Covered File Box

Abstract

The file primarily for suspended folders comprises a box and a cover therefor, both made of inexpensive material, such as paperstock. The file may be sold in a knockdown kit comprising two prescored and precut blanks, one for the box section and the other for the cover. The cover is attached to the box section by flaps which permit a hinged opening and closing movement and also slidable movement away from the top of the box when it is fully open. Plastic strips are also provided to be placed on the top edges of the sides of the box to facilitate easy sliding movement for the means suspending the folders and other contents within the box.

Description

This invention relates to the construction and assembly of a file comprising a box section and a cover therefor.

An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive file having a hinged cover which protects the contents from dust, dirt and physical injury. The box section and cover are erected from prescored and precut blanks of paperstock, or similar inexpensive material.

Another object is to provide a file as described above of sufficient rigidity and ruggedness to withstand stacking and continuous handling.

A further object is to provide a file cover which in addition to the usual hinged opening and closing movement has a slidable movement away from the top when it is in an open position.

Another object is to provide a file with a plastic strip or rail on the top edge of each side to protect the edges and to facilitate the sliding movement of the slidable hangers carrying the folders and other contents of the file, the hangers being supported by the top edges of the sides.

Another object is to provide a file comprising a box and a hinged cover therefor, wherein the cover is attached to the box by a simple flap construction whereby the cover may be easily connected to or removed from the box.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, disclosing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the box blank;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the box illustrating a step in the erection thereof from the blank;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view illustrating a further step in the erection of the box;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the erected box and cover attached thereto;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken on lines 5--5 and 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are respectively rear and front perspective views of the assembled box and cover;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are enlarged perspective views of details of the cover structure; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the cover blank.

FIG. 1 illustrates the general configuration of the flat blank which forms the box of the file. The blank is a flat sheet of paperboard of suitable weight, finish and color. It comprises bottom panel 1, end panels 2 and 3, and side panels 4 and 5. Scored fold lines 7, 8, 9 and 10 define the panels which will form the bottom 1, ends 2 and 3 and sides 4 and 5 of the erected box. A transverse score line 12 at the edge of end 2 defines an inner flap 14. A similar score line 15 defines a flap 16 for end 3. Each flap 14 and 16 is provided with tabs 18 along its outer edge. The tab will be inserted into slots 20 along score lines 7 and 8 when the blank is erected into a box.

Sides 4 and 5 have extending flaps 21, 22, 23 and 24, respectively, with score lines 26, 27, 28 and 29 between the respective sides and flaps. Flaps 21 and 22 have slots 31 formed therein. Flaps 23 and 24 have tabs 32 each extending from the body of its flap within a recess 33. Each tab 32 has tongues 34 extending from its opposite sides, which tongues are foldable along score lines 35. Slots 37 between end 2 and flaps 21 and 23, and between end 3 and flaps 22 and 24 are formed in alignment with score lines 9 and 10.

The erection of the blank is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Sides 4 and 5 are folded along lines 9 and 10 perpendicular to bottom 1. Then flaps 21, 22, 23, and 24 are folded along their respective score lines 26, 27, 28, and 29, as illustrated partly in FIG. 2. Tongues 35 are folded along their score lines to extend at right angles from the body of tabs 32 whereby they can be inserted into slots 31 of the corresponding flaps 21 and 22. The paths of movement of the parts for side 4 are illustrated by the arrows 39 in FIG. 2. After tongues 35 enter slots 31 they are folded back against the wall formed by the inner surfaces of flaps 21 and 22, as illustrated in FIG. 3, to thereby interlock adjacent flaps 21 and 23, and adjacent flaps 22 and 24, whereby sides 4 and 5 are securely and rigidly maintained in their erected position with respect to bottom 1.

Thereafter, ends 2 and 3 are folded along their score lines 7 and 8 to contact the interlocked flaps 21 and 23 and flaps 22 and 24, respectively. The erecting path of end 2 and its flap 14 is illustrated in FIG. 3. After end 2 contacts the interlocked flaps 21 and 23, its flap 14 is folded over 180.degree. into the interior of the box formation and tabs 18 are inserted in their respective slots 20 for positioning in bottom 1. Thus, end formations comprising means 21, 23, 2 and 14 and their opposite means 22, 24, 3 and 16 are rigidly secured to bottom 1, and form with sides 4 and 5 a rigid open box 40.

Cover 41 is also formed from a flat blank of paperboard of suitable weight, finish and color. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the cover is formed from a blank which is prescored and precut to provide the following parts for the cover; a top 43, sides 44 and 45, a front end formation 46-48 and a rear end hinge formation 55. As illustrated in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, sides 44 and 45 and front end 46 are folded with respect to top 43 to close over the corresponding end and sides of the box. The front end formation of the cover is formed in a manner similar to that of the box. Front end 46 extends from top 43 and is defined by a score line 47. End 46 has a flap 48 which folds over flaps 50 and 51 extending from sides 44 and 45. Flap 48 has tabs 52 which are insertable in slots 53 formed in top 43 to thereby interlock the sides; end and top into a rigid cover structure.

Cover 41 is hinged and secured to box 40 by the following construction. Top 43 has a rear end flap 55 extending therefrom along score line 56. The ends 57 and 58 of flap 55 are folded 180.degree. along score lines 60 and 61, as illustrated in detail in FIG. 10 with respect to end 58.

Flaps 57 and 58 are inserted between end 2 and flap 21, as illustrated in FIG. 10. Preferably, the insertion is made during the erection step illustrated in FIG. 3 and before flap 14 is folded over into the interior of the box. The parts are so designed and formed that in the open position of FIG. 4, cover 41 may be slid down to the position shown in dotted lines. In that position, better access is had to the contents of the file.

The file folders may be of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,179. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8, the folders 63 are suspended from plastic supports 64 which have hooked ends slidable on the top edges of sides 4 and 5. To facilitate the sliding movements of the folders and to protect the edges, the top edges of sides 4 and 5 are provided with plastic, or similar material, channels or strips 66. Strip 66 comprises a base portion 67 with the two sides 68 inwardly inclined thereto and biased towards each other by the inherent resiliency of the material. Thus, means 66 are spring held along the edges of sides 4 and 5.

It should be noted that sides 4 and 5 are of less height than the ends to accommodate the means 64 supporting the folders. (FIGS. 7 and 8). Strips 66 may come with the knockdown kit comprising the box and cover blanks. It may be secured after assembly to the top edges of sides 4 and 5 and retained thereon by merely the springlike action of sides 68 on the paperboard. If desired, plastic strips, similar to strips 66, may be applied to the blank along the outer edges of ends 4 and 5.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention was described, it is evident that many details of the structure may be modified and changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A file comprising a box having a bottom, sides, a front end and a rear end, an infolded rear flap extending from the rear edge of each side at right angles thereto, a flap extending from the rear end and infolded 180.degree. with respect to said rear end to encompass said infolded rear flaps of the sides, the outer edge of said rear end flap being provided with a tab formation which is insertable in a corresponding slot formation provided in the bottom when the rear flap is infolded in its 180.degree. position, said rear flaps of the sides extending substantially over the surfaces of each other to form a double layer end wall and securing means to maintain said rear flaps attached to each other, a cover for said box, said cover comprising a top, sides and a front end overlapping the corresponding sides and front end of the box, a rear flap attached to said top, opposite to the front end thereof and along a scored transverse folding line which serves as a hinge line for the cover, said rear cover flap having end portions separated from the top and defined by score lines at right angles to the hinge line to permit said ends to infold 180.degree. along said score lines with respect to the main body of the flap, said infolded end portions being positioned between the surfaces of said rear end flap of the box and said rear flaps of the sides adjacent said rear end flap, to thereby secure said cover to said box and permit sliding movement between the cover and the rear end flap of the box when the cover is in full open position.

2. A file as set forth in claim 1 wherein said securing means comprise tongue formations extending from one of said rear flaps and a receiving slot formation in the other rear flap, said tongue formation having score lines along which the tongue formation may be folded to retain it in the slot formation.

3. A file as set forth in claim 2 wherein each side has front flaps extending from the front edge of each side, said flaps extending at right angles to the sides and being provided with tongue and slot formations as the corresponding rear flaps of the sides and cooperating to form a double layer wall, and wherein said front end has an extending flap which is infolded 180.degree. to encompass the adjacent front flaps of the sides, said front flap having tab formations at its outer edge for insertion in slot formations formed in the bottom to thereby retain the flap of the front end in its 180.degree. position.

4. A file as set forth in claim 2 wherein the top edges of said sides are below the top edges of said ends, and wherein strips of U-shaped cross section are placed over said side edges to take up the wear and facilitate sliding movement of the file contents suspended from said side edges.

5. A file as set forth in claim 4 wherein said strips are made of a resilient plastic to thereby cause the legs of the U to exert a spring action on the surfaces of the sides.