U.S. patent number 3,762,097 [Application Number 05/129,372] was granted by the patent office on 1973-10-02 for carrier with retaining rollers.
Invention is credited to Joseph Sebato Gallo.
United States Patent |
3,762,097 |
Gallo |
October 2, 1973 |
CARRIER WITH RETAINING ROLLERS
Abstract
The disclosure of the invention comprises restraining rollers
for use in pairs with a carrier box for the transport of flowers,
vase-supported flower arrangements, potted plants, and the like in
a restrained carrying position on a vehicle seat. Each said
restraining roller, or rollers, is formed with a highly resilient
surface, and with pointed centering pins, which are relatively
moveable, and are forced yieldably apart to bite into penetrable
side walls of the carrier box. The rollers of a pair are pressed
inwardly and downwardly against opposite sides of the container to
be held, the compression of the resilient surfaces of the rollers
acting to restrain the container against the bottom of the carrier
box, and further against lateral movements relative thereto.
Inventors: |
Gallo; Joseph Sebato (Walpole,
MA) |
Family
ID: |
22439644 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/129,372 |
Filed: |
March 30, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
47/84; 410/151;
206/423; 211/105.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G
9/088 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01G
9/08 (20060101); A01g 009/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;47/34.11 ;211/105.6
;280/179R,179B ;105/369B ;206/45.14,46PL ;24/265B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
332,556 |
|
Oct 1958 |
|
CH |
|
397,413 |
|
Aug 1933 |
|
GB |
|
821,039 |
|
Nov 1951 |
|
DT |
|
671,802 |
|
Oct 1963 |
|
CA |
|
472,327 |
|
Sep 1937 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Coughenour; Clyde I.
Claims
The invention having been described, what is claimed is:
1. A floral item roller retaining means for a container having
walls including, in combination,
a pair of rollers in substantially parallel relationship, each
roller having a cylindrical means, a pointed pin means at each end,
means within the roller adjustably extending said pointed pin means
into engagement with the walls, and a relatively thick compressible
rubber-like means extending around and along said cylindrical means
and being compressed by an item between said rollers so as to
resiliently press and resist movement of said item outer surface in
plural directions.
2. A floral item roller retaining means according to claim 1 in
which the thick rubber-like means is comprised of foam rubber.
Description
The present invention relates to an improved carrier for
transporting container-supported flower arrangements, potted plants
and the like, and more particularly to a restraining roller of
novel and improved construction forming an element of said
carrier.
The carrier comprises generally a carrier box having side walls of
a penetrable material, such as wood, and an open top, and in
accordance with the present invention has associated therewith
restraining rollers arranged in pairs, each of which rollers is
provided with a highly resilient surface and relatively movable,
yieldably expanded pointed centering pins adapted, when the roller
is placed in a restraining position crosswise of the box, to move
into biting engagement with the opposed side walls.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved carrier
comprising a carrier box and restraining rollers of the sort
described which is well adapted for the transport of
container-supported flower arrangements, potted plants, and the
like on a vehicle seat without risk of disturbance or injury.
It is a further object of the invention to provide for use in a
carrier for the transport of such floral items, pairs of
restraining rollers, having a highly resilient covering, for
example, a thick layer of foam rubber, and relatively moveable,
yieldably expanded pointed centering pins, which rollers may be
readily located with relation to the enclosed floral items to
restrain the same while in transit firmly in position both
laterally, and vertically against the bottom of the box.
Referring to the drawing;
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the carrier looking from one end
having a vase containing a flower arrangement supported therein,
held in position by two restraining rollers;
FIG. 2 is a partial view taken on a line 2 -- 2 of FIG. 1, but on a
larger scale, illustrating the vase, aportion of the carrier box in
section, two foam rubber covered restraining rollers also in
section, and a carrier levelling bar;
FIG.3 is a view similar to FIG.2, but on the scale of FIG. 1,
illustrating a vase of different shape and a suitable arrangement
of the restraining rollers for supporting said vase;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating a flower pot and a
suitable arrangement of the positioning rollers for supporting
same;
FIG.5 is a view similar to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 illustrating a
suitable arrangement of the restraining rollers for supporting more
than one vase which is of still another shape; and
FIG.6 is a detail view, partly in section, of the foam rubber
covered restraining roller with the pointed centering pins embedded
in the sides of the carrier box.
The carrier, herein described, takes the form of a wooden box 10
having an open top, and having contained therein pairs of
restraining rollers 12, 14 adapted to be deployed spanning the box
widthwise as may be required with the two ends of each roller held
in fixed position in opposite sides of the box. Each roller
consists of a hollow cylindrical tube 16, on which is mounted a
thick covering of foam rubber 18. In the illustrated embodiment of
the invention the roller is assumed to be two inches in diameter
with a foam rubber covering 18 about five eighths of an inch thick.
Each roller is provided at one end with a pointed centering pin 20
fixedly mounted within the tube 16, and at the other end with a
resiliently mounted centering pin 22, normally held in an extended
position by a coiled spring 24 inserted between the inner end of
the pin 22 and a shoulder 26 on the inner face of the tube 16.
Engagement of the flanged inner end of the pin 22 with a collar 28
limits outward movement of the pin 22. The carrier box 10, while
preferably constructed of wood, may be made with side walls of any
suitable material which is penetrable by the the pointed centering
pins to ensure the bite required of the pointed centering pins into
the side wall surfaces.
A vertically adjustable levelling bar 32 is mounted to depend from
the central rear portion of the carrier box bottom 34, as shown in
FIG.2, for engagement with the usual down-wardly inclined rear
portion of the seat on which the carrier rests. The levelling bar
32 is carried on the lower end of a screw threaded bolt 36 which is
slideably mounted in an aperture passing through the bottom 34 of
the box, and is clamped in adjusted position by a wing bolt 38
mounted in a housing 40 bolted to the bottom of the box and
arranged to engage laterally against the screw-threaded bolt 36, so
that the bolt 36 and levelling bar 32 are clamped firmly
together.
The carrier is well adapted for supporting vase supported flower
arrangements, potted plants and the like which may be of varying
size and shape. By way of example, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a vase
42 having mounted therein a flower arrangement 43. The vase 42 is
formed with a collar, a very short neck and outwardly bulging
sides, and is held firmly in an upright position in the carrier box
by the restraining rollers 12,14 which are pressed against the
bulging sides of the vase, and are held in the restraining position
by the biting engagement of the roller centering pins with the
opposed side walls of the carrier box. The vase 42 is thus
positioned laterally, and is at the same time forced downwardly, so
that the base thereof is pressed firmly against the bottom of the
carrier box.
FIG. 5 illustrates a vase 44 somewhat similar to the vase 42 of
FIGS. 1 and 2, but having a longer narrow neck portion. The
restraining rollers 12,14 are located against downwardly and
outwardly sloping portions of the vase below the neck to force the
vase downwardly against the bottom of the box. This view
illustrates further how more than one container at a time may be
transported in the carrier box 10. A portion of a second vase 44'
is shown adjacent the vase 44 together with a restraining roller
14'. The number of containers which may be transported is limited
only by the length of the carrier box which can be accomodated on
the vehicle seat.
FIG. 3 illustrates a vase 46 of a different shape, being formed
with an outwardly extending base 48. In this instance the rollers
12,14 engage the vase adjacent the base 48 in order to hold the
vase down against the bottom 34 of the carrier box.
FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the rollers 12, 14 may be
utilized to hold a conventional flower pot 50 down-wardly against
the bottom 34 of the box. The rollers 12,14 are located against the
outer top edge of the flower pot 50, so that the opposed outer top
edges are pressed both downwardly and inwardly to hold the flower
pot firmly against the bottom of the box.
From a consideration of the foregoing examples it will be evident
that the box carrier and associated foam rubber covered restraining
rollers with their yieldably expanded pointed centering pins
provide a simple, and at the same time, a most effective
arrangement setting up individual floral items for transport on a
vehicle seat without risk of injury thereto. The restraining
rollers are quickly and accurately located and secured in the most
effective restraining position, in which the individual floral item
is held firmly against the bottom of the carrier box, and is at the
same time fully supported against any lateral shifting or tipping
movements therein.
* * * * *