US3491681A - Baling and storage container - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 27, 1970 J. z. SARO, JR, ETAL 3,491,681 BALING AND STORAGE CONTAINER Filed March '7, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT 2a JAMES QUI NLAN QOSEPH Z. SARO JR.

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BALING AND STORAGE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March '7, 1968 INVENTOR. JAMES QUINLAN QOSEPH Z.SARO JR.

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3,491,681 BALING AND STORAGE CONTAINER Joseph Z. Saro, Jr., 10735 Elgin, Huntington, Woods, Mich. 48070, and James Quinlan, 19437 Burgess, Detroit, Mich. 48219 Filed Mar. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 711,323 Int. Cl. B65b 27/08, 13/18, 13/02 U.S. Cl. 100-34 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container for storing and baling newspapers and the like, having integral side and bottom walls and a pair of grooves provided on the inner surface of said walls, each groove extending from the upper edge of one of the side walls downwardly and continuously across the bottom wall and up to the upper edge of the opposite side wall, the two grooves intersecting in the center of the b ttom wall, whereby a baling cord can be accommodated in said grooves with newspapers or the like stacked thereupon and within the said container, after which the baling cord is readily tied around said stacked newspapers or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to containers for storing and baling newspapers and the like, the more specifically to a baling and storing container which includes means for accommodating a baling cord or the like disposed within the container and means for temporarily retaining the cord in a fixed position until baling is desired.

Description of the prior art Storing and baling devices generally of this type have been long known in the art. These devices disclose slotted container assemblies for accommodating baling cord or the like prior to baling. These known devices, however, have inherent disadvantages. For example, they are of non-unitary construction necessitating the use of false bottom or like structural assemblies. Only by reinforcing the stress points of the assembled material is strength of the container achieved, but at the expense of additional weight; nor are these devices capable of being readily stacked one in the other for compact storage. In addition these devices generally employ cumbersome means for baling the newspapers and the like. It is apparent, too, that in many of these devices decorative purpose, rather than functional utility, is paramount.

SUMMARY The preferred embodiments of the present invention, which'will subsequently be described in greater detail, overcome the disadvantages of the previously known devices by providing an open-top, formed container of unitary construction that employs simplified means to facilitate baling. A plurality of these containers, due to their unique construction, may be readily stored in nested arrangement.

The device is provided with integral side and bottom walls and a pair of grooves formed on the inner surfaces of the walls. Each groove extends from the upper edge of one wall downwardly and continuously across the bottom wall and up to the upper edge of the opposite side wall. The grooves thus provide space within which a baling cord or the like may be readily accommodated and upon which newspapers or the like are easily stacked. Means are provided on the inner surface of the bottom wall and the upper edge of the container to releasably retain the baling cord until it is desired to bundle the newspapers for subsequent removal.

United States Patent "ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description of two preferred embodiments of the present invention makes reference to the following drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1 with a baling cord or the like shown in place;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device as seen from line 33 of FIG. 2, with additional containers in stacked position indicated by phantom lines;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the device taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred baling cord retainer for use with the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another preferred em- 'bodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view showing the baling cord retainer used in the embodiment of the invention of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Now referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of the present invention, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one preferred form of container 10 of the present invention. The container is for storing and baling newspapers and the like and preferably comprises integrally formed side walls 12, 14, 16, and 18 and a bottom wall 20.

The side walls 12, 14, 16, and 18 are recessed as shown to form grooves 24 and 26 which extend from the upper edges of the sidewalls downwardly and continuously across the bottom wall and up to the upper edge of their respectively opposite side walls. The grooves 24 and 26 intersect at a mid-point 22 of the bottom wall 20.

The side walls are sloped to enable the containers to be stacked within each other and effectuate easy storage, as indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 3.

Formation of the grooves 24 and 26 in the side walls produce complementary elongated bosses 44 and 46 on their respective outer surfaces as shown. The bosses 44 and 46 are integral with and formed with their respective sidewalls to add support strength to the structure.

The bottom wall 20 has an additional groove 46 which extends completely around the periphery of the inner surface of the bottom wall 20, providing a complementary external peripheral boss 47 for ground support of the container and to strengthen the bottom wall 20. The grooves 24 and 26 formed in the side-walls extend across the bottom wall 20 respectively as designated by the reference characters 24A and 26A as can best seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 to provide a continuous groove from one side wall to its opposite side wall, and to permit the stacking of newspapers or the like in the con tainer without interfering with the baling cord 48 which is accommodated in the grooves 24, 26, 24A and 26A.

Apcrtures 51 are formed in the bottom wall 20 substantially at the four junctures of the side walls and the grooves 24A and 26A. The apertures 51 are adapted to receive snap-in retainers 54 which releasably retain the 57 within which the baling cord 48 is releasably retained. A peripheral groove 58 engages the peripheral edge of the aperture 51 when the retainer 54 is snapped into place. As shown in FIG. 4, a base portion 59 engages the outer surface of the bottom wall 20 to maintain the retainer in its fixed position when the baling cord 48 is pulled upwardly on releasing it from the retainer.

A peripheral flange 60 extends outwardly from the upper edge of the container 10. The flange 60 is provided with two apertures 62 located preferably at the two adjacent corners. Retainers 54 are snapped in place in the apertures 62 in the same way as they are snapped into the apertures 51 in the bottom wall. By retaining the central portion of the baling cord 48 in these retainers interference between the cord 48 and the newspapers or the like is completely eliminated.

Handles 64 are preferably formed in the flange 60 and overlie the bosses 46 on side walls 12 and 16 so shown.

In use, the central portion of a length of baling cord 48 or the like is first snapped in place in the retainers 54 provided on the upper flanged side of the container. The free ends of the cords are then brought to the grooves 26 and extended downwardly therein for engagement with the longitudinally spaced retainers 54 in the bottom, and then laid in the bottom groove 26A. The cords are then crossed in the center as shown in FIG. 2, are extended along the lateral groove 24A, and snapped in place in the laterally spaced retainers 54. The free ends of the cord 48 are then passed up the grooves 24 and laid over the sides of the flange 60. The newspapers or the like may then be stacked within the container. After the container is filled, the central portion of the cord 48 is freed from the upper retainers 54 and laid longitudinally over the stack of newspapers, the free ends are then tied together, drawing them tight to release the cord from the bottom retainers 54 thereby baling the newspapers, which may then be lifted out of the container.

Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. This embodiment has substantially the same container, but instead of apertures has retainers 4 which are integrally formed with both the flange 60 and the bottom wall 20. Each retainer 154 preferably comprises an upstanding member having a tapered slot 155 within which the baling cord 48 or the like may be releasably wedged as shown in FIG. 7.

The unitary containers disclosed and described above are preferably molded or possibly vacuum formed from any preferred plastic in a single operation. The simplified forming operation produes the grooves and complementary bosses for the functions of accommodating the baling cord and strengthening the structure. In stacking multiple containers, there is suflicient clearance between the bottoms and between the flanges to accommodate the retainers. The containers may be of a size to hold folded newspapers, magazines, or any other baleable material.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A device for storing and baling newspapers and the like comprising a container having integral side and bottom walls and a pair of groovs provided on the inner surfaces of said walls, each groove extending from the upper edge of one side wall downwardly and continuously across the bottom wall and up the opposite side wall to its upper edge, the two grooves intersecting in the bottom wall, whereby newspapers and the like may be stacked in said container leaving space in said grooves to accommodate a length of baling cord.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, and having means on the bottom wall for releasably retaining baling cord disposed in said grooves.

3. The device as defined in claim 2, and in which said means comprise retainer elements locked in holes provided through the bottom wall and having upstanding slotted portions disposed within the container for temporarily holding said cord prior to baling.

4. The device as defined in claim 2, and in which said means comprises slotted retainer elements integral with and upstanding from the bottom wall interiorly of said container for temporarily holding said cord prior to baling.

5. The device as defined in claim 2 and in which said means comprise slotted retainer elements upstanding from the bottomwall for temporarily holding said cord prior to baling.

6. The device as defined in claim 2, and in which said retainer elements are disposed in said grooves near the juncture of each side wall with the bottom wall.

7. The device as defined in claim -1, and having a continuous flange extending outwardly from the upper edges of said side walls.

8. The device as defined in claim 7, and having means provided on the flange for releasably retaining a portion of a cord otherwise lying in said grooves to hold said cord portion free of interference with newspapers and the like being deposited in said containers.

9. The device as defined in claim 8, and in which said means comprise retainer elements locked in holes provided through said flange and having upstanding slotted portions for temporarily holding said cord prior to baling.

10. The device as defined in claim 8 and in which said means comprise slotted retainer elements integral with and upstanding from the flange for temporarily holding said cord prior to baling.

11. The device as defined in claim 8, and in which said means comprise slotted retainer elements upstanding from the flange for temporarily holding said cord prior to balmg.

12. The device as defined in claim 11, and in which said retainer elements are disposed near the junctures of one side wall and adjoining side walls.

13. The device as defined in claim 1, and in which said side and bottom walls are formed of a unitary sheet of material and in which said grooves comprise elongated impressions formed in the inner surfaces and producing elongated bosses on the outer surfaces whereby to structurally strengthen said container.

14. The device as defined in claim -1, and including a groove formed peripherally in the bottom wall surface and intersecting the other grooves at the junctures of the side and bottom walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,321,802 6/1943 Deubener -34 2,364,518 12/1944 Clouser 100-34 2,485,419 10/1949 Thompson l()034 2,599,290 6/ 1952 Schwenzer.

2,636,432 4/1953 Sherer 10034 2,639,037 5/1953 Friend 10034 XR 3,247,782 4/ 1966 Foster 100-34 BILLY I. WILHITE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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