Container for sheet materials

Nov. 15, 1938. j. m. nelson, jr., et al 2,137,142

CONTAINER FOR SHEET MATERIALS

Filed Nov. 11, 1936

<img file="US2137142A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Nov. 15, 1938

2,137,142

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE . 2,137,142 '

CONTAINER FOR SHEET MATERIALS

John M· Nelson, Jr., Baltimore, and Edgar Watson, Towson, Md., assignors to The Nelson Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland

Application November 11, 1936, Serial No. 110,394

Claims, , This invention relates to improvements in containers for the transportation and storage of sheet materials, and is particularly of value in the handling of sheet materials u-hich must be 5 .protected against atmospheric, conditions, and .•agamst-the rubbing of one sheet upon another.

In practice, when it >is -sought to 'handle and snip sheet materials, more particularly those which are of great weight (such as tin plate), it is necessary to provide means whereby-several containers -may be superimposed Upon one another, and the superimposed load transmitted downwardly to .the floor. 'Since thesematerials differ considerably in gage ot thickness, certain 15 J/pI^eiances must'be provided, and hence-an entirely rigid structure must - be constructed' with walls of sufficient strength- to support a heavy superimposed load, even -under the conditions of acceleration effects such-aS-occur during' ship20 ment by sea. .. :

Since the customary manner of shipping such •products is to employ a structure -which -is-discarded at the point at which-the package is opened and the sheets distributed, it is essential 25 that the -cost shall be low. Further, since the shipments are often made under conditions at which a moist atmosphere is -encountered, and sometimes the packages, are exposed to-the rain, it is essential in the design of the -package to pro30 vide an adequate protection against -soiling or other deterioration of the sheets.

The present invention comprises the provision of means for enclosing a stack of such sheet material, and providing therewith an adequately -35 closed and protected package which is capable of sustaining a heavy superimposed load.

- An -illustrative form of practicing the invention is set out on the accompanying drawing in which:

^: Figure 1 is a view on a 'Small jscale, Indicating, the superposition of the packages.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the assembly-of parts in a single package.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the platform . 45 portion of the structure.

Figure 4 is a similar perspective view of the cover portion.

Figure 5 is an upright longitudinal section, on a large scale.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the ar- ? rangement and position of the -parts during the filling of the container.

In the drawing, Fig, 1 illustrates the packages . A, B superimposed upon one another, parts of -.55 these packages being broken away to. show that (CI. 206—60) the pile of sheets S in each container rests solidly upon the floor structure.F ,of this container, and that the weight is transmitted-largely at the ends of each'package, being transferred from the-skids of.;an.overlying package.to the cover of the-ad- _rjacent underlying one, and then directly to the ^dpile of .sheets S, and.' from' this in turn to. the floor F of this lower 'package, and Thus to the lower skids. Since -with many sheet materials . (and normal tin plate ,in particular) The operations of trimming the sheets results. in the f orming: of- a .curl -at the edge, ?it ;is customary That the-stack of sheets is higher.at/its ends Than at its middle, as/indicated in Fig. 1. Hence The-floors F, The skids, and the covers iof the packages Operate to- ,Together m transferring the central load toward ^βthe ends, so that the loading, at central '.portions .of-the. containers iis .relatively'low, .and there (is substantially mo .bending of the .-cover structures nor considerable loads. upon the side walls.

; -' -Each-package comprises the . contents and the enclosing /structure -forming a '-.container.. Each container is illustrated: as having the three skids . 10 which extend -in the direction > of the minimum dimension of the rectangular sheet, in -this illus- ₂₅tratiye. form, and ..-are .spaced .'sufficiently .apart' so that the'usual arms-Of the handling truck -can be introduced/ thereunder for''lifting the 'package and transporting It as desired, and are also serviceable; for permitting theteasy release of ·>._ο sling chains when‘the.'devices;'are.:iifted:by a crane or like structure, On top of 'these skids is provided a bottom member H which is larger than the size of -the sheet, to be--contained, and is rectarigular'When the sheet is rectangular. Upon «>, this' bottdrn-member 11 rests afalse'bottom member Τ2Λ whiiih is - substantially identical m size _: With the size and; dimensions: of the sheets to be transported. With tin -plate,for example, 'it is ..preferred to have the tolerance of/excess size of _wthe false bottom . 12 of the order of one-sixteenth of an inch for a sheet -which is about-eighteen by twenty-eight inches'. In the 'particular illustrated form, ribs .13 -are providedmlong the longer edges . of the bottom member .and: are fixedly secured 45 thereto, with:their , inner margins in'spaced relation. to the adjacent -edges of the false -bottom member 12. At the -ends,-rib-pieces are provided in rigidly, secured -relation, but terminating short of contact :with the ribs 13: these pieces 14 likewise are .spaced -away from the adjacent •edges of the false-bottom member-12.

The end walls-15,-are .cjonstrucied with the marginal vertical battens /16 .which have their .lower, .ends received Jn the ..spaces ..at the ends 0 f .55 ’,142 wall 18, which is slipped into the front groove on the bottom structure. The cover is then applied, its peripheral flange portions 20 coming outside of the vertical walls (Fig. 5); while the weight-transmitting battens 21 come down upon 5 the pile of sheets within the container. In the design and packaging, the sheets come to such an elevation with respect to the upper margins of the side walls that the space 2S is left thereat, in order that the weight of the cover 19 may not Hi come against the upper edge of the walls 15, IT, 18.

Bolts 30 are then passed through apertures provided in the bottom member 11 and the member 19, and with the use of proper washers, these ]:, bolts are drawn tight. Since these bolts may be formed by threading each end of round steel stock of the proper length, they are very inexpensive. They are preferably located close to the angles provided by the battens 16 and the go walls 15, whereby they are protected against mechanical damage. The operation of drawing these bolts down assures a tight engagement of the weight-transmitting battens 21 with the stack of sheets, at the ends of these sheets where 2ft the thickness of the pile or stack is greatest: while still leaving a space 26.

The packages thus closed may be moved onto cars, or transported or stored otherwise. The superposition of these packages gives no diffl- 30 culty, and the superimposed packages accurately transmit their weight through the floors, skids and top walls, so that the weight is supported within each container by the pile of sheets therein: the space 26 being maintained even under ₃₅extremely heavy loads.

The closed and bolted package has the upper and lower edges of the vertical walls sealed by the close-fitting engagement of the margins of these vertical walls in the grooves provided at ₄₀the bottom and top structures of Figs. 3 and 4, and it will be noted that the stack of sheet material has its lower surface well above the lower edges of these vertical walls, so that leakage does not run directly to the lowermost sheets; while ₄₅the general arrangement prevents the penetration of the driving, rain into the interior of the package.

It is preferred to manufacture the parts of wood, for the reason that wood has a certain _βθ supporting and cushioning effect without damage to the edge of the sheets, and prevents damage by the action of a sling chain or the like along edges of the package. In manufacturing the container of wood, the various parts may be made ₅₅of simple shapes, each of the parts being essentially a rectangular parallelopipedon, so that the container may be manufactured with the least wastage and scrap. The skids are properly located, the bottom member 11 placed thereon, and 60 the false bottom positioned: these parts are then nailed tightly together. Similarly, the ribs and rib pieces are positioned and nailed. The forming of the holes for the bolts 30 may be effected prior to the assembly of these parts, or after the 65 bottom structure has been completed, as may be the more convenient and expedient. Similarly, the top structure and the end walls are assembled by nailing.

As pointed out above, it is preferred to join two 70 end walls and the rear wall IT before the start of packaging. For this purpose, the nails may be driven adjacent the vertical edges of the rear wall IT into the battens 16 and into the adjacent end of the end wall 15. 75 ²>¹³' the rib pieces 14, while the lower edge of the end walls 15 are received in the grooves between the pieces 14 and the false bottom member 12. A rear wall IT is provided, with its longitudinal 5 dimension substantially equal to the length of the bottom member 11. The front wall 18 is preferably identical with the rear wall IT.

The cover comprises the upper closing member 19 which is provided at its lower surface with the 10 rib or skirt pieces 20 which provide a downwardly extending flange along the periphery of the entire structure, the inner walls of this flange closely conforming with the position occupied by the outer surfaces of the front, end and rear 15 walls. In addition, this cover member contains the pressure battens 21 which are of substantially the same length as the horizontal dimension of the adjacent end wall, and are so located as to provide a groove at the end wall for the 20 reception of the top edge thereof.

Normally, the bottom structure of Fig. 3 and the top structure of Fig. 4 are manufactured independently, in association with the independent manufacture of the parts constituting the 25 front, end and side walls, and may be shipped in this condition to the packaging plant. It is, however, possible to assemble the two end walls with the back wall to provide an open U-shaped structure prior to shipment.

In any event, when the parts are brought into the shipping room, the preferred manner of procedure is to mount such a U-shaped member in position on the floor structure 3, with the lower edges of the end walls and of the rear wall in 35 the grooves provided just inside of the rear rib 13 and of the rib pieces 14. The material is then introduced into the opened structure thus provided (as shown in Fig. 6). In the shipment of tin. plate, the customary procedure is to manu40 facture the plate and then clip or cut it to the desired size. It is then given a final inspection immediately before packaging. For this purpose, a pile of the sheets is positioned in front of a worker, who takes the sheets one at a tune and 4_K inspects the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

Experienced workers perform this operation very rapidly. The sheet is then introduced into the assembly of Fig. 6, and is caused to abut against the walls, so that the sheet falls correctly into position upon the bottom, or upon the next pre⁶⁰ ceding sheet. Owing to the clearances between the walls, this results in the quick formation of an accurate stack of material. It is often advantageous to slightly raise the open or front side of the container by means of a block 25 (Fig. 6), ⁵⁵ which sometimes assists in assuring that the front edges of the sheets will be at a uniform position.

Usually, the inspector has two such containers at hand, and delivers “grade A” sheets into one _f)0 of them, while “grade B” sheets are placed in * another. .

The containers are designed on the basis of the gage of the material and the number of sheets which are to be placed therein. When tin ₆₅ plate is being shipped, it is customary to have the height from, say, eleven to fourteen inches, depending upon the area of the particular sheets. This means that a package will be of very great weight, such as one or two tons.

When the inspector has filled the container to the desired height, which is somewhat less than the height of the vertical walls, a shipping clerk utilizes a truck to remove the filled container, and its position is then taken by an empty container.

The withdrawn container then receives the front

2,137,142 3

After fitting the front wall 18 in position, it is preferred likewise to nail it to the adjacent batten 16 and to the adjacent ends of the end wall 15, as shown by the nail heads in Fig. 2.

One of the features of the present arrangement is that the ribs, flanges and bolts operate to support the vertical walls, even against considerable impacts of the contained material, whereby it is unnecessary to secure either the’ upper or lower edges of these vertical walls, and hence the operations of removing the sheets from the container are easy.

The sheets may be readily rendered accessible for withdrawal, by unscrewing the nuts from the bolts 30, and lifting off the cover structure of Fig. 4. This exposes the stack of sheets, and also permits the withdrawal of the four side walls, either individually or as a group, without disturbing the ₂θ stack of· sheets. After the vertical walls are removed, it is possible to inspect the cut edges of each and every sheet in the stack, and to remove these sheets with facility.

In making the container of wood, it is found 25 ^{such w}°ods as poplar and gum are highly satisfactory, as they have an absorbent nature and are effective for preventing destructive condensation directly on the sheets, so that the losses in shipment in the present container are low.

The container is of particular virtue and service when employed with heavy sheet material such as tin plate, black plate, and the like; although obviously it may be utilized for other employments.

It will be understood generally that the illustrative form is not the only one in which the invention may be practiced, but that many modi fications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.