Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Packing Boxes or Crates.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Packing Boxes
or Crates.
I, CHARLES ENOCH PARKS, residing on Washington Street, in the city of
Watertown, in the county of Jefferson, and State of Wisconsin, in the United States
of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The invention has for its object the construction of a packing box or crate formed
with suitable end or side pieces, and a continuous fabric formed of a series of single
wires, cords, or wood strips, secured to end strips, and having a wooden filling woven
in and out of, or over and under said wires, cords or strips, to form the other sides or
ends of said box or crate, all as hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings
Figure is a perspective
of one fort of my improv
Figure 2 is a like view of another form and
Figure 3 is a plan view of the slatted fabric employed in the construction of my
improved boxes and crates.
My said fabric, A, may be of any width and length required, according to the
size or style of box or crate desired, but in all instances it is continuous, and is formed
of two end strips a a united by wires or cords b, b, b, whose ends may be simply
wound or twisted around tacks or screws e c c, or staples d d may be driven over
the wire-ends, adjacent to said tacks or screws, or in place thereof, or wound
around said end strips, as preferred, so long as said wires are firmly secured to
said and strips, and intermediate between these end strips a a are the slats e e,
preferably of very thin wood, which are woven in and out or over and under said
wires, to form a filling, in a manner analogous to that shown in my patent
No. 10,393, dated July 17, 1888.
In my former patent, just named, my boxes or crates were composed of independent
sections each section consisting of a rigid skeleton frame, with a wire or cord
warp and slatted filling, but in my present device I first construct a fabric, as just
described, of sufficient length to form sides and bottom of the box or case, as shown
in Figure 1, or, if preferred, the sides and bottom, and top also, as shown in
Figure 2, and draw the fabric to place over end frames, B, B, and tack or other-
wise secure it directly to the edges of said end portions, which may be rabbeted
frames with thin strips of board tacked thereto, as shown in Figure 1, or my patented
box-sections, as shown in Figure 2, or solid pieces of boards if desired. It is obvious
that instead of using my fabric for the sides of the boxes or crates (as well as the
bottom, or bottom and top) I may, if preferred, make the sides of my boxes and
crates of filled frames, like those in Figures 1 and 2, or of solid boards, and put my
fabric on lengthwise; so that the ends, instead of the sides, will be of my said
continuous fabric, but this is so apparent, that I have not deemed it necessary to
illustrate the same, in my drawings.
When the fabric A has been tacked, nailed, or otherwise secured to the end
(or side) frame sections B, B, I may strengthen the bottom, or the end edges of
the box or crate with strip CC, if desired.
The form of box or crate shown in Figure 1 is made with an open top, to have
a separate top of any preferred construction added thereto, but in the form shown

page_text: in Figure 2, the fabric A is of such length, relative to the size of the end frame-
sections, as to form a flexible cover, which, when the box or crate has been filled
may be brought over, and its end strip a tacked, or otherwise secured, to the
other end strip a of said fabric, at the top of the front side of said box or crate.
"
Inasmuch as my fabric is merely nailed or tacked to the edges of the end (or side) frame-
sections, the said fabric can be readily detached therefrom, making a "knock-down
box or crate of my package for storage, or re-shipment, and as I employ single wires
or cords, for my warp" the said fabric can he very readily folded flat upon itself as
each warp wire or cord will be upon one side only of each slat of the filling. The said
slats are placed closely together, but are not perfectly flat, because they will neces-
sarily occupy different planes, at all the points where they are intersected by the warp
wires or cords, and as the latter are stretched tightly from one end strip a to the other,
this serves to hold the slats of the filling against any lateral displacement, and at the
same time for fruit packages a further advantage is gained by the fact that air is
thus permitted to circulate about the points of the intersection of the wire or cord
with the slat filling, and thus my boxes or crates are ventilated packages while at the
same time the slats are so close together as to prevent the loss of any of the contents.
If desired any suitable division pieces or sections may be placed within my said
package, and if preferred strengthening strips may be placed in line therewith,
outside of the box or crate, and nailed or tacked to the edges of said division
pieces, through the interposed fabric A, but these details are of minor importance,
and may be varied in any given instance.
If desired, in any instance, thin wooden strips may be used in place of the wire
or cord, and the wire, if such is used, may be round or Hat, and of any size preferred,
and even band iron may be employed, if deemed necessary, as when very strong
packages are desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. In a box or crate, the combination with suitable end or side piecos of a con-
tinuous fabric formed of a series of single wires, cords or wood strips secured to
end-strips, and having a wooden filling woven in and out or over and under said
wires, cords, or strips, said fabric forming the sides or ends, and bottom, of the box
or crate in one continuous strip and being tacked or otherwise secured to the edges
of said end or side pieces.
2. A box or crate, consisting of suitable end or side pieces in combination with a
continuous fabric formed of single wires, cords or wood strips interwoven with wooden
slats, tacked or otherwise detachably secured to the edges of said end or side pieces,
to form the other sides or ends of said box or crate, and extending beyond said end
or side pieces to form a continuous flexible cover for said box or crate.
Dated this 1st day of July XX
Dated this 1st day of
CHARLES ENOCH PARKS.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.