US1691409A - Fruit-basket lid - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 13, 1928.

G. -O. RESHAW FRUIT BASKET LID Filed Jan. 5, 1928 Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

GEORGE 0. RESHAW, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

FRUT -BASKET LID.

Application filed January 5, 19x28. Serial No. 244,737.

The invention relates to covers for baskets such as those used in shipping apples, and it is the principal aim of such invention to` provide a new and improved cover having unusual flexibility and strength, allowing its peripheral hoopto be forced into contact withand held against the basket rim without danger of breaking said hoop loose from the cover slats, even though the fruit in the basket may be rather highly crowned.

The cover herein disclosed'is of a type n which one of the slats projects from the peripheral hoop for engagement with the usual basket handles, and while this slat 15 must be comparatively strong and thick, the

having an attached liner of cardboard or' other desired yieldable material, which not only covers the lower sides of 4the slats but also covers the innersi de of the above-named hoop, protecting the fruit from injuryby saidV slats and hoop.

lVith the foregoing inview, the invention resides lin the novel subject mattenhereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a top plan view vof the cover applied to a basket.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2 2 ofirigi n c Fig. 3 is a fragmentary lbottom plan view .of the cover. v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on line 4-4ofFig.1. Y

The form of Aconstruction herein disclosed may be consideredas preferred, and while this construction will .be yspecifically described, it is to be understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may be made.

The peripheral hoopl 5.of the cover is formed of wood and is rather thin and narrow to permit free flexibility, said hoop bei ing preferably of about eleven-sixteenths of an inch in width and fivc-thirty-seconds of an inch in thickness. lilxtendinr diametrically across the! space circumscrbed by this hoop, are a number of thin veneerV slats 6, these slatsfbeing preferablyof Vabout two inches in width and one-sixteenth of'an inch` in thickness. Theslats 6 are freely flexible and are disposed in crossed relation, with their ends spaced apart circumferentially', and said slats are so disposed as toform two diametrically opposite openings 7 of a width considerably greater than that of the remaining spaces'between the slat ends.` A 70 handle-engaging slat 8 of greaterthickness than the slats 6, passes through the openings 7 and has its end portions disposed upon the upper edge of the hoop 5,'the intermediate portion of said slat 8 being passed under the intermediate portions of the thin veneer slats 6. kA nail 9 or other desired fastening means passes through the central portions of lthe slats 6 and 8 and is clinched upon-the lower side of the latter, tightly connecting all of said slats with each other and at the same time holding said Aslat 8 against longitudinal sliding. This slat 8 is held against edgewisc movement by engagement'wth the slats 6 at opposite edges of theopenings 7. The ends of the slat 8 project in the usual manner beyond the hoop 5, for engagement with the usual wire handles l()k of a fruit basket 11.

kA basket covcr having the characteristics so farA described, kpossesses numerous ad-l vantages. It may beV easily and inexpensively manufactured, even fromgreen wood, and whether such woodbe still somewhat green or seasoned when the cover is put vinto use, said cover will be unusually flexible and f hence the peripheral hoop 5 may be forced into contact with the basket rim l2 and held in contact with saidV rim bythe usual means, even though the fruit in the basket may be rather highly crowned. The thinness of the slats 6 and the hoop 5 is not only of advantage in permitting this unusual flexibility of the cover, but in effecting a great saving in cost of manufacture. On account of the thinness of the hoop 5, it would be impractical to staple ornail the'handle-engaging strip 8 against the upper edge of this hoop,

Vas there would be severe danger of splitting the latter. The construction shown and de- ,110

Vtov

scribed however, effectively maintains the strip 8 in proper place without thenecessity of securing it to the hoop.

In the preferred form of construction, I transversely score the end portions of the thin veneer slats 6 and turn the outer' ends of said slats downwardly at 14, at the inner side of the hoop 5, and in order to reinforce these slats against possible breakage at the weakened portions 18, I provide short reinforcing strips 15 of cardboard or other desired material. These strips lie upon the end portions of the slats and are secured to them by staples or `the like 16, and the outer" ends of said stripsv 15 are turned downwardly at 17 between the slat ends 14 and the hoop, 5, said downwardly turned ends 14-17 being secured to said hoop,

preferably by staples 18 passing through these parts. This construction insures that the thin veneer slats 6 shall not break loose from the hoop 5, when the cover is being applied to a basket in which the fruit is rather highly crowned. The cover may, if desired, .be manufactured in a somewhat crowned form as shown in Fig. 2, but this is not essential.

A liner19 of cardboard or any other desired yieldable material, covers the lower sides of the slats 68 and has its peripheral edge 2O turned downwardly against the .inner sides of the downwardly turned ends 14 of the slats 6, said peripheral edge beingl split at 21 to facilitate downward turning of said edge. Vhile the edge 20 may be secured in any desired manner, the free ends of the staples 18 preferably pass through said edge and are clinched thereon, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.l Thus, inaddition tocovering the slat ends 14 and the inner side of l the hoop 5 to 'prevent them rominjuring the fruit, it will be seen that the flange 2O acts as a washer Vbetween the clinched ends ofthe staples 18 and the ends 14 of the thin veneer slats 6, overcoming any danger of splitting said slat ends when clinching the ,the staples were clinched Vdirectly against said ends.

If desired, in addition tothe fastening means 18 passing through the flange or downturned edge 20 of the liner 19, one or more tacks or the like 22 may connect the central portion oi' this liner with the slat V8,

,andif desired, the fasteneror fasteners 22 may be oi ya length to extend also through the central portions of the slats 6. v

Preferably, the liner 19 is formed with vopenings '23 communicating with the spaces between the numerous slats, for purpose of ventilation.

In addition to possessing the advantages above pointed out, the novel construction herein disclosed, is such that it may be readily maufactured vby machine operations= oi the staples 18. so that these staples may v be driven through 14-20. y

y 0n account of the excellent results obtainable from the details disclosed, such details are preferably followedf However, 'within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations maybe made and while I have disclosed a number :of advantageous features embodied in a single basket cover,it is to be understood that said features'may be advantageously used' independently of all of.. the parts 5417*- each other. I claim:

1. A basket cover comprising a hoop, a plurality of slats lhaving their ends turnedv downwardly and disposed at the inner side of said hoop, a yieldable liner `covering the lower sides of said slats and having a downwardly turned edge contacting with the inner sides of said downwardly turned slat ends, and I fasteners passing through said hoop, said slat ends and said liner edge; said downwardly turned liner edge constituting a washer between which and said hoop Vsaid slat ends are securely held.

2. AA basket cover comprising a plurality of slats of veneer having downwardly turned ends, short reinforcing strips secured upon the upper sides of said slats at the outer end portions of the latter,'said strips having downwardly turned outer ends lying against the outer sides of said downwardly turned slat ends, a hoop lying against said downwardly turned strip ends`,'a yieldable liner covering the lower sides of said slats vand yhaving a downwardly turned edge .lying `against the inner sides of said downwardly turned slat ends, and fasteners passing through said hoop, said downwardly turned strip and slat ends, and saiddownw'ardly turned liner edge. n y' 3. A basket cover comprising a hoop, crossed slats having their ends secured to said hoop, said slats being disposed to pro- .vide two diametrically opposed openings, a

handle-engaging slat passing through said openings and having'its end portions disposed upon the ,upper'edge of said hoop,

the intermediate portion of said handle"-V engaging slat being disposed under said crossed slats, and means holdmgsaid'handleengaging slat against endwise movement,

said slat being held against edgewise movement by the slats at the edges of said open- A basket cover comprising a thin freel)7 flexible wooden hoop, crossed slats of thin freely flexible veneer having downwardly turned ends secured to a vertical side of said hoop, said slats being ciroumferentially Y spaced at theirends and disposed to provide disposed upon the upper edge of said hoop, the intermediate ortion of said slat being disposed under sald veneered slats, and fastening means passing-through said veneer and handle-engaging slats; said astening means holding said handle-engaging slat; against endwise movement, edgewise movement of this slat being prevented by the portions of the crossed slats at oppostesides of said openings. l

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

GEORGE o. RESHAW.

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