U.S. patent application number 11/590296 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for interlocking dividers.
This patent application is currently assigned to CLEO, INC.. Invention is credited to Richard H. Boehm.
Application Number | 20070095883 11/590296 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38024490 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070095883 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boehm; Richard H. |
May 3, 2007 |
Interlocking dividers
Abstract
A divider is provided for use with a container. The divider
includes a body and a projection having angled edges converging
toward one another as the angled edges extend away from the body.
At least one of the angled edges intersects a side edge of the
body.
Inventors: |
Boehm; Richard H.;
(Collierville, TN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCCARTER & ENGLISH, LLP
FOUR GATEWAY CENTER
100 MULBERRY STREET
NEWARK
NJ
07102
US
|
Assignee: |
CLEO, INC.
|
Family ID: |
38024490 |
Appl. No.: |
11/590296 |
Filed: |
October 31, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60731698 |
Oct 31, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/120.36 ;
229/120.38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/48038
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/120.36 ;
229/120.38 |
International
Class: |
B65D 25/04 20060101
B65D025/04 |
Claims
1. A divider adapted for use with a container, comprising a body
having a side edge; and a first projection having first and second
angled edges converging toward one another as said first and second
angled edges extend away from said body, said first angled edge
intersecting said side edge so as to facilitate the insertion of
the divider in an associated container.
2. The divider of claim 1, wherein said body includes another side
edge intersecting said second angled edge.
3. The divider of claim 2, wherein said first projection includes a
substantially horizontal edge, said first angled edge extending
between said side edge and said substantially horizontal edge, and
said second angled edge extending between said another side edge
and said substantially horizontal edge.
4. The divider of claim 3, wherein any one of said first and second
angled edges has a length longer than that of said substantially
horizontal edge.
5. The divider of claim 4, further comprising at least one slot
formed in said body, said at least one slot including a closed end
and a flared open end, said at least one slot extending between
said closed end and said flared open end, and said at least one
slot being sized and shaped so as to accommodate another
divider.
6. The divider of claim 5, wherein said flared open end of said at
least one slot includes third and fourth angled edges diverging
away from one another as said third and fourth angled edges extend
away from said closed end.
7. The divider of claim 6, wherein said at least one slot includes
a first slot and a second slot.
8. The divider of claim 1, further comprising a second projection
and a third projection, said body including another side edge, said
first, second, and third projections being arranged in seriatim
between said side edge and said another side edge.
9. The divider of claim 8, wherein said second projection includes
third and fourth angled edges converging toward one another as said
third and fourth angled edges extend away from said body, and said
third projection including fifth and sixth angled edges converging
toward one another as said fifth and sixth angled edges extend away
from said body.
10. The divider of claim 9, wherein said sixth angled edge
intersects said another side edge.
11. The divider of claim 10, wherein said first projection includes
a first substantially horizontal edge, said first and second angled
edges merging with said first substantially horizontal edge, said
second projection including a second substantially horizontal edge,
said third and fourth angled edges merging with said second
substantially horizontal edge, and said third projection including
a third substantially horizontal edge, said fifth and sixth angled
edges merging with said third substantially horizontal edge.
12. The divider of claim 11, wherein any one of said first and
second angled edges has a length longer than that of said first
substantially horizontal edge, any one of said third and fourth
angled edges has a length longer than that of said second
substantially horizontal edge, and any one of said fifth and sixth
angled edges has a length longer than that of said third
substantially horizontal edge.
13. The divider of claim 12, further comprising a first slot formed
between said first and second projections, said first slot having a
first flared open end formed by said second angled edge of said
first projection and said third angled edge of said second
projection, and a second slot formed between said second and third
projections, said second slot having a second flared open end
formed by said fourth angled edge of said second projection and
said fifth angled edge of said third projection.
14. An interlocking divider system for use with a container,
comprising a first divider including a body having first and second
side edges, a slot formed in said body, and a projection having
first and second angled edges converging toward one another as said
first and second angled edges extend away from said body, said
first angled edge intersecting said first side edge, and said
second angled edge intersecting said second side edge; and a second
divider adapted to be received in said slot of said first
divider.
15. The interlocking divider system of claim 14, wherein said
second divider includes a slot substantially aligned with said slot
of said first divider when said second divider is received in said
first divider.
16. The interlocking divider system of claim 15, wherein said
second divider includes a body having first and second side edges,
a first projection having first and second angled edges converging
toward one another as said first and second angled edges extend
away from said body, a second projection having third and fourth
angled edges converging toward one another as said third and fourth
angled edges extend away from said body, and a third projection
having fifth and sixth angled edges converging toward one another
as said fifth and sixth angled edges extend away from said
body.
17. The interlocking divider system of claim 16, wherein said first
angled edge of said second divider intersects said first side edge
of said second divider, and wherein said sixth angled edge of said
second divider intersects said second side edge of said second
divider.
18. An interlocking divider system for use with a container,
comprising a first divider including a first body and a first
projection having first and second angled edges converging toward
one another as said first and second angled edges extend away from
said body; and a second divider having a second body, a second
projection having third and fourth angled edges converging toward
one another as said third and fourth angled edges extend away from
said second body, and a third projection having fifth and sixth
angled edges converging toward one another as said fifth and sixth
angled edges extend away from said second body, said second divider
sized and shaped so as to be interlocked with said first
divider.
19. The interlocking divider system of claim 18, wherein said first
divider includes a side edge intersecting said first angled
edge.
20. The interlocking divider system of claim 19, wherein said first
divider includes a slot and said second divider includes a slot
substantially aligned with said slot of said first divider when
said second divider is interlocked with said first divider.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/731,698 filed Oct. 31, 2005, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to interlocking dividers and,
more particularly, to interlocking dividers for use with a shipping
container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The use of dividers to form partitions in shipping
containers is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
1,174,844 to Fukumura discloses folding partitions utilized to
separate an array of articles arranged within a crate. The
partitions have truncated projections along their bottom edge. As
another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,929 to Flanagan discloses a
partition assembly for use in packing an array of articles arranged
within a carton. The partition assembly includes a plurality of
partition elements that have truncated projections along their
bottom edge. U.S. Pat. No. 1,785,416 to La Bombard et al. and U.S.
Pat. No. 3,966,111 to Grimes each disclose interlocking partitions
for use with shipping containers or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and
shortcomings of the prior art discussed above by providing new and
improved interlocking dividers for use in connection with a
shipping container adapted to transport and/or store a number of
articles arranged in rows and columns. More particularly, two sets
of dividers are provided, each set having complementary slots for
allowing the dividers to be interconnected. One set of dividers has
a bottom portion in the form of a single, wide, truncated
triangular-shaped projection. The projection has a short horizontal
edge and a pair of downwardly converging, angled edges which merge
with the short horizontal edge so as to allow for easy insertion of
the first set of dividers into the container. The second set of
dividers has a bottom portion in the form of a plurality of narrow,
truncated triangular-shaped projections. Each of the projections
has a short horizontal edge and a pair of downwardly converging,
angled edges which merge with their corresponding short horizontal
edge so as to facilitate the interlocking of the second set of
dividers with the first set of dividers, as well as to allow for
the easy insertion of the second set of dividers into the
container. A new and improved method for separating articles stored
in the container is also provided.
[0005] In one embodiment, the present invention includes a divider
adapted for use with a container. The divider includes a body and a
projection having first and second angled edges converging toward
one another as the angled edges extend away from the body. The
first angled edge intersects a side edge of the body so as to
facilitate the insertion of the divider in an associated container.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the dividers separate
articles in the carton and can be inserted into the carton when
same is full.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] For a more complete understanding of the present invention,
reference is made to the following detailed description of an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention considered in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a top, perspective view of two sets of interlocked
dividers which have been constructed and assembled in accordance
with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of one of the dividers
shown in FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a front, elevational view of another one of the
dividers shown in FIG. 1; and
[0010] FIGS. 4-7 are sequential views which illustrate how the
dividers of FIGS. 1-3 are inserted into a shipping container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention is described in connection with a
shipping container adapted to transport and/or store a plurality of
elongated, tubular articles (e.g., individual rolls of gift wrap)
arranged in rows and columns. It should be understood, however,
that the present invention can be used with other types of
containers. Also, the present invention can be used in connection
with containers, in which the articles are not necessarily arranged
in rows and columns. As used herein, the term "row" shall mean a
horizontal spatial arrangement, which is oriented along the x-axis.
Conversely, the term "column" shall mean a vertical spatial
arrangement, which is oriented along the y-axis.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an assembly of interlocked dividers 10
including a first set of column dividers 12a, 12b and a second set
of row dividers 14a, 14b. The column divider 12a is identical to
the column divider 12b, while the row divider 14a is identical to
the row divider 14b.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 2, the column divider 12a includes a top
portion 16, a pair of side edges 18, 20 and a bottom portion 22.
The top portion 16 has a generally horizontal top edge 24. One end
26 of the top edge 24 intersects with the side edge 18, while the
opposite end 28 of the top edge 24 intersects with the side edge
20.
[0014] The top portion 16 also includes a plurality of slots 30, 32
for receiving the row dividers 14a, 14b, respectively, (see FIGS.
1, 6, and 7) as will be described in further detail hereinafter.
The slot 30 has a flared open end 34 formed by a pair of upwardly
diverging edges 36, 38 which facilitate the interconnection of the
column divider 12a with the row divider 14a (see FIGS. 1, 3, and
5-7). The slot 30 also has a closed end 40 spaced a predetermined
distance D1 from a plane P defined by a flat bottom surface of a
shipping container (not shown in FIG. 2) or the like. The slot 30
extends vertically from its flared open end 34 to its closed end
40. Likewise, the slot 32 has a flared open end 42 formed by a pair
of upwardly diverging edges 44, 46 which facilitate the
interconnection of the column divider 12a with the other row
divider 14b (see FIGS. 1, 6, and 7). The slot 32 also has a closed
end 48 spaced the same predetermined distance D1 from the plane P.
The slot 32 extends vertically from its flared open end 42 to its
closed end 48.
[0015] With continued reference to FIG. 2, the bottom portion 22 of
the column divider 12a is in the form of a single, downwardly
extending projection 50 which resembles an inverted and truncated
triangle. More particularly, the projection 50 is formed by a short
horizontal edge 52 and a pair of downwardly converging, angled
edges 54, 56. The angled edge 54 extends between the side edge 18
and the short horizontal edge 52, while the other angled edge 56
extends between the side edge 20 and the short horizontal edge 52.
The angled edges 54, 56 of the projection 50 are significantly
longer than the horizontal edge 52.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 3, the row divider 14a includes a top
portion 58, a pair of side edges 60, 62 and a bottom portion 64.
The top portion 58 includes a horizontal edge 66 having one end 68,
which intersects with the side edge 60, and an opposite end 70,
which intersects with the side edge 62. The bottom portion 64 is in
the form of a plurality of downwardly extending projections 72, 74,
76, each of which resembles an inverted and truncated triangle. The
projections 72, 74, 76 are arranged seriatim between the side edge
60 and the side edge 62.
[0017] The projection 72 is formed by a short horizontal edge 78
and a pair of downwardly converging, angled edges 80, 82 which
merge with the short horizontal edge 78. The angled edges 80, 82 of
the projection 72 are significantly longer than the horizontal edge
78. Similarly, the projection 74 is formed by a short horizontal
edge 84 and a pair of downwardly converging, angled edges 86, 88
which merge with the short horizontal edge 84. The angled edges 86,
88 of the projection 74 are significantly longer than the
horizontal edge 84. Finally, the projection 76 is formed by a short
horizontal edge 90 and a pair of downwardly converging, angled
edges 92, 94 which merge with the short horizontal edge 90. The
angled edges 92, 94 of the projection 76 are significantly longer
than the horizontal edge 90.
[0018] With continued reference to FIG. 3, an elongated slot 96 is
provided between the projection 72 and the projection 74.
Similarly, an elongated slot 98 is provided between the projection
74 and the projection 76. The slot 96 has a flared open end 100
formed by the angled edge 82 of the projection 72 and the angled
edge 86 of the projection 74. The slot 96 also has a closed end 102
spaced a predetermined distance D2 from the plane P. The slot 96
extends vertically from its flared open end 100 to its closed end
102. Likewise, the slot 98 has a flared open end 104 formed by the
angled edge 88 of the projection 74 and the angled edge 92 of the
projection 76. The slot 98 also has a closed end 106 spaced the
same predetermined distance D2 from the plane P. The slot 98
extends vertically from its flared open end 104 to its closed end
106.
[0019] In operation, the column dividers 12a, 12b are positioned in
a conventional shipping container 108, which contains a plurality
of elongated tubes T arranged in columns and rows. As previously
indicated, the column divider 12b (also shown in phantom in FIG. 4)
is identical to the column divider 12a, and includes a bottom
portion 110, a top portion 112, and a pair of slots 114, 116 with
flared open ends 118, 120 and closed ends 122, 124. The first
assembly step involves inserting the column divider 12a between the
third and fourth columns shown in FIG. 4. The shape of the
projection 50 facilitates the insertion of the column divider 12a
into the container 108. The other column divider 12b is then
inserted between the sixth and seventh columns. The column divider
12a and the column divider 12b are then pushed down approximately
halfway into the container 108.
[0020] When so positioned, the bottom portions 22, 110 of the
column dividers 12a, 12b are situated in the container 108, while
the top portions 16, 112 protrude outwardly from the container 108,
thereby exposing the flared open ends 34, 42 of the slots 30, 32 of
the column divider 12a and the flared open ends 118, 120 of the
slots 114, 116 of the column divider 12b. Also, in this position,
the slot 30 of the column divider 12a is horizontally and
vertically aligned with the slot 114 of the other column divider
12b, and the slot 32 of the column divider 12a is horizontally and
vertically aligned with the slot 116 of the other column divider
12b.
[0021] The next assembly steps, which are illustrated in FIGS. 5
and 6, involve interconnecting the column dividers 12a, 12b with
the row dividers 14a, 14b. Referring to FIG. 5, the row divider 14a
is aligned with both of the column dividers 12a, 12b such that the
row divider 14a is substantially perpendicular to both of the
column dividers 12a, 12b. When so positioned, the slot 96 of the
row divider 14a is aligned with the slot 30 of the column divider
12a and the slot 98 of the row divider 14a is aligned with the slot
114 of the other column divider 12b.
[0022] The row divider 14a is then pushed into the column dividers
12a, 12b and the container 108 until the closed end 102 of the slot
96 of the row divider 14a abuts the closed end 40 (see FIG. 2) of
the slot 30 of the column divider 12a, and the closed end 106 of
the slot 98 of the row divider 14a abuts the closed end 122 (see
FIG. 4) of the slot 114 of the other column divider 12b, thereby
interlocking the row divider 14a with both of the column dividers
12a, 12b, as shown in FIG. 6. The shape of each of the projections
72, 74, 76 of the row divider 14a facilitates the interlocking of
the row divider 14a with the column dividers 12a, 12b, as well as
to allow for the easy insertion of the row divider 14a into the
container 108. When so positioned, the horizontal edge 52 of the
column divider 12a is aligned with the horizontal edges 78, 84, 90
of the row divider 14a, whereby all of them lie in the plane P (see
FIGS. 2 and 3).
[0023] The other row divider 14b is received by the slot 32 (see
FIG. 4) of the column divider 12a and the slot 116 (see FIG. 4) of
the column divider 12b. The other row divider 14b is connected to
both of the column dividers 12a, 12b in the same manner as the row
divider 14a so as to interlock the other row divider 14b with both
of the column dividers 12a, 12b, thereby creating nine compartments
within the container 108. Each compartment contains a plurality of
tubes T.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 7, the column dividers 12a, 12b and the row
dividers 14a, 14b are then pushed further into the container 108
until the column dividers 12a, 12b and the row dividers 14a, 14b
are fully inserted therein (i.e., when the column dividers 12a, 12b
and the row dividers 14a, 14b contact the bottom surface of the
container 108). The top of the container 108 is then closed by
folding the flaps F of the container 108.
[0025] When fully inserted, the column dividers 12a, 12b and the
row dividers 14a, 14b function to separate the tubes T stored
within the container 108 and to prevent breakage of the tubes T
when the container 108 is shipped or otherwise handled. The column
dividers 12a, 12b and the row dividers 14a, 14b also maintain the
tubes T in a substantially upright position when the container 108
is shipped or otherwise handled.
[0026] It should be noted that the present invention can have
numerous modifications and variations. For instance, the column
dividers 12a, 12b and the row dividers 14a, 14b can be used in
connection with many different types of containers, cartons,
crates, boxes, etc. The present invention can be used to separate
other types of articles stored in the container 108. Although two
column dividers 12a, 12b are shown, the number of column dividers
12a, 12b can vary. Likewise, although two row dividers 14a, 14b are
shown, the number of row dividers 14a, 14b can vary. All such
variations and modifications are intended to be included within the
scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *