Package

Oct. 8, 1940. s. price et al 2,217,455

PACKAGE

Filed Nov. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US2217455A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US2217455A_D0002.tif" />

/NVEN7ORS S. PP/OE EC.Si.OAN

ATTORNEY

Oct. 8, 1940.

S. PRICE ET AL

PACKAGE

Filed Nov. 20, 1937

2,217,455

Sheets-Sheet 2

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Patented Oct 8.1940

2,217,455

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,217,455

PACKAGE

Stanley Price, La Grange, and Edward C. Sloan, Geneva, Ill.; said Price assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York, and said Sloan assignor to Hawley Products Company, Incorporated, St. Charles, Hl., a corporation of Delaware

Application November 20,1937, Serial No. 175,618 3 Claims.· (CL 229—2.5)

This invention relates to packages or containers for irregularly shaped articles, and more particularly to a one piece enclosing container for shipping handset telephones. ~

An object of this invention is the provision of an enclosing container for irregularly shaped articles which is economical to manufacture and efficient in service, whereby such shaped articles may be readily mounted therein or removed 10 therefrom and are held against any appreciable harmful displacement within the container during handling, shipment, or storage.

In accordance with the above object, the present invention contemplates in one embodiment M thereof a molded cellulosic one piece enclosing container, particularly adapted for holding handset telephones during handling, shipment or storage, comprising two hollow sections united along one edge by a molded cellulosic hinge strip 20 integral with the sections, the sections each having substantially a right triangular cross-section whereby when brought together, by flexing the integral hinge strip, they produce an enclosed substantially rectangular receptacle, the walls of 25 the container being substantially the same thickness throughout with the inside contour the same as the outside contour and the walls having externally hollow reentrant portions providing contact areas for fixing the positions of the receiver 30 and transmitter unit and stand in the container whereby the handset telephone may be readily mounted in or removed from the container and during handling, shipping, or storage will be held against any appreciable harmful displacement 35 therein.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosing container embodying the features of this invention and particularly adapted for holding a handset telephone of the type comprising a receiver and transmitter unit and a stand;

⁴⁵ Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2; * ₅₀ Fig. 4 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 2 in an open position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5—5 of Fig. 6 showing another form of enclosing container for holding a different type of handset 55 telephone than that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 5 in an open position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated, in the form 5 of an enclosing container 10, for a particular type of handset telephone, comprising a receiver II and a transmitter 12 carried at opposite ends of a handle 13 (Figs. 3 and 4), the whole forming a unit which is connected to a stand 14 by 10 a conductor cord (not shown), the stand having an oval shaped base 15. The container 10 is formed in one piece from molded cellulose or pulp material and includes two hollow sections 18 and 19 integrally united by an intermediate 15 molded pulp hinge strip 20, which is scored, as indicated at 21 (Fig. 4), at each side of the strip to provide greater flexibility and durability to the hinge. The walls of the container 10 are molded with a substantially uniform thickness 20 throughout with the inside contour being the same as the outside contour. The sections 18 and 19 each have a substantially right triangular cross-section so that when brought together, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by flexing the integral 25 hinge strip 20, an enclosed substantially rectangular container is produced, the sections abutting along the diagonal line 24. Along their meeting edges, the sections 18 and 19 are turned outwardly and provided with tongues and grooves 30 25 and 26, respectively, which serve to maintain the sections in alignment upon being brought together by flexing the integral hinge strip 20.

Formed in a bottom wall 21 of the section 19 are two arcuate embossments 28 arranged to 35 contact the periphery of the stand base 15 along two spaced portions at opposite ends upon the stand being mounted in the container, a third portion of the periphery of the base intermediate the portions contacted by the embossments ₄₀28 contacting with a vertical side wall 31 (Fig. 3) of the section. The section 18 at the juncture between its upper and side walls 32 and 33, respectively, is formed with two spaced embossments 34 which, when the container is closed, 45 as shown in Fig. 3, contact with spaced upper cradle portions 35 of the telephone stand which serve to support the handle 13 of the receiver and transmitter unit when the telephone is ready for use. The side wall 33 of the section 18, like 50 the side wall of the section 19, contacts with the periphery of the base 15. Thus it will be apparent that due to the three-point contact of the two embossments 28 and the side wall 31 with the stand base 15 and that of the emboss- 55

2,217,456 meats 34 with the upper portions of the stand no appreciable harmful displacement of the stand within the container will occur after the sections have been secured from relative movements about 5 the hinge strip 20 by suitable retaining means, such as adhesive strips, cord, or other means, not shown.

The side wall 31 of the section 19 is formed with an externally hollow reentrant portion or 10 embossment 37 which supports the telephone handle 13, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the receiver II and transmitter 12 extending below the portion 37 at either end thereof. Formed tn the section 18 are spaced externally hollow 15 reentrant portions or embossments 38 which contact side areas of the receiver and transmitter and a similar embossment 39 intermediate the embossments 38, which contacts a side area of the handle when the section 18 is moved about 20 the hinge strip 20 upon closing the container. The disposition of the several embossments upon each of the sections 18 and 19 and the distance between the inner surfaces of the side walls 31 and 33 of the sections are such that upon plac25 ing the telephone stand 14 upon the bottom wall 27 of the section 19, and positioning the telephone handle upon the embossment 37, all as shown in Fig. 4, and then bringing the section 18 into closing relation with the section 19, as illustrated 30 in Fig. 3, the telephone stand and receiver and transmitter unit will be held out of contact with each other in fixed positions in the container and upon the hinged container sections being secured from relative movement for shipping the 35 parts contained therein will be securely held against any appreciable harmful displacement therein during handling, shipping, or storage.

A suitable number of reinforcing ribs or embossments 40 are formed in the container sec_4U tions 18 and 19 to provide a desired rigidity to the structure.

In Figs. 5 and 6, another form of molded pulp container 41 is illustrated for shipping a different type of handset telephone than that dis,_r closed in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. ⁴⁰ The handset telephone which is shown in broken outline in Figs. 5 and 6 differs mainly from that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, in the shape of its stand 44, which has a rectangular shaped base 45 _fi0 instead of an oval shaped base, and further that cradle portions 46, which support the handle of the receiver and transmitter unit when the telephone is ready for use, extend at right angles to the longer dimension of the base 45 instead of 55 parallel thereto, as in the first described handset telephone.. The greater area of the base 45 of the last described handset telephone and the arrangement of the cradle portions 46 on the stand 44, as compared to that of the first described handset .telephone necessitate a different form of shipping container therefor. The container 41 is similar in construction to the container 10 except for dimensions and the arrangement of positioning and supporting embossments for the different ... parts of the handset telephone, and comprises ° two integrally hinged hollow section^ 47 and 48.

Side walls 51 and 52 of the sections 47^nd 48, respectively, are formed with externally hollow reentrant L-shaped portions or embossments 53 70 which cooperate' to position and support the . handset stand 44 from displacement in the container when the section 47 is moved about its hinge strip 54 upon closing the container, as shown in Fig. 5. The long arms of the L-shaped 75 embossments 53 extend over and into locking engagement with opposite upper longitudinal edges of the base 45, as. indicated at 55 (Fig. 5) when the container is closed, and the short arms of the embossments similarly engage opposite corners, as indicated at 57 (Fig. 6), of one ver- 5 tical end wall of the base, the opposite end wall of the base contacting with an end wall 58 of the container section 48.

For supporting and positioning the handset receiver and transmitter unit, indicated at 59, 10 the side wall 52 of the container section 48 is formed with two externally hollow reentrant portions or embossments 60 upon which the receiver and transmitter portions are supported while a third embossment 61 formed in the side wall 51 15 of the container section 47 contacts the handset handle intermediate the receiver and transmitter portions when the section 47 is moved about the hinge strip 54 upon closing the container, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Before moving the sec- 20 tion 47 to its closed position with the handset receiver and transmitter unit supported at its ends in the embossments 60, the handle portion will rest against the cradle portion 46 of the stand 44, but upon closing the container the embossment 25 61 moves in under the handle portion and swings the handset unit slightly clockwise to the position shown in Fig. 5, so that when the container is closed and secured from opening no engagement of the stand 44 and the receiver and transmitter 80 unit will occur and there will be no appreciable harmful displacement of the telephone handset within the container.

The two embodiments of the invention above described may be formed in one piece in any usual 35 and well known manner into the shapes shown preferably by molding from cellulosic material, the details of which, for the sake of simplicity, has been omitted from the disclosure, since the method employed to mold the package forms no 40 part of this invention and is not considered necessary to a full understanding thereof.

Various additional modifications and applications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and such modifications 45 and applications as fall within the spirit of the invention are intended to be covered by the appended claims.