US2760627A - Suit box - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 28, 1956 w. c. DENBY SUIT BOX 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, l955 INVENTOk M'ZZzL MY 6. ZZZ/ fig.

FIG-l ATTORNEY United States Patent G SUIT BOX William C. Denby, Jackson, Mich. Application-February 11, 1953, Serial No. 336,350 3 Claims. c1. 206-7) The present invention relates to improvements in containers such as suit boxes, suit cases and other forms of hand luggage for storing, carrying, delivering and shipping garments having particular reference 'to coats, suit coats and suit coats with pants 'o'r skirt combinations.

It-has been the practice in the past to ship and handle mens suits, for example, in light card board, two-section boxes. To insert the coat within the bottom section of the box, it was necessary to fold 'the coat in such a manner that creases were produced in the sleeves and lower portion of the coat with the result that the suit was out *of press upon being removed from the box. Suit cases-and other forms of hand luggage has also been so constructed that the coat of a suit when packed fiat has 'been folded transversely of the longitudinal axis of the coat.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved container of the type described into which a coat may be packed flat and then folded along its longitudinal axis around a gradual radius in such a manner that when removed from the container the coat has not lost its press.

Another object is to provide a foldable coat container having three sides joined together along spaced, substan tially parallel hinged lines, the sides being disposable into substantially the same plane so as to permit the coat to be packed flat upon the interior surface of the three sides of the container with the longitudinal axis of the coat being disposed between and substantially parallel to the hinged lines of the sides.

A further object is to provide a foldable container as defined in the previous object in which a foldable hanger for the shoulders of the coat is provided as well as a foldable container for the coat sleeves.

A still further object is to provide a suit box, suit case, or other form of hand luggage for suit coats and the like so constructed as to receive and retain the coat so disposed whereby the longitudinal axis of the coat defines the fold line and substantially coincides with the hinge line of the continer.

These and other objects and advantages residing in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts going to make up the principle of the present invention will more fully appear from the following specification and claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a suit box blank embodying the principle of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box blank of Fig. l folded into the box form with the hingeable coat hanger and sleeve container added,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a suit box fully opened and the coat and pants in position as packed fiat,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the box shown partially closed, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the suit box fully closed.

Referring to Fig. l, the suit box blank used to illusice 2 trate the principle of the present invention may take many forms as the essence of the invention does not reside in the specific construction of the box blank except as to the provision of one or more fold lines along the medium of the resulting box when it is opened up to receive the pants and coat of a mans suit, by way of example.

As shown, the boxblank 10 is of conventional paper stock used for suit boxes with longitudinal fold lines indicated at 12, 1 4, 16 and 18 with .the lines 14 and 16 also functioning as hinge lines to open and close the box. Sides 20 and 22 of the blank 10 define sides '20 and 22 of the resulting box while end portions 24, 26, 28 and 30 of the blank, upon being folded along the lines indicated, provide end portions32, 34, 36 and 38 of the box.

The box structure to the left-of the hinge line 14 of Fig. l and the box structure to the right-of hinge line 16 of Fig. 1 defines a pairof generally complementary elongated top and bottom sections adapted to nest one within the other and each having a main rectangular panel 40 and 42, respectively, an outer :side .20 .and 22, respectively, and opposed end portions 32, 36 and 34, 38, respectively. The portion'of the box structure between the lines 14 and 16 constitutes'a central longitudinally extending hinge panel portion 44 disposed between the main panels 40 and 42. When \the box is closed, the portion 44 is one sideof the box while the side 20 and 22 overlap to define the opposite side=of the box.

.In Fig. -2, tthebox is shown with a suitableinsert preferably of paper stock and shaped as acoa-t hanger and attached-at its top to the hinge panel 44 between the - lines 14 and 16 in any suitable manner as, for example, by gluing, stapling, or the like at the location X. The hanger 46 preferably has the fold lines at 48 and 50 to provide wings 52 and 54 which receive the shoulders of the coat and which hinge with the panels 40 and 42 when the box is closed and the coat is longitudinally folded about a gradual non-creasing radius. A further insert 56 of suitable paper stock is shown attached at its opposite ends along the lines 58 and 60 in any well known manner similar to the attachment of the hanger 46, to the panels 40 and 42 or, if desired, to the adjacent sides 20 and 22. Fold lines 62 and 64 for the insert 56 permit the same to be folded with the panels 40 and 42. The slits 66 provide sleeve retaining members 68 in a well known manner. With the box closed, as shown in Fig. 5, the end 34 will overlap the end 32 and the end 38 will overlap the end 36. Likewise, the side 22 will overlap the side 20. To secure the free corner 70 when the box is closed, slits 72 are provided to receive the pointed ends of the tabs 74 which are provided with fold lines 76. It is anticipated that other forms of retaining structure for the corners 70 will readily occur to those skilled in the art of box making.

To use container structure embodying the principle of the present invention to the best advantage as in the case of suit boxes, suit cases and other forms of hand luggage, the container is opened as shown in Fig. 3 preferably upon a fiat horizontal surface. Then the pants 78 or skirt, as the case may be, of the suit are folded once, if necessary, and laid fiat crosswise of the panels 40, 42 and 44. The coat 80 is then placed upon the hanger 46 in the usual manner, with the lower portion of the coat being placed beneath the insert 56 and the sleeves placed through the slits 66 to be retained by the members 68. Thereafter, the container is closed by folding the coat 3% longitudinally along the gradual radius roughly defined by one-half the spacing of the hinged lines 14 and 16. The pants 78, or skirt in the case of a womans suit, are folded along a similar radius.

In practice, it has been found that a suit when stored or shipped in my improved container is substantially free from wrinkles and will not require pressing before being worn, even by the most meticulous person. I

While the principles of the invention have been illustrated as applied to a suit box of paper stock construction, it is to be understood that the principles illustrated have equal application to other forms of garment containers, such as suit cases, frameless garment carriers, and the like, wherein the construction is such that the longitudinal line of the coat generally conforms to the hinge line of the garment container with the structure adjacent the hinge line of the container being such that upon folding and closing the container the folding of the coat along this longitudinal axis takes place around a gradual radius.

For convenience of description the term suit or suit coat as herein used is intended to include suits, overcoats, dresses, and similar garments which are conventionally worn or packed upon a shoulder hanger when displayed, packed in hand luggage, stored, and the likev Having thus described my invention What I claim is new and desire to cover by letters Patent is:

1. A container for garments such as suits, coats and the like characterized by press-retention of the garments in handling and storage comprising a pair of generally complementary elongated top and bottom sections adapted to nest one within the other along hinge lines and each having a main rectangular panel portion, an outer side and opposed end portions, said outer side at its ends forming corners with said end portions, said outer side and said end portions being disposed at right angles to said panel portion along the marginal ends and outer side thereof, a central longitudinally extending hinge panel portion joining said main panels along spaced longitudinally extending hinge lines at the marginal portions thereof opposite said marginal outer sides, the spacing of said hinge lines of said hinge panel and the width of said outer side and opposed end portions corresponding substantially to the depth of the container with said top and bottom sections hinged about said hinge lines into nested relation, and garment supporting structure overlapping said panel portion and attached to one of said panel portions and having hinge lines corresponding generally to said hinge lines of said hinge panel whereby a garment may be packed fiat upon said main and binge panel portions with the container extended with said garment supporting structure holding the garment relative to said main and said hinge panel portions and the garment being foldedalong its longitudinal axis upon hinging said top or bottom section along said hinge lines into nested relation to close the container.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said garment supporting structure is in the form of a coat hanger attached to said hinge panel at one end thereof and having spaced hinge lines corresponding generally to the hinge lines of said hinge panel.

3. A garment container as-defined in claim 2 wherein sleeve supporting structure is connected at its ends to said main panels adjacent said outer sides and disposed transversely to said hinge paneland having hinge lines corresponding generally to the hinge lines of said hinge panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,425,068 Sutherland Aug. 8, 1922 1,731,996 Appelbaum Oct. 15, 1929 1,877,601 Shapiro Sept. 13, 1932 2,004,509 Phillips June 11, 1935 2,280,138 Vineberg Apr. 21, 1942

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