US1120283A - Bottle-box. - Google Patents

Description

B. H. N. GLARKSON.

BOTTLE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APILZ, 1914. 1, 1 20,283.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

HUHHHHH" YHE NORRIS PETERS 1:0

STATES PATEN UFFTCE.

EDWARD H. N. CLARKSON, 0F HAMILTON, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO FLYNN & EMRICH COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

BOTTLE-BOX.

Application filed April 2, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eowann H. N. CLARK- SON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hamilton, county of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a wooden or similar box or crate for bottles, jars and the like. These boxes are arranged to receive each a dozen or two dozen bottles or more, and are provided with partitions by which the bottles are separated and supported in upright position. The partitions are formed of wooden strips extending from wall to wall at right angles to each other, dividing the box into a number of cells or chambers corresponding to the number of bottles the box is to hold. The box walls are notched to receive the ends of the partitions, and it is to the construction of the box Walls to support these partitions that one feature of our invention relates.

As previously constructed, the side walls of the boxes were made of thin boards, though the ends were thick, but both sides and ends were notched to receive the partitions which are formed of thin strips, the notches being necessary to support the ends of the strips and prevent them from break ing. But the side walls thus notched were found to be weakened to a considerable ex tent, so that the boxes were quickly broken and destroyed, and an object of the present invention is to overcome this difficulty. In the present instance this has been accomplished by the provision of a narrow but thick strip herein termed a sill, placed along the sides of the box near the bottom and set in so that the outside surfaces are flush, the ordinary thin material or even the thinnest material being of sufficient strength and therefore used for the side Walls above the sill.

The. sills, in order that their extra thickness may not reduce the capacity of the box. are cupped at regular intervals to receive the sides of the bottles. and between the cups they are notched to receive the ends of the partitions. The excessive thickness of the sill serves to give the necessary strength to this part of the side wall even though it is notched and cupped as described, and in this way the tendency to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Serial No. 828,973.

break the sides because their strength is re duced by notching to receive the partitions, is overcome, and at the same time material is economized both by the fact that it is unnecessary to increase the thickness of the main portion of the side walls and the fact that narrower boards than those previously used can be utilized for the sides, and also the fact that instead of using ordinary box material as previously, the sides above the strips can be made even thinner than they were made before.

The crates or boxes are not ordinarily thrown away after being used once, but are used again and again, and to be available must be thoroughly washed. For this purpose the side walls have been spaced up from the bottom, forming openings through which the wash-Water flows, and openings of this kind are a feature of the applicants box, but while in the previous structures openings of the kind described were used, the partitions or at least half of them. generally those extending at right angles tothe apertured wall, extended down to the bottom of the box and thus obstructed the flow of the wash-water through the box, and an advantage of the construction shown herein is that the partitions, both those running across and lengthwise of the box. are supported well above the bottom, allowing a clear space for the flow of the wash-water through the box so that it may be thoroughly washed and drained without dithculty. and at the same time. the structure is such that it is easy to remove and replace.

To form the necessary support for the ends of the partitions forming the bottle rack. the notches in the sills instead of extending from the upper to the lower surface, are terminated well short of the bottom, forming a convenient support for the rack which serves to hold it well abo e the bottom, so that the box with the bottles therein can be convenientlv washed by dredging with water either from above or through the openings beneath the sills. and the wash-water flows through the box freely in all directions and out at the sides.

Though the arrangement of my device with the closed notches in the sills wher by the partitions are supported in a position in which they are spaced above the b ttom of the box, is the preferred one and this is considered an important feature of the invention, the sill may be used with notches extending from the top to the bottom surface, and when thus constructed, the partitions may be inserted from beneath before he bottom of the box is applied in accordance with the previous practice.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention together with the modification just recited.

Figure 1 is a plan of the box. Fig. 2 is an elevation with the end wall broken away above the partitions to show the ends of the sills and the end edges of the side walls above the sills. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with a portion of the nearest side wall broken away to show the partitions and a view of the opposite sill together with a section of one end. Fig. i is a plan of a sill. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, a plan and elevation of a longitudinal partition strip, the transverse partition strips being shown in elevation in Fig. 2; and Figs. 8 and 9 are, respectively, a plan and elevation of a sill with the notches running from top to bottom. 7 7

Referring to the drawings, the box consists of side walls 1, end walls 2, a bottom 3 in the usual arrangement. The box shown is divided into twenty-four chambers or cells 4 by means of longitudinal partitions 5 and transverse partitions 6 formed of narrow strips of thin material, the tran verse strips 6 being seated at their ends in notches 7 to be described and the longitudinal strips 5 being seated notches 8 in the end walls 2.

Connecting the end walls near the bottom but spaced therefrom sufliciently to provide an opening for the wash water, are the sills 9. Above the sills the side walls of the box are formed of thin material 10 which may be even less substantial than that ordinarily used in the construction of this portion of such boxes, and it may be either in the form of one wide piece or two or three narrow strips, whereas the entire side wall of the box is formed of thin material which must be notched near the bottom to receive the partitions, the support of the upper portion is necessary to sustain the lower notched portion, and wider and more expensive material must be used.

The sills 9 in the preferred form of the device, though it would not amount to invention to place them otherwise, are set flush with the outside of the box, and to this end they are preferably rabbeted at the ends at 11 but it is obvious that this joint may be made in various ways within the scope of the invention. As thus arranged the sill projects into the box and in order that it may not reduce the capaclty of the box, it is preIerably cupped at regular lntervals at 12. Opposite each adjacent cell l to receive the sides of the bottles and between the cupped portions, are the notches 7 which receive the ends of the transverse partition strips 6. As the partitions are preferably supported well above thebottom of the box so that the wash-water may not be unimpeded either in flowing through the box or in escaping therefrom to drain the box, the notches as shown in the preferred form of the device, are adapted to this end so that they extend downward from the top of the sill but terminate a suflicient distance short of the bottom surface of the sill to provide a substantial support for the partitions. In

this way I not only furnish a convenient and desirable means for sustainlng the partitions so that they do not impede the flow of the wash-water, but the same feature makes it possible to use narrow strips for the partitions, so that as to form a lateral support for the bottles at their middle Zone, 6., on a horizontal line with thecenter of gravity. They do not need lateral support at the bottom, and if the partitions extend from the bottom suliiciently far up the height of the bottle to serve the purpose, comparatively wide strips are necessary and a considerable amount of material is wasted.

The manner of cutting and arranging the partitions is clearly shown herein. In the form illustrated the transverse partitions 6 are notched to a depth equal to the width of the longitudinal partitions at regular intervals separatedby the width of the bottle cells desired and the longitudinal partitions 5 are rabbeted from top to bottom to it the notches and sit into them at right angles to the partitions 6 and extending from end to end, the longitudinal partitions being seated at their ends in notches 8 in the end walls 2, and the transverse partitions in the notches 7 in the side walls 1 or more particularly in the sills 9.

l/Vhfle I have described as the preferred form of my invention that in which the sills 9 have the notches to receive the transverse partitions closed at the bottom, so the rack is thus supported in a position in which it is spaced well above the floor of the box, I also find it advisable to show that my sills may be utilized with notches 15 ex tending from top to bottom so that the side walls may be inserted from beneath before the box bottom is applied. These modified sills are indicated by reference character 14, see Figs. 8 and 9, and the sills thus shown do not differ otherwise than in thispar ticular or at least they do not differ im-. portantly, though I have found it desirable to show these sills without the ends rabbet ed to indicate that the sills may be set into the end partitions instead of being themselves rabbeted if so desired.

The operation of the invention and the various advantages of the different features of the structure have been pointed out in the preamble and specification.

I have thus described specifically a preferred and secondary embodiment of my invention in order that the construction may be clearly understood and those skilled in the art to be enabled to make and use it, and While in some instances I have resorted to the use of specific terms, I desire to have it understood that the specific terms herein are used in their descriptive rather than in their limiting sense and the scope of the invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a wooden box or case for bottles having sides, ends and a bottle rack formed of longitudinal and transverse strips, thick sills extending from end to end of the box, the sills having notches to receive the ends of the transverse strips the rack and sills being spaced well up from the bottom to form an opening at each side for the wash-water, the sides above the sills being thin.

2. In combination in a wooden box or case for bottles having sides, ends and a bottle rack formed of longitudinal and transverse strips, thick sills extending from end to end of the box notched to receive the transverse strips, the sills being spaced well up from the bottom to form openings for the wash-water and the notches terminating above the bottom of the sills to form supports for the rack which is made of narrow strips which as thus supported, are spaced up from the bottom.

3. In combination in a Wooden box or case for bottles having sides, ends and a bottle rack formed of longitudinal and transverse strips, thick sills extending from end to end of the box notched to receive the transverse strips and cupped between the notches to receive the sides of the adjacent bottles, the sills being spaced well up from the bottom to form openings for the washwater and the notches terminating above the bottom of the sills to form supports for the rack which is made of narrow strips which as thus supported, are spaced up from the bottom, the side walls above the sills being of thin material.

Signed bv me at Baltimore this 1st day of April, 1914.

EDWARD H. N. CLARKSON.

Witnesses:

JAMES F. TURNER, ZELLA KUHN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

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