VOLUME MEASURING CONTAINER

• US 3,712,139 A
• Filed: 07/13/1970
• Issued: 01/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koehring Co. (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: John P Harvey
• Inventors: Harvey, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prince, Louis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yasich, Daniel M.
• Application Number:
  US05/054,421
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 33/126,126.7R 141/94 220/71 73/426-428
• US Class Current: 73/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 19/00 Calibrated capacity measures for fluids or fluent solid material, e.g. measuring cups
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/04 by dip members, e.g. dip-sticks

Abstract

A container which is adapted to be filled with fruit, particularly berries, cherries, grapes or the like smaller fruit, placed in the container immediately after harvesting and immersed in water to preserve their freshness; the container is provided with tension cables attached to opposite side walls of the container and crossing each other at the center of the container to reinforce the side walls of the container which are initially flexed to bulge outwardly before the cables are applied; the intersection of the tensioning cables provides an accurate center locating means for a probe adapted to be inserted into the container to measure the volume of the product retained in the container.

Claims

1. A measuring container for temporary storage of freshly harvested berry type fruit, said fruit being immersed in water in said container, said container comprising a bottom, a first pair of opposite longitudinal side walls connected to said bottom, a second pair of opposite longitudinal side walls between the ends of said first pair of side walls and connected thereto and to the bottom, all of said side walls being initially deformed to bulge outwardly from a vertical plane a predetermined distance, a first inelastic flexible tension cable connected between said first pair of side walls substantially at the center of said walls, a second inelastic flexible tension cable connected between said second pair of side walls substantially at the center of said walls and crossing said first tension cable at the geometrical center of said container, to guide a depth probe or the like to the center of the container, said first and second tension cable each being of a length corresponding to the designed width and length of said container to thereby draw each of said initially outwardly bulged side walls inwardly into planar position and prestressing said cables, said cables designed to rupture upon overloading of said container or other damage causing the walls to bulge outwardly.

2. In the measuring container as defined in claim 1, said cables providing an indicating means for the condition of said container.

3. A measuring container of self-indicating volumetric accuracy comprising bottom and side walls made of fluid impervious material, and a plurality of inelastic tension members interconnecting said side walls and intersecting internally of said container to maintain said side walls respectively in planes perpendicular to said bottom;

said side walls each initially being deformed outwardly to a non-planar configuration and said tension members being pre-stressed upon attachment thereto to retain the walls in said planes;

said container being adapted to receive a mass of flowable material;

said tension member when slack indicating inward deformation of said side walls and when ruptured indicating outward deformation of said side walls, so that a mere visual inspection of said tension members in a taut, non-ruptured condition indicates the volumetric accuracy of said container.

4. In the measuring container as defined in claim 3, the improvement wherein the intersection of said tension members coincides with the geometric center of said container to provide a guide for a depth probe used for measuring the volume of the mass in said container.