Improvements in Boxes or Crates.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1888
Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
Improvements in Boxes or Crates.
I, CHARLES ENOCH PARKS, residing at Watertown, in the County of Jefferson
and State of Wisconsin, one of the United States of America, Gentleman, 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:
My invention relates especially to packing boxes and crates, and will be fully
described hereinafter and pointed out in the claim.
In the drawings:-
Figure 1, is a plan view of one of the box ends or sections.
Figure 2, is an edge view of the same, partly in section on line, 2, 2, figure 1.
Figure 3, is a perspective of an entire box or crate, composed of my improved
sections, and
Figure 4, is a detail view illustrating another method of securing the sections
together.
'
All of the views are somewhat broken away, in places, to better show the construction
at such points.
Primarily my invention consists of a box section, wherein a series of wires or cords
are secured across a suitable frame, with a filling of thin strips of wood, woven in
and out, or alternately under and over, said wires or cords, and my box sections
may be used simply for the tops, ends or sides, or one side of a box or crate, or the
entire box or crate may be composed of a number of such sections as preferred in any
given case.
•
In the form illustrated in the drawings, A, A, A, A, represent the four pieces of
wood which constitute the suitable frame just referred to, and this frame may be put
together in any ordinary manner, as by rabbeting the corners, which makes a neat
frame, though of course the four sticks might be simply nailed together, if preferred,
or united by dove-tail joints.
B, B, B, represent wires or cords stretched across from one side of this frame to
the other and secured, as by staples, nails or screws, a, a, a, to two of the side
pieces, A, A, of said frame.

page_text: C, C, C, represents the filling which, in its preferred form, consists of very thin
strips of wood, though any strips of wood that are flexible may be used whose
ends are attached, as by nails or brads, b, b, b, to the other two side pieces, A, A,
of the frame, said nails or brads, b, b, first preferably passing through thin strips, D, D,
laid over said pieces, A, A, to cover and hold the ends of the filling, C, C.
If my box section just described, is designed merely as the end, or cover of an
ordinary box or crate, it may be simply nailed in place thereon, when said box or
crate has been filled, but it may be desired to construct the entire box or crate of six
of the sections, as shown in figure 3. Here, to distinguish the different sections
1 have marked each piece of the frame of one section by the letter, A, those of another
section frame, A¹, and of the others, A2, A3, and, A*, respectively, (the other section
not showing in the drawing) the top and bottom section frames being made of
somewhat thinner pieces, but otherwise the same.
If the box so made, is to be a cheap affair, and not to be returned to the shipper,
these six sections are simply nailed together; but, to make what is called a "Knock-
down" box or crate, such as is to be taken apart and packed flat, and thus returned
to the shipper, I may unite the various sections by means of screws, or by the bolts, E,
and their nuts, as shown in said figure 3, or screw-clamps, F, as shown in figure 4,
and while I prefer as stated, thin strips of wood for the filling, C, I do not wish to
be understood as limiting myself to any particular degree of thinness, and of course
the boxes or crates may be hexagonal, round, or other shape, instead of square as
shown.
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 1
claim is :-
1. In a box section, the combination of a suitable frame, having wires or cords
stretched across the same, with a flexible wooden filling woven in and out, or over
and under said wires or cords.
2. In a box section, the combination of a suitable frame, having wires or cords
stretched across the same, with a filling consisting of thin strips of wood woven
alternately over and under said wires or cords and secured at their ends to said
frame..
3. A box or crate consisting of a series of box sections, each formed of a frame
having wires or cords stretched across the same, and a filling of thin strips of
wood woven over and under said wires or cords, and removable fastening devices
for temporarily securing said sections together.
Dated this 17th dox of Iul. TROQ