US3216604A

US3216604A - Collapsible bin box

Info

Publication number: US3216604A
Application number: US299791A
Authority: US
Inventors: Munroe Thomas
Original assignee: MORAINE BOX CO
Current assignee: MORAINE BOX CO
Priority date: 1963-08-05
Filing date: 1963-08-05
Publication date: 1965-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-09

Description

Nov. 9, 1965 T. MUNROE 3,216,604

COLLAPSIBLE BIN BOX Filed Aug. 5, 1963 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-I |4- FIG 2 u a 32 26 53 I INVENTOR.

\ THOMAS MUNROE A TTORNEYS Nov. 9, 1965 T. MUNROE COLLAPSIBLE BIN BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1963 FIG INVENTOR.

THOMAS MUNROE ATTORNEYS Nov. 9, 1965 T. MUNROE 3,216,504

COLLAPSIBLE BIN BOX Filed Aug. 5, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 48 1a,; 68 hm W M M.

M M FIG 7 M 4 22 FIG 8 i6 24 INVENTOR. A THOMAS MUNROE .0 BY i /n.Zw/;

ATTORN E Y5 United States Patent C 3,216,604 COLLAPSIBLE BIN BGX Thomas Munroe, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Moraine Box Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 299,791 4 Claims. (Cl. 217-16) This invention relates to bin boxes and the like, and is particularly concerned with a collapsible bin box.

Bin boxes are widely employed in commercial establishments for storaging goods and can be employed as containers for shipping goods also. Heretofore, a number of attempts have been made to construct these devices so that they could be collapsed and re-used, but heretofore collapsible boxes of this nature have been expensive and have not met with any degree of success. With this in mind, a primary object of the present invention is the production of a collapsible bin box that will meet all of the technical requirements for such boxes, while at the same time, the box will be economical to manufacture and convenient to set up and knock down, thus making it a practical commercial item.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a collapsible bin box which can readily be stacked with other like boxes without the danger of any of the boxes collapsing.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a collapsible bin box which can readily be handled with a fork truck for moving it about.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a box ac cording to the present invention with the lid removed;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view indicated by line 22 on FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view partly broken away showing more in detail the construction of the box;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing a modification;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modification of the hinge element;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view showing the side walls being collapsed;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view showing how the box according to the present invention lends itself to conveying liquids by having a plastic liner placed therein;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view showing how a plurality of the boxes can be stacked in nested relation.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, and with particular reference to FIGURES 1 through 6, the box according to the present invention comprises

end walls

10 and 12 and front and

back walls

14 and 16. These walls are hingedly connected at their adjacent ends by the elongated plastic hinge elements 18 which may be stapled in place as indicated at 20 in FIGURE 2.

Each of the

end walls

10 and 12 along the bottom edge thereof and on the inside has secured thereto a cleat or foot member 22 which extends downwardly below the lower end of the pertaining end wall a predetermined amount. These cleats or foot members are availed of for supporting base 24 and also for nesting inside the upper open end of a bin box on which the box is to be stacked. The nesting of the cleats 22 inside the end walls of the bin box therebeneath is illustrated in FIGURE 8.

As to the base 24, this oonsists of two

side portions

26 and 28 which are hingedly interconnected along the center line of the box by another plastic hinge means 30. The outer side edges of the

portions

26 and 28 of the base member may be beveled or may be formed in steps, as will be seen at 32 in FIGURE 2, and the lower edges earnest Patented Nov. 9, 1965 of the front and

back walls

14 and 16 of the bin box are similarly formed so that there is an interlocking engage ment between the base and the front and back walls of the bin box.

In addition, the one portion 26 of the base member may have a metal bar 34 secured thereto at each end as by the fastener elements 36 so as to reinforce the

portions

26 and 28 of the base adjacent the ends thereof, which ends are interrupted by an aperture 38.

Aperture 38 is aligned with an aperture 40 in the adjacent end wall of the bin box, and these apertures are availed of for receiving a spring clip 42 that clamps the I base member in place but which clips can be snapped off to permit the bin box to be knocked down.

The bin box also has a lid consisting of a single panel 44 adapted for being received inside the open top of the bin box and having a cleat or rail 46 extending around the edge that overlies the upper edges of the vertical walls of the bin box. The said vertical walls are provided with slits or apertures 48 distributed therearound which can be availed of for receiving spring clips 50 corresponding with spring clip 42 associated with the base members.

In addition, the bin box when set up and filled, and with the lid on, can be banded as by the metal bands 52 shown in FIGURE 1. The bands 52 would permanently close the bin box so that it could be placed in storage or shipped. In ordinary use around a shop or the like where the box was frequently opened or not even closed at the top the bands 52, of course, would not be used.

The possibility of reinforcing the bin box can be realized in a number of ways by providing reinforcing cleats or ribs at any desired point, and also by providing the lid with corner clips 54 which depend from the lid and around the corners of the vertical walls of the bin box. This will support the walls of the bin box against deflection when the box is heavily loaded. In addition, the plastic hinges, particularly those indicated at 18, could have the top and bottom ends thereof wrapped with glass fiber tapes 56 as illustrated in FIGURE 5, and this will reinforce the hinges so that they do not start to tear at the ends, wlu'ch is the region that would ordinarily fail if the bin box were heavily loaded.

Still further, as will be seen in FIGURE 2, the side walls 14 could be provided with angular support clips 58 held in place by screws 60 and having portions 62 extending underneath the side edges of the base member 24. The base member 24, when clips 58 are employed, are supported across the entire length at both ends by cleats 22 and along as much of the front and back edges, up to the complete length thereof, as may be engaged by the clips 58.

The bin box according to the present invention lends itself to transporting liquids or semi-liquids or other flowable materials such as powdered or granular material, by the provision of a plastic liner bag 64 which may be placed in a box and then filled in with the material to be transported in the box and thereafter the upper open end 66 of the bag is gathered together and wired closed or otherwise sealed as at 68. The bag may be internally pressurized if so desired in order to hold it tight against the confines of the inside of the box if so desired.

The box according to the present invention is relatively light and strong and can easily be set up and knocked down. When knocked down the box can be stored in a smaller place and thus has distinction over rigid boxes either of wood or metal and over wood or metal barrels.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible bin box; side and end walls in edge to edge relation, hinge means inside the walls connected to adjacent ends of adjacent walls, said end walls extending below said side walls, support rails on the insides of said end walls at the bottom to support a bottom, and a bottom panel resting on said rails and closing the bottom of the box, said bottom panel comprising two parts meeting between the side edges of the bottom panel, hinge means connecting the parts of said bottom panel, said bottom panel having its side edges formed with a step on the upper corner and each side wall being formed with a step on the inner lower corner and said steps interfitting, and means at the ends of said bottom panel near said hinge means detachably securing the bottom panel in place on said side rails.

2. In a collapsible bin box; side and end walls in edge to edge relation, hinge means inside the walls connected to adjacent ends of adjacent walls, said end walls extending below said side walls, support rails on the inside of said end walls at the bottom to support a bottom, a bottom panel resting on said rails and closing the bottom of the box, said bottom panel comprising two parts meeting between the side edges of the bottom panel, and hinge means connecting the parts of said bottom panel, the side edges of the bottom panel engaging the bottom edges of the side walls, said end walls having apertures in the region of the hinge in the bottom panel, said bottom panel having apertures at the ends thereof in alignment with the apertures in said end walls to receive one end of a spring clip means, a metal bar element at each end of said bottom panel secured to one part of the panel and extending over to the other part of the bottom panel in the region of the aperture therein to reinforce the bottom panel, and spring clip means at each end wall passing through the aperture therein and engaging the pertaining said metal bar element and aperture in said bottom panel to retain the bottom panel in place.

3. In a collapsible bin box; side and end walls in edge to edge relation, hinge means inside the walls connected to adjacent ends of adjacent Walls, said end walls extending below said side walls, support rails on the insides of said end walls at the bottom to support a bottom, a bottom panel having ends resting on said rails and closing the bottom of the box, said bottom panel comprising two parts meeting between the side edges of the bottom panel, and hinge means connecting the parts of said bot-tom panel on the outward side thereof, the side edges of the bottom panel engaging the bottom edges of the side walls, :said end walls having apertures in the region of the hinge in the bottom panel, and spring clip means passing through said apertures and engaging said ends of said bottom panel in the area of said hinge means to retain the bottom panel in place, and metal angle members secured to said side walls on the outside near the bottom and extending beneath the bottom panel to support the bottom panel.

4. In a collapsible bin box; side and end walls in edge to edge relation, hinge means inside the walls connected to adjacent ends of adjacent walls, said end walls extending below said side walls, support rails on the insides of said end walls at the bottom to support a bottom, a bottom panel having ends resting on said rails and closing the bottom of the box, said bottom panel comprising two parts meeting between the side edges of the bottom panel, hinge means connecting the parts of said bottom panel on the outward side thereof, the side edges of said bottom panel engaging the bottom edges of the side walls in interlocking engagement, said rails extending below the bottoms of said end walls so as to be receivable in the top of another box so boxes can be stacked in interlocked relation, each said end wall having an aperture in the region of the hinge in the bottom panel, said bottom panel having apertures at the ends thereof in alignment with the apertures in said end walls to receive one end of a spring clip means, and spring clip means for each end wall passing through said aperture therein and having one end detachably secured to said end wall and the other end detachably secured in the pertaining aperture in said bottom panel to detachably secure said bottom panel in position on said rails.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 666,587 1/01 Woolsey 217-48 1,020,534 3/12 Branham 217-16 2,232,346 2/41 Sikes 217-14 2,520,303 8/50 Bauer 22923 2,607,411 8/52 Van Vliet 220-24 2,722,366 11/55 Carlson 229-49 2,868,404 1/59 Mattes 21714 2,965,276 12/60 Foster 21769 3,082,897 3/63 Highley 21769 FOREIGN PATENTS 474,072 5/51 Canada.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner,

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner,

Claims

2. IN A COLLAPSIBLE BIN BOX; SIDE AND END WALLS IN EDGE TO EDGE RELATION, HINGE MEANS INSIDE THE WALLS CONNECTED TO ADJACENT ENDS OF ADJACENT WALLS, SAID END WALLS EXTENDING BELOW SAID SIDE WALLS, SUPPORT RAILS ON THE INSIDE OF SAID END WALLS AT THE BOTTOM TO SUPPORTT A BOTTOM, A BOTTOM PANEL RESTING ON SAID RAILS AND CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX, SAID BOTTOM PANEL COMPRISING TWO PARTS MEETING BETWEEN THE SIDE EDGES OF THE BOTTOM PANEL, AND HINGE MEANS CONNECTING THE PARTS OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, THE SIDE EDGES OF THE BOTTOM PANEL ENGAGING THE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS, SAID END WALLS HAVING APERTURES IN THE REGION OF THE HINGE IN THE BOTTOM PANEL, SAID BOTTOM PANEL HAVING APERTURES AT THE ENDS THEREOF IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE APERTURES IN SAID END WALLS TO RECEIVE ONE END OF A SPRING CLIP MEANS, A METAL BAR ELEMENT AT EACH END OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL SECURED TO ONE PART OF THE PANEL AND EXTENDING OVER TO THE OTHER PART OF THE BOTTOM PANEL IN THE REGION OF THE APERTURE THEREIN TO REINFORCE THE BOTTOM PANEL, AND SPRING CLIP MEANS AT EACH END WALL PASSING THROUGH THE APERTURE THEREIN AND ENGAGING THE PERTAINING SAID METAL BAR ELEMENT AND APERTURE IN SAID BOTTOM PANEL TO RETAIN THE BOTTOM PANEL IN PLACE.