U.S. patent number 3,653,707 [Application Number 04/863,441] was granted by the patent office on 1972-04-04 for flat glass shipping case.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Libbey-Owens-Ford Company. Invention is credited to Earl J. Olson, Frank L. Pile.
United States Patent |
3,653,707 |
Pile , et al. |
April 4, 1972 |
FLAT GLASS SHIPPING CASE
Abstract
A reusable case for shipping and storing frangible sheets. The
case is formed from stock components which can be assembled in
various ways so as to accommodate different numbers of sheets of
various dimensions, and can be readily dismantled to form a compact
unit for return shipment.
Inventors: |
Pile; Frank L. (Manteca,
CA), Olson; Earl J. (Lathrop, CA) |
Assignee: |
Libbey-Owens-Ford Company
(Toledo, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
25341102 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/863,441 |
Filed: |
October 3, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/67.1;
206/451; 206/454; 206/477; 206/583; 206/585; 294/67.41 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G
49/061 (20130101); B65D 85/48 (20130101); Y02W
30/807 (20150501); Y02W 30/80 (20150501) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
85/48 (20060101); B65G 49/06 (20060101); B65G
49/05 (20060101); B66c 001/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;294/67,67.2,67.2A,67.4A,67.5 ;214/8,10.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Blunk; Evon C.
Assistant Examiner: Cherry; Johnny D.
Claims
We claim:
1. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material, comprising an
elongated longitudinally extending base member upon which said
sheets stand in face-to-face upright position, pairs of upright
members fastened to said base member at spaced locations
therealong, the upright members of each said pair being located on
opposite sides of said plurality of sheets and extending upwardly
above said sheets to enclose said sheets therebetween, an elongated
longitudinally extending cap member fastened between said upright
members above said sheets, clamp means carried by said cap member
for exerting pressure downwardly against the upper edges of said
sheets to immobilize said sheets within said shipping case, and
fastening means for said pairs of upright members located at spaced
intervals along said base member whereby said spaced pairs of
upright members may be located at selected locations therealong to
accommodate sheets of different lengths and maintain the balance of
the loaded case.
2. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 1, including means spaced along said upright members for
fastening said cap member at selected positions to accommodate
sheets of different heights in said case.
3. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material, comprising an
elongated longitudinally extending base member upon which said
sheets stand in face-to-face upright position, pairs of upright
members fastened to said base member at spaced locations
therealong, the upright members of each said pair being located on
opposite sides of said plurality of sheets and extending upwardly
above said sheets to enclose said sheets therebetween, an elongated
longitudinally extending cap member fastened between said upright
members above said sheets, and clamp means carried by said cap
member for exerting pressure downwardly against the upper edges of
said sheets to immobilize said sheets within said shipping case,
the means for fastening said upright members to said base member
including openings extending through said base member,
corresponding openings at the lower end of said pairs of upright
members, and connector means extending through said corresponding
openings in said base and upright members, said base having a
plurality of said openings spaced along the length thereof whereby
said pairs of upright members may be located at selected locations
to accommodate sheets of different lengths, the means for fastening
said cap member to said upright members including openings
extending through said cap member, corresponding openings in said
pairs of upright members, and connector means extending through
said openings in said base and upright members, said upright
members having a plurality of said openings spaced therealong
whereby said cap member may be fastened at selected locations to
accommodate sheets of different heights.
4. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 3, including a pair of spaced hooks associated with said cap
member by which said shipping case can be engaged and lifted.
5. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 3, wherein said clamp means includes a screw jack carried by
said cap member for turning down to exert said pressure against the
upper edges of the sheets when said cap member is fastened in said
selected location.
6. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 3, including a retainer block extending upwardly from and
restrained against longitudinal movement relative to said base
member at one edge of said sheet, and a band encircling said sheets
and retainer block and urging said sheets toward said retainer
block to prevent endwise movement of said sheets.
7. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 3, including a retainer block extending upwardly from and
restrained against longitudinal movement relative to said base
member at each edge of said sheets, and a band encircling said
sheets and retainer blocks.
8. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 3, wherein said base member and cap member comprise inverted
channel-shaped sections, said openings extending through said base
and cap members comprising matching holes in the opposite flanges
of said channel-shaped sections, and including slots in the webs of
said base member and cap member spaced inwardly from said flanges
and transversely aligned with said holes for receiving said upright
members whereby the distance between the upright members of each
said pair may be varied to accommodate different numbers of said
sheets.
9. A shipping case for sheets of frangible material as claimed in
claim 8, including cushioning blocks mounted on top of said web of
said base member between said slots, a layer of resilient material
on the interior face of said upright members adjacent said sheets,
and protective strips extending along the ends and across the top
of said sheets.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to shipping apparatus for
sheets or plates of glass or the like, and more particularly to a
shipping case formed of stock elements which can be readily
assembled in different relative positions so as to accommodate
sheets in varying numbers and of varying dimensions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In shipping large sheets of glass from the producer to consumer
outlets, it has heretofore been the practice to enclose the sheets
in a protective wooden case constructed specifically for the
particular shipment. Such cases require relatively large amounts of
material and labor in their construction and, since they are
generally not reusable, constitute a major factor in the cost of
the delivered glass. Due to the nature of their construction, the
sheets can not be readily removed therefrom one at a time at their
destination whereby the case serves as a storage rack as is often
desirable. Instead, the wooden cases must be disassembled and the
sheets removed to other storage facilities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
shipping rack or case comprised of a small number of standardized
components which are readily assembled by relatively unskilled
labor in the proper configuration to accommodate the desired number
of glass sheets of given dimensions. The case protects the sheets
against damage in transit, and may serve as a temporary storage
rack from which the sheets can be removed individually as needed.
When empty the case can be easily dismantled for return shipment to
the point of origin in compact form. Since the components are
reusable, the problem of waste disposal is avoided and, over an
extended period, a substantial saving in cost is realized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts
throughout:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with the protective covering
partially stripped away, of the shipping case of the invention as
loaded with glass sheets;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation showing the case loaded with sheets of
relatively small dimensions and illustrating in phantom the manner
in which it can accommodate sheets of larger dimensions;
FIG. 3 is a vertical, transverse sectional view taken substantially
along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an upper corner of the
assembled case of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a plan view taken substantially along line 5--5 of FIG.
3; and
FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along
line 6--6 of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1
thereof, there is shown generally at 10 a shipping case constructed
in accordance with the invention and containing a plurality of
glass sheets 11. The shipping case includes a base, shown generally
at 12, having a main member 13, to which are secured uprights 14.
The uprights are affixed above the sheets 11 to a cap member 15 so
that, in a manner to be hereinafter described, the sheets 11 are
held within the framework formed by the base 12, uprights 14 and
cap member 15.
In the illustrated embodiment the main base member 13, uprights 14
and cap member 15 may be conventional steel channel members affixed
together as by top bolts 16 (FIG. 3) with nuts 17 and bottom bolts
18 with nuts 19 to form a rigid frame. Other suitable fasteners
may, of course, be employed in place of the nuts and bolts. The
horizontal base member 13 and shorter cap member 15 are normally of
equal width so as to span the thickness of the plurality of glass
sheets 11 when assembled with the uprights 14, and of greater width
than the uprights so as to provide rigid support to the load when
lifted.
Lifting of the unit may be accomplished by overhead lifting means
such as a crane (not shown) together with a chain 20 and hooks 21
which may, for example, be rigidly attached to the cap member 15 or
carried by the top bolts 16 as shown. In this manner, the frame may
easily be placed on a fork lift truck or other convenient transport
means, or lifted and transported within a storage area by an
overhead crane.
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the uprights 14 are provided with a
plurality of spaced openings 22 in the webs thereof which allow
vertical adjustment of the cap member 15 to accommodate sheets of
varying heights. In order to secure the sheets against endwise
movement, they are generally placed with one edge adjacent one end
of the base member as will be hereinafter explained. Thus, base
member 13 is similarly provided with a plurality of aligned
openings 23 spaced along the opposite flanges thereof permitting
adjustment of the longitudinal position of the uprights 14 to
compensate for a shift in the center of gravity occasioned by the
loading of sheets of different widths, thereby allowing the cap
member 15 to be shifted so that the lifting hooks 21 straddle the
center of gravity on all loads. For example, the unit may be
constructed to accommodate sheets of glass ranging in height from
50 to 90 inches and from 90 to 120 inches in width. This range will
accommodate the great majority of such flat glass sheets shipped in
commerce.
The frame of the apparatus can also be adjusted to provide a
varying distance between the uprights so that different numbers of
sheets may be packed therein for a given shipment. In alignment
with each set of spaced openings 23 in the flanges of the base
member 13 are slots 24 (FIG. 3) in the web thereof, which slots are
sufficient in size to accommodate the uprights 14. As illustrated
in FIG. 5, similar slots 25 are provided in the cap member 15.
Thus, the sheet receiving cavity may be narrowed by locating either
or both of the uprights of each pair within the slots 24 and
25.
Frames suitable for shipping glass sheets have been successfully
constructed wherein the base member 13 and the cap member 15 were
standard five, 6- or 7-inch steel channels, and the uprights 14
were standard 2-inch channels. Of course, the inventive concept
would apply to structural components of any suitable
dimensions.
Within the framework described, sheets of glass are cushioned and
protected from damage at their edges by a peripheral shell (which
may be wood) shown generally at 26 (FIGS. 1 and 2). This shell is
comprised of vertical members 27 at either end, a top horizontal
member 28 and a plurality of spaced cushioning bottom blocks 29,
which may be glued or fastened to the base member as by recessed
bolts (not shown). A steel band 30 encircles the shell and
protective end pads 31 in the lower region, and urges the sheets
against an end retainer block 32 extending into an opening in the
web of the main base member 13 behind a bar 33 between the flanges
thereof. The banding arrangement thus secures the sheets against
endwise movement. The top corners 34 of the shell 26 may be tacked
or nailed if such is necessary to hold them in place.
The sheets 11 are secured vertically by adjustable screw jacks 35
threaded in nuts 36 affixed to the cap member 15 and having pads 37
adapted to bear against the top horizontal member 28. Thus, when
the cap member 15 is properly positioned along the uprights 14 and
secured in place, the screw jacks 35 are turned down so that the
pads 36 bear against the member 28 and apply force between the cap
member 15 and the member 28.
To further protect the fragile cargo within, the uprights 13 may be
lined with a layer 38 of felt or other soft resilient material
facing the glass sheets. The glass itself may be covered with an
outer protective layer 39 such as corregated fibreboard or heavy
paper. In addition, the outer faces of the uprights 14 may be faced
with wooden strips (not shown) to protect adjacent containers.
To remove the glass sheets 11 from the shipping case 10 after
shipment, the band 30 is removed and the adjustable screw jacks 35
and the frame nuts 17 and 19 are loosened. The peripheral shell 26
and corregated fiberboard or paper covering 39 may then be removed,
leaving the glass sheets 11 readily available for easy removal from
the end of the case as needed. Alternatively, the case may be
placed on a buck so as to lean against a supporting surface, and
the uprights 14 adjacent the nuts 17 and 19 completely removed so
as to expose the sheets.
From the above description, it can readily be appreciated that,
unlike the one-way, custom-built wooden boxes long used to ship
flat glass and other fragile materials, the shipping case of the
invention is almost totally reusable. The only components
contemplated by the invention which are specifically constructed
for the particular shipment are the upper sections of wooden shell
26, outer covering layer 39 and the steel band 30. This represents
a far smaller repetition of investment in material and labor than
with the prior art structures. The permanent frame of the invention
readily lends itself to disassembly, and may easily be returned in
a knocked-down form for reuse in shipping the same or a different
number or size of sheets. This flexibility in size and number of
sheets accommodated also represents a distinct advantage.
Although the preferred embodiment relates the invention to the
shipment of flat glass sheets, it is readily adaptable for use with
other products having like shipping characteristics.
* * * * *