AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE FIRE PROOF AND OTHER SHELVING APPLICABLE ALSO TO STORAGE AND OTHER RACKS TO HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER TRAINING STRUCTURES TO PORTABLE BUILDING OR SHEDDING AND FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: 65
LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Harlow of Macclesfield in the County of
Chester Engineer for an Invention of AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
PORTABLE FIRE PROOF AND OTHER SHELVING APPLICABLE ALSO TO STORAGE
AND OTHER RACKS TO HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER TRAINING STRUCTURES
TO PORTABLE BUILDING OR SHEDDING AND FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Harlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1883.
BENJAMIN HARLOW of Macclesfield in the County of Chester Engineer
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE FIRE-PROOF AND OTHER SHELVING
APPLICABLE ALSO TO STORAGE AND OTHER RACKS, TO HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER
TRAINING STRUCTURES, TO PORTABLE BUILDING OR SHEDDING AND FOR OTHER
ANALOGOUS PURPOSES.
"
I construct pedestals or standards of cast iron with two or more rows or series
of slots formed in them and one above another to receive longitudinal wooden or
iron bars. These bars when inserted through the slots in two or more of the
pedestals or standards so form rigid supports say for shelving or for other purposes
and thus I construct a cheap and simple framework which can be reddily erected or
taken down and occupying little space may easily be transportd from place to
place Instead of longitudinal bars passing through slots as aforesaid a modifi-
cation of my invention consists in dove-tailing the bars or shelving to the pedestal.
This construction of framework is equally applicable to bottle and other racks to
stages for supporting plants in conservatories or green-houses and as a substitute for
the training sticks or stakes used for agricultural or horticultural-purposes facility
being afforded by having holes formed through the longitudinal rods for inserting
twigs or wires to present additional training surface..
These improvements are also applicable in the construction of portable buildings
or sheds.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
"
by the said Benjamin Harlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1883.
BENJAMIN HARLOW of Macclesfield in the county of Chester, Engineer
AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE FIREPROOF AND OTHER SHELVING,
APPLICABLE ALSO TO STORAGE AND OTHER RACKS, TO HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER
TRAINING STRUCTURES, TO PORTABLE BUILDING OR SHEDDING, AND FOR OTHER
ANALOGOUS PURPOSES."
This invention has for its object the construction of shelving in a cheap
substantial manner capable of being very quickly erected and taken down. It
will be found very useful in shops, warehouses, greenhouses, exhibition buildings,
drying rooms and other structures and especially where shelving has to be erected
and removed again at short notice, or is required to be put up without hurting the
walls.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings taken from my
ordinary business circular, it being distinctly understood however, that I do not
bind myself to these forms only or to straight shelving only, as it is equally
applicable for shelving going round the corners of a room, for central stands in
greenhouses, with shelves on all four sides forming a parallelogram and in other
places where corners have to be made or even rounded off, the standards being
arranged to 'suit. Further although in the drawings I have only shown frames
with the longitudinal holes for the shelf supports perpendicularly one above the
other, for greenhouses these frames could be cast in the A shape two broad frames
meeting at the top and the slots for the shelf bearers made in each side of each
frame at equal distances vertically from the ground resembling in fact two of any
of the first four figures in the drawing with the standards lengthened out somewhat
and bent to equal but opposite oblique angles at their bases till they join at the
top as an inverted.V or an A or delta.
The invention is also applicable for trestle tables there being in such cases a
bottom shelf useful for the double purpose of a foot-plank and a steadying plank
and a top broad shelf for the table proper.
+
The drawings almost explain themselves but referring to them for further
explanation Fig. 1-shows a rack with shelves removed. In these A A are the
cast-iron or other standards, B B bars of wood or other suitable tough strong stiff
material passed through holes in the standards. If these holes be of such a size
as to just fit the bars or what is the same thing if the bars be made to fit the holes
and the holes or sockets have a sufficiently broad lateral bearing that is if the
standards be sufficiently thick round the bars all unsteadiness sideways is pre-
vented, the bars acting as stays held at right angles by their sockets to all the
supports.
Fig. 2.-is precisely the same structure but with shelves resting on the bars.
These shelves are prevented from moving endways by being made so as to tightly
fit between the frames, but if desired the frames can end at the level of the top
of the sockets, carrying the top plank, and the top plank can be continuous all
along or a modification of this plan can be used as in Figs. 3 and 4 where the
planks end at the standards, but abut against each other, the sides only of the
standards or other points on the standards entering the wood and holding it
firmly.
Fig 3. shows the top of the standard entering the planks, which are grooved
at the ends to fit the standards and

page_text: Fig 4. where the sides of the standards project to the level of the surface of the
planks and the latter are notched to fit the standards
Fig 5. shows a stillage on this plan. In this the standards are very broad at
the points where the bars pass through them and the bars being made to fit tight
the whole stillage is very rigid. Figs 6. 7. and 8 show modifications or arrange-
ments of my improved shelving. If the bars and shelves are of metal, or the bars
metal and the shelves stone, concrete, earthenware, or the like the apparatus is fire-
proof. In cases where the racks are required for storage of iron bars poles, rods
or the like, the shelves are omitted and the form shown in Fig 1. but with the
horizontal ties C placed from socket to socket instead of below the sockets is
adopted or in some cases the standard is made with a very strong back and stout
arms, projecting therefrom to carry the front bars instead of there being any front
vertical support. Long poles can then be put into the rack sideways as well as
endways, a great advantage, as it is sometimes a difficult matter to pull a long pole
out at the end owing to the friction and projections on it catching..
Having now described my invention I would remark in reference thereto, that
it can be widely varied in detail while remaining substantially the saine in principle
but that what I claim as my invention is
The manufacture of portable fireproof or other shelving or racks, constructed
with pedestals having two or more rows of sockets or holes, and having longi-
tudinal bars fitting said sockets or holes the whole forming a rigid structure
capable of being rapidly erected or taken to pieces substantially as and for the
purposes herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Benjamin Harlow have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of September in the year of our Lord, one, thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
BENJAMIN HAKLOW
L.S.