U.S. patent number 3,563,408 [Application Number 04/816,427] was granted by the patent office on 1971-02-16 for sidewall for a prismatic container.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Inland Steel Company. Invention is credited to Leonardus Arnoldus Nicholaas Bijvoet.
United States Patent |
3,563,408 |
Bijvoet |
February 16, 1971 |
SIDEWALL FOR A PRISMATIC CONTAINER
Abstract
A sidewall for a prismatic shipping container is disclosed in
which radially expandable die segments are used to engage a
cylindrical blank of sheet material and thereby form straight axial
side edges and convex connecting end edges to define flat prismatic
side surfaces.
Inventors: |
Bijvoet; Leonardus Arnoldus
Nicholaas (Bloemendaal, NL) |
Assignee: |
Inland Steel Company (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
27079291 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/816,427 |
Filed: |
November 22, 1968 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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585110 |
Oct 7, 1966 |
3459028 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/671; 220/674;
D7/523; 220/906 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21D
51/2646 (20130101); B65D 7/02 (20130101); Y10S
220/906 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65d 007/02 ();
B65d 007/42 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/83,1,42
;9/54,89,91,58,162,163,167,168,169,207,216,217,218 ;215/1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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954,957 |
|
Jun 1949 |
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FR |
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1,325,082 |
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Mar 1963 |
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FR |
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Primary Examiner: Schwartz; Raphael H.
Parent Case Text
The present application is a divisional application based on the
copending application of this inventor identified as Ser. No.
585,110, filed Oct. 7, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,028 for METHOD
AND APPARATUS FORM A FOR MAKING A SIDEWALL FOR A PRISMATIC
CONTAINER.
Claims
I claim:
1. A prismatic container sidewall made of sheet material defining
inner and outer surfaces and having a central portion with a cross
section substantially in the shape of a regular polygon, two
extremities having a substantially circular cross section of a
diameter not larger than the diameter of the inscribed circle of
said polygon, and two transition portions connecting said
extremities to said central portion, said prismatic central portion
inner and outer surfaces comprising a plurality of flat prismatic
surfaces having substantially parallel straight axial edges
connected at each end by convex connecting edges such that the
length along the central axis of the flat surfaces thus formed is
substantially longer than along adjacent axial edges.
Description
The present invention relates generally to shipping containers such
as drums, and more particularly concerns forming from sheet
material a sidewall having a prismatic shape.
To make the maximum use of transport or storage space, shipping
containers are often made with a cross section in the shape of a
regular polygon. By the choice of a suitable geometry, such as a
four, six or eight-sided figure, the containers thus formed may be
made to stack in closer relationship to one another, and are
additionally given greater resistance to rolling and tumbling than
is the case with conventional cylindrical containers.
Prismatic containers of this type are characterized by a central
prismatic body portion which is linked at each end to a circular
opening by a transition portion which is created during the forming
operation. In this way, conventional end portions or closures such
as are employed in conventional cylindrical containers may be
utilized.
In previous methods of forming sidewalls of this type from sheet
material, a cylindrical blank is formed, after which the central
portion of the blank is expanded into polygonal form by means of a
plurality of rods which are moved radially outward away from the
central axis of the container. In this way each rod forms a corner
of the prismatic sidewall portion. However, this method has various
disadvantages, the major one being that a great percentage of scrap
results due to the formation of cracks in the region of the corners
of the prism sidewalls. It is believed that these cracks are
primarily due to the relatively greater degree of elongation in the
region of the prism corners during the forming operation as opposed
to that which takes place in other portions of the container
sidewall. In this connection, it is further believed that the axial
deformation in these regions, as opposed to circumferential, is
primarily responsible for such difficulties.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present
invention to provide an improved sheet a material sidewall for a
prismatic container. It is a particular aim to provide for the
construction of such containers in a manner which avoids excessive
axial elongation in the region near the ends of the side panels
which form the prismatic shape of the container, so that the cracks
and other defects may be thereby avoided. A further object is to
achieve the construction of an improved prismatic container
sidewall by means of the foregoing method.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent
as the following description proceeds, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevation in perspective of a prismatic sidewall
produced according to the method and with the exemplary apparatus
of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an exemplary apparatus for forming
sidewalls for prismatic shipping containers embodying the features
of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational section taken in the plane 3-3 of FIG.
2, illustrating the expanding die segments by which the prismatic
shape of the sidewall is formed; and
FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the
exemplary apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2.
While the invention is acceptable of various modifications and
alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by
way of example in the drawing and will herein be described in
detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended
to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but, on
the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
equivalents and alternative falling within the spirit and scope of
the invention as expressed in the appended claims.
Turning now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a prismatic
container sidewall 10 of the type to which the present invention is
directed. The greater portion of the container comprises a central
portion 11 with a cross section in the shape of a regular or
substantially regular polygon having somewhat rounded axial corners
12. The corners 12 may alternatively be sharply defined without
departing from the invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the
sidewall is contained constructed in octagonal form, but it will be
seen that it may have any desired number of sides, as with
hexagonal or square construction.
In addition to the central portion 11, the container sidewall 10
also comprises an opening or end portion 13 at each end which has a
circular shape and a diameter which is equal to or smaller than the
diameter of the inscribed circle of the polygon. By the provision
of such circular openings, the container thus formed may be fitted
with conventional end members and closures such as are used with
conventional cylindrical shipping containers. Connecting the
central portion 11 and the end portion 13 are transition portions
14 having an axial length which is relatively short compared to the
axial length of the central portion 11. The shipping container thus
formed is thus of substantially prismatic shape, while still
allowing the use of circular fittings and closures on the end
portions 13.
In accordance with a principal aspect of the invention, the
sidewall 10 is formed with flat surfaces 15 which define the
prismatic configuration and which are shaped in a manner which
avoids excessive stresses in an axial direction in the region of
the extremities of the prismatic central portion 11. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, the flat surfaces 15 are bounded on each side of edge
segments 16 which lie parallel to the central axis of the sidewall
10. The edges 16 interconnected at their ends by outwardly curved
segments 17 which, according to the invention, are formed in such a
manner that the length of the edge segments 16 is shorter than the
overall length of the flat surfaces 15 measured along an axial
centerline. In this manner, concentration of strain in the region
of the extremities of the flat surfaces 15 and the corners 12 is
avoided, resulting in a considerable reduction of scrap in
comparison with previous methods of making such sidewalls.
A exemplary apparatus for carrying the invention into effect is
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. This apparatus, indicated generally
at 19, consists of a plurality of die segments 20 which are
radially movable in an outward direction. The die segments 20
together define the full area of the flat prismatic surfaces 15 of
the sidewall 10 to be formed, or at a minimum they are shaped so as
to define at least the edge segments 16, 17.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3, each of die segments 20 defines the intersection of
two adjacent flat surfaces 15 in the completed container sidewall
10. In other words, each die segment 20 defines one axial edge 16
and a part of each convex connecting edge 17 for each of the two
flat surfaces 15 concerned. It has been found that the method
according to this preferred embodiment results in a more uniform
distribution of the strains encountered in forming such containers,
including strains on both the axial and circumferential directions.
The result is a method by which containers by may be conveniently
and rapidly formed with a high degree of resistance to tears,
splits and other failures due to nonuniform stretching of the
material of the blank as the container sidewall 10 is formed into
prismatic shape.
Means are provided in the apparatus 19 for forcibly moving the die
segments 20 radially outwards to engage a cylindrical container
blank (not shown) which is placed over the apparatus 19. For this
purpose, a truncated pyramidal actuator 21 is provided which may be
selectively moved along the central axis of the apparatus 19 by
means of a central actuating rod 22. Power means (not shown) are
provided for moving the actuating rod 22 back and forth to cause
the actuator 21 to expand and retract within the apparatus 19. Such
means may comprise hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, or any other
suitable actuating means. As the actuator 21 is withdrawn by the
actuating rod 22, the beveled surface of the pyramidal actuator 21
wedges the individual die segments 20 apart, causing the individual
segments 20 to move radially in an outward direction.
For the purpose of retracting the die segments 20 when the actuator
21 is reversed in its motion, a pair of helical springs 23 is
carried in circumferential grooves 24 at each end of the apparatus
19. When the actuator 21 is moved upwardly (as seen in the FIGS.),
the die segments 20 are drawn inwardly by the springs 23, and the
apparatus 19 is thereby contracted. The stroke of the actuator 21
is constant for a given movement of the actuating rod 22, but its
points of starting and stopping may be adjusted by means of an
adjusting nut 25 screwed on a threaded end 26 of the rod 22. A
spring 25 is provided between the actuator 21 and a shoulder of the
operating rod 22 to insure constant contact of the actuator 21
against the adjusting nut 25.
The die segments 20 are mounted as a group in a cagelike structure
consisting of a lower ring 28, an upper ring 29, and tie rod 30
secured by nuts 31. (It should be noted that the nuts 31 and ring
29 have been deleted from FIG. 2 in order to better show the die
segments 20 and associated structure). The apparatus 19 further
comprises an annular supporting table 32 for supporting the
cylindrical container blank, the table 32 being mounted on a frame
or base 33.
In carrying out the method of the present invention, a suitable
cylindrical blank (not shown) made of fibre, sheet metal, or other
suitable material is placed over the apparatus 19 and seated
against the table 32. Being of simple cylindrical form, the blank
may be easily and economically produced on any equipment suitable
for the purpose. The only requirement is that the blank have
sufficient diameter to fit over the die segments 20 of the
apparatus 19 when in the contracted position.
When the blank is in position, the actuating rod 22 is moved
downwardly (as seen in FIG. 3), thereby moving the actuator 21 in a
manner which forcibly wedges the individual die segments 20
outwardly in a radial direction, causing the blank to be locally
expanded in a manner resulting in the configuration shown in FIG.
1.
In the preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2, the die
segments 20 are so formed that the planes of separation between
adjacent segments 20 coincide with the axial centerlines 18 of the
flat surface 15 to be formed. Thus, each of the die segments 20
defines a corner 12 of the completed container, and incorporates
one axial edge 16 and part of each transverse edge 17 of the
adjacent flat surfaces 15 to be formed. The circumferential strain
during forming of the central portion 11 of the sidewall 10 is
thereby concentrated in the zones of the blank which will
ultimately constitute the corners 12 of the container sidewall
10.
According to another embodiment of the invention, illustrated in
FIG. 4, each of the die segments 20 are defines a single flat
surface 15 of the completed container sidewall 10, instead of
defining the intersection of two adjacent surfaces 15 as in the
embodiment of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a separating plane 35 is
defined between each of the two die segments 20 as the apparatus 19
is expanded, so that the corner 12 of the completed container wall
10 is bridged over the opening between the die segments 20 during
the forming operation. With this embodiment, the die segments 20
need not necessarily engage the entire flat surfaces 15 to be
formed. The die segments 20 could, as an alternative, embody
recesses corresponding to the central portions of the flat surfaces
15 of the completed container center section 11, but is should be
noted that at least the edges of the blank which are to comprise
the edge segments 16, 17 of the flat surfaces must be engaged by a
respective portion of the die segments 20.
As another alternative of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4,
each of the die segments 20 may consist of two rods shaped
generally in a wide U-shaped, being jointed at their ends to define
an outline which follows the edges 16, 17 of the flat portions 15
of the completed container.
In the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the apparatus
comprises eight die segments 20 and consequently the central
portion 11 of the completed container sidewall 10 will be octagonal
cross section. The apparatus may, however, include any desired
number of die segments 20 so that the resulting container sidewall
10 will have a prismatic central portion 11 having a square,
hexagonal, or any other desired prismatic shape.
* * * * *