Molded crate with interlocking rim appliances
AssigneeFormall, Inc.
InventorHenry H. Rose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shipping crate suitable for containing loose materials and for vacuum molded fabrication from thermo-formable polymer materials is constructed with denticulated end walls for alternative column stacking or nesting. Spades and receptacles in side and end walls, respectively, are spaced for meshing and interlocking laterally adjacent containers in parallel columns. End wall denticulations provide column stacking support surfaces above the crate contents when alternate end stacked and nest stacking when ends with the same dentil sequence are vertically aligned.
Claims10
A utility crate of integrally molded, unitary construction having a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls and a bottom panel bounding an interior container volume;
- an open top area above said interior volume;
- vertical stacking support surfaces disposed on said end walls outside of said open top areas to support another, superposed crate above said interior volume;
- a perimeter band having substantially straight, planar sections upstanding from said side and end walls surrounding said open top area and outside of said support surfaces whereby said support surfaces are disposed between said perimeter band and said open top area and said perimeter band laterally confines said superposed crate on said stacking support surfaces;
- first sections of said perimeter band above one of said end walls and one of said side walls having spade elements projecting upwardly therefrom, second sections of said perimeter band above said other end wall and said other side wall having spade receptacle elements, said space and receptacle elements having substantially identical relative spacing whereby the side wall spade elements of a first crate may be meshed with the side wall receptacle elements of a second crate positioned laterally adjacent said first crate.
A utility crate of integrally molded, unitary construction having an internal volume bounded by a pair of substantially planar side walls, first and second denticulated end walls, a bottom panel and a continuous, substantially rectangular rim band having planar side and end sections projected integrally up from said side and end walls, one side and one end section of said rim band including planar spade elements formed within the respective planes thereof and receptacle elements formed within the other side and end section, said spade and receptacle elements being positioned and relatively spaced along said rim band for meshing engagement of receptacle elements respective to a first crate by spade elements respective to an adjacent second crate whereby said adjacent crate is secured from displacement from said first create in all directions substantially parallel with said bottom panel said first end wall comprising a central dentil flanked by adjacent channels, said second end wall comprising a pair of dentils separated by a central channel whereby a portion of a second such utility crate may be nested within the internal volume of a first such utility crate when respective first and second end walls are vertically aligned and said second utility crate is supported by said first utility crate above said first crate internal volume when said second crate first wall is vertically aligned with said first crate second wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.