US2030069A - Container cover fastener - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11,, J MlLLER CONTAINER COVER FASTENER Filed Jul 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l IHJHH LI HUI! U Feh H, 1936.

J. J. MILLER CONTAINER COVER FASTENER Filed July 16, 1934 zmms 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATE ATENT OFFICE 21 Claims.

This invention relates to wire fasteners for boxes or crates, and more particularly to fasteners for closing wirebound boxes or crates, by using the ends of the binding wires to form fas- 5 teners that permit the box or crate tobe easily opened.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby fasteners of this character are more easily and inexpensively manufactured on the blanks from which the boxes and crates are made, and whereby fasteners of this kind will also be more effective and satisfactory in use.

Another object is to provide a novel construction and arrangement whereby, in order to protect the hands of workers or other persons against injury, it is not necessary to insert the sharp ends of the wires in the material of the box or crate.

Another object is to provide a novel formation 2 whereby smaller and softer wire may be used as effectively as fasteners of this kind previously made from heavier and harder wire.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efiiciency and the desirability of wirebound box or crate fasteners of this particular character.

It is also an object to obviate the necessity of using certain things heretofore considered necessary on wirebound box cover fasteners of this general character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a box or crate blank having binding wires formed at their ends with fasteners embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective, on a larger scale, of the finished box or crate, showing the fasteners interlocked and bent to hold the box or crate in closed condition.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one corner portion of the cover of the box or crate.

Fig. .4 is a similar view of one corner portion of the upright wall of the box or crate.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the box or crate, on the same scale as Figs. 3 and 4, with certain portions thereof shown broken away for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, on the same scale as Figs. 3, 4 and 5, showing the fas teners for the ends of the middle wire of the box or crate.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 5, but showing the cover closed and the fasteners in interlocked relation.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the cover in fully closed position, on a smaller scale.

As thus illustrated, the box or crate may be of any suitable, known or approved form, the one shown having veneer strips I fastened at their ends to cleats 2 by staples 3 that straddle the binding wires 4, the blank thus formed being bent in the usual well known manner around the heads or end walls 5 to form the finished box or crate. There is also a middle binding wire 6 stapled to the strips l by staples 1, but the latter are clinched on the inner surface of the box, while the staples 3 do not entirely pass through the cleats.

One end of each binding wire isprovided with a loop 8, preferably on the upper wall or cover of the box, formed by bending the end portion of the wire back and under the cleat 2, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, this end portion of the wire being laid tightly against the beveled end surface 9 of the cleat, and against the lower edge I 0 of the cleat, and held in place by a staple H, as shown. The loop 8 thus formed is preferably substantially round and relatively short.

On the adjacent vertical wall or front side of the box, each binding wire is provided with a narrow or tonguelike loop 1 2, by bending the ends of the wires back and fastening them by staples 13 to the inner edges of the vertical cleats.

Of course, as shown in Fig. 6, the ends of the middle binding wire are fastened to the inner surface of the veneer, by staples I l that are driven outwardly and clinched over the binding wire 6, and by staples l5 that are driven outwardly through the vertical wall of the box or crate and clincehd over the same binding wire.

In closing the box or crate, such as an ordinary berry or fruit crate, the upstanding tongue l2, as shown in Fig. 5, is in position to pass through the loop 8 when the cover is folded down. Then the tongue I2 is bent down in the manner shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and if this is done tightly, the loop 8 will also bend down. a distance. When this is done, the cover is tightly held in closed position, but inasmuch as the tongues I2 are flexible, the box can be opened, for inspecf tion of the contents thereof, by simply bending the tongues into their original or vertical positions, and by then raising the cover.

Inasmuch as the end portions of the wire are anchored to the bottoms of the cleats, those at the ends of the box 01' crate, while the ends of the middle wire are anchored to the inner surface of the box, it follows that the sharp ends of the binding wires are out of the way and are not liable to injure the hands of those who handle crates or boxes of this kind. In this way, it is not necessary to insert the ends of the wire in the veneer, in order to protect the hands of those who handle boxes and crates of this kind.

Also, with the construction shown and described, whereby the ends of the wires are anchored in the manner shown and described, it is found that somewhat smaller and softer wire can be employed, with just as much security as was formerly obtained with other fasteners made of heavier and harder wire.

In the construction shown and described, the end portions of the binding wires are on the under or inner sides of the cover and side wall,

not only those of the middle wire, but also those of the end wires, inasmuch as the bottom or inner edges of the cleats form a part of the inner surface of the cover and side wall, notwithstanding that these edges of the cleats do form a part of the exterior surface of the box or crate, for the reason that the heads or end walls 5 are fastened to the inner sides of the cleats, leaving the outer sides of the cleats and their inner edges exposed on the exterior of the box or crate. In this way, therefore, the end portions of the end wires of the box or crate are fastened to the under side of the cover, and to the inner side of the front side wall of the box or crate, and the same is true of the ends of the middle binding wire. And, while the ends of the middle wire are concealed within the box, and the ends of the wires for the ends of the box or crate are exposed on the exterior of the box or crate, the result is that all of the sharp ends of the wires are so disposed that they cannot injure the hands of those who handle the boxes or crates.

Therefore, the invention tends to reduce the cost of production of box or crate blanks of this kind, while insuring against injury to the hands of the workers who handle boxes and crates of this kind, and at the same time providing a form of fastener that permits the box or crate to be easily opened.

While the wire fastener shown and described is shown in use on a wirebound berry or fruit crate, it will be understood that fasteners comprising a loop and a tongue, having their legs firmly anchored to the cover and side wall of a container, may be employed on containers of various kinds, without departing from the spirit of the invention, which latter is not limited to use on any particular container or receptacle.

While the structure shown is illustrative of the invention, it is obvious that wire loops of this character can be formed and fastened in place in various ways, obviating the necessity of inserting any wire ends in the materials of the container, and that the loops can be connected together in various ways, or by suitable expedients, depending upon the type of container, without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is that the wire ends are secured in place within the cross-sectional profile of the box or crate, or other container, where they cannot be encountered by the hands of workers, in a manner that obviates the necessity of inserting any wire ends through or into the materials of the container.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wirebound box or crate, inter-engaging loops formed on the opposite ends of one or more of the binding wires, on the cover and the side wall of the box, and means for anchoring the end portions of the wire on the under side of the cover and the inner side of the wall by means obviating the necessity of inserting the ends of the binding wires in the material of the box or crate, to prevent the ends of the wire from injuring the hands of those who handle the box or crate.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wire for the cover being stapled to the under sides of the cleats of the latter, and to the inner edges of the cleats of the wall.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wire for the cover being stapled to the under sides of the cleats of the latter, and to the inner edges of the cleats of the wall, and the end portions of the middle wire for the box or crate being stapled to the under side of the cover.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said means for fastening the end portions of the wire 1 in place comprising staples driven outwardly and clinched over the binding wires on the exterior of the box or crate.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wires for the ends of the box or {T crate being outside of the heads or end walls of the latter.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, the loops for the cover being relatively short and substantially round, while the upstanding loops for the side wall are longer and narrower and form tongues which can be inserted upwardly through the loops and then bent down to hold the cover closed.

'7. In combination with a container having a cover, fastening means for accessibly holding the cover in closed position, comprising a wire loop fastened by one leg thereof to the top of the cover, and fastened by the other leg to the under side of the cover, together with a wire loop forming a tongue fastened by one leg thereof to the outer surface of a side wall of the container, and fastened by its other leg to the inner side of said wall, said tongue being adapted to be inserted upwardly through said loop on the cover, and then bent downwardly against the container.

8. A structure as specified in claim '7, comprising both inwardly and outwardly inserted staples forming the means for holding the legs of the loop and the legs of the tongue firmly anchored to the cover and side wall of the container.

9. In a container cover fastener, a wire loop having one side portion thereof fastened to the top of the cover, in a manner to prevent exposure of the extreme end thereof on the exterior of the container, and having the other side portion thereof fastened to the under side of the cover, and flexible means on the adjacent wall of the container for insertion through said loop, adapted to be bent down to form a hook interengaging with the loop, to hold the cover in place.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9, the said side portions of the loop being stapled in place by staples in a manner to prevent dangerous exposure of any sharp ends and thereby obviate for that purpose the necessity of inserting any wire ends in the materials of the container.

11. In a container cover fastener, a wire loop having one side portion secured to the outer surface of the side wall of the container, in a manner to prevent exposure of the extreme end thereof on the exterior of the container, and having its other side portion secured to the inner surface of said wall, forming a flexible tongue, adapt ed to be bent down to form a hook, and means forming a loop on the cover to receive and engage said tongue.

12. A structure as specified in claim 11, the said side portions of the loop being stapled in place by staples in a manner to prevent dangerous exposure of any sharp ends and thereby obviate for that purpose the necessity of inserting any wire ends in the materials of the container.

13. In a wirebound box or crate, cover fastener means comprising loops formed on the ends of the binding wires, by stapling the extreme ends of the wires within the outer cross-sectional profile of the box or crate, forming interengaging loops on the opposite ends of each wire, in a manner to prevent dangerous exposure of any ends and thereby obviate for that purpose the necessity of inserting any wire ends through the materials of the box or crate, providing a plurality of cover fasteners each including a pair of wire loops on the opposite ends of a binding wire.

14. A structure as specified in claim 13, the wire end of one loop being stapled to the under side of the cover, and the wire end of another loop being stapled to the inner surface of the adjacent side wall of the box or crate.

15. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending over the cover of the box and around the edge thereof and back under the cover, fastened to the under side thereof, forming a loop at the edge of the cover, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover in closed position.

16. In a wirebound box, a binding Wire therefor extending over the cover of the box and around the edge thereof and under the end portion of the end cleat of the box, secured to the lower edge of said cleat, forming a loop at the edge of the cover, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover in closed position.

17. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending upwardly across the outer surface of the front side wall of the box and over the upper edge of the latter and secured upon the inner surface of the side wall, forming a loop at the upper edge of the side wall, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover of the box in closed position.

18. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending upwardly on the outer surface of the front side wall of the box and. over the upper edge of the latter, and downwardly against the end and inner edge of an end cleat of the box, fastened in place to said inner edge, forming a loop at the upper edge of the side wall, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover of the box in closed position.

19. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor encircling the box and having its terminal ends disposed of within the cross-sectional contour of the box, within the planes of the inside surfaces of the cover and the front wall of the box, to prevent injury to the hands, in a manner to obviate the necessity of inserting said ends through any wall of the box.

20. A wire cover fastener for a container, comprising a wire loop having the sharp end of one side portion of the loop anchored within the interior of the container, so that access to said sharp end is precluded when the cover is held closed by the fastener, to prevent injury to the hands, in a manner to obviate the necessity of inserting said end through the cover of the container.

21. In a wirebound box, the binding wire therefor having an end portion fastened to the inner exposed edge of an end cleat of the box, forming a loop, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover of the box in closed position.

- JULIUS J. MILLER.

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