Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM RUDOLPH GREINER, of the Village of Marlboro, Ulster County, State
of New York, United States of America, gentleman, do hereby declare the naturo
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 an egg crate and more particularly to the kind which is
composed of a frame, across which are stretched two sets of crossing wires, that form
meshes, between which the eggs are confined in place. The invention has for its object
to secure the wires to the frame in such a manner, that the crate can be cheaply
manufactured, and that it will be durable when completed.
The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fully pointed
out in the claim.
In the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 is a top view of one of the frames of the crate.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, showing the transverse wires only.
Fig. 3 is an end view of fig. 2 with an additional handle and
Fig. 4 a longitudinal vertical section through a completed crate containing three of
the frames.
The letters a, a, represent the longitudinal rails and b, b, the transverse rails of a
wooden frame open on top and bottom and with the grain, running, of course,
lengthwise.
Across the frame there are stretched two sets of wires, one set being placed below
the other set, and each set being composed of longitudinal and transverse wires
forming open squares. The eggs are placed in an upright position into the squares
and are held in place by the elasticity of the wires.
In order to secure the upper transverse wires to the frame, I notch the upper edges
of the longitudinal rails a, a, at the places at which the wires are to be secured.
These notches are placed preferably in pairs as indicated by the letters a', a', figs. 1 & 2.
The lower edges of the rails a, are notched in similar manner for the retention of the
lower transverse wires, but these notches a², are placed preferably about equi-
distant.

page_text: In securing the transverse wires (both lower and upper set) to the rails a, I employ
one continuous length of wire, and stretch it across opposite upper notches and then
again across opposite lower notches, and so on, until all the wires are in place. Thus,
beginning at the point . I stretch the wire to form the length 1, thence I pass it down
along-side of rail as at 2, thence across lower notches as at 3, thence along-side of rail
as at 4, and continuing in similar manner as at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc. until all the
transverse wires are in place.
It will be seen, that in this way, I form all the several transverse wires out of one
length of wire, which is readily applied. Moreover, those portions 2, 4, 6 etc. of the
wires that extend over the sides of rails a, are placed so as to cross the grain of the
wood, and in this way the wire will not have a tendency to tear out the fibers, between
any two notches. On the contrary, the wire will have a tendency to strengthen the
rails.
The longitudinal wires are formed in the same manner as the transverse wires and
when in place, the entire frame is completed. In fig. 3, I have shown a handle c,
secured to the transverse rail b.
9, 9, are a set of braces that prevent the frames from collapsing under the strain of
the wires. These braces y are placed preferably midway between the two sets of wires,
and they traverse the rectangular figures between the squares. In this way the braces
do not take up any room that is needed for the eggs.
b.
Each brace has a shoulder g', at one end, while its screw threaded other end carries
a nut g. The shoulder g', and nut, bear against the inner edges of the frame ",
By turning nut y³, the frame may be spread.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The combination of open frame composed of longitudinal rails a, and transverse
rails b, notched at their upper and lower edges, with wires stretched across the frame
and extending first through two opposite upper notches, then along the sides of the
rail and then through two opposite lower notches, the whole constituting a frame, with
two sets of open squares, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of frame a, b, with two sets of crossing wires arranged beneath
one another, the wires in each set forming alternate squares and rectangular figures
and with braces g, traversing the rectangular figures, between the squares, substantially
as specified.
3. The combination of frame a, b, with two sets of crossing wires, and with the
braces g, having shoulders g', and nuts g³, substantially as specified.
Dated this 7th day of August 1888.
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.