US1193657A - Shippiwg-ckate - Google Patents

Description

1'. H. ZEEK.

SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1 1 915.

1 1 93,657. PatentedAug. 8, 1916;

. 2 SHEETSSHEET I. H. ZEEK.

SHIPPING cam.

\ APPLlCATlON FILED MAR-1B, 1 915 I 1,193,657. Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

We? were Rar JAMES HARVEY ZEEK, OF ALBIA, IOWA.

SHIPPING-CRATE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES HARVEY ZEEK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albia, in the county of Monroe and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Crates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I I

This invention relates to improvements in protected containers and more particularly to transparent crates for shipping money and like valuables. I

I The object of the invention is to provide a crate of this character so constructed that while the contents thereof areldisplayed to view they are fully protected against unauthorized access without disclosure of the fact.

With this and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts-as will be more fully described and claimed. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a crate constructed in accordance with this invention,I

shown closed ready for shipping; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof; Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4. is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 5 is an end elevation thereof; Fig. 6 is an end view showing a slightly different form of closure for the cage.

This improved crate comprises a transparent liner or receptacle 1 preferably composed of glass and an outer metal cage or jacket 15, which are correspondingly shaped, the inner member being sufficiently smaller than the. outer member to adapt it to fit snugly therein as shown in Fig.1.

The liner or receptacle 1 is designed for containing and protecting articles 'to be shipped, such as money, jewelry, valuable papers and the like, so that while fully and amply protected against injury by extraneous objects, the contents thereof are fully disclosed so that when the crate is committed to a messenger he may see at a glance what its contents are, and when delivered to a consignee he may instantly tell what said crate contains and whether or not the contents thereof have been tampered with. As

Specification of-Letters 'Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Application filed. March 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,254.

' members 3 which are rigidly connected at their ends with the corners of rectangular end frames 41 and 5,the frame 5 being composed of the L-shaped angle irons and the frame 1 of the inverted U-s haped irons. The

I corner members 3 of the frame are designedto receive glass or other transparent panels 6 and the closed end of the liner is formed by a glass panel '7 mounted in the end frame member 5. The inverted U- shaped irons of the end frame 4 fit over the end edges of the side panels 6 at one end of the container forming a protecting covering therefor.

Cushioning elements 8 are arranged between the abutting edges of the side panels 6 and between the ends of these side panels and the end panel 7, said cushioning elements being here shown in the form of rubber strips, so that when the crate is roughly handled or jarred, breakage of these frangible panels will be prevented.

A hinged closure 9 is mounted on the open end of the container 1, and as shown comprises a glass panel 10 with a metal border or frame 11 surrounding the edges thereof and which is U-shaped in cross section and is adapted to rest on the end frame member 41. at the open end of the receptacle. Extending inwardly from the inner face of this closure 9' are flanges 12 shaped to conform to the cross sectional contour of the container 1 and adapted to fit snugly in said container when the closure is closed, said flanges being spaced inwardly a suitable distance from the outer edges of the border 11 to provide for their proper location to adapt them to shut within the end of the container 1 and to provide projecting lips 11? on the outer edges of the border which are designed to rest on the end member 4 of the metal frame of the container whereby the closure is supported on said frame. These flanges 12 are shown L-shaped in cross section (see Fig. 2), one member of which depends from the inner face of the end frame 1 and the other member of which is secured to the lower face of said frame by soldering or otherwise.

The end of the closure opposite the hinged portion thereof is provided on the lip 11 which projects beyond the flange 12 at this end with an aperture or eye 13, and a correspondingly positioned eye 14 is carried by the frame member 5 at the upper end of the container 1" to receive a sealing wire 14 which is passed through these eyes and sealed in the usual manner after the contents to be shipped have been inserted in the container, thereby preventing all possibility of the contents of the container being tampered with without disclosure of this fact, as the seal must be first broken before access to the container can be had or one of the frangible panels bro-ken which would quickly disclose the fact that the contents of the container had been tampered with and thus provide means for locating the thief or 'transgressor.

The protecting guard or cage 15 in which the container 1 is inclosed is here shown conforming substantially in shape to the form of the container 1 so that when said container is inserted in said cage it will be held snugly therein and all shaking or wabbling relative thereto prevented. This cage or outer skeleton jacket 15 as shown is composed of two seriesv of substantially U- shaped heavy wires 16 and 17 the cross bars 18 of the wires 16 of one series being spaced laterally apart and intersecting the cross bars 19 of the Wires 17 of the other series to form the closed end or bottom of the cage, and these wires at their points of intersection are rigidly connected by welding or in any other suitable manner to prevent movement of the wires relatively to each other after they have once been positioned. The side arms of the wires 16 extend forwardly or laterally from the cross bars thereof and constitute oppositely disposed side members of the cage, while the side arms 21 of the wires 17 are similarly disposed to form opposite sides of the cage which are arranged in planes at right angles to the sides formed by the arms 20. The free ends of the arms of both sets of wires 16 and 17 as shown are provided with eyes 22 through which a connecting wire 23 is threaded and rigidly secured to each of said eyes by welding or otherwise so that the respective wires are thus held in spaced relation to each other and collapse of the side members of the cage thus prevented.

The side members formed by the arms 20 and 21 of the wires 16 and 17 are here shown encircled by a plurality of transversely disposed bands 2% which are spaced longitudinally from each other and rigidly secured at their points of intersection with the wires by soldering, welding, or otherwise, as

shown at 25, thereby forming a rigid frame composed of longitudinally and transversely extending members fixedly secured at their points of intersection. The open end of this cage 15 which is shown bounded by the connecting wire 23, is designed to permit the insertion in the cage of the glass container or liner 1 which is placed therein with the closure 9 arranged in. the bottom or closed end of the cage and with its closed paneled end 7 disposed opposite the open end of the cage. This container is secured in said cage by a suitable closure shown in the form of metal links 26 connected at one end to opposite sides of the cage 15, said links being here shown provided at their opposite ends with eyes 27 and 28, the eyes at the inner ends thereof being engaged with the connecting wire 23 at points spaced from each other and the eyes 28 at the free ends of said links being adapted to be connected with each other by a sealing wire 29 which is passed through these eyes and then'the usual seal 30 applied thereto so that the cage cannot be opened without first breaking this seal and thereby disclosing the fact that the cage has been opened.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, the Closure for the open end of the cage is shown in the form of a cover 31 hingedly connected at one end to one side of the open end of the cage and provided at its free end opposite the hinge thereof with eyes 32 through which a sealing wire 33 is designed to pass and then be passed through eyes'3l formed on theadjacent end of the cage in an alining position with the'eyes 32. After this wire 33 has been passed through these eyes 32 and 34, the ends thereof are connected by a seal 35 in the usual manner.

It is thought that from the above description the operation of this improved crate will be obvious without further detailed description.

lVhile this improved crate is shown disposed on one side thereof, it is obvious that it need not be necessarily so disposed but may be reversed in position and stood on one end if found desirable.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container guard or cage comprising intersecting spaced wires extending longitudinally in opposite directions and bent to form sides and one end of said cage, said wires being fixedly connected at their points of intersection, bands encircling said longitudinal wires and'fixedly connected thereto at their points of intersection, the free ends of said longitudinal wires being secured to one of said bands, and a closure hinged to 5 series being spaced from each other and the cross bars of the two series intersecting each other and fixedly connected at their points of intersection to form the closed end of the cage, the side bars of the two series forming the sides of the cage, longitudinally spaced bands encircling said side bars and fixed thereto at their points of intersection, and a closure for said open cage end.

A container comprising a metal frame composed of angle irons L-shaped in cross section, transparent panels mounted in said angle irons to form sides and one end of the container, rubber strips disposed between the abutting edges of said transparent panels, a closure hinged to the open end of said container and having a depending flange spaced inwardly from the edges thereof and adapted to shut into the open end of the container, and means for sealing said closure.

4. A container composed of a metal boxlike frame, panels mounted in said frame to form sides and one end of said container,

a closure hinged at one end to one side of the open end of said container and comprising a panel having an encircling border corresponding in shape and size to the cross sectional contour of the container, a continuous flange extending around the inner face of said closure at points spaced from the outer edge of said border, said flange being shaped to conform with the cross sec tional contour of the container and adapted to fitsnugly therein with the projecting edges of the border resting on the open end of the container.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HARVEY ZEEK. Witnesses:

PAUL Roscoe VALKER, EARNIE BLACK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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