US1712612A - Trunk - Google Patents

Description

May 14, 1929. L H LL D Y 1,712,612

TRUNK Filed March 28, 1927 INVENT OR pensive dies, presses Patented May 14, 1929.

uurrEo STATES rA'rENr OFFICE.

GAL'V 1N L. HALLADAY, OF SAGINEUQV, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 SAGINAW SHEET IMETAL PARTS GORIGRATIQN, MICHIGAN.

E-EAG-TIINAN. MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF TRUNK.

Application filed lifiarch 28, 192% Serial No. H8339.

This invention relates to trunlis made of sheet met-cl, more psrtieulerly storm-proof automobile trunks, adapted to be fastened to baggage rocks or other supports.

An. object is to provide a sheet metal trunk structure with reinforcing and interlocking seems so it can be made economically and rapidly, sing only the ordinary equipment of a sheet metal working plant, without e11 or forming miichines, and it can be easily and quickly assembled without special tools.

Another object is to facilitate tasteningthe seems by spot-welding or riveting during process of assembling.

A novel reindorced construction for the bottom edges of the trunk is also it feature of the invention, whereby cracking at the bottom seem after prolonged use is prevented.

Among the advantages attained by my improvement are the following:

The front and bottom are made in one piece, the heck is in one piece, and there cretwo one'piece ends, all provided with :tolde" seems so constructed as to enable the. bottom member to be assembled with the end members by a. simple sliding or telescoping movement, and the back can be added in like manner to complete the trunk body. assembly.

All seems that are to be spot-weldcd can by this arrangement be exposedto the terminsls oi a standard commercial Welding mechine in at most convenient and accessible manner, avoiding the necessity of using specially designed Welding jaws to reach the scenes. Lifting, turning or like meni iulotion and handling of the trunk ports While being welded is also avoided by the method of assembling which my improved construction makes possible. y

A turther object of the invention is to provide or construction having front and bottom becl edges in which no seemed joint lSClli ployed es heretofore, and consequently there can be no buckling movement oi the metal at those places, causing crystallization and. cracking along the bottom edges near the anchor bolts, a detect that frequently develops in trunks having their bottoms set into the side walls and lioolnseamed,

My improvement also provides a three-ply anchorage tor the holding-down bolts, giving a large reinforced tires that distributes the being lowcr thenits beck wall.

stress of holding down over the whole trunk body. j l

The invention also includes an end well having a. trough-like reintorcing member near its upperedge adopted to drain water to the front and outside the trunk.

With the foregoing and certain other objects in view, which will appear later in the specifications, my invention comprises the devices describednnd claimed and the equivalentslthereof.

In the drawings Fig. l e front view oi the trunk with the lid raised, the manner of assembling an end indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. is a perspective View, partly broken away, showing the ports disassembled.

Fig. 3 is it fragmentary cross section on line 8-3 of Fig. 1, showing details oi the joints. 3 j Fig. l is an enlarged detail on lines l l of Fig. l.

. As is clearly shown in the drawings, the trunk structure comprises 21. bottom and front wall, the upper edge of which has at horizon telly disposed drain ledge with an upwerdly extending flange, it back wall having it lid hinged thereto, and end walls, the contiguous upright edges of the end, front and back walls formed with interlocking longitudinal flanges, by which the front-bottom can be HS- sembled with the two ends to form 2i subassembly, and the back can be applied to the sub-assembly, all by endwise slidingin inten locked relation.

Each of the upright end walls 1, 1 has its bottom edge 2 bent inwardly to form it l1or1- zontel flange that constitutes ii reinforcing plate for the trunk bottom 3. Each end well has its vertical edges, both front and rear, formed with inwardly projecting flanges that extend from the bottom of the trunk up to the cover. The book edge flange 4- extends the full height of the trunk, and the front ed ge flange 5 is shorter, the front wall of the trunk Each of the upright hinges 4, 5 is folded inwardly back upon itself to form one channel member of a double scam joint, which unites the upright end Well 1 to the front wall 6 and back well 7. Each upright end wall has its top edge curved to conform to the shape of the lid, and flanged inwardly to present it smooth. edge 8, Fig. 1-.

A trough-like member 9 is secured by spot- Welding, or otherwise, to the inner face of each upright end 1, near itstop edge, the trough conforming in shape to the curve of the edge. This member 9 reinforces the end 1 and receivesthe reinforcing rib of the lid, as will later be explained, and serves as a sloping drain to prevent any water that seeps through underneath the edge of the cover from collecting inside the trunk.

The front and bottom of the trunk are formed in one piece, as shown in Fig. 2.

This feature of my invention avoids a wellknown defect that has developed in practice with trunks having inset tray bottoms that are seamed to the upright walls. My construction avoids tearing out of the trunk bottom nearthe ends where the bottom is attached tothe trunk rack.

The integral, front and bottom for all ordinary sizes of trunks can be made from stock sizes of sh ets, without waste and can be made cheaply and accurately with the equipment and tools of an ordinary sheet metal shop.

The front wall 6 has its upper edge formed with a horizontally disposed offset member or ledge 10, by being bent inwardly and then flanged upwardly, the raw edge at the top being folded inside to present a. smooth finish.

The upright flange 11 of the ledge is cut short at each end to permit the end lips 12 of the two drain troughs to register with and rest upon the horizontal ledge 10, so that seepageof water which drains down thetrough 9, as above described, will escape across the ledge and be prevented from accumulating in .the trunk. The plate 2 at the bottom of side wall l-keepsthe lip 12 of the trough and the ledge 10 in proper position by acting as a stop against the bottom 8 when the front and end walls'are assembled. i

The upper edge of the upright flange 11 is close tothe lid 13 when closed, as shown in detail, Fig. 3, to prevent entrance of dirt. Thefront wall 6 has its upright edges 14. 14 foldedupon its outerface, as shown in Fig. 2, and they constitute the complemental tongue members of the double-seamed joint that secures the front wa-ll 6 to the end walls 1 1 1 The bottom 3, which as already stated, is

in one piece with the front wall, has its rear edge 15 flanged upwardly. It also has flat reinforcing straps 1,6, 16 secured by welding or otherwise to its inslde surface and preferably near each end of the trunk, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 2, and in Fig. 3.

' The back end of each reinforcing strap 16 is bent upwardly to form aflange 17 extending parallel with the flange 15 on the rear edge of the trunk bottom, and is spaced from it, so the two flanges 15, 17 together form a slot or clip that receives and holds the bottom edge of the back wall 7, as shown in Fig. 3.

This feature, while forming an important .part of my present trunk structure, 1s also capable of eing used in sheet metal trunks of different design, and is, therefore, considered as being in itself patentably novel and is so claimed herein.

The back wall 7 is a flat sheet of metal that has its upright edges 18, 18 folded outwardly to form complemental members of doubleseamed joints that unite the end pieces 1, 1 to the back wall 7. The top edge of the back wall is folded rearward and downward, ter- -minating in tubular hinge members 19, and

its lower edge is tightly secured between the flange 15 of the trunk bottom and flange 17 of the reinforcing strap by riveting, welding, or in any other suitable'nmnner.

Lid 13 is a sheet of metal hinged at its back edge to the back wall 7. It slopes from back toward the front with increasing curvature, the front edge 20 being flush with the front wall 6 when the lid is closed, as shownin Fig. 3. The back edge of the lid is preferably flanged downwardly and outwardly, overlapping the top edge of the back wall and terminating in complementary tubular hinge members 21, which, together with hinge members 19 on back wall 7, receive the pintle 22 and complete the hinge.

The lid has its front edge formed with an inwardly directed flange 23 that rests upon the sloping ledge 10 of the front wall. The side edges of the lid 13 are folded inward, as shown in Fig. 4, to overlap the flange 24 of a reinforcing rib 25 on the under side of lid 13. The reinforcing rib 25 serves also as a. means for keeping the lid joints dust-tight, for it extends down close to the bottom of the drain trough 9 on the end wall 1 when the lid is closed.

A rib or offset 13 may be formed in the lid 13 to more firmly hold the rib 25 in place.

The trunk can be quickly assembled. without of the aid of special tools, in the following manner The two end walls 1 are stood upon a floor or bench in the manner indicated in the lower part of Fig. 1. The unitary front and bottom is then assembled with the two sides by interlocking the flanges 5 on ends 1. with flanges 14 on front 6, and pushing the front down, so that the interlocked flanges telescope lengthwise. The bottom 3 comes to rest upon the reinforcing flanges 2. This sub-assembly of frontbottom and ends is taken to the spot-welder. The mounting holes 16, which have been previously punched, are aligned by a drift pin. The flanges 2, 2 are spot-welded to the bottom 3, the jaws of the welding machine entering from the back of the trunk, which is open.

The two reinforcing straps 16, 16 are then placed inside the bottom, aligning the mounting holes with a drift pin in the same manner, and the reinforcing strip, bottom and inwardly projecting flange 2 are all welded together intoa three-ply anchorage structure.

The reinforcing straps 16 are at the same time welded to the front wall 6. The back 7, without cover 13, is then similarly assembled, by means of the two tel scoping scams 4, 18, and is pushed down until the top edge of back 7 is flush with the tops ofthe ends 1. The lower edge of back 7 may or may not bottom at the bottom of the trunk, as shown in Fig. 3, for the reason that the back, being inserted at the front of the up-turnedfia-rge l5 and behind the up-turried-edges 17 of the reinforcing strips, is welded throughout its length to the flange 15 and is also welded to the up-turned edges 17 of theinside reinforcing strip. It is desirable also to spot-weld the two back seams 4;, 18 in several places to prevent the seam fromsliding out or being pulled apart.

The foregoing constitute all of the assembling operations on the box itself.

For practical reasons it is advisable to enamel or paint the box and cover separately. Therefore, the cover is assembled later by insorting the hinge rod or pintle 22.

The completed trunk is fixed to the luggage rack of an automobile by means of anchor bolts 26 that pass through the reinforced three-ply part of the bottom near the end walls.

The assembled trunk is dust-proof and storm-proof and rigid to withstand the jolts and stresses that automobile trunks are usually subjected to.

When the lid is closed its inner reinforcing ribs 25 come close to the bottoms of the troughs 9 on the end walls and thus divide the trough into two parts, as if by a. lengthwise partition, thereby performing the double function of supporting the lid and serving as battles to restrictor prevent air circulation into or out from the trunk. The in wardly turned flange 23 takes its seat on the ledge 10 and the upwardly projecting flange 11 of the ledge comes up close to the under side of the lid, thus forming a double jainb that prevents air circulation.

If water driven against an end of the trunk, from a washing hose, gets under the cover it will. be stopped by the reinforcing rib 25 on the cover and will run down the trough 9, escaping by crossing the ledge 10. The end lip 12 of the trough and the inner edge of the ledge 10 preferably overlap for that purpose.

Water striking the front of the trunk and getting through the joints formed by ledge 10 and flange 23 will be stopped by the up standing flange 11.

Water forced against the back wall of the trunk deflects upward, but can not get inside, because of the downwardly and out wardly projecting hinged flange 19; and water from above will be shed by the other hinged flange 21 on the lid.

The above described construction provides atrunk of unusual strength, but of considerable flexibility. i

An automobile trunk that is bolted to a trunk'rack at the rear of the tonneau receives its greatest strain from fore-and-alt forces, such as jerks of starting, stopping and erratic application of engine power that causes intermittent jumping of the chassis and more or less violent fore anctaft jerking of the tonneau and trunk. The trunk structure described herein is adapted to eflectively resist stresses of that character, without any ten dency for the metal to crystallize and break along the bottom seams.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patout is: l

1. A sheet metal trunk having a bottom, a front wall, a back wall having a lid hinged thereto, and end walls, the contiguous up right edges of said end, front, and back walls formed with interlocking longitudinal. flanges adapted to be assembled by endwise sliding in interlocked relation, each end wall formed with an inwardly projecting horizontal flange at its lower edge, said flange adapted to underlie the trunk bottom and constituting a reinforcing plate therefor.

2. A trunk having a bottom, a front wall, a back wall and a lid hinged thereto, the back edge of said bottom flanged upwardly, reinforcing straps secured to the inner face of said bottom, the back ends of said straps flanged upwardly, the lower edge of said back wall received between the upright flanges of said straps and bottom, end walls having their upright edges engaged with the respective upright edges of the front and back walls by sliding endwise in interlocked relation therewith, the lower edge of each end wall formed with an inwardly projecting horizontal flange adapted to underlie the trunk bottom and said strap and constituting, together with said inner reinforcing strap, a three-ply anchorage band for said bottom.

A. sheet metal trunk comprising a bottom, a front wall the upper edge of which has a horizontally disposed ledge with an upwardly extending flange, a back wall haw ing a lid hinged thereto, and end walls, the contiguous upright edges of said end, front, and back walls formed with interlocking longitudinal flanges adapted to be assembled by endwise sliding in interlocked relation, each end wall having near its upper edge a troughlike reinforcing member adapted to drain onto said ledge, an inwardly projecting horizontal flange on the lower edge of each end wall adapted to underlie the trunk bottom,

constituting a reinforcing plate therefor, and

, serving also asa stop for locating the end of the trough and the ledge.

4. A trunk having a bottom, a front wall, a back wall and a lid hinged thereto, the back edge of'said bottom flanged upwardly, reinforcing straps secured to the inner face of said bottom at the end thereof, the back ends of said straps flanged upwardly, the lower edge of said back Wall received between the upright flanges of said straps and bottom, end walls each'formed with an inwardly projecting horizontal flange adapted to underlie the trunk bottom and'constituting, together with said inner reinforcing strap, a three-ply anchorage band for said bottom.

5. A sheet metal trunk having a bottom, a

. front wall, a back wall having alid hinged I an inwardly projecting horizontal flange at its lower edge, said flange adapted to underthereto, and end walls, the contiguous upright edges of said end and back walls formed with interlocking longitudinal flanges adapted to be assembled by endwise sliding in interlocked relation, each end wall'formed with lie the'trunk bottom and constituting a re inforcing plate therefor.

6. A sheet metal trunk comprising a bottom, a front wall the upper edge of which has a horizontally disposed lodge with an upwardly extending flange, a back wall having a lid hinged thereto, and end walls, the contiguous upright ed es of said end and back walls formed with interlocking longitudinal flanges adapted to be assembled by endwise sliding in interlocked relation, each end wall having near its upper edge a troughlike'reinforcing member adapted to drain onto said ledge, an inwardly projecting horizontal flange on the lower edge of each end Wall adapted to underlie the trunk bottom, constituting a reinforcing plate therefor.

7. A trunk having a bottom, a front wall, a back wall and a lid hinged thereto, the back edge of said bottom flanged upwardly, reinforcing straps secured to the inner face of said bottom at the end thereof, the hack ends of said stra s flanged upwardly, the lower edge of said ack wall received between the upright flanges of said straps and bottom, end walls, each formed with an inwardly projecting horizontal flange adapted to underlie the trunk bottom and constituting, together with said inner reinforcing strap an anchorage for said bottom.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

CALVIN L. HALLADAY.

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