US3144981A - Box and handle - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 18, 1964 J. RDBITAILLE BOX AND HANDLE Filed June 12, 1963 INVENTOR Jacques ROBITAILLE A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,144,981 EUX AND HANDLE lacques Robitaille, 1781 Boudrias St., St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada Filed June 12, 1963, Ser. No. 287,317 1 Claim. (Cl. 2'29--52) The present invention relates to improvements in the attachment of cord or braided handles for portable receptacles, such as collapsible cardboard suit boxes or the like.

While the broad idea of providing a flexible handle of flexible cord or similar material on a collapsible cardboard container is old and well known, the actual attachment of said handle is still a time consuming operation which necessarily adds to the cost of producing such items. Generally, flexible handles of this nature consist essentially of a length of flexible cord or rope, braided or otherwise, which is attached to the inner flap of a box of the type described by the attachment of the two free ends leaving a loop which is later passed through suitable openings in the outer flap of the box to complete the closure and provide a carrying handle. The attachment of the two free ends of the flexible cord has been attempted in many ways, for example, they have been passed through openings in the inner flap and then stapled, or adhesively secured, with or without an additional cover flap; others have passed the free ends through grommeted or reinforced openings and then the ends knotted so that they cannot be withdrawn. These and other expedients known to the applicant still require considerable time and manual operations for their proper attachment which, as noted above, adds to the cost of making such boxes, particularly when produced in production quantities.

The present invention aims to provide a solution to this problem which, while being simple, provides a means whereby such handles can be attached easily and quickly to a prepared box construction of the type described.

More specifically, the inner wall or flap of the box, or at least the portion of said flap where the handle is to be attached, is made as having a double-ply construction constituted by an inwardly folded extension of the box flap surrounding the periphery of the inner half, or article holding section of the box. This inner ply or flap extension is provided with a cut-out portion, and at each side of the cut-out portion, an opening, of sufiicient diameter to accommodate the cord, with slits extending inwardly from the free edge of the inner ply to these openings. The outer ply, or regular flap of the box, is provided with an elongated slot at each end of which there is provided a further cord accommodating opening which registers with the openings provided in the inner ply when the two plies are folded over into juxtaposed relationship. The free ends of the cord lengths are pro-knotted either by hand or by machine so that their attachment is a simple matter of sliding one knotted end into each of the inner ply slotted openings and pulling the resultant loop upwards through the slot in the outer ply so that the ends slide outwards into the outer ply openings. The knotted ends are thus prevented from pulling outwards from the inner slotted opening and the handle is attached.

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, particular reference will be made to the accompanying drawings showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective elevation, showing by way of example, a folding box construction embodying a flexible handle attached in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the construction shown in FIGURE 1 as seen along the line 22 to illustrate the handle attachment of the invention in more detail.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view corresponding in location to FIGURE 2 with the box sections shown in partially closed condition with the handle partially threaded through the outer box portion flap.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the inner box portion double-ply flap at the section to which the handle is attached showing the pre-knotted ends within the slotted openings of the inner ply with the loop portion partially pulled up through the outer ply.

FIGURE 5 is a view in plan of portions of the blank making up the folding box construction shown in FIG- URE 1, these portions constituting the two plies for the outer flap and the corresponding two plies for the inner flap showing the cord receiving and retaining openings in both portions.

With particular reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawings there is, shown by way of an example, a typical box construction 10 embodying a flexible handle construction in accordance with the invention. The handle 12, which is preferably made of a flexible plain or braided cord of any suitable material, is securely attached to the inner flap 13 of the box 10, and is drawn through the outer flap 31B of the box It to complete the closure when the box is in carrying condition as shown.

It will be appreciated, that while the box shown is of the collapsible type usually employed for holding dresses or the like when sold to customers, that the handle attaching arrangement of the invention is equally suited for other types of boxes that have the same general overlapping inner and outer flaps or side walls when assembled.

The main feature of the present arrangement resides in the manner in which the inner flap 18 of the box arrangement shown is provided with registering openings to accommodate the handle 12. As shown most clearly in FIGURES 4 and 5, the portion of the blank 29 making up the inner flap 18 of the box 11 is provided with a first set of openings 22 having slots 24 extending to the outer margin of the flap section which will constitute the inner ply 18a and a corresponding set of openings 26 connected by an elongated slot 27 having an enlargement 27a in the section which will constitute the outer ply 18]). When the plies 18a, 1817 are folded along; the line 19 the inner flap of the box will look like the construction shown in FIGURE 4 with the outer margin of the inner ply 18a facing the bottom wall 21 of the box it The portions or lengths of flexible cord or the like utilized for the handles 12 are pre-cut to the desired length and each free end is pre-knotted either by hand or by machine, this latter operation in itself being an important feature in the saving of time and labour. This prepared length is then formed in a loop and passed through the enlargement 27a of the slot 27 while the ends 1242 of the cord are placed into the slots 24 until the cord fits into the openings 22. It will be noted that a clearance notch or cut-out 25 is provided between the openings 22 to facilitate entry of the cord loop upwards through the slot 27. A slight pull on the extending loop 12b will pull the legs of the loop outwardly into the openings 26 completing the handle attachment without the necessity of any further gluing, stapling or knotting operations, as is common in prior art arrangements of this nature. The handle 12 is held securely in place by the engagement of the knotted ends 12a with the undersurface of the inner ply 18a, and is prevented from sideways withdrawal out of the slots 24 by its engagement with the outer ply 13b.

The outer flap 3-41 of the box construction shown is also of double ply construction having plies 38a, 3h]; with the outer ply 30b being provided with openings 126 connected by a slot 127 corresponding to the openings and slot provided on the inner flap. The inner ply 3th: is narrower than the outer ply 30b and in addition is provided with a marginal cut-out 31 to permit the loop 1% to be pulled up into the openings 126 when the box construction is in closed position.

A further advantage in the present handle attaching arrangement is that, if desired, the handles can be shipped separately to the stores or manufacturers and can be made up in several diflerent colours if desired so that if a store or manufacturer wishes to apply a distinctive handle at any desired time he can do so easily and quickly at the time of erecting the box from its usual collapsed shipping condition. When the handles are attached in the box manufacturing plant as is usual, the loops 12b can be pulled inwardly flat against the outer ply 18a to facilitate stacking or packaging for shipment.

I claim:

A flexible handle construction for a cardboard box having interconnected portions provided with overlapping top wall flaps, characterized in that said handle comprises a length of flexible cord, or the like, having pre-knotted free end portions, and that at least the portion of the inner one of said box top wall flaps to which said handle is to be attached is of overlapping double-ply construction having an inner ply folded beneath an outer ply, said flap inner ply being provided with a pair of spaced openings of suflicient diameter to accommodate the diameter of said flexible cord with slots extending from the free edge of said inner ply to said openings said inner ply free edge being also provided with an inwardly extending cut-out between said inwardly extending slots to provide clearance for passage of said cord when formed in a loop, and said flap outer ply being provided with a corresponding pair of spaced openings in register with said inner ply openings, said outer ply openings being interconnected by a slot extending therebetween whereby said flexible cord length is engaged with said top wall inner flap by sliding said preknotted ends within said inner ply inwardly extending slots until said ends are within said spaced openings, and by pulling the resultant cord length loop thus formed upwardly through said flap outer ply openings interconnecting slot until said ends are within said second spaced openings preventing sideways withdrawal from said inner ply engagement; said box top wall outer flap having corresponding spaced openings connected by an elongated slot adapted to accommodate the upward passage of said cord length loop when said box is in closed and overlapped condition, said top wall outer flap also being of double ply construction with the free edge of the inner ply provided with an inwardly extending cut-out of greater length than said cord accommodating spaced openings to provide clearance for the passage of said cord loop upwardly through said openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,453 Fink .c Oct. 2, 1934 2,992,768 Gatward July 18, 1961 3,017,841 Fink Oct. 22, 1963

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