An Improved Fruit Case.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1392-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fruit Case.
I, FREDERIC JOHN CLARIDGE, of 159 Queen Street, in the City of Melbourne,
in the Colony of Victoria, Merchant, do hereby declare that the nature of my
invention for "AN IMPROVED VENTILATED COLLAPSIBLE FRUIT CASE," and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My invention consists of an improved fruit case and it is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which is shown by
Fig. 1 my improved case in perspective with cover open.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cover as detached for packing the empty cases.
Fig. 3 shows in plan view the remainder of the case collapsed to fie flat, and
Fig. 4 shows the corner pieces I employ as stays when the case is set up ready
for packing fruit as shown in Fig. 1.
In these drawings A represents interwoven split bamboo of which the sides, top
and bottom of the case are made, stouter strengthening pieces being inserted as
required as at B B. This is the only material which will answer my purpose and
which possesses the strength, stiffness, and lightness required. When this material
is worked together as shown in the drawings it protects the fruit which may be
placed within the case from direct draughts to a very large extent. It allows the
most perfect ventilation at every part, and owing to the smallness of the apertures
and their direction the cooler air which enters the case is thoroughly diffused and
does not strike upon the fruit unequally and in the injurious manner incidental to
the common wooden fruit case.
My fruit case is thus ventilated in a more perfect manner than any case hitherto
used.
In regard to the securing of rigidity in the case when packed I have adopted
wooden corner pieces C, C. I do not fasten these in place permanently but sew
them in with any strong fibre. I make them somewhat higher than the sides of the
cases so that when the covers are down and a number of cases are piled one upon
the other the covers cannot be crushed down into contact with the fruit but will on
the contrary be slightly raised so as to promote more perfect ventilation. If the
cases are properly packed all the corner pieces will be in line forming a column and
keeping the cases rigid. Fruit cases have never been made rigid before in this way
nor has the use of split bamboo seemed feasible on account of the absence of means
of securing rigidity. If the sides of the cases could by rough handling or the
rolling of a ship be made to strain and become obliquely inclined to the top and
bottom to any considerable extent the contents would become damaged and lose
their value.
The special objection to the carriage of empty fruit cases to and fro is their bulk
rendering transit costly. In order to obviate this expense and to save the cases
unnecessary handling I make my improved case collapsible. In the first place when
the case is set up each of the sides, the top, the bottom and the partitions forms a
rectangle and is sewn to the adjacent sides with any material which can be quickly
cut through. Owing to the use of the split bamboo this sewing can be performed
rapidly through any number of the interstices and as shown in the drawings.
D represents the stitches. The top is sewn at the back as in Fig. 1 and when the
case is full and the top is to be fastened I either pass a rod through alternate
loops E&F on the lid and side or sides, or I sew down the top to the sides all
round. When this is done tightly the case cannot be easily tampered with. When
the case is to be collapsed I cut the top off, completely severing the stitches all
I also sever all the stitches which hold in the corner pieces and remove the
round.

page_text: latter and allow of the side pieces to be disconnected from each other but to remain
connected to the bottom. I then fold down all the side places till the whole is
approximately flat. All partitions are also left attached to the bottom only and
folded down. I order to save space and allow proper folding I prefer in some
cases to construct the sides, top etc., to certain relative proportions. Thus if the
top T be twice the height then the two long sides S S may be folded below the
bottom and will meet without overlap. Again if the length be three times
the height of the short sides R R and the partition P then each of these R R P
may be folded down upon the bottom without overlap. I therefore make my fruit
case at least twice as broad as it is high and at least long enough to allow the sides
and partition to be flat on the bottom. In this way my case takes up when
collapsed less room than other hitherto used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement and construction of parts of my improved fruit case
made of interwoven split bamboo stayed by corner pieces as C having the parts
connected together by sewing substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination in a collapsed fruit case made of interwoven split bamboo of
the four sides, partition (if any) and bottom, all so proportioned and sewn together
that they may be folded and packed flat without overlapping edges substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 4th day of April 1892.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents.