US1573112A - Bottle crate - Google Patents

Description

H. H. GERDING El AL BOTTLE CRATE Filed March 50 Feb. 16 1926.

n 4%/ AJ 5V K .7 ,Y i O 8 Il) li l Patented F eb. 716, 19265" UNI-TED STATES 'YPATENT OFFICE. I

HERBERT H. GERDING, OF NEWPORT, AND EDVARD A. GERDING, OF FORT THOMAS,

- KENTUCKY l :BOTTLE CRATE.

Application filed March 30, 1925.. A Serial'No. 19,401.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be 1t known that We, HERBERT l-I. GERD- ING and EDWARD A. GERDXNG, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at

Newport and at Fort Thomas, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Crates, ot which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to reinforced crates or boxes, and more especially to crates or boxes ol composite Wood and metal construction, such, for example, as are used for carrying and storing milkbottles. Its object is to simplify and increase the ell'ectiveness of construction of Such devices, whereby they may be constructed with a minin'mm of expense for mate-rial and labor and be rigid and durable enough to withstand the severe usage to which such crates, boxes.. or the like' are usually subiected.' Other' objects Will appear in the course of t-he ensuing description,

vWe attain these objects by the device illustrated, for example, in the accompanyiug drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a general'perspective view of a milk-bottle crate embodying our invention, part or the near side and parts of the interior constructionbeing brokenaway better to reveal the interior corner construction f Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of one of the outer corner members;

Fig. 3 is a similar vieu7 of one of th inner corner members;

Fig. i is a partial horizontal cross-section on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a partial vertical lengthwise section on the plane of the line 5 5 Vof Fig. 4; and

F ig. 6 is apartial perspective view cor responding -to Fig. 1, showing a modification.

In the example of Fig. 1, each side wall 1 is made up of a bottom slat 2, two intermediate slats 3, and a top slat 4; and each end wall 5 is made up of a bottom slat 6, two intermediate slats7, and a top slat 8.

top slats 8 may be grasped as handles, in lift- Amg the crate. The other slats preferably are not spaced so l'ar apart, `and the three lower ones are consulter-'ably wider.

Each side slat overlaps the end oi the 'cmrespomllng end slat, at each corner of the crate (Fig. fl). Usually it has been necessary to nail the boards or slats together at the corners, vin prior eratesi lVe' avoid nailing by' combining with the wooden slats suitable outer and inner sheet metal corner men'ihers. 'lhe outer corner member, 9 (Fig. 2). is pressed into the shape ot an` angle bar with top and bottom inturned flanges 1() integral with the respecti ve legs ol. the. angle and with each other and'adajited to overlap the top and bottom edges ot the side and end wall slats 4 andl 8 and 2'and 6, respectively, when the corner member.9 lits snugly against the outer surfaces of the slats.

At suitable intervals, the legs ot the anglobar shaped corner member 9 are slitted inwardly .from their vertical edges and material between yslits is turned inward at right 'angles to the respective legs, forming a pair of lower tongues 11-,'a pair ot intermediate tongues 12, and a pair of upper .tongues 13, corresponding to 'the spaces between the slats. The? vertical dimension of each tongue lis greater than the width ot the space to which it corresponds; and the slats have gains 14 cut in their edges, receiving the top or vbottom end parts, as the ease may be, of the respective tongues (Fig. In the material of'each leg between the turned 4in tongues, holes 15 are puncheda through which rivets 16 pass, extending in through the respective slats.

The inner corner member 17 (Fig. 3) also is pressed into the shape of an angle bar; and its top end is pressed inward to form the stacking guide 18, adapted to extend above the upper edge of the crate. somewhat oi'set inwardly, when this inner member .fits snugly 'against the inner sur faces of the slats, at a corner, with the plain lower end of` this member 17 substantially flush with the lower edge of the crate. The rivets 16 pass through holes 19 in the inner corner members; and being headed inside and outside, bind the outer members 9 and inner members 17 firmly together, with the slats between them firmly held from up and down movement or endwise movement, not only by these rivets but by the tongues 11, 12 and 13 fitting snugly in the gains or recesses 14 of the slat edges. Also, this fitting of the tongues in the gains, as well as the fitting of the slat end parts together, prevents up and down weaving or diagol'nal distortion of the structure. The tongues 11, 12 and 13 preferably are as long transversely as the thickness of the slats, so .that their inner edges abut the inner corner members 17. For finished appearance the inner member 17 has recesses 2O and 21 Ain its vertical edges, yregistering with the respec. tive spaces between slats, so that the inner edges of these recesses 20 and 21 and the inner ends of the tongues 11,]12 andv13 come close together.

In the modification of Fig. 6 the only difference is that the slats 2', 3', and 4 ofthe side walls 1 andthe slats 6, 7 and 8A of the end walls 5 are so wide that their edges are very close together or abutting. However, the 'middle parts of the lower edges of. the top end slats 8 are recessed to form hand holes 22. Only parts of one end\,

and one side l`of this modi-fied crate or box are shown; but it will be understood that the. remainder of the structure is similar to that shown. If Ventilating openings are desired in the sides of the crate, edges of slats may be recessed, as is well known in the art. ln the example of Fig. 1, ample ventilation is afforded by spacing the slats apart, and a much lighter crate is thereby afforded, with considerable saving of lumber. This saving is not merely proportional tothe widths of the spaces; the narrower strips of lumber may beobtained at a much lower rate than the wider boards usually employed in such crates, as for example only one or two pieces to a side or end.- In the interest of economy and lightness, therefore, we prefer the narrow slat construction of Fig. 1; but even with the wider abutting boards 01 slats of Fig. 6, the lower cost of the narrow lumber permits a saving. In ,either construction, the gains 14 of Fig. 1, or thevgains 14 of Fig. 6, which are deeper due t'o the increased' widths of the sla-ts, are cut very rapidly with a cross'cut saw, or with two saws spaced to cut the gains in both en-d parts of a strip at one passage. The sheet metal corner members 9 and 17 are readily formed by means of relatively simple tool equipment, and need not be of great thickness, as is necessary .in some prior corner reinforcements in order to be effective. .Thus We save both in the wood construction and in y themetal corner attachment.

ln Fig. 1'We haveillustrated partially an interior bottle supporting construction well known in the art, comprising longitudinal and transverse partition rods 23 and 24.y having their ends fastened lin end wall and side Wall slats, respectively, and longitudinal support rods 25 with their ends fastened in the bottomslats 6 of the end walls. As

shown, the outermost ones of these support rods pass through. openings 25l and 25 in the bottom parts of the outer corner member 9 and the inner corner member 17, respectively. As these interior details are not essential parts of our invention, and any other suitable interior bottle ,supporting structure may be substituted in conjunction with our improved wall and corner construction, most of each rod has been omitted, so

as not to obscure the illustration of the inner corner construction in Fig. 1..

'lhe effectiveness of the corner members, with the outer corner member tongues in the gains of the slats, to resist up and down weaving Aof the structure has been noted. Although the metal of the tongues is relatively thin, the tongues are able to resist that action by virtue of their close fitting in the gains 14, so that for such movement to occur, the tongues must be twisted very close to their junctions with the main part of the member 9, where they have almost the full reinforcement of the main part edgewise.

tongue firmly fitting in the end 'slat gain- 14, the outer corner member 9 resists such sidewise weaving in tension, at each corner where this movement would result in reducing the angle between the end and side walls.

Of course such resistance as the inner members 17 have is added to the resistance of the outer members 9; and the inner members may have suitable diagonal bracing',.as for example, ribs such as shown .and claimed inour copending application', Serial No. 8,906, filed February 13,A 1925. Butwhere omissionof such interior bracing is desirable, to avoid obstruction to ready insertion of bottles'in the corner compartments of the4 crate, we provide for that without impairing the rigidity of the crate; and by doing this with metal in tension the required amount of metal is minimized, with the.

benefits of lightness and economy before alluded to.

ln al crate made up of relatively narrow slats or boards, either as in Fig. 1 or as in l`ig. 6, expansion or swelling of the wood Lup and down is amply compensated for, because the swelling of each narrow Slat or board is not so great, and is not added to that of the other boards or slats, because of the space between theboards or slats, even where these are close together as in Fig. 6. Having only one rivet at each end of a slat facilitates this, as the slat can swell each way from its rivet. y

The crate is very readily assembled. ,By reference to Fig. 4 it will beseen that the side wall slat 3 may have its end brought in between the inner ends of the tongues 11 and 12 at the side and the inner surfaces of the tongues 1l and 12 at the end, and then lbe pressed out in broadside direction, with the side tongues 11 and 12 ente-ring its gains 14 as seen in Fig. 5. 'lhen the end wall slat 7 simply Ais brought with its end against the side wall slat, and pushed out, receiving the end tongues 11 yand 12 in its gains 14. All of the corresponding slats thus are readily assembled with the corner members 9 in this manner; and then, after the inner members 17 are positioned, and a few of the rivets 16 inserted to hold these inner members in place, the crate is held assembled for completion of the riveting and securing of the interior bottle support rods 23, 24 and 25, orother` equivalent structure, part or all of which may have been attached to the slats before assembling them with the corner members as above described.

Of course the number and dimensions of the slats may vary, and `the number of tongues and other details of the corner members may vary accordingly, and numerous other modifications besides those alluded to herein may occur, as well as adaptation of our improved construction to boxes, crates Y- or the like for purposes other than containing milk bottles.

Therefore, we do not wish to be understood as being limited to the precise disclosure herein, but having thus fully described a preferred embodiment ofour invention, as is required, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bottle crate, upright wall members assembled to .form a corner of the crate, each of oblong vertical cross-section with its narrow edgesl horizontal and having a transl Averse recess in one of said horizontal edges .near said corner, said recess terminating short of the opposite narrow edge,and a corner member lapping around the corner outside said wall members and having extensions in the respective recesses.

Q. In a bottle crate, a plurality of upright series of wall members assembled to form a corner of the crate, each of oblong vertical cross-section with its narrow edges horizontal and having a transverse recess in one of said horizontal edges near said corner opening out toward the other member of the series, said recess terminating short of the opposite narrow edge of the respective member, and a corner member lapping around the corner outside said wall members and having extensions one of which fits between the wall members of one series in the recesses thereof, and' another of which fits between the wall members of the other series in the recesses thereof.

In a bottle crate, a plurality of upright series of wall members assembled to form a corner of the crate, each having a recess in its horizontal edge near said corner opening kout toward the other member of the'series, and a corner member` lapping around the corner outside said wall members and having extensions, certain ones of which fit between the wall members ot' the respective series in the recesses thereof, and certain other of which extensions lie along the outer sides of the respective wall members, these other extensions being secured to said wall members, beyond said recesses from said corner.

4. "in a bottle crate, a plurality of upright sei-lesbi wall members assembled to form a corner of the crate, each of oblong vertical cross-section with its narrow edges horizontal and having a transverse recess opening out through its edge toward another member of the series near said corner, said recess terminating short of the opposite narrow edge of the wall member, and a corner member of sheet metal pressed into angle-bar shape and having its upright edges along the respective series of wall members slitted at intervals, alternate portions between slits being turned inward on lines longitudinal of the corner member, forming a series of extensions on the respective legs of the angle-bar shape, each extension of one of said series having its upper and lower end parts .fitting in adjacent recesses of one of said series of wall members, and each extension-of the ,other series having its upper and lower end parts fitting in adjacent recesses ofthe other series of wall members, and the remaining portions of said corne-r members between slits being fixed to the upright sides of the respective wall members. 4

5. In a bottle crate, upright wall members assembled to form a corner of the crate, members at one side of said corner being in upright series with their adjacent edges separated, leaving a space, each member of the series having a transverse recess in one of its horizontal edges near said corner opening out toward the other member of the series, said recess terminating short of the opposite narrow edge of the respective member, an outereorner member lapping around ner surfaces of said wall members' and sethe corner outside said Wall members and ouredfthereto, and lapping close to the inner having extensions one of which fits between end of said extension at said inner surfaces,` 10 said members of said series in the recesses to `exclude foreign substances from the space 5 thereof and extends substantially to the inbetween the corner members.

ner surfaces of said Wall members, and an HERBERT H. GERDING. inner corner member fitting against; the in- EDWARD A. GERDING.

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