US3126120A

US3126120A - Hinged cover container

Info

Publication number: US3126120A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-24

Description

March 24, 1964 J, H. CRATE 3,126,120

HINGED COVER CONTAINER Filed Dec. 18, 1962 INVENTOR JAMES HARVEY CRATE BY M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,126,120 HINGE!) COVER CONTAINER James Harvey Crate, New/town Square, Pa, assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nernours and Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 245,533 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-31) This invention relates to a container with a snap hinge, and especially to a case for carrying bottled beverages such as beer with a sturdy snap hinge.

In the past, beverage cases have been formed from wood or cardboard. Such containers suffer from being sensitive to moisture, and being abrasive to paper labels. The wooden cases require metal or other hinges which add to the cost of the case. While cardboard cases are formed with covers in which the cardboard is merely folded to provide a hinge, such hinges do not have a long life and are the weak point in the case. Small containers have been made from plastics utilizing integrally formed snap hinges. However, such snap hinges when applied to large containers, have not had suflicient strength, especially when applied to bottled beverage cases which are quite heavy and which it is often desired to lift the hinged cover as handles.

This invention has as an object, the provision of a beverage case which is resistant to moisture. A further ob ject is to provide a beverage case which, when loaded, can be lifted by the covers. A further object is to provide a beverage case which will not abrade paper labels.

These and other objects are accomplished by molding a plastic beverage case with a snap hinged cover assembly, which snap hinge runs the length of the joint between the cover and the case body. By utilizing the hinge of this invention the cover may be snapped onto the case body with case but the hinge joint is very strong in the direction in which stress is normally applied to the hinge.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the beverage case and its hinged covers;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the structure of the hinge-forming members;

FIG. 3 shows a partial section of the hinge-forming members assembled;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of one of the hinge members, taken on line 4-4- of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of another of the hinge members, taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

The beverage case 1 of this invention has a pair of hinged

covers

2, 3, and a body portion 4. The body portion 4, has compartments adapted to receive bottles 9, formed by a series of length-wise walls 7 and cross-wise walls 8. Body portion 4, may have corrugations 10, so as to stifien the sides, which corrugations are preferably arranged as shown in FIG. 2, so as to cooperate with the hinge elements as well as provide a stiffening of the body sides. The covers preferably have gripping openings 11 and 12 to provide a convenient means to lift the case. The hinge is formed by a series of pivot shafts 13 held in place by shaft supports 14, which supports are preferably mounted on cover 2, although they could alternatively be mounted on case body 4 if desired. The other half of the hinge comprises two types of pivot shaft engaging means. The first of these, means 15, wraps around the shaft and has an opening which faces parallel to and toward the case side and has pivot shaft engaging slide surface 16, inclined at an angle A of about 120 from the plane of the case wall, which slide surface 16 slides over one of the pivot shafts 13 when the case is snapped together with cover 2. The second pivot shaft engaging means 17, seats the pivot shaft 13, and has an opening which faces parallel to and away from the case side, and has pivot shaft engaging slide surface 18 inclined at an angle B of about 60 from the plane of the case wall, which slide surface 13 slides over one of the pivot shafts 13 when the case 4 is snapped together with cover 2.

The pivot shafts, and other hinge-forming elements are preferably integrally molded with the portion of the case to which they are rigidly attached. The preferred material for forming the case and snap hinge is high density polyethylene having a density of about 0.97. Other resilient molding resins may be used if desired. Such resins include other polyethylenes, polypropylene, polyamides, polymethyl methacrylate, and acetal resins. The construction of the case particularly adapts it to carrying bottled liquids, primarily beer but including soft drinks, liquors, and cosmetics. The angles A and B of the shaft engaging slide faces, are preferably 120 and 60 respectively, but may vary from 105 to 135 and from 45 to respectively.

I claim:

1. A snap hinge construction comprising a first portion of said hinge comprising a plurality of axially aligned pivot shaft segments supported on a series of support means mounted on a single supporting member, and a' second portion of said hinge comprising a series of two types of pivot shaft engaging members on a single supporting member, the first of said types of pivot shaft engaging members comprising a portion which extends from said supporting member and wraps around the pivot shaft to form an opening of about 180 degrees facing in the direction of and substantially parallel to said supporting member, and has the Wrap-around portion terminate in a plane disposed at from to degrees from the plane of the support, the second of said types of pivot shaft engaging members comprising an extension of the support substantially parallel with the support and a protruding member terminating in a plane disposed at from 45 to 75 degrees from the plane of said supporting member, said supporting member being corrugated adjacent said pivot shaft engaging means, the corrugations being of the same width as and coextensive with said pivot shaft engaging means.

2. A case comprising a body portion having upstanding walls and at least one cover hingedly mounted on one of said walls, said cover having mounted thereon a plurality of axially aligned pivot shafts, said pivot shafts being engaged by a series of two types of pivot shaft engaging members mounted on said wall, the first of said types of pivot shaft engaging members comprising a portion which extends from said wall and wraps about degrees around the pivot shaft to form an opening of about 180 degrees facing in the direction of and substantially parallel to said wall, and has the wrap-around portion terminate in a plane disposed at from 105 to 135 degrees from the plane of said wall, the second of said types of pivot shaft engaging members comprising an extension of said wall substantially parallel with said wall and a protruding member defining an opening of about 180 degrees facing away from said Wall, said protruding member terminating in a plane disposed at from 45 to 75 degrees from the plane of said wall, said wall being corrugated adjacent said pivot shaft engaging means, the corrugations being of the same width as and coextensive with said pivot shaft engaging means.

3. The case of claim 2 wherein the terminal planes of the pivot shaft engaging members face toward the high density polyethylene having a density of about 0.97.

inside of the case. 7. The ease of claim 5 wherein the body portion has 4. The hinge construction of claim 1 wherein the pivot compartments adapted to receive bottles. iz g iz g i g ggf membars 5 References Cited in the file of this patent 5. The case of claim 2 wherein the body portion and UNITED STATES PATENTS pivot shaft engaging members are formed of a resilient 2,537,450 Yates M 5, 1953 molding 2,711,050 McIntyre June 21, 1955 6. The case of claim 5 wherein the molding resin is 2,797,840 Gibbs July 2, 1957

Claims

1. A SNAP HINGE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A FIRST PORTION OF SAID HINGE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF AXIALLAY ALIGNED PIVOT SHAFT SEGMENTS SUPPORTED ON A SERIES OF SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED ON A SINGLE SUPPORTING MEMBER, AND A SECOND PORTION OF SAID HINGE COMPRISING A SERIES OF TWO TYPES OF PIVOT SHAFT ENGAGING MEMBERS ON A SINGLE SUPPORTING MEMBER, THE FIRST OF SAID TYPES OF PIVOT SHAFT ENGAGING MEMBERS COMPRISING A PORTION WHICH EXTENDS FROM SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER AND WRAPS AROUND THE PIVOT SHAFT TO FORM AN OPENING OF ABOUT 180 DEGREES FACING IN THE DIRECTION OF AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER, AND HAS THE WRAP-AROUND PORTION TERMINATE IN A PLANE DISPOSED AT FROM 105 TO 135 DEGREES FROM THE PLANE OF THE SUPPORT, THE SECOND OF SAID TYPES OF PIVOT SHAFT ENGAGING MEMBERS COMPRISING AN EXTENSION OF THE SUPPORT SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE SUPPORT AND A PROTRUDING MEMBER TERMINATING IN A PLANE DISPOSED AT FROM 45 TO 75 DEGREES FROM THE PLANE OF SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER, SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING CORRUGATED ADJACENT SAID PIVOT SHAFT ENGAGING MEANS, THE CORRUGATIONS BEING OF THE SAME WIDTH AS AND COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID PIVOT SHAFT ENGAGING MEANS.