Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left. 11th July. 1899-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
We, CHARLES BLAMPIED, Fruit Packer, and ALFRED PHILIP LE ROSSIGNOL,
Fruit Merchant, both of 6, Esplanade, Saint Heliers, Jersey, one of the Channel
Islands, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
11
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with fruit and like
baskets.
Baskets of fruit or the like intended for the market are in order to prevent the
contents falling out usually strung across the top by means of a length of string
passed to and fro across the basket from side to side and end to end thereof.
This length of string is fastened to the basket by passing it by the aid of a
needle to and fro through the sides and around the vertical ribs of the basket
beneath the rim thereof.
This method is both slow and troublesome and therefore expensive added to
which during the carriage of the basket by railway the vibration of the string
which is in contact with the fruit is liable to seriously damage the same.
Now the object of the present invention is to dispense with this troublesome
and injurious method of stringing and to provide simple and inexpensive means
whereby a fruit basket may be efficiently and quickly strung or closed and
without liability to damage the fruit.
For this purpose the basket upon the exterior thereof and beneath the rim
is provided with a circle or row of vertically disposed hooks and the
length of string is at one end provided with a loop or eye which latter is placed
upon one of the hooks and the length of string is then carried to and fro across
the basket and passed under a hook at each turn and the end of the string is
fastened off in any suitable manner.
This operation can be performed with very great rapidity and without the
necessity for employing a needle or other instrument whilst the lacing by passing
over the rim will be elevated above the fruit and the abrasion of the fruit thereby
will be avoided.
In carrying the invention into effect according to one arrangement a hook is
employed formed of iron or other wire or material of sufficient rigidity and con-
structed with two prongs or limbs at the back thereof which project horizontally
and at right angles with the hook.
These two prongs or limbs are passed horizontally through the side of the
basket from the outside so as to embrace one of the vertical ribs thereof with
the hook arranged in such a position that its bend is uppermost.
The ends of the prongs or limbs are then twisted around one another by the
aid of a suitable instrument and flattened back against the basket and the hook
is thus fastened securely in position.
The device above described may be applied to any existing basket but it will
be evident that slightly modified it may be woven in and thus fastened during
the construction of the basket.
In this case the device employed is essentially the same as that herein before

page_text: described with the exception that the prongs or limbs, instead of projecting
horizontally and at right angles with the hook, are arranged vertically and
parallel with the hook the upper limb being somewhat shorter than the lower one
so that it will not project above the rim of the basket.
It will be understood that the device is capable of further modification without
departing from the spirit of the invention; for example the hooks may be formed
on or attached to a wire or other band adapted to be fastened in position during
the weaving of the basket or attached to the outside thereof in any suitable
manner.
The band may be stamped out of sheet metal and the hooks formed thereon
by pressing or stamping and the lower end of the band may be provided with
inturned projections to act as detents to hold it in position upon the basket
whilst its ends may be provided with a hook and eye or like fastening means.
Or in some cases eyes may be substituted for the hooks to receive the lacing.
By the means herein before described a fruit basket may be strung in a more
efficient and expeditious manner and consequently at less expense than heretofore.
Dated this 11th day of October 1898.
We, CHARLES BLAMPIED, Fruit Packer, and ALFRED PHILIP LE ROSSIGNOL,
Fruit Merchant, both of 6, Esplanade, Saint Heliers, Jersey, one of the Channel
Islands, 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:
-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with fruit and like
baskets.
Baskets of fruit or the like intended for the market are in order to prevent the
contents falling out usually strung across the top by means of a length of string
passed to and fro across the basket from side to side and end to end thereof.
This length of string is fastened to the basket by passing it by the aid of a
needle to and fro through the sides and around the vertical ribs of the basket
beneath the rim thereof.
This method is both slow and troublesome and therefore expensive added to
which during the carriage of the basket by railway the vibration of the string
which is in contact with the fruit, when the latter is of a delicate nature, is
liable to seriously damage the same.
Now the object of the present invention is to dispense with this troublesome
and injurious method of stringing and to provide simple and inexpensive means
whereby a fruit basket may be efficiently and quickly strung or closed and
without liability to damage the fruit.
For this purpose the basket upon the exterior thereof and beneath the rim is
provided with a circle or row of vertically disposed hooks or fastenings and the
length of string is at one end provided with a loop or eye which latter is placed
upon one of the hooks and the length of string is then carried to and fro across
the basket and passed under a hook at each turn and the end of the string is
fastened off in any suitable manner.

page_text: This operation can be performed with very great rapidity and without the
necessity for employing a needle or other instrument whilst the lacing by passing
over the rim will be elevated above the fruit and the abrasion of the fruit thereby
will be avoided.
In carrying the invention into effect according to one arrangement a hook is
employed formed of iron or other wire or material of sufficient rigidity and con-
structed with two prongs or limbs at the back thereof which project horizontally
and at right angles with the hook.
These two prongs or limbs are passed horizontally through the side of the
basket from the outside so as to embrace one of the vertical ribs thereof with
the hook arranged in such a position that its bend is uppermost.
The ends of the prongs or limbs are then twisted around one another by the
aid of a suitable instrument and flattened back against the basket and the hook
is thus fastened securely in position.
The device above described may be applied to any existing basket but it will
be evident that slightly modified it may be woven in and thus fastened during
the construction of the basket.
In this case the device employed is essentially the same as that herein before
described with the exception that the prongs or limbs, instead of projecting
horizontally and at right angles with the hook, are arranged vertically and
parallel with the hook the upper limb being somewhat shorter than the lower one
so that it will not project above the rim of the basket.
It will be understood that the device is capable of further modification without
departing from the spirit of the invention; for example the hooks may be formed
on or attached to a wire or other band adapted to be fastened in position during
the weaving of the basket or attached to the outside thereof in any suitable
manner.
The band may be stamped out of sheet metal and, the hooks formed thereon
by pressing or stamping and the lower edge of the band may be provided with
inturned projections to act as detents to hold it in position upon the basket
whilst its ends may be provided with a hook and eye or like fastening means.
Or in some cases eyes may be substituted for the hooks to receive the lacing.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of a fruit basket having the present invention applied thereto
part of the rim of the basket being broken away.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 3 is an inside view of a portion of the basket illustrating the method
of fixing the hook in position.
Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section of a portion of the basket also illus-
trating the method of inserting and fixing the hook.
Figure 5 is a plan of the hook separately showing it as it would appear previous
to being fixed to the basket.
Figure 6 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 7 is a similar view to Figure 4 but illustrating the application of a
modified form of hook.
Figure 8 is a similar view representing a further slight modification in the
form of hook.
Figure 9 is a plan of the hook separately.
Figure 10 represents an elevation of a portion of a basket in which the hooks
are carried by a band.
Figure 11 is a separate view of a portion of the band representing the method
of joining the two ends thereof,

page_text: Figure 12 is an elevation of a portion of a basket representing the application
of a modified form of band.
Figure 13 is a vertical section thereof.
Figure 14 is a separate view of a portion of the band illustrating the method
of joining the ends thereof, and
Figure 15 is a vertical section of a portion of the basket illustrating the sub-
stitution of an eye for a hook in the fastening device.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference Figures 1 and 2 are drawn to a reduced scale. whilst the other figures
are drawn to the actual size of the parts.
Referring to Figures 1 to 6 a represents the basket, a¹ represents the rim, and
a represents the handle thereof.
Upon the exterior of the basket a and
the rim a¹ are provided a
number of vertically disposed hooks b af at a short distance apart and a
length of string c is at one end furnished a loop or eye c¹ which latter is
placed upon one of the hooks b as represented more particularly at Figure 2 and
the length of string c is carried to and frd over the rim and across the basket and
passed under a hook bat each turn and the end of the string is then fastened off
in any suitable manner.
In the present example the string is passed across from one side of the basket
to a hook bat the opposite side thereof, and it is then carried under the next
adjacent hook upon the same side then up over the rim to the first side under a
hook and then to the next hook on the same side and so on until it arrives at the
central end hook under which it is passed and then carried across the centre of
the basket a turn being taken around each of the transverse strings and it is
finally passed under the opposite end hook and brought back and fastened to the
other part of the string e by means of two or three half hitches as indicated
a Figure 1.
Or the string may be laced across in any other suitable way as will be readily
understood.
This operation can be performed with very great rapidity and without the
necessity for employing a needle or other instrument, whilst the lacing c by
passing over the rim a¹ will be elevated above the fruit or the like in the
basket a and the abrasion thereof will be to a great extent avoided.
The hook is formed of a length of iron or other wire or material of sufficient
rigidity, doubled to fom a hook and the two parts are twisted together at 61
and afterwards separated to form two prongs or limbs 62 at the back of the
hook which limbs project in the form of a fork at right angles to the hook_b.
These two prongs or limbs 62 are passed horizontally through the side of the
basket a from the outside thereof so as to embrace one of the vertical ribs a³ of
the basket with the hook b arranged in such a position that its head is upper-
most as shown more clearly at Figure 4.
The ends of the prongs or limbs are then brought together and twisted
around one another by the aid of any suitable instrument and flattened back
against the weft or horizontal structure at of the basket a and the hook is thus
fastened securely in position.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the device herein before described is
adapted to be applied to any existing basket, no alteration in the structure of the
latter being needed.
In the example given at Figure 7 the device is substantially the same as that
herein before shown and described with the exception that the prongs or limbs b
instead of projecting horizontally and at right angles with the hook bare
arranged vertically and parallel with said hook the upper limb being somewhat
shorter than the lower one so that it will not project above the rim a¹ of the
basket but this device unlike that previously described is necessarily woven in
and thus fixed in position during the construction of the basket,

page_text: In the example given at Figures 8 and 9 a further slight modification is shown
in which the hook 6 instead of being formed of bent wire is assumed to be stamped
out of sheet metal the base of the hook being formed with a central perfora-
tion 63 through which is passed one of the ribs a³ of the basket during the
weaving thereof by which means the device is securely fixed in position and in
order that it may be firmly supported so as to resist any strain to which it may
be subjected it is formed with a flange or tail piece which takes a bearing upon
the weft or horizontal part of the basket work a'.
In the example given at Figures 10 and 11 the prongs 62 are extended hori
zontally in the form of a wire band which is fastened in position during the the
weaving of the basket and the ends of this band are for example joined together
by twisting interlocking eyes thereon in the manner indicated at Figure 11
or the band might be fixed
basket in any other suitable manner.
In the example given at
o 14 the band is assumed to be formed
of a strip 6 of sheet metal pass.
nd the exterior of the basket and the
hooks to be formed thereon by p- g or stamping and the lower edge of
this band is provided with inturned pro tions or teeth 66 which act as detents to
engage the basket-work and hold the band in position upon the basket and in
order to firmly join the free ends of the band b one part is provided with a slot or
eye and the other with a co-acting hook 65 as indicated at Figure 14.
In the example given at Figure 15 the device is assumed to be similar to that
represented in Figures 1 to 6 with the exception that instead of forming a hook
thereon an eye 6 is substituted therefor, but this device is considered inferior to
the hook inasmuch as it would be necessary to thread the end of the string
through said eye at each turn of the lacing which would necessarily be a slower
operation than that of passing the string beneath the hook and which is the
preferred arrangement.
Although we have herein before shown and described the hooks b as fixed upon
the exterior of the basket to receive an external lacing of string said hooks may
be placed upon the interior of the basket to receive an internal lacing which is
suitable for tomatoes, grapes, or other fruit which is of such a nature that it
cannot in practice be piled for example in more than two layers or tiers without
bruising by which arrangement the basket may be only partly filled and yet be
efficiently strung so as to prevent the shaking of the fruit and the method of
stringing may be similar to that described with respect to Figures 1 to 6.
It will be understood that the internal hook may be formed and fastened in
position in any suitable manner and for example according to either of the
methods shown and described with respect to Figures 1 to 9.
It will be evident that the device is capable of being further modified without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
By the means hereinbefore described a fruit basket may be strung in a more
efficient and expeditious manner and consequently at less expense than heretofore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In combination with a fruit or like basket a number of hooks eyes or
equivalent fastenings arranged around the same for the purpose of securing a
lacing or network extending across the basket substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
2. In combination with a fruit or like basket a device for securing a lacing or
network thereto comprising a hook or eye or equivalent fastening provided with
two prongs extended horizontally passed through the basket and twisted together
or clinched or extended vertically or horizontally and woven in the basket sub-
stantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. In combination with a fruit or like basket a device for securing a lacing or
network thereto comprising a hook or eye or equivalent fastening having a shauk

page_text: or body fixed with a rib of the basketwork substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
4. In combination with a fruit or like basket a device for securing a lacing or
network thereto comprising a number of hooks or eyes or equivalent fastenings
carried by a band adapted to be woven in the basketwork or provided with catches
to fix it with the basket substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
Dated this 11th day of July 1899.