US4602715A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Shipping container for electronic components
Assignee: AERO MAYFLOWER TRANSIT COMPANY Inc AN IN CORP
•
Filing: 1983-11-08
•
Granted: 1986-07-29
•
Expires: 2003-11-08
Abstract
Abstract A shipping container for electronic components includes first and second container portions. The second container portion is designed for engagement by the first container portion either as a lid or in nested configuration to minimize the vertical height of the two container portions for empty shipping and storage. The first container portion includes grooved interior side walls and partitions engageable in the grooves to reduce the interior size of the first container portion according to the dictates of the component to be shipped. The interior partitions include layers of resilient foam material which form fit to surface features of the component being shipped. The exterior of the first container portion is grooved to provide handgrips, and one pair of opposed walls of the first container portion extends below the level of the container floor to provide feet for stacking multiple containers, to add shock-absorbing capacity to the container, and to provide a recess within which to engage a hand truck. The second, or upper, container portion includes a perimetral flange extending outward from the side wall to stop the projection of the second container portion into the first, both when the second container portion is serving as a lid (right-side up orientation), and when the container portions are assembled empty for shipping and storage (upside-down orientation).
Inventors
- 👤 Paul H. Sarver
- 👤 Donald K. Sears
- 👤 Gary A. Robbins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 06:20
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D81/00; B65D81/02; B65D81/05; B65D25/00; B65D25/02; B65D25/04; B65D25/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
211 words
A shipping container comprising a first container portion providing a floor, and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls of the first container portion being provided with facing first engaging mean for engaging a partition member, one engaging means provided on each of the opposed side walls of the first pair, a second container portion providing a floor and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls of the second container portion being provided with facing first engaging means for engaging the partition member, the side walls of the second container portion providing a flange extending generally perpendicularly to the side walls, and the side walls extending beyond the flange, the opposed side walls of the second container portion being spaced to permit them to be engaged selectively in either an upright or inverted orientation within the perimeter provided by the opposed side walls of the first container portion to the flange, and a first interior partition comprising second engaging means for engagement with the first engaging means on the first pair of opposed walls of each of the first and second container portions to divide the interior of the first and the second container portions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
211 words
A shipping container comprising a first container portion providing a floor, and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls of the first container portion being provided with facing first engaging mean for engaging a partition member, one engaging means provided on each of the opposed side walls of the first pair, a second container portion providing a floor and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls of the second container portion being provided with facing first engaging means for engaging the partition member, the side walls of the second container portion providing a flange extending generally perpendicularly to the side walls, and the side walls extending beyond the flange, the opposed side walls of the second container portion being spaced to permit them to be engaged selectively in either an upright or inverted orientation within the perimeter provided by the opposed side walls of the first container portion to the flange, and a first interior partition comprising second engaging means for engagement with the first engaging means on the first pair of opposed walls of each of the first and second container portions to divide the interior of the first and the second container portions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The shipping container of claim 1 wherein a second pair of opposed side walls of each of the first and second container portions is provided with facing first engaging means, one engaging means being provided on each opposed side wall of the pair.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The shipping container of claim 2 further comprising a second interior partition including second engaging means for engagement with the first engaging means on the second pair of opposed side walls of each of the first and second container portions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The shipping container of claim 3 wherein the second interior partition comprises a layer of shock-absorbent material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The shipping container of claim 4 wherein the first and second interior partitions are complementarily notched for use conjunctively to divde the chamber provided by the first and second container portions into a plurality of regions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
91 words
The shipping container of claim 1 wherein the first pair of opposed side walls of each of the first and second container portions is provided with a plurality of pairs of facing first engaging means, one engaging means of each pair being provided on each opposed side wall of the pair, and the first interior partition includes second engaging means for selective engagement with any respective pairs of first engaging means of the first and second container portions to divide the chamber provided by the first and second container portions selectively.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
256 words
A shipping container comprising a first container portion providing a floor, and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls provided with a facing, inwardly opening pair of grooves, one groove of the pair provided in each of the opposed side walls of the first pair, a second container portion providing a floor and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, the side walls of the second container portion providing a flange extending generally perpendicularly to the side walls, and the side walls extending beyond the flange, the opposed side walls of the second container portion being spaced to permit them to be engaged snugly within the oerimeter provided by the opposed side walls of the first container portion down to the level of the flange, the opposed side walls being selectively engaged in either an upright orientation to provide a hollow lid or in an inverted orientation to provide a nestable lid, and a first interior partition sized for sliding engagement in the pair of grooves to divide the interior of the first container portion, a first pair of opposed side walls of the second container portion provided with a facing, inwardly opening pair of grooves, one groove of the pair being provided in each of the opposed side walls of said first pair, and the first interior partition sized for sliding engagement in said pairs of grooves of said first and second container portions to divide the chamber provided by the first and second container portions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
256 words
A shipping container comprising a first container portion providing a floor, and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, a first pair of opposed side walls provided with a facing, inwardly opening pair of grooves, one groove of the pair provided in each of the opposed side walls of the first pair, a second container portion providing a floor and four upstanding side walls in two opposed pairs, the side walls of the second container portion providing a flange extending generally perpendicularly to the side walls, and the side walls extending beyond the flange, the opposed side walls of the second container portion being spaced to permit them to be engaged snugly within the oerimeter provided by the opposed side walls of the first container portion down to the level of the flange, the opposed side walls being selectively engaged in either an upright orientation to provide a hollow lid or in an inverted orientation to provide a nestable lid, and a first interior partition sized for sliding engagement in the pair of grooves to divide the interior of the first container portion, a first pair of opposed side walls of the second container portion provided with a facing, inwardly opening pair of grooves, one groove of the pair being provided in each of the opposed side walls of said first pair, and the first interior partition sized for sliding engagement in said pairs of grooves of said first and second container portions to divide the chamber provided by the first and second container portions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US393564A
Cited
US1890965A
Cited
US2105645A
Cited
US2516124A
Cited
US2585180A
Cited
US2718326A
Cited
US2791362A
Cited
US2979246A
Cited
US3412888A
Cited
US4014450A
Cited
US3759416A
Cited
US3856178A
Cited
US3750871A
Cited
US4132344A
Cited
US4061228A
Cited
US4079835A
Cited
US4114759A
Cited
GB2023102A
Cited
US4241829A
Cited
US4369883A
Cited
US4396145A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-07-28 | 1990-01-27 | 1990-07-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-07-28 | 1994-01-27 | 1994-07-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-07-28 | 1998-01-27 | 1998-07-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |