Improvements in and relating to Means for Draining, Drying, and Conveying Bottles and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Means for Draining, Drying, and
Conveying Bottles and other Articles.
We, ROBERT DANIEL BRADFORD of 52 Gracechurch Street, London, E.C.,
Merchant, and GEORGE RAWLINS of 60 Lawrence Road, East Ham, Essex,
Warehouse Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus to be used in connection
with the draining, drying and conveyance of bottles and other articles, and has for
its object the saving of space, time, labour, breakage and injury in connection with
the draining and drying of bottles and jars of all kinds, the draining and drying
of lacquered or painted goods, the drying of labels, wrappers and other matter used
for finishing and packing goods, and the collecting and conveyance of these and
other goods.
In order to carry out our invention we provide a series of trays made of wood,
metal or any convenient material, and of any convenient shape, size and depth.
The bottom of each of said trays is composed of narrow strips or bars placed
at convenient distances apart and running along or across the tray, or otherwise,
the trays being provided with projecting strips of wood or other suitable material
to act as runners.
We further provide a framed structure made likewise of wood, metal or any
convenient material, said structure consisting of a series of vertical posts or pillars,
braced together by top and bottom horizontal bars or beams, so that the whole
shall form a rigid framework. We provide a series of these framework structures
and place them one behind the other at convenient distances apart depthways, and
brace them to one another by horizontally placed beams, thus providing a strong
skeleton framework of rectangular shape both as to length, height and depth.
The vertical posts comprising the front and back elevation of the structure are
spaced apart at such a distance as to allow the aforesaid trays to slide freely
between them, and to each set of posts from front to back are fixed strips or bars,
in such a way that they form shelves or ledges upon which the aforesaid trays
(by means of the projecting strips or runners) can be fitted into and made to slide
through the framed structure aforesaid.
If preferred, the structure may be so modified that the shelves or ledges may
be placed in inclined positions so that the trays may be conveyed from one level
to another.
As an illustration of this invention in the case of bottles, when they have been
washed they are placed neck and mouth downwards in the aforesaid tray, till the
tray is filled, when it is pushed along the framework and another tray substituted
to be filled in its turn, and treated in the same manner. The water remaining in
the bottles soon drains away and the tray eventually arrives at the back of the
stack or framework structure with the bottles drained and dried, and the tray
can be taken out and the bottles readily conveyed away to be packed or otherwise
disposed of.
Dated this 20th day of October 1906
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Monument Chambers, London, E.C., Applicants' Agent.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Means for Draining, Drying, and
Conveying Bottles and other Articles.
We, ROBERT DANIEL BRADFORD of 52 Gracechurch Street, London, E.C.,
Merchant, and GEORGE RAWLINS of 60 Lawrence Road, East Ham, Essex,
Warehouse Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus to be used in connection
with the draining, drying and conveyance of bottles and other articles, and has
for its object the saving of space, time, labour, breakage and injury in connection
with the draining and drying of bottles and jars of all kinds, the draining and
drying of lacquered or painted goods, the drying of labels, wrappers and other
matter used for finishing and packing goods, and the collecting and conveyance of
these and other goods.
In order to carry out our invention we provide a series of trays made of wood,
metal or any convenient material, and of any convenient shape, size and depth.
The bottom or floor of each of said trays is composed of narrow strips or bars
placed at convenient distances apart and running along or across the tray or other-
wise, the trays being provided with projecting strips of wood or other suitable
material to act as runners. These floors however may be placed either at the
bottom or further up in the trays as may be most convenient for the purpose.
'We further provide a framed structure made likewise of wood, metal or any
convenient material, said structure consisting of a series of vertical posts or pillars,
braced together by top and bottom horizontal bars or beams, so that the whole
shall form a rigid framework. We provide a series of these framework structures
and place them one behind the other at couvenient distances apart depthways,
and brace them to one another by horizontally placed beams, thus providing
a strong skeleton framework of rectangular or other shape both as to length,
height and depth. The vertical posts comprising the front and back elevation of
the structure are spaced apart at such a distance as to allow the aforesaid trays to
slide freely between them, and to each set of posts from front to back are fixed
strips or bars in such a way that they form shelves or ledges upon which the
aforesaid trays (either by means of the projecting strips or runners or without
same) can be fitted into and made to slide through the framed structure aforesaid.
If preferred, the structure may be so modified that the shelves or ledges
may be placed in inclined positions so that the trays may be conveyed from
one level to another.
As an illustration of this invention in the case of bottles,-when they have been
washed they are placed neck and mouth downwards in the aforesaid tray, till the
tray is filled, when it is pushed along the framework and another tray substituted
to be filled in its turn, and treated in the same manner. The water remaining
in the bottles soon drains away and the tray eventually arrives at the back of
the stack or framework structure with the bottles drained and dried, and the
tray can be taken out and the bottles readily conveyed away to be packed or
otherwise disposed of.
In order that our invention may be readily understood we will describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a series of frames and guide strips, Fig. 2 a
plan, and Fig. 3 an end or side elevation of the same.
Fig. 4 is a plau view of a tray, Fig. 5 is a cross section of same showing grating
and guide bars,

page_text: Figs. 6 and 7 are plan and sectional elevation of another form of tray, with
modified arrangement of grating and guide bars, and Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are also
cross sections, showing various sections of the guide bars on the side of trays, as
also in Fig. 9 is shown the grating bars aforesaid placed higher up the sides of
tray as hereinbefore mentioned.
Fig. 11 represents a side elevation of an inclined structure for the purpose of
conveying the tray from one level to another, Fig. 12 being a front view of a
portion of the framing at the upper level, and Fig. 13 at the lower level.
The same letters refer to the same parts in the several views. A A A A are
vertical uprights braced together by horizontal beams B B B at top and bottom of
the vertical uprights. CCC are also horizontal pieces or struts fixed in direction
of from front to back of the structure, making the whole framework rigid and firm
in construction. D D D D are guide strips fixed, at convenient distances apart,
to the vertical uprights aforesaid, and made of rectangular or any convenient
section and of any convenient material forming ledges or guide rails upon which
the trays E E slide from front to back of the structure. FF are narrow strips
of wood or other material fixed to the underside of said trays E, and G G are
guide strips of any couvenient shape and material projecting beyond the sides
of the tray, and which serve to guide and support said trays in their progress
through the structure. The trays may run either with or without projecting stays
or side strips.
As hereinbefore mentioned in the modification applied to structures between
floors of different levels as illustrated in Figs. 11, 12, and 13, the vertical
uprights A A A are fixed at different levels in their front to back position, forming
an inclined framing as shown, the guide strips D D D D being fixed in the required
inclined position between the upper and lower levels.
In Fig. 1 are shown at H H H H various sections of the guide strips used for
sliding the trays along, the guide strips on the trays corresponding and fitting on
the guide strips of framing aforesaid. As already mentioned we do not confiue
ourselves to a particular form of section of guides or guide strips, as it will be
obvious that the size and weight of the trays and their contents and other
requirements must determine the section and size of said guides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The provision of a structure or framing, having guide strips, and trays.
with bottoms or floors composed of narrow strips or bars, substantially as and
for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. The application of this invention to any form or kind of framing, substantially
as and for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Monument Chambers, London, E.C., Applicants' Agent.