Container And Joint Therefor

Abstract

A container, preferably formed of glass for uses such as aquariums and small animal housings, having panels interconnected along joints formed by securing adjacent panel surfaces together with a plastic adhesive fillet which forms securing corner structure permitting substantial relative movement between the panels while maintaining the fluid tight integrity of the joints.

Description

This invention relates to containers and more particularly to containers comprising a plurality of panels and joints interconnecting said panels.

Containers which function as aquariums and as cages for small animals, particularly made of glass, are generally formed by a plurality of glass panels interconnected by lap joints comprising cemented adjacent pairs of overlapping surfaces which may or may not be further reinforced by inner and/or outer corner angle members or overlapping strips. While such joints when properly formed are both strong and liquid tight, they do require a degree of precision in fitting the adjacent surfaces. Also, the overlapping relationship of the panels at the joints often requires the use of non-standard glass panels sizes as one panel overlaps the adjoined panel by the thickness of the adjoined panel. Additionally, the nature of such joints provides minimum flexibility between connected panels so that containers so constructed are fairly easily broken, can tolerate only a minimum of mishandling in packing and shipping, and require special care in being protected against damaging blows during handling.

It is a particularly important object of the invention to provide a new and improved container and joint therefor.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved joint for connecting panels, particularly glass panels, for forming a structure such as a container.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container and joint therefor which permits use of standard glass size panels.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved apparatus of the character described which permits maximum dimension and finish tolerance in the panels comprising the apparatus.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character described which permits substantial relative movement between joined panels.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character described which permits ready construction of random shapes without special forming of joined edges of panels.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character described which in one modified form is foldable to a substantially flat form for shipping and storage.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character described which provides improved optical characteristics.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character described wherein joint damage is somewhat self repairable.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved joint including a plastic adhesive fillet securing adjacent pairs of edge surfaces and forming a portion of the corner structure of the joint.

It is another object of the invention to provide a joint of the character described which may be assembled and cured at room temperature.

These and still further objects of the invention will be readily apparent from reading the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in section of a joint constructed in accordance with the invention taken along the line 1--1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a rectangular form of container constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view in section of a joint of a hexagon shaped container taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a hexagon shaped container constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the folding feature of a joint constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified foldable form of tank embodying the invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a rectangular tank 10 assembled in accordance with the invention includes a pair of identical side panels 11, identical end panels 12, and a rectangular bottom panel 13. The side and end panels are interconnected with each other and are secured with the bottom panel 11 by joints such as the joint 14 illustrated in enlarged detail in FIG. 1. The joint 14 is formed by interconnecting the adjacent vertical edge surfaces 11a and 12a of the panels 11 and 12, respectively, by a plastic adhesive fillet 15 which generally cures to provide a somewhat concave outer surface 15a. In the particular form of the joint illustrated, the inner corner edges 11b and 12b of the panels 11 and 12 are not actually engaged with each other but rather are spaced slightly apart so that a narrow bead of the fillet 15 is disposed along the entire length of the joint between the panels along the corner edges. The fillet 15 adheres to the pair of vertical edge surfaces 11a and 12a of the panels forming a water tight seam with each panel edge and also provides corner structure in the outwardly opening triangular space defined between the panel edges. Normally, of course, this space does not exist in such a structure because of the use of either a lap joint or a joint where the adjoining panels are mitered so that the outer surfaces as well as the inner surfaces of the panels extend together in a planer relationship which in the container 10 would be at 90.degree. angles with each other. If desired, and still within the concept of the invention, the panels 11 and 12 may engage along only their inner corner edges 11b and 12b, respectively, though slightly more flexibility and panel size tolerance is permitted where the panels are slightly spaced apart as shown in FIG. 1.

The material comprising the fillet 15 of the joint 14 is a non-porous plastic adhesive referred to commercially by terminology RTV (room temperature vulcanizing). The material is commercially available and is a member of the silicone rubber family having an adhesive capability permitting it to seal with glass surfaces sufficiently to withstand the normal pressure of water as in an aquarium. It is a nontoxic material which is safe for use with fish, small animals and the like. In more specific technology, the RTV material comprises silicones which are semi-inorganic polymers made up of a skeleton structure of alternate silicone and oxygen atoms with various inorganic groups attached. They are considered as thermo-resins. While these materials do not possess the mechanical strength for withstanding forces for some structural purposes, they are more than adequate for forming the types of joints contemplated by the invention. The commercially available silicones of the type under consideration vary in their curing temperatures from room temperature to about 250.degree. F. The particular materials used for the present application are those which actually cure at or near normal room temperatures thereby greatly simplifying fabrication procedures. Ideally, and preferably, the silicones desired for the present application are those which cure at about 95.degree. F. and about 95.degree. humidity with the curing being more directly effected by moisure content rather than air temperature. These materials also have good low temperature properties.

In the fabrication of a glass tank as illustrated in FIG. 2, the side and end panels are first supported in the rectangular relationship shown by any suitable jig form of supporting means, not shown, which holds the panels at 90.degree. relationship with each adjacent panel and maintains the top and bottom edges respectively of the panels in substantial alignment with each other. The inside corner vertical edges of the panels, such as edges 11b and 12b, may be supported in engagement with each other, or such edges may be slightly spaced apart as illustrated in FIG. 1. Preliminary to placing the glass panels in the fabrication jig, the edge surfaces, such as 11a and 12a, are sanded to better prepare the surfaces for the adhesive. The surface is then cleaned with a paint thinner or turpentine. With the panels supported by the jig in rectangular relationship shown, the adhesive is then applied along each seam or joint between panels to form the fillet 15. The adhesive is available in tubes which may be used with a caulking gun, and thus the preferable manner of applying the adhesive is with a caulking gun so that it may be expelled in a continuous small stream or bead along the adjacent edge surfaces forming each corner of the tank. Immediately after application of the adhesive with the caulking gun, the fillet is rough and ill-formed with many irregularities. The fabricator moistens his finger with thinner and runs it along the outer surface of the fillet to mold the fillet to substantially the shape shown in FIG. 1. The thinner permits a very smooth exposed surface 15a to be prepared along the length of the fillet. The major portion of the adhesive remains between the surfaces 11a and 12a and does not spill into the inside of the tank past the inner corner edges 11b and 12b. Any of the adhesive which does squeeze inwardly between the panel corner edges is readily removed by use of the thinner. The bottom panel 13 is supported in the proper position and secured to the end and side panels as illustrated in FIG. 2 at the time of the fabrication of the inside panels or at a later time, as desired. The same type joint as in FIG. 1 may be used between the bottom panel and the side and end panels. As explained hereinafter, in the form of the tank shown in FIG. 6 the bottom is not initially secured with the side and end panels.

The various panels forming the container are held by the jig for a period of about 3 hours after which the jig may be removed. The containers are then cured under normal room conditions for a period of about 21 days to provide maximum strength joints with the flexibility desired.

The particular technique and joint used in fabricating the tank 10 is also especially suited to shapes such as the hexagon tank shown in FIG. 4 which may be formed without special glass panel preparation due to the novel features of the joint between the panels. Referring to FIG. 2, a tank 20 is formed of six rectangular panels 21 interconnected by joints embodying the invention as illustrated in FIG. 3. The bottom panel 23 does, of course, require special preparation, depending upon the shape defined by the several panels forming the tank. The panels are held together by a jig, not shown, while each fillet 25 is applied along the space between the angularly spaced outside panel edge surfaces 21a as in FIG. 3. The fillet is applied and finished in the same manner as the joint 15 previously described. The particularly desirable feature of the joint in the irregularly shaped containers is the capability of the fillet material to fill the space between the panel edges and firmly flexibly adhere the panels together so that a joint is formable irrespective of the angle between the panels edges 21a. It will be obvious that with any other form of construction, irregular shapes such as the hexagon container would require difficult precise edge shaping since a mitered joint would be required, a lap joint being impossible due to the fact that the panels do not come together at a 90.degree. angle. Thus, irrespective of the angle between the panels forming the container, the adhesive may be applied to form a joint such as the joint 22.

After a joint embodying the invention has properly cured, it may be manipulated substantially without damage to the joint or affecting its utility. This is illustrated in FIG. 5 which shows the joint 14 folded by revolving the panel 11 about the fillet 15 into a laminer relationship with the panel 12. The fillet 15 forming the joint is stretched laterally as illustrated because in folding the panels 11 and 12 together, the panel edges 11a and 12a to which the fillet is adhered revolve away from each other until they are in substantially the same plane. The joint 14 may also be manipulated by folding the panels 11 and 12 apart or away from each other about the connecting fillet 15 until the panels are lying in the same plane which distorts the joint compressing the central body portion of the fillet as the panel edges 11a and 12a are brought toward each other into a parallel spaced relationship and the corner edges 11b and 12b are moved slightly apart in the outwardly folding process.

The capacity of the joints to allow the jointed panels to be either folded together or to be folded away from each other into a common plane permits the fabrication of a container 30 as represented in FIG. 6. The tank 30 includes the side panel 11 and the end panels 12 secured together by joints 14 as previously described. The container 30 also has a bottom panel 31 formed of a substantially rigid, somewhat flexible, plastic, such as urethane, which has a rectangular groove 32 cut into its top surface. The groove 32 is square in cross-section and slightly undersized in width relative to the thickness of the panels 11 and 12. The peripheral dimensions of the groove are substantially the same as the dimensions of the rectangle formed by the panels 11 and 12 so that the bottom edge portions of the structure formed by the panels 11 and 12 are inserted into the groove 32 whereby the groove forms the bottom of the container. Depending upon the tightness with which the panel fit in the groove, additional sealer or adhesive may, or may not, be necessary along the surfaces of the panels engaged in the groove to prevent water leakage between the bottom and the panels. The particular advantage of the structure shown in FIG. 6, which is also adaptable to the other shapes of containers formable with the joint, such as that shown in FIG. 4, is that the interconnected panels 11 and 12 may be folded substantially flat for shipping and storage with final assembly of the container being accomplished at the time of use, or display for sale, or the like. Specifically, the portion of the structure comprising the interconnected panels 11 and 12 is fabricated as previously described without, however, securing a bottom panel to the side and end panels. After the corner joints 14 have properly cured, the assembled side and end panel structure is folded to a two-panel thickness. One manner of folding the structure shown in FIG. 6 involves placing the side panel 11 near the reader on a flat surface and firmly pressing the other panel 11 downwardly toward the bottom panel 11 thereby folding the lower left and upper right joints 14 together in the relationship shown in FIG. 5. Obviously, the other corner joints comprising the upper left corner and lower right corner shown in FIG. 6 are spread or folded apart. The end result is a folded structure with one panel 11 and one adjacent end panel 12 aligned in one plane and the other panels 11 and 12 aligned in another plane immediately on top with the total folded structure being two panels in thickness and of a length equal to the sum of one side panel and one end panel. The folded structure is stored and shipped in this manner. At the time of final assembly, the panel structure is then folded outwardly or expanded back to its rectangular shape and the structure is then inserted into the groove 32 of the bottom panel 31. It will be obvious that the hexagon type of FIG. 4, similarly, may be folded in flat relationship with three of the panels 21 lying in one plane and their interconnected joints folded outwardly, and three of the other three panels lying in a common plane in layered relationship on the first three panels with their interconnecting joints also folded outwardly while the two end joints connecting the two layered sets of panels being folded together to the relationship of FIG. 5.

Tanks fabricated as described above utilizing the new and improved joint according to the invention, have particularly desirable optical characteristics in that each corner joint tends to blend with the panels themselves to an extent that the joint is not so obvious as a conventional lap or butt joint. The joint is not invisible because the adhesive does have somewhat different optical characteristics and is not as completely transparent as glass, but the presence of the joint is not as obvious and does not contrast to such an extent with the joint panel as conventional joints. The containers may be used as aquariums due to their water tight characteristics, or they may be used simply as housings for small animals. The self-sealing characteristics of the adhesive forming each of the corner joints causes the joints to be essentially self-repairing in the event of minor damage to them. For example, the pin may be inserted through the fillet and upon being withdrawn the adhesive will flow back together effectively sealing the hole against water leakage. The seam has the extreme flexibility illustrated by the fold shown in FIG. 5. Substantial tolerance is permitted in the finish of the panel edges which are secured together and maximum flexibility is permitted between the panels without affecting the integrity of the joint so that breakage due to inflexible joints is minimized and shipping and storage problems are to a great extent eliminated. The containers are fabricated without the use of special treating apparatus due to the room temperature curing characteristics of the resins employed as the adhesive forming the essential component of the joint. It will be recognized that the joint is especially useful and effective when the panels are made of glass because of the capability of the joint to compensate for the inflexibility of glass. It will also be recognized, however, that joints in accordance with the invention may also be used where the panels are formed of plastic sheet material which does not necessitate the joint flexibility to compensate for breakage as required by glass but the folding capability of the joints can be taken advantage of. It will also be evident that while only two geometric shapes have been illustrated and described, many other regular and irregular shapes may be formed from standard size panels having standard 90.degree. edges as the joint is capable of interconnecting panels lying at any relative angles to each other irrespective of the alignment of the edge surfaces. The adhesive forming the joints provides structure between the secured edges and adheres with the required degree of rigidity and tightness to the edge surfaces.

Claims

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A container comprising: a plurality of transparent panel members interconnected by joints along adjacent outwardly diverging non-parallel edge surfaces of said panel members, each joint including a transluscent room temperature vulcanizing plastic adhesive fillet adhered to said adjacent edge surfaces of said panels providing a structure between said surfaces whereby said panels are secured together along said joints forming a water-tight light transmitting seal between said panels along said joints and permitting substantial relative movement between said panels along said joints for compensating for irregularities in said adjacent edge surfaces while retaining a water-tight condition along said joints.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said panels are glass.

3. A container as recited in claim 2 wherein said fillet comprises an RTV type silicone.

4. A container as defined in claim 3 wherein the inside corner edges of said adjacent panels along the joined adjacent edge surfaces are in substantial engagement with each other.

5. A container as defined in claim 3 wherein the inside corner edges along the joined edge surfaces of said adjacent panel edges along said joint are spaced apart from each other.

6. A container as defined in claim 5 wherein the angle between the inside planar surface of each pair of said joined panels is less than 180.degree..

7. A container as defined in claim 3 wherein a bottom panel of said container is removably secured along bottom edges of the side and end panels of said container and is provided with a groove for receiving said side and end panel bottom edges and said side and end panels are foldable to a substantially flat relationship when said bottom panel is removed.

8. A joint for interconnecting adjacent structural panels along non-parallel outwardly divergent adjacent edge surfaces on said panels comprising a fillet formed of an RTV silicone of a light-transmitting type along said adjacent edge surfaces of said panels adhering to said surfaces providing a transluscent structural fillet filler between said surfaces whereby said panels are joined with substantial relative movement permitted between said panels to compensate for irregularities in said adjacent edge surfaces.

9. A joint as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjacent edge surfaces of said panels are disposed in a non-parallel spaced relationship.