, and when such member is in locked position within the crate is intended to abut against the contiguous end slat 3 and serve-as a stop-piece for the closure, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The other cross-piece 9 is disposed at some dis tance from the other end of the closure for the purpose hereinafter described. A, third cross-piece 10 is secured to such closure near the end thereof which is opposed to that to which the strip 8 is secured, and is spaced :1 short distance from the contiguous end slat 3 of the crate, when the closure isin locked position, to permitthe securing of one or more lock-blocks or pieces 11 to the closure, belween the end slat 3 and piece outer side slats or bars 2, as in the case of the stop-piece S.

In the present instance the closures are shownas each comprising three strips? and the cross or stop-piece-IO is secured at its center to the centerone of these, thus leaving the ends of the outer "strips 7 free to oscillate to and from the cross-piece 10 with the cross-piece 9 as the fulcrum 'or fixed point from which they oscillatefas' shown in Figs. 2 'and 3. The blocks 11 are carried by the ends of the stripsfl which are thus free to oscillate thus adapting them to be depressed below the plane of the coacting slat 3' to permit the closure to'be moved eiidwise \until the stop-piece 10 moves Into contact with such slat, which move ment is sufficient to withdraw the opposite' end of the closure from engagement with .its slat 3. While the cross-piece 10 is shown as being securedto the center strip 7 of the closure and the blocks 11 to the side .strips thereof, it is to be understood that -9*'is disposed a suitable distance from the flush contact with an end slat,

I wish it understood thatmy unvention piece 10 to give the resilient ends of the strips 7 the desired resiliency or stiffness.

\Vhen a closure is positioned in. the top or bottom'of a crate the cross-piece S and lock-blocks 11 abutor fit closely against the respective end slats 3' so as to rigidly and securely hold the closure against endwise movements relative to the crate body. To remove the closure it is only necessary to depress the lock-blocks 11 below the plane of the associated end slat 3 as indicated in Fig. 2, when the closure maybe moved lengthwise until the cross-piece 10 abuts against suchend-slat, which movement is suflicient to release the opposite end of the closure from engagement with the associated end slat 3 to permit it. to be raised as indicated in Fig. 3, and the closure removed. In securing a closure in position within the crate, the end carrying the blocks llis first inserted on an incline under an end-slat 3' until stopped by the contact of the crosspiece 10 with'such slat. The opposite end of the closure is then forced down to a plane parallel with the slats 2 and moved endwise to force its free end] under the asso ciated slat/3' until stopped by the contact 'of the cross-piece 8 with such slat 3'. As

the stop-piece 8 moves into contact with its end slat the blocks 11 are freed from the coacting end slat and influenced by the resi1- iency of the strips 7 to moue outwardly in advance of the associated end slat 3, as

is apparent.- The cross-piece 10in addition to serving as..a stop for limiting the endwise movement of the closure within the crate, also serves to square or place thes des and ends at rlght angles when it moves into is not limited to-any specific construction orarrangement of the parts except in so specified in the far as such limitations are claims. p 1 v Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. A crate having holding-strips at one edge of opposite walls thereof, a removable closure comprising a plurality of longitudinal strips, cross-pieces carried by the closure a portion, at least, of which have their ends extended beyond the side edges of the closure, the cross-piece adjacent to one end of the closure being-free from at least one of the closure strips and spaced from the adjacent holding-strip when positioned in the crate, and a lock-block carried by the free strip between the cross-piece which is free' therefrom and the adjacent holding-strip to lock the closure against movement within the crate except when such lock-block is depressed.

2. A crate having holding-strips atone edge of opposite walls thereof, a removable closure comprising a plurality of longitudinal resilient. strips, stop-pieces .adjacent to the opposite ends of such strips, one of such pieces being free from a portion of such strips, lock-blocks carried by the'free strips intermediate said last mentioned stop-piece and the adjacent end of the closure, and a cross-piece carried by the closure intermediate the stop-pieces and adapted to serve as a fulcrum piece for the free ends of the strips carrying such blocks to permit a depression of such blocks, a portion atleast of such pieces having their ends extended beyond the side'edges of the closure, substantially as described. I

3. The combination with a crate body having openings in opposite walls near the upper and lower edges thereof, of a removable top and bottom, each comprising a plurality of resilient strips adapted to have their ends inserted into said openings, and having stop-pieces 8 and 10 adjacent the opposite ends thereof, the stop-piece 10.being disposed farther from its end of the closure than the stop-piece 8 is from its end, and being free from a portion of said strips, a cross-piece 9 intermediate saidstop-pieces and adapted to serve as a fulcrum for the ends of said strips, which are free from the stop-piece 10, and lock-blocks 11 secured to the free strips without the stop-piece 10 and adapted to, abut against the inner side of the contiguous end wall when the closure is in position within the crate and to be depressed to permit a releasing movement of the closure relative to the crate, said stop-pieces having their ends extended beyond the side.

edges of the closure, substantially as do

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