US2894708A - Foldable container - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1959 s. E. KAPLAN EOLDABLE CONTAINER Filed June 30, 1958 w m m m S/IOLOM 1 KAPLA/V z ATTORNEYS United States Patent FOLDABLE CONTAINER Sholom Kaplan, Hartford, Conn., assignor to The S. and F. Company, Hartford, Conn., a partnership Application June 30,1958, Serial No. 745,584

3 Claims. Cl. 243-99 This invention relates to improvements in containers, and more particularly to a foldable container having a hanging fixture or bracket incorporated therein.

A major object is to provide an improved foldable container having a simple and effective hanging fixture comprising three easily formed parts of wirelike rod stock automatically locked together upon assembly by inherent bias of one of the parts which is held stressed by the other parts.

Another object is to provide an improved foldable hanging fixture which permits folding while remaining attached to a bag-like container of non form-sustaining material with both fixture and container collapsed into a flat form requiring minimum storage space.

Another object is to provide a foldable bag and bracketlike fixture assembly permitting separate fabrication of the bag and. the fixture parts and final assembly by projecting parts of the fixture through enclosures formed in the bag and manually connecting exposed parts to form interlocking connections, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

Another object is to provide a folding container particularly adapted for use by motorists, which uses little of the space in a conventional glove compartment when stored therein, and which may easily be hung within an automobile, for example, from a vacuum cup held hook on a window or panel to provide a convenient receptacle for paper and other waste material.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially in phantom, of a hanging container with the invention incorporated therein; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view of the container of Fig. l.

The container of the drawings comprises an upwardly open bag-like receptacle which is preferably formed of plastic sheet stock or a plastic impregnated fabric, but may also be of heavy cloth or canvas. The bag shown may be easily fabricated from a single sheet of material, suitably cut and folded back along the bottom 12 to provide front and back panels 16 and 18 respectively with integral portions of the front panel extending rearwardly and sewed or bonded such as by a heat seal to the back panel along seams 20, or, if desired, the bag may have V-shaped ends, formed by an insert as shown by a second seam 21. The top margins of both the front and back panels are folded inwardly of the container and sewed or bonded along dotted lines 22 and 24, respectively, to form a marginal hem in each panel for reception of bracket members.

Fig. 1 shows upper bag portions, including the hem,

in phantom, with the fixture members therein, major portions of which are normally concealed, shown in heavy lines. The assembly consists of three interconnected parts,=preferably formed from the same wire-like rod stock. A front and side wall suspending rod 26 is provided with a pair of substantialyy closed end loops 28 which are preferably formed before the rod is projected through the hem of the front panel, after which portions at' each end of the rod are bent as shown at 30 to define arcuate corners which shape the bag, at least near the top thereof, into front and side Wall portions, with the central portion of rod 26 being outwardly bowed as shown when loops 28 are held' inwardly under stress by associated fixture members to interlock the other parts as below described. Rod 26 is. of a length to permit the looped ends .thereof to extend rearwardly of the hem openings .of the front panel as shown in Fig. 2. The .manner in which the container is formed, as above, places .those hem openings in proximity to the hem openings of the back panel, since the two panels are joined just below the hem openings at 29.

A second wire-like rod 32 has U -shaped end portions 34 rather than loops bent back against the rod stock such. as loops 28 of rod 26. Rod 32 is projected through the marginal hem of the rear bag panel 18, with its ends extending beyond each end of the hem. A third rod 36 serves as a hanger for the bag-supporting rods 26 and 32 and has a central loop 38 to encircle a hook or the like. Each end of. rod.36 is bent to form a depending leg 40, curved upwardly at 42 and inwardly to define an annulus 44 in contact with leg 40 for bearing support of rod 32 adjacent the curved end thereof.

With rods 26 and 32 extending through the front and rear hems, respectively, of the container, final assembly of the fixture is as follows:

Rod 36 normally positions legs 40, near or at a somewhat greater spacing than distance between the U-shaped ends of rod 32. One of the bearings 44 is slipped over an end' 34 of rod 32, and, with rod 36 bowed, the opposi'te bearing 44 is slipped over the opposite end' 34 of rod 32. When released, rod 36 preferably remains slightly bowed with both bearings 44 biased outwardly against the curved inner ends of rod 32 to provide a pivot connection therebetween.

The looped ends 28 of El'Od 26 are preferably spaced apart a slightly greater distance than are bearings 44, as those bearings are positioned against the reversed ends of rod 32. One loop 28 is next slipped over a reversed end 34 of rod 32, and with rod 26 bowed, the opposite loop 28 is mounted to the opposite end 34 of rod 32, the loop spacing being such that the central portion of rod 26 remains tensioned outwardly to position the bag open as shown in Fig. l, with loops 28 urged against bearings 44, and with the bearings urged against the U-shaped ends of rod 32 to maintain the three fixture parts in locked assembly. When fairly heavy rod stock is employed, the center portion of rod 26 may be permanently arced, with the arced portion tensioned as above, but with light rod stock it is merely necessary to bend the rod at points 30 into a U-shape with loops 28 spaced apart a sufficient distance to bow out the center portion when maintained in locked assembly against bearings 44.

As shown in Fig. 2, the hem 46 of the bag back panel 18 is held upwardly at an incline when the container is hung in the open position shown in Fig. 1, since rod 32 is positioned to the rear of the back wall when the bag is held open. The fixture may be folded by pivoting its hanger 36 downwardly into engagement with the front panel hem which encloses rod 26. While bearings 44 are positioned to allow forward pivoting, hanger 36 is constrained against pivoting in the opposite direction by engagement of legs 42 with rod 32 adjacent the curved ends thereof, as is shown in Fig. 2. The engagement between those rod portions as hanger 36 is drawn back to about ninety degree angularity to the plane of rod 26, however, pivots rod 32 upwardly into engagement with rod 26 as shown in Fig. 2 to support rod 26 outwardly in substantial 90 angularity to the plane of hanger 36 with the bag open and its front wall bowed outwardly as shown.

With the fixture portion of the container folded, the upper portions thereof, still held in semi-rigid assembly by rods 26 and 32, may be folded forward as a unit against the front bag panel to collapse that panel against the rear panel with the resultant flattened container then being either reversely folded or again forwardly folded for reduction of size, it being obvious that the entire container may be folded into a space not larger than the area defined by folded rods 26 and 32 plus the thickness of the folded material.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, varif:

ous modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A foldable hanging fixture for a collapsible bag comprising a wire-like hanger, each end of which is formed with a depending leg having a portion reversed to provide an arm extending upwardly from the lower end of the leg, the upper end of each arm being looped to form a bearing positioned above the lower end of the leg, a first wire-like bag supporting element having reversely bent end portions, with each end portion extending through one of the hanger bearings for pivotal support of said first element by said hanger, and having a u portion thereof engageable with the legs of the hanger to limit pivotal movement of the supporting element, and a second wire-like bag supporting element including a central portion and arm portions disposed in generally U-configuration and terminating in substantially closed loops, said second element being resilient and being mounted with the loops thereof encircling the free ends of said reversely bent end portions and with the arm portions providing a biasing force outwardly against the bearing defining ends of said hanger to retain the elements in assembled position, said arm portions of the second element being engageable with said first element to limit pivotal movement of the second element for supporting said second element in angular relationship to the hanger when the fixture is suspended by means of the hanger.

2. In a foldable hanging container, a bag of non formsustaining material having front, side and back walls, a marginal hem extending along the back wall and open at each end adjacent the side walls, and a marginal hem extending along the front and side walls and opening at each end adjacent the back wall, a first wire-like element extending through the back wall hem and terminating in U-shaped ends laterally of the hem openings, a hanger having spaced depending end portions, each of which is reversed and shaped to define a bearing positioned above the lower end thereof, each end of said first element extending through one of said bearings, and a second wire-like element extending through the front and side wall hem and terminating at each end thereof in substantially closed loops normally spaced apart a greater distance than said bearings when positioned and urged against the U-shaped ends of said first element, said loops maintained inwardly of their normal position and urged against said bearings with each loop thereof encircling one end of said first element, whereby when said hanger element is held in an upright position, portions of the looped ends of said second element extend over those end portions of said first element which abut portions of the hanger below the bearings defined therein to support said second element in substantial right angularity to the upright hanger.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said hanger is formed of wirelike stock and comprises a central portion leading at each end thereof into a depending leg portion with the stock at each leg end curved upwardly to define a spaced supporting arm and then curved toward the leg in substantially annular configuration to define a bearing spaced upwardly from both the lower end of the leg and the supporting arm portion.

No references cited.

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