US2645332A - Picnic box - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1953 N. B. MARTIN E-rAL PICNIC BOX NORA MART/N Bf( ERIC K- LOTTHAMHER v Il 4 Filed July 12, 1951 Patented July 14,M 1953 PICNIC BOX Nora Bridges Martin, Chicago, Ill., and Eric K. Lotthammer, Jamaica, N. Y.; said Lotthammer assignor to said Martin i Application July 12, 1951, Serial No. 236,362

3 Claims. (Cl. 20G- 4) This invention relates to picnic boxes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable picnic box having various insulated food and soda compartments which are kept in a cooled conditionV by the cooling action of ice cubes or dry ice and to prevent sandwiches from spoiling while at the same time maintaining soft drinks and dairy products in a cooled condition. Y

It is another object of the invention to provide in a picnic box an assembly of trays or compartments wherein one of the trays may contain the cooling medium, such as Dry Ice and the other compartment will contain a soda bottle or drinks, the ice compartment being beneath the cold drink compartment to afford maximum cooling for the soda drinks and the third compartment being engageable with the principal compartment over the soda `water compartment and adapted to contain sandwiches which do not require the cooling that the soda drink requires. The sandwich compartment thereby being more remote from the ice compartment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a picnic box having an insulated cooling compartment containing ice cubes or Dry Ice and which is readily removable by the user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a picnic box having readily removable external parts to permit access to the top and bottom compartments and wherein access to the intermediate or soda water compartment is effected by the removal of one of the outer compartments.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a picnic box which is of simple construction, easy to assemble, inexpensive to manufacture, sturdy and rugged, compact, of pleasing appearance and efficient in operation.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a picnic box embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the picnic box taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the locking device for thehinged top cover.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the locking device taken online 4--4l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig.` 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showingthe details ofthe means for locking the base of the picnic box in place.

a coin thereinto.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View taken on line 'I-l `of Fig 6.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the compartments with portion broken away from one of such compartments to show the interior construction thereof.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, I represents an outer body shell having an integral side wall I9 with an inwardly turned rim fiange I5 at the bottom and an integral inwardly turned rim I9 at the top. Shell I is provided with aremovable bottom 2 and an inner 3` secured to theshell 2.

The inner surface of theouter base shell 2 is provided withshoulders 32 adapted to resiliently engage the edges of inner base shell 3 and also to prevent horizontal displacement of the same. A layer of insulation I2 is inserted between theouter base shell 2 and the inner base shell 3.

Releasable means are provided for locking theouter base shell 2 to the lower horizontal rim I5 consisting of fourlock lugs 4, which respectively extend throughopenings 33 located in each corner of theouter base shell 2. The lower horizontal rim I5.is provided with correspondingly locatedlug seats I6 adapted to engage lock jacket `lugs 4 when the same are in. the engaging position. Slots cut in the heads of thelock lugs 4 allow them to be turned by the insertion of By rotating the lock lugs 4 a quarter of a turn in either direction, thelugs 4 are disengaged and thebase shells 2 and 3 can be removed. Thelock lugs 4 also serve as feet which keep the basket `proper from contacting the ground.

The large compartment 6 is fitted into the shell body and is retained therein by the upper and lower rims I9 and I5. The central glass compartment 6 is insulated from the shell body I by insulation I3.` The inner central body vthereby extends substantially the whole length of the shell body I and is retained by the rims. A removable lower glass compartment 5 rests on the upper surface of the inner cover shell 3 when the same is in place on the shell body I. This lower glass compartment 5 is filled with ice cubes or Dry Ice before insertion Vin the picnic glass box and serves to cool the central glass compartment 6. A removable upper glass compartment 'I is fitted in the upper partof the central compartment B and rests upon theshoulder 20 thereof. This compartment serves to contain sandwiches and such foods which do f not` require the cooling that is. required by the bottled or liquid goods which are disposed in the Y adapted to resiliently engage the inwardly turnedflange 36 of the outer cover shell 8. VA layer of insulation I 4 is inserted between the outer cover shell 8 and the inner cover shell 9. The underside of inner cover shell 9 has cemented thereto arubber gasket 31, said gasketserving as a heat insulator and also to hold the uppery glass compartment 1 in position.

The outer cover shell 8 is provided with a handle 2l for carrying, hingesI for attaching lit to the outer body Vshell I on one side thereof,

andlock assemblies for releasably securing the outer cover shell8 to the outer body shellv I Yon the other side thereof.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, each of the lock assemblies comprises anupper lock arm 25 permanently fastened to the outer surface of the outer cover shell in 'conventional manner, a lower lock arm 2G connected at its upper edge to theupper lock arm 25 by means of a hinge, the lower lock arm 26- being provided withlug seats 21, alock knob 28 adapted at the inner edges thereof to engage thelug seats 21, thelock knob 28 containing on its inner surface a guide pin 219 permanently connected at its inner ends to the outer body shell I in conventional manner, thelock knob 28 also containing on the inner surfacerthereof a flanged spring shell 3E) resiliently connected at the outer end to thelock Vknob 28 and adapted on its inner edge to move horizontally upon theguide pin 29, and the helical spring 3i closed within the flangedspring shell 28. The enclosed spring 3|, concentric with theguide pin 29 and the hanged spring shell 3D, keeps thelock knob 28 in normal engagement with thelug seats 21. To

:disengage the lock assembly, thelock arm 28 is Ypulled outwardly disengaging same from thelug seats 21. Thelock knob 28 is then given a quarter of a `turn in either direction to allow the inner edges of the lock knob to be swung away from thelug seats 21.

The cover may now be swung open permitting access to the upper glass compartment 1.

YReferring now to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the upper glass compartment 1 is provided with acentral partition 23, having a slot 2li therein. Theslot 24 provides a handle, permitting removal of the upper compartment 1, and access to the central glass compartment 6. The centtral glass compartment 6 is provided with a partition 22. This partition provides an auxiliary compartment in which butter and other dairy products may be kept separate from the soda.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided in the present invention a. novel picnic box having various accessible insulated food andV soda compartments which are kept in cooled condition by the cooling action of ice cubes or Dry Ice, said picnic box having an insulated cooling compartment containing ice cubes or Dry Ice and which is readily removable by the user. Further, there is provided a novel picnic box having a readilyremovable uppercompartment 4 leaving access to the central soda containing compartment.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope Vbase to said outer body shell comprising four lock lugs located in each corner of said outer base shell, the lower horizontal rim of said outer body shell being provided with lug seats engaging said lock lugs, said lock lugs havingheads provided with slots, a removable lower glass compartment resting on said inner base shell in nesting relationship to said outer body shell, said lower compartment having a rubber seal on the upper edges thereof and a central glass compartment receiving the upper edges of said lower compartment in nesting relationship to said outer body shell, the lower Walls of said central compartment extending beyond the bottom thereof and surrounding said lower compartment and further extending downwardly to rest on the lower horizontal rim of said outer body shell, the upper walls of said central compartment extending upwardly to the top of said outer body shell, a layer of insulation inserted between said central compartment and said outer body shell, a' removable upper glass compartment in said central compartment in nesting relationship thereto, a removable cover for said outer body shell, said cover comprising inner and outer cover shells, a layer of insulation inserted betweenV said inner and outer cover shells, and a rubber gasket cemented to the underside of said inner cover shell, and means for releasably securing said cover toV said outer body shell.

2. A picnic boX comprising an outer body shell, the upper and lower portions of said body shell being turned inwardly at substantially right angles forming upper and lower horizontal ends, a removable. base for said outer body shell, said base comprising inner and outer base shells and a layer of insulation inserted between said inner and outer base shells, releasable means for locking said base to said outer body shell and comprising four lock lugs located in each corner of said outer base shell, the lower horizontal rim of said outer body shell being provided with lug seatsengaging said lock lugs, said lock lugs having heads provided with slots, a removable lower glass compartment on said inner basev shell in nesting relation to said outer body shell, said lower compartment having a rubber seal on the upper edges upper horizontal rim of said outer body shell,

said upper walls being provided on the inner edges thereof with a shoulder, a layer of insulation inserted between said central compartment and said outer body shell, a removable upper glass compartment resting on the shoulder of said central compartment in nesting relationship thereto, a removable cover for said outer body shell, said cover comprising inner and outer cover shells, a layer of insulation inserted between said inner and outer cover shells, and a rubber gasket cemented to the under side of said inner cover shell, said gasket contacting the upper edges of said upper compartment whereby to seal same, and means for releasably securing said cover to said outer body shell comprising hinges rotatably securing said outer cover shell to said outer body shell on one side thereof, and lock assemblies releasably securing said outer cover shell to said outer body shell on the opposite side thereof, each of said lock assemblies comprising an upper lock arm fastened to the outer surface of said outer cover` shell, a lower lock arm connected at its upper edge to said upper lock arm by means of a hinge, said lower lock arm being provided with lug seats, a lock knob engaging said lug seats, said lock knob containing on its inner surface a guide pin, connected at its inner end to said outer body shell, a flanged spring shell movable horizontally along said guide pin and resiliently connected at its outer end to said lock knob, a

helical spring enclosed within said spring shell whereby said lock knob is held in normal engagement with said lug seats, said cover being provided on the upper face thereof with a handle.

3. A picnic box, according to claim 1, wherein the central glass compartment is provided with partitions dividing same into inner compartments, the upper removable glass compartment being provided with partitions dividing same into compartments, the central partition of said upper compartment having provided therein a slot whereby said central partition may be gripped like a handle to effe-ct removal of same from the lunch box.

NORA BRIDGES MARTIN.

ERIC K. LOTTHAMMER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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