An Improved Construction of Strainer or Drainer for Fish Kettle.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1887.
Complete Left, 12th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 13th. Sept., 1887,
An Improved Construction of Strainer or Drainer for Fish Kettle.
We, JOHN MARSTON, of Paul Street Works, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, japanner and tin plate worker, and GEORGE COOCH, of Viaduct Chambers,
Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London, commercial traveller, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Fish kettle strainers or drainers, as usually constructed, are formed of a flat plate
of sheet metal perforated with a number of holes. The water, however, does not
readily drain off, owing partly to the flatness of the plate and partly to the blocking
up of several of the holes by the fish lying thereupon. Such a plate, also, though
generally formed with a wired edge, lies, somewhat closely upon the bottom of the
kettle and prevents a thorough circulation of the water; and, moreover, owing to
the flatness of the plate and to the slight hold of the fish within the draining holes,
the fish does not always slide off the strainer into a dish, as the strainer is tilted,
with such facility as is desirable.
Now, according to this invention, the plate of the strainer or drainer is formed
with transverse corrugations or flutes which run out to the edge on each side, the
depressions thus occasioned forming gutters. The water readily runs off the narrow
raised surfaces of the plate into the gutters, and, as the latter are not in any sense
blocked by the fish which lies upon the raised surfaces, the water readily drains along
the gutters. The wire or round iron forming the handles by which the strainer is
carried is continued in two parallel lengths under the bottoms of the depressions in the
plate and the upper surface of the plate is thus raised above the bottom of the fish
kettle, when in place therein, not only by the depth of the depressions in the plate but
also by the thickness of the wire or round iron below such depressions. As the fish
lies only upon the narrow raised surfaces of the plate, and has no tendency to hold
within the depressions, it is.readily slid off into a dish on the strainer being slightly
tilted.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Construction of Strainer or Drainer for Fish Kettle.
We, JOHN MARSTON, of Paul Street Works, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, japanner and tinplate worker, and GEORGE COOOH, of Viaduct Chambers,
Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London, commercial traveller, 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, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
Fish kettle strainers or drainers, as usually constructed, are .formed of a flat plate
of sheet metal perforated with a number of holes. The water, however, does not
readily drain off, owing partly to the flatness of the plate, and partly to the blocking
up of several of the holes by the fish lying thereupon. Such a plate, also, though
generally formed with a wired edge, lies somewhat closely upon the bottom of the
kettle and prevents a thorough circulation of the water; and moreover, owing to the
flatness of the plate, and the consequent area of bearing surface, and to the slight hold
of the fish within the draining holes, the fish does not always slide off the strainer into
a dish, as the strainer is tilted, with such facility as is desirable.
This invention consists, chiefly, in the construction of a fish kettle strainer or
drainer with a plate having transverse corrugations or flutes running out to the edge
on each side, whereby the water readily drains off, and the fish is easily slid off into a
dish upon the strainer being slightly tilted.
In describing this invention reference is made to the drawings herewith, of which
figure 1 is a plan of the top of a strainer or drainer made according to this invention,
figure 2 a side view, figure 3 an end view, and figure 4 a view of the underside. The
same letters refer to the same parts throughout the views. The plate A A of the
strainer is formed with transverse corrugations or flutes a a etc. which run out to
the edge on each side, the depressions thus occasioned forming gutters. The water
readily runs off the raised surfaces c c etc. of the plate into the gutters, and, as the
latter are not in any degree blocked by the fish which lies upon the raised surfaces
the water readily drains along them, and the fish lying only upon the narrow raised
surfaces c c etc. of the plate has no tendency to hold within the depressions, and is
readily slid off into a dish on the strainer being slightly tilted. The corrugations add
also to the strength of the plate. The handles B B are formed of strong round wire
in lieu of the flat handles usually employed and which are very liable to be bent
down, and the wire is carried in two lines b b longitudinally under the corrugations,
and each such line is preferably widened out from each end to the middle of the plate,
if a corrugation occurs at the middle, otherwise to the one of the corrugations nearest
the middle on one side and to the corrugation nearest the middle on the other side,
respectively, as shewn by figure 4, so as to strengthen the plate near to the edges
thereof and to give a wide base on which the strainer rests. The upper surface of the

page_text: plate is raised above the bottom of the fish kettle, when placed therein, not only by
the thickness of the wire or round iron below such depressions but also by the depth
of the depressions in the plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. A fish kettle strainer or drainer constructed with a plate formed with transverse
corrugations or flutes, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
2. A fish kettle strainer or drainer constructed with a plate formed with transverse
corrugations or flutes and with wires passing across the underside of the corrugations
or flutes, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
3. The fish kettle strainer or drainer substantially as described with reference to the
drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.