An Improved Shelf.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1898-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Shelf.
I, THOMAS CARPENTER LOUDEN, of Riverside, Connecticut, United States of
America, Merchant, 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:—
My invention has for its object to provide a shelf adapted for general use as a
provision shelf, for example in meat carts, ice chests, refrigerator cars &c., the
essential requirements being that it shall be made wholly of metal, of few parts,
and in the least expensive manner possible, that it shall comprise a series of
troughs closed at both ends, and that it shall be so constructed that every part
may be easily reached in washing, and that air may circulate freely both sides of
the bed; free circulation of air being an important feature when the shelves are
used in refrigerators or in cooling chambers and the closed ended troughs being
an important feature when the shelves are used in any place to support meat which
is liable to drip as for example when used as liver shelves, all drip being caught
and retained in the troughs so that the floor of a wagon or chamber is kept per-
fectly clean.
With these ends in view I have devised the simple and novel shelf of which the
following description in connection with the accompanying drawing is a specifica-
tion, reference characters being used to designate the several parts.
The drawing is a perspective of a section of my novel shelf.
In the
The shelf comprises a bed A which is made of corrugated sheet metal ordinarily
iron, galvanised, i.e., covered with zinc by electro-deposition. The essential
At the
features of the bed are the raised portions a and the depressed portions a.
edges of the bed are edge strips B which extend from the bottom of the depressed
portions part way to the apex of the raised portions, for example half way, more
or less from the bottom of the corrugated bed to the top thereof. The function
of edge strips B is to close the ends of the depressed portions of the bed thus form-
ing troughs C closed at both ends. It is important however, that the edge strips
should not extend to the top of the raised portions of the bed so that passages D
may be left under the bed at the raised portions for free passage of air.
present instance I have shown the edge strips as formed integral with bottom
strips E, the edge and bottom strips being in fact an angle piece. By making the
edge and bottom strips integral i.e., using an angle piece the rack is made stronger
and a firm support is formed at each end for the shelf to rest upon, leaving the
depressed portions slightly above the floor when the shelf is placed upon the floor
of a wagon or chamber. The edge strips may be secured to the bed in any suit-
able manner as by soldering or riveting. It will be understood from the draw-
ing that my novel shelf may readily be made in sizes to suit any possible
requirement of the trade or may be made of various standard widths and in lengths
which may be cut to suit the special requirements of use, it being obvious that
the bed and edge strips may be cut transversely at any place.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A shelf of the character described comprising a bed having raised portions
and depressed portions and edge strips which extend part way from the bottom
of the depressed portions to the top of the raised portions so as to close the ends
of the depressed portions and form troughs C leaving the raised portions open at
the ends to form air passages D.
2. A shelf of the character described comprising a bed having raised portions
and depressed portions and an angle piece at each edge of the bed consisting of
an edge strip which closes the ends of the depressed portions forming troughs and
leaving the raised portions open for air passages and a bottom strip which
strengthens the shelf and provides a firm support for the end to rest upon.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1898.