US2791365A - Nestable and stackable fiberboard container - Google Patents

Description

May 7, 1957 CQHEN 2,791,365

NESTABLE AND STACKABLE FIBERBOARD CONTAINER Filed Dec. 4, 195a 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR; IsADoRE COHEN May 7, 1957 2,791,365

NESTABLE AND STACKABLE FIBERBOARD CONTAINER Filed D90. 4, 1955 l. COHEN 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i i-T INVENTOR. IsADoRE COHEN y 1957 l. COHEN 2,791,365

NESTABLE AND STACKABLE FIBERBOARD CONTAINER Filed Dec. 4, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ISADORE Comm l. COHEN May 7, 1957 NESTABLE AND STACKABLE FIBERBOARD CONTAINER Filed Dec. 4, 195a 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

' ISADoRE COHEN United States Patent "ice NESTABLE AND STACKABLE FIBERBGARD- CONTAINER Isadore Cohen, Brooklyn,

ApplicationDecemher'4, 1 953, SerlallNo. 396,192"

1' Claims (.Cl.v 229-23).

This invention relates to a fiberboard container of reinforced construction, particularly adapted for nesting and stacking during shipment and. use.

An important object of: the present invention is toprovide a container as described that will be inexpensively but. strongly. constructed from apair of readily folded, specially shaped blanks of. fiberboard: or similar material, easily. assembled and strongly secured through the use ofconventional staples.

Another object of importance is toprovide, in. association. with the superposed. blanks, a continuously extending, inexpensive, reinforcing frame that cooperates with the connecting staples in holding together and bracing the walls of the container.

Yet anotherobject is to provide a container as stated which will. include. oppositely disposed, swingably' mountedstacking frames attached to selected walls of the-containerby foldingof adjacentportions of" one of the blanks uponone another, with. said frames being swifitly'adjustable between positions in one of which they-permitstacking; of the containers without, damage tothe contents thereof, and in the other of which they. are inoperatively disposed to. permit nesting; of empty containers.

Stillanother objectis to so shape the stacking frames, inat least one" for-m of the-invention, as to. causethe stacking frames toprovide added reinforcementforepposite wall-s'of the container when the containers. are stacked. one" upon, another.

For further comprehension of the..-invention, and1 of the objects and advantages thereof, reference. will. be had to thefollowing description. and accompanying drawings,

and to the-appended. claim in which the various-features of the invention. are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective view, in which: part has been broken away, of a container formed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional viewon line'Z-Z of Fig: 1'.

Fig. 3- is a longitudinal sectional view on line 3'3' of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view' of one blank used in makingthe container:

Fig. 5 is a plan view-'ofa second blank used'inmaking a container.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the stacking frames per se.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the brace frame per se.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view showing a plurality of the containers nested.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing the containers stacked.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container equipped with a modified form of stacking frame.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 11-11 of Fig. 10.

2,791,365 Patented May 7, 1957 Fig. 121 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but showing a still further modification of the invention.

Fig, 1 3 is a. front elevational view of Fig. 12, partly in. section.

Fig. 14. is a perspective view of a modified stacking frame used in Fig.12.

The container 10 is formed from first and second fiberboard blanks. 12, 14 (Figs. 5 and 4). Blank 12 is shaped to. include a rectangular outer bottom panel 16 integrally connected at its. side edges to the lower edges of side panels 18, along fold lines 20. At its ends, the bottom panel I6fis integral-with bottom panel end fiaps22, which are fol'dable upwardly. along fold lines extending along the. end' edges of the bottom panel.

The. side panels, have end edges oppositely inclined to diverge in adirection away f'romthe bottom panel, that is, upwardly considering the container in its assembled condition. Integrally connected to the end edges of the side panels, and foldable inwardly along the lines of their connections, are side panelend flaps, 24. Integrally connected, to. the. top edges of the side panels are side panel top .flaps 26.

Theblank 14 isformed with a rectangular inner bottom panel 28 integral along its side edges withbottom panel side, flaps 30. Outer end panels 32 are integrally connected. along. fold lines 34 to the. end. edges of panel 28, andintegrally connected. to the upper or outer edges of theend panels 32 are inner end panels 36, foldable upon the; panels 32.along,the lines of their integral connections, as. shown. at 38. Handle slots 40, 42. are formed in the panels32, 36 respectively, and register when the panels 36 are folded upon the panels 32. Inner end panel side flaps 44 are integrally connected to the side edges of the respective inner end panels. 36.

A continuously extending, rectangular bracing frame 46 is shown in Fig. 7, and is shaped from a length of stout rod of wire. material, the ends of saidlength being brought into abutting relation and being welded or otherwise fixedly joined.

In assembling the container, the blank 12 is first laid flat upon the floor, and the blank 14 is laid thereover, the relative position of the blanks being as shown in Figures. 4: and 5. Then, the outer end panels 32 of the blank 14. are folded upwardly along lines 34, end flaps 22 are. folded upwardly so. as toextend along the lower edges, of end panels 32v and exteriorly thereof (see Figures Land 3,), and a row of staples 48 is applied to connect flaps22to end panels 32.

Thezbrace frame is now positioned with-its ends against the inner surfaces of the outer end panels 32', adjacent the. fold hnes 38. Stacking frames 58 are now positioned over the; inner end panels, and are supported upon the ends of the brace frame. Thereaftenthe inner end panels 36 are folded along said lines 38, to lie. against the inner surfaces of panels 32. One or two staples may be applied just below the brace frame, extending through the superposed outer and inner end panels, to temporarily holdthe brace frame and stacking. frames, and-the; container ends, in proper'position.

The side panels 18 of blank 12 are now folded upwardly along the lines 20, and the end flaps 24 thereof are folded to overlie the side edges of the outer end panels 32 at the corners of the container as shown in Figure l. Staples 50 are now applied, extending through the flaps 24, and through the side edge portions of the superposed outer and inner end panels 32, 36, said staples being spaced vertically to effect a strong connection.

Meanwhile, when the side panels 18 are folded upwardly, the side flaps 30 of the inner bottom panel 28 will have been folded upwardly as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, to extend along the inner surfaces of the side panels 3 18, at the lower edges thereof. Staples 52, spaced longitudinally of flaps 30, are extended therethrough and through the side panels to Connect the same.

Further, the side flaps 44 of inner end panels 36 will have been folded to lie against the inner surfaces of side panels 18, at the ends of said side panels. Staples 54 are then applied to connect the same to the sidepanels.

The top flaps 26 of the side panels, as a next step, are folded inwardly and downwardly to lie against the inner surfaces of the top edge portions of the side panels, and staples 56, spaced longitudinally of the folded top flaps, connect the same to the side panels, thus forming tubular portions along the container sides at the top thereof portions diverging in the direction of the longer or outer side portion. The inner side portion of each stacking frame is enclosed within the space between the upper edge portions of the end panels 32, 36, and is supported by the adjacent end of the brace frame against excessive downward movement. 1

Referring now to Figure 8, it is seen that when the containers are empty, they may be nested compactly, for shipment, or for storage. In the nested relationship of the containers, the stacking frames are swung outwardly so as not to interfere with the nesting.

When, however, the containers are filled, as for example with articles that must not be crushed, such as loaves of bread, they may be stacked one upon another by swinging the stacking frames inwardly to the position shown in Figure 9. This causes the outer side portions of the stacking frames to be supported upon the sides of the container, thereby permitting a number of the containers to be stacked without possibility of damage to the contents thereof.

In Figures 10 and 11, a modified form is shown wherev in the stacking frames are slightly changed in shape. The

ing frame has parallel inner and outer side portions 64,

66 respectively, and diverging, short end portions 68. At the ends of the outer side portion, where it merges into the end portions 68, there are formed crimps 70 of inverted U shape, the bights of which are adapted to extend into notches 72 formed in the upper edges of the con-- tainer sides.

This arrangement has a desirable result, in that when the stacking frames are swung inwardly to stacking position, the crimps engage the sides of the container to prevent spreading thereof under the load of the stacked' containers disposed thereabove. Further, the outer side portion is located below the plane of the top of the container, thus insuring that the container supported thereupon will be held against sidewise and endwise movement from its stacked position, by reason of its being 4 engageable by the upper edges of the supporting containers sides or ends should the supported container tend to shift.

In Figs. 12-14 another modified form is shown wherein the stacking frames 62' are similar to the previous form shown in Figs. 10 and 11 except that their free ends 62 are spaced from one another. In this form of the invention no notches are provided in the container sides and therefore the crimps are adapted to rest on the edges 18 of the side panels 18 of the container 10'. In other respects this form of the invention is similar to the previous forms and the various parts may be recognized by corresponding reference numerals with a prime added.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A container comprising a rectangular shaped receptacle having pairs of opposed walls, and endless stacking frames movably connected to one pair of walls, said frames being adjustable between an inoperative position wherein they are disposed exteriorly of the space within the receptacle to permit nesting of a plurality of the containers, and an operative position in which they are supported within said space upon the other pair of opposed walls of the receptacle,'for stacking of a plurality of containers one upon another, said receptacle being formed from a pair of folded fiberboard blanks, one of the folded blanks including a bottom panel and the first named walls of the receptacle, and the other folded blank including a bottom panel overlapping the first named bottom panel, said other blank further including said other pair of opposed walls of the receptacle, side flaps on said other blank, each of the first named walls of the receptacle comprising a pair of integrally connected end panels folded upon themselves to form a space therebetween through which the stacking frame associated therewith may extend, said other walls including top flaps overlying said side flaps and secured thereto, the several walls of the receptacle being stapled together at the corners of the receptacle, said receptacle further including a continuously extending brace frame secured to the several walls of the receptacle at their upper edges and extending through the full periphery of the receptacle,

including the space receiving the stacking frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,061,414 Tufts et al Nov. 17, 1936 2,105,179 Best Jan. 11, 1938 2,175,476 Martin Oct. 10, 1939 2,321,536 Wells June 8, 1943 2,395,542 Fordon Feb. 26, 1946 2,493,281 Anderson Ian. 3, 1950 2,569,205 Ullrich Sept. 25, 1951 2,606,709 Carey et a1. Aug. 12, 1952

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