Multi-partitioned thin-walled container

Claim 2

A multi-partitioned container adapted for use as a battery box, said container comprising a unitary body having an interior defined by a pair of side walls extending between the terminal portions of a pair of integral end walls, a bottom wall integral with the lowermost portion of each of said side and end walls, and a plurality of uniformly spaced partitions integral with said side and bottom walls dividing said body interior into a plurality of individual cell compartments, said walls and partitions being of uniform thickness of approximately 0.2 inches or less, the interior surface of said bottom wall being substantially planar and free of interiorly extending indentations except for only a single gate sealing indentation extending into each of said cell compartments.

Claim 3

The container of claim 1 wherein said body is composed of a polyolefin.

Claim 4

The container of claim 2 wherein the polyolefin is polypropylene.

Claim 5

A multi-partitioned container adapted for use as a battery box, said container comprising a unitary body having an interior defined by a pair of side walls extending between the terminal portions of a pair of integral end walls, a bottom wall integral with the lowermost portion of each of said side and end walls, and a plurality of uniformly spaced partitions integral with said side and bottom walls dividing said body interior into a plurality of individual cell compartments, said walls and partitions being of uniform thickness of approximately 0.2 inches or less, the interior surface of said bottom wall being substantially planar and free of interiorly extending indentations except for a single gate sealing indentation extending into each of said cell compartments, said walls and partitions having been formed by the injection of a liquid thermoplastic material through a runner formed by a plurality of port means of a mold assembly, each of said port means having a raised generally frusto-conical end portion which respectively forms each of said indentations, said port means having been located during the forming of said containers in a mold cavity which received a core member having a plurality of depending core segments each fixedly mounted at one end thereof, said port means having been located adjacent to the free ends of the core segments, said liquid thermoplastic material having been delivered from said runner into the space between the cavity member and the core member, said mold assembly having included locking means formed by engagement of the raised frusto-conical end portion of each of said port means with an end portion of an elongated rod positioned and movable within each core segment, said end portion of said elongated rod having a generally concave configuration adapted to mateably engage the port means and thereby lock the free ends of the core segments in fixed position during injection of the thermoplastic through said runner, said indentations having been formed by retraction of each of said elongated rods after the space between the core member and the cavity member had been filled with the thermoplastic material, said thermoplastic material then having filled the space initially occupied by the locking means when engaged with the port means, after formation of said indentations the flow of thermoplastic material having been stopped and the container recovered.

Claim 6

A multi-partitioned container adapted for use as a battery box, said container comprising a unitary body having an interior defined by a pair of side walls extending between the terminal portions of a pair of integral end walls, a bottom wall integral with the lowermost portion of each of said side and end walls, and a plurality of uniformly spaced partitions integral with said side and bottom walls dividing said body interior into a plurality of individual cell compartments, said walls and partitions being of uniform thickness of approximately 0.2 inches or less, the interior surface of said bottom wall being substantially planar and free of interiorly extending indentations except for a single gate sealing indentation extending into each of said cell compartments, said walls and partitions having been formed by the injection of a liquid thermoplastic material through a runner formed by a plurality of port means of a mold assembly, each of said port means having a raised generally frusto-conical end portion which respectively forms each of said indentations, said port means having been located during the forming of said containers in a mold cavity which received a core member having a plurality of depending core segments each fixedly mounted at one end thereof, said port means having been located adjacent to the free ends of the core segments, said liquid thermoplastic material having been delivered from said runner into the space between the cavity member and the core member, said mold assembly having included locking means formed by engagement of the raised frusto-conical end portion of each of said port means with an end portion of an elongated rod positioned and movable within each core segment, said end portion of said elongated rod having a generally concave configuration adapted to mateably engage the port means and thereby lock the free ends of the core segments in fixed position during injection of the thermoplastic through said runner, said indentations having been formed by retraction of each of said elongated rods after the space between the core member and the cavity member had been filled with the thermoplastic material, said thermoplastic material then having filled the space initially occupied by the locking means when engaged with the port means, after formation of said indentations the flow of thermoplastic material having been stopped and the container recovered.

Claim 7

The container of claim 4 wherein there is only a single gate sealing indentation extending into each cell compartment.

Claim 8

The container of claim 4 wherein said thermoplastic material is polyolefin.

Claim 9

The container of claim 6 wherein said polyolefin is polypropylene.