Front restraint device for shipping bins

Claim 2

A mechanical restraint device for dampening oscillatory and lateral forces acting on a plurality of automotive backlites during shipment, wherein the articles are supported on a first edge and tilted toward a back support member and wherein the oscillatory forces move the backlites about the first edge toward and away from the support member along a first movement path and the lateral forces move the backlites away from the support member along a second movement path comprising: a rigid member having a first major surface opposite to a second major surface; a resilient pad mounted on the first major surface of said member; a threaded shaft having one end pivotally mounted to the second major surface of said rigid member; a housing for receiving the second end of said threaded shaft and having a groove in at least one pair of opposed surfaces; a nut mounted on the second end of said shaft to detachably secure said shaft in said housing; a nest mounted in said housing for receiving said nut and for preventing rotation of said nut; a plurality of disc springs mounted on said shaft in said housing; a washer mounted in said housing against biasing action of said disc springs to urge said disc springs against said nut in said nest; means for mounting said housing in the first and second movement path such that said resilient pad engages the backlites; and a finger member passing through each of the grooves of said housing and securably mounted to said washer for maintaining said springs in compression against said nut wherein rotating said shaft out of the housing moves said pad against the outermost backlite against biasing action of said springs to urge the backlites together against the back support member and urging said finger members toward the backlites along the grooves moves said washer against said springs to increase the biasing action of said springs on said shaft by way of said nut such that the backlites respond to the oscillatory and lateral forces as a unitized pack and to dampen oscillatory forces and lateral forces acting on the articles during shipment.

Claim 3

In a bin for shipping loose sheets, wherein the bin is of the type having a back support secured to a base for supporting each of the sheets on an edge in a generally vertical position in facing relationship to one another, the improvement comprising: a rigid member having an engaging surface and a major surface opposite to the engaging surface; a spring biased shaft having one end mounted to the major surface of said rigid member; means mounting said shaft for securing said shaft in spaced relation to the back support and the base with the engaging surface of said member facing the back support; and means acting on said shaft for moving the engaging surface of said member toward the back support wherein the engaging surface engages outermost one of the plurality of sheets to be shipped, said spring biased shaft urging said rigid member against the outermost sheet to urge the sheets together against the back support such that the sheets during shipment respond to oscillatory and lateral forces as a unitized pack and said shaft dampens oscillatory and lateral forces acting on the sheets during shipment.

Claim 4

In a bin for shipping loose sheets, wherein the bin is of the type having a back support secured to a base for supporting each of the sheets on an edge in a generally vertical position in facing relationship to one another, the improvement comprising: a rigid member having an engaging surface and a major surface opposite to the engaging surface; a spring biased shaft having one end mounted to the major surface of said rigid member; means mounting said shaft for securing said shaft in spaced relation to the back support and the base with the engaging surface of said member facing the back support; and means acting on said shaft for moving the engaging surface of said member toward the back support wherein the engaging surface engages outermost one of the plurality of sheets to be shipped, said spring biased shaft urging said rigid member against the outermost sheet to urge the sheets together against the back support such that the sheets during shipment respond to oscillatory and lateral forces as a unitized pack and said shaft dampens oscillatory and lateral forces acting on the sheets during shipment.

Claim 5

The bin as set forth in claim 2 wherein the sheets are glass sheets.

Claim 6

The bin as set forth in claim 2 wherein said securing means includes means for positioning said member at different positions in spaced relation to the base.

Claim 7

The bin as set forth in claim 2 further including end restraints for limiting lateral motion and dampening lateral forces of the sheets during shipment.

Claim 8

The bin as set forth in claim 2 wherein said moving means further includes: a housing for receiving the other end of said shaft; means for detachably securing the other end of said shaft in said housing; and spring means acting on said detachably securing means and mounted in said housing for biasing said shaft and said rigid member to ruge the articles together against the support member and for absorbing oscillatory and lateral forces of the articles during shipment to dampen oscillatory and lateral forces acting on the article.

Claim 9

The bin as set forth in claim 6 wherein said spring biased shaft includes: a plurality of concave disc springs mounted on the end of the shaft in said housing and acting on said detachably securing means; a washer mounted in said housing and acting on said disc springs; and finger members mounted on said washer and extending out said housing wherein moving said finger members toward said articles puts the disc springs under compression and rotating said finger members secures the disc springs in position.

Claim 10

The bin as set forth in claim 2 wherein the end restraints comprise: `at least one guide rail means mounted on the base generally parallel to the back wall; carriage means mounted on said guide rail means for movement in a first direction toward the center of the base and in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a rigid plate mounted on said carriage means; means acting on said carriage means for moving said carriage in the first direction to a selected one of a plurality of positions and for moving said carriage in the second direction; and means for dampening forces acting on said plate to move said carriage means in the second direction from the selected one of the plurality of positions.

Claim 11

The end restraint as set forth in claim 8 wherein said moving means includes: a threaded shaft having one end rotatably mounted and the other end threaded to said carriage means wherein rotating said threaded shaft in a first direction moves said carriage means in the first direction and rotating said threaded shaft in a second direction moves said carriage in the second direction; and said dampening means includes: a shaft having one end mounted to said carriage means and the other end mounted for reciprocal movement; and biasing means mounted on said shaft, said biasing means being compressed when said carriage moves in the second direction to dampen the forces acting to move the carriage in the second direction.

Claim 12

The bin as set forth in claim 2 wherein the back support comprises: a rigid member; means for maintaining said rigid member and the back wall in spaced relation; means for maintaining said maintaining means to the back wall and said rigid member; and means for providing stability to said rigid member.

Claim 13

The adjutable back support as set forth in claim 10 wherein said maintaining means and mounting means comprises: a first strut having a first end and a second end; a second strut having a first end and a second end; and means for pivotally mount (1) the first ends of said first and second struts at a predetermined distance and (2) the second ends of said first and second struts at a second predetermined distance.

Claim 14

An article shipping bin of the type having a base, sidewalls and a back wall arranged in a generally parallelepiped configuration, comprising: a first pair of rigid members having one end secured to the first lateral member and extending toward the center of the base in generally parallel relationship to the back wall; a second pair of rigid members having one end secured to the second lateral member and extending toward the center of the base in generally parallel relationship to the back wall; means mounted to the other end of said first and second pairs of rigid members for maintaining said first and second pairs of rigid members on the base; a sleeve slideably mounted on each of the rigid members of said first and second pair of rigid members; a first rigid cross member interconnected to said sleeves mounted on said first pair of rigid members to form a first carriage; a first plate mounted to the first carriage; a second rigid cross member interconnected to said sleeves mounted on said second pair of rigid members to form a second carriage; a second plate mounted to the second carriage; a first threaded shaft having one end threaded to said first rigid cross member and the second end mounted in the first lateral member for rotational and reciprocal longitudinal movement wherein rotating said first shaft in a first direction moves the carriage away from the first lateral member and rotating said shaft in a second direction moves the carriage toward the first lateral member; a second threaded shaft having one end threaded to said first rigid cross member and the second end mounted in the second lateral member for rotational and reciprocal longitudinal movement wherein rotating said second shaft in a first direction moves the carriage away from the second lateral member and rotating said second shaft in a second direction moves the carriage toward the second lateral member; a first spring means mounted on said first shaft between said first lateral member and said first carriage wherein forces applied to said first plate by the articles compresses said first spring means to dampen the forces applied to said first plate and to urge said carriage and plate away from the first lateral member; a second spring means mounted on said second shaft between the second lateral member and said second carriage wherein forces applied to said second plate by the articles compresses said second spring means to dampen the forces applied to said second plate and to urge said carriage and plate away from the second lateral member; a rigid support member; a first strut having a first end and a second end; a second strut having a first end and a second end; means for pivotally mounting (1) the first ends of said first and second struts to said rigid support member at a first predetermined distance and (2) the second ends of said first and second struts to the back wall at a second predetermined distance greater than the first predetermined distance; a rigid member having a first major surface opposite to a second major surface; a resilient pad mounted on the first major surface of said member; a threaded shaft having one end pivotally mounted to the second major surface of said rigid member; a housing for receiving the second end of said threaded shaft and having an upright "L-shaped" groove on a first surface and an inverted "L-shaped" groove on a second surface opposite to the first surface; a nut mounted to the second end of said shaft to detachably secure said shaft in said housing; a nest mount in said housing for receiving said nut and for preventing rotation of said nut when said shaft is rotated; a plurality of disc springs mounted on the second end of said shaft in said housing; a washer mounted in said housing and acting on said disc springs to urge said disc springs against said nut; means for mounting said housing in spaced relation to said back support such that said resilient pad faces the articles; and a finger member passing through each of the grooves of said housing and securely mounted to said washer for maintaining said springs in compression against said nut wherein rotating said shaft out of the housing moves said pad against the articles against biasing action of said springs to urge the backlites together against said back support and urging said finger members toward the articles along the grooves moves said washer against said springs to increase the biasing action of said springs on shaft by way of said nut such that the articles respond to the oscillatory and lateral forces as a unitized pack and to dampen oscillatory and lateral forces of the backlites during shipment.

Claim 15

An article shipping bin of the type having a base, sidewalls and a back wall arranged in a generally parallelepiped configuration, comprising: a first pair of rigid members having one end secured to the first lateral member and extending toward the center of the base in generally parallel relationship to the back wall; a second pair of rigid members having one end secured to the second lateral member and extending toward the center of the base in generally parallel relationship to the back wall; means mounted to the other end of said first and second pairs of rigid members for maintaining said first and second pairs of rigid members on the base; a sleeve slideably mounted on each of the rigid members of said first and second pair of rigid members; a first rigid cross member interconnected to said sleeves mounted on said first pair of rigid members to form a first carriage; a first plate mounted to the first carriage; a second rigid cross member interconnected to said sleeves mounted on said second pair of rigid members to form a second carriage; a second plate mounted to the second carriage; a first threaded shaft having one end threaded to said first rigid cross member and the second end mounted in the first lateral member for rotational and reciprocal longitudinal movement wherein rotating said first shaft in a first direction moves the carriage away from the first lateral member and rotating said shaft in a second direction moves the carriage toward the first lateral member; a second threaded shaft having one end threaded to said first rigid cross member and the second end mounted in the second lateral member for rotational and reciprocal longitudinal movement wherein rotating said second shaft in a first direction moves the carriage away from the second lateral member and rotating said second shaft in a second direction moves the carriage toward the second lateral member; a first spring means mounted on said first shaft between said first lateral member and said first carriage wherein forces applied to said first plate by the articles compresses said first spring means to dampen the forces applied to said first plate and to urge said carriage and plate away from the first lateral member; a second spring means mounted on said second shaft between the second lateral member and said second carriage wherein forces applied to said second plate by the articles compresses said second spring means to dampen the forces applied to said second plate and to urge said carriage and plate away from the second lateral member; a rigid support member; a first strut having a first end and a second end; a second strut having a first end and a second end; means for pivotally mounting (1) the first ends of said first and second struts to said rigid support member at a first predetermined distance and (2) the second ends of said first and second struts to the back wall at a second predetermined distance greater than the first predetermined distance; a rigid member having a first major surface opposite to a second major surface; a resilient pad mounted on the first major surface of said member; a threaded shaft having one end pivotally mounted to the second major surface of said rigid member; a housing for receiving the second end of said threaded shaft and having an upright "L-shaped" groove on a first surface and an inverted "L-shaped" groove on a second surface opposite to the first surface; a nut mounted to the second end of said shaft to detachably secure said shaft in said housing; a nest mount in said housing for receiving said nut and for preventing rotation of said nut when said shaft is rotated; a plurality of disc springs mounted on the second end of said shaft in said housing; a washer mounted in said housing and acting on said disc springs to urge said disc springs against said nut; means for mounting said housing in spaced relation to said back support such that said resilient pad faces the articles; and a finger member passing through each of the grooves of said housing and securely mounted to said washer for maintaining said springs in compression against said nut wherein rotating said shaft out of the housing moves said pad against the articles against biasing action of said springs to urge the backlites together against said back support and urging said finger members toward the articles along the grooves moves said washer against said springs to increase the biasing action of said springs on shaft by way of said nut such that the articles respond to the oscillatory and lateral forces as a unitized pack and to dampen oscillatory and lateral forces of the backlites during shipment.

Claim 16

The bin as set forth in claim 12 wherein the articles are automotive backlites.