Shockproof package

E. R. RYNO ET AL

SHOCKPROOF PACKAGE

Jan. 25, 1955

Filed Oct. 15, 1951

2,700,518

Sheets-Sheet 1

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Jan. 25, 1955

2,700,518

E. R. RYNQ ET AL

SHOCKPROOF PACKAGE

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ATTORNEY

United States Patent Office „ 2,700,51s

Patented Jan. 25, 1955

The construction of Figs. 3, 4, and 5, is designed for heavier duty. For this purpose the lower end of the tube 13 is attached to the periphery of the shell section 12 to give the same construction at the one end as at the other. The reason for this lies in the fact that the taut conical portion of the tube which extends between the periphery of the shell and the end of the rope portion, gives a much greater resiliency to shock along the axis, than does the central connection of Fig. 1. There are end caps 20 and 21 on the ends of this package but these may be forced upon the end of the tube without screw threads, as ordinarily the package may be opened by cutting the shell and tube. This embodiment is illustrated as packaging a 75 artillery fuse.

With this type of package an initial twist of about one turn is given to the tube before inserting the article, this will bring the tube into the conical form which will temporarily support the article while the twisting is completed, It is a very simple matter in the twisting to insure that the article is centrally placed in the package.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is designed for the most severe service as for example the dropping of supplies from a plane at considerable height. The general construction of the shell 10 in its relationship to the flexible tube is the same as in the previous embodiment, except that the twisting of the tube is provided for by providing upon the upper end of the shell a rotary head to the periphery of which the upper end of the tube is attached. This head may take the form of two concentric rings of angular cross section 30 and 31, which fit over and rotate upon the upper end of the shell, and which clamp the upper end of the tube between them as shown. Except for this rotative feature of the top head the upper and lower ends of the tube are supported alike, and at each end there is provided a dome shaped cap 32 and 33 completely to enclose the tube and its contents.

The exterior of the package is provided with vertical fins 34 conical in shape so as to extend out further at the 40 top, for the purpose of directing the package vertically downward to facilitate landing it at the precise point desired. These fins extend up above the top of the dome, and serve also as legs on which the package can stand in the inverted position. The fins are however cut out near ⁴⁵ the top to provide space for the cap, at 34.

To meet the most severe conditions a shock absorbing element will be provided upon the lower end, which may be built according to standard shock absorbing principles. As here shown there is provided over the cap 33 a nose end wall 37 the interior of which conforms'to^ffie'outer wall of the cap 33. Means are provided for holding the nose spaced from the cap, as shown but in a manner to permit it to be telescoped onto the cap to compress air between them. To this end, a cylindrical sheet of an elastic material such as a section of a rubber tube may have one end of the rubber tube firmly attached between the cap 33 and the shell, the tube itself extending upwardly around the shell and having its other end firmly attached to the upper rim of the side wall of the nose. This cylindrical sheet will be strong enough to hold the nose in place and it will bear against the inside of the cylindrical wall of the nose tight enough to guide the nose as it slides upwardly upon the remainder of the pacing» Vents 39 may be provided upon the nose to allow the escape of air.

With this construction it will be clear that if the package be dropped from a height it will be guided into a vertical path by the fins. On this account the operator can place the point of landing almost exactly. When the package strikes the first effect is to compress the air between the nose and the cap until a sufficient air pressure is built up within the nose to bring the package to rest. During this time the resilient manner in which the article is supported within the package greatly softens the portion of that shock that is transmitted to the article. Tn general the best cushioning should be found wheii the shock absorbing element absorbs the energy of the package elements, while the tube brings the article itself to rest.

With any of the constructions herein disclosed the

2,700,518 SHOCKPROOF PACKAGE Earle R. Ryno, East Orange, N. 3., and William M. McKillop, Jr., Manhasset, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Merle M. Hoover

Application October 15, 1951, Serial No. 251,364 4 Claims. (CI. 244—138)

This invention relates to a shock proof package for use in handling and storing delicate or frangible articles, or articles which may not be delicate in themselves yet may at times be subjected to extreme conditions.

In the normal handling of articles such as radio tubes, and instruments having delicate adjustments elaborate packaging must frequently be resorted to in order to insure that the article will be available for use at its destination. There are moreover emergency times when other articles may need to resist very great shocks as for example when supplies need to be dropped from a moving plane. In such cases it is customary to attach to the article a small parachute to reduce the impact with the earth to a figure which can be controlled. Such parachutes, however are carried by passing winds making it uncertain where the dropped article will alight, or even whether it can be recovered at all.

It is another object of this invention therefore to provide a shock resisting package which can be dropped straight down with the accuracy of precision bombing, and which is capable of absorbing the forces of the impact without damaging the contents.

It will be clear that the more severe the conditions to meet the greater must the shock resistance of the package be. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, several forms of the invention have been shown which are adapted to meet different conditions. In the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a central section of the packaging element, and a side elevation of the completed package, parts being broken away to show the interior construction. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of a modification. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5—5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a side elevation partly in section of a modified form of completed package, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7—7 of Fig. 6.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 rep- ₅₀ 35, having a cylindrical side wall 36 and^dome shaped resents a cylindrical shell which is shown as divided into· ^:---* . - ^υ r snapea two interfitting portions 11 and 12, to keep the parts in alignment, but permit the turning of one upon the other.

Within the shell is a flexible tube 13, having its upper end attached around the periphery of the shell portion 11 55 as by being drawn over the end and down upon the outside of the shell as shown at 14, where it may be held in place by an annular ring having a threaded cylindrical portion 15 fitting over the down turned tube end, and also serving to receive a cap 16 after the package is com- _β0plete.

The bottom end of the flexible tube is gathered together and attached to the center of a base 17 by and means which will cause the tube end to rotate with the cap. Since rotation is provided between the two halves of the 65 shell, the cap may be firmly fixed upon the end of the shell portion 12.

By reason of the fact that the tube is gathered together at the bottom, the whole tube tends to gather more or less into a general conical form, which assists in the rapid 70 formation of the package, since the article to be packaged, here shown as a radio tube, may be dropped into the cone, by which it will be held from falling to the bottom. It results that without further manipulation the upper half of the tube may be twisted causing the portion of the 75 tube below the article to· twist into a rope form, until the rotation causes the tube to gather together and twist into rope form above the article. When this twisting has brought the whole tube into sufficient tension, to give the required support to the article, the cap 16 may be put 80 in place and the package is complete.

2.700.818 article is supported against lateral shocks as well as against axial shocks the resilience of the tubular material both in the twisted or rope portion and in the conical portions which support the ends of the ropes. _r

It will be noted that during the twisting of the tube &lt;&gt; to enclose the article there is a great tendency for it to shorten. With certain materials such as the plastic films of the polyvinol group or the rubber groups, this shortening effect can be wholly met by the stretchability of the film itself. It will be clear however that however 10 stretchable the film may be it must still retain resiliency in the completed package. Under other conditions a part of the shortening effect may be met by making the tube initially long enough to compensate. This feature is shown in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. It will '° be understood however that this is primarily a feature of the particular material chosen for the flexible tube, rather than of the manner in which it is supported.

The different embodiments herein shown are illustrative of the invention, and are not intended to limit the ^zuinvention thereto.