NEW OR IMPROVED RACKS OR FRAMES FOR MEAT AND OTHER DISHES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas White, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED
RACKS OR FRAMES FOR MEAT AND OTHER DISHES."
Scaled the 12th February 1875, and dated the 26th August 1874..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1874.
I, THOMAS WHITE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"NEW OR IMPROVED RACKS OR FRAMES FOR MEAT AND OTHER DISHES," to be as
follows:
My said Invention consists of racks or frames to be placed in or fixed
on meat and other dishes for supporting the joint or other article of food.
The rack or frame holds the joint or article of food firmly and keeps it
steady while it is being carved, and also permits the gravy to flow
readily or without interruption to the well of the dish. It also has the

page_text: advantage of supporting the meat or article of food out of contact with
the gravy. I make the said rack or frame, by preference, of bars of
German silver, electro-plated, but do not limit myself to the use of my
particular material. The said bars are fixed together at their inter-
sections by soldering or rivetting; or the frame or rack may be made by a
being pierced out of sheet metal, or made by the process of casting, or
otherwise made. The bars constituting the said rack or frame have the
figure in outline of the sunken part of the dish with which it is to be
used.
In some cases the rack does not follow the configuration of the dish,
the ends instead of being convex so as to follow the shape of the dish,
being concave or rectangular so as to leave the ends of the sunken part
of the dish uncovered by the said rack or frame. The well or wells at
one or both ends of the dish is or are thus left ready of access. The
rack or frame is provided with four or other number of short arms which
are at a slightly higher level than the other parts of the rack. These arms,
which may be of an ornamental character, extend over and rest upon
the rim of the dish and support the rack or frame parallel with the.
bottom of the dish. Or the said arms may extend beyond the edge of
the dish and be turned down at their ends, and be provided with screws
which engage under the edge of the dish and fix the rack or frame firmly
thereto. The partial unscrewing of the said screws withdraws their ends
from under the edge of the dish when the rack or frame may be lifted
from the dish.
In order to enable one rack to be used with dishes of different sizes,
the parts for connecting the rack to the dish may consist of three arms,
two fixed, and the third capable of lengthening and shortening, the hold
of the movable arm upon the edge of the dish being effected either by a
spring or by adjusting the length of the arm and fixing it by a set
screw.
In order the more effectually to support the joint or other article of
food firmly on the rack or frame it may be provided at the intersection
of the bars, or elsewhere, with short pointed spikes which enter the
joint or article of food laid on the rack and give great stability
thereto.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas White in the Great Seal. Patent Office on
the 22nd February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WHITE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas White, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas White, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas White, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
RACKS OR FRAMES FOR MEAT AND OTHER DISHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas White, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas White, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
'
My said Invention consists of racks or frames to be placed in or fixed
on meat and other dishes for supporting the joint or other article of.
food. The rack or frame holds the joint or article of food firmly and
keeps it steady while it is being carved, and also permits the gravy to
flow readily or without interruntion to the well of the dish. It also has

page_text: the advantage of supporting the meat or article of food out of contact
with the gravy. I make the said rack or frame by preference of bars of
German silver électro-plated, but I do not limit myself to the use of any
particular material. The said bars are fixed together at their inter-
sections by soldering or rivetting; or the frame or rack may be made by
being pierced out of sheet metal, or made by the process of casting, or
otherwise made. The bars constituting the said rack or frame have the
figure in outline of the sunken part of the dish with which it is to be
used.
In some cases the rack does not follow the configuration of the dish,
the ends instead of being convex so as to follow the shape of the dish
being concave or rectangular so as to leave the ends of the sunken part
of the dish uncovered by the said rack or frame. The well or wells at
one or both ends of the dish is or are thus left ready or convenient of
access. The rack or frame is provided with four or other number of
short arms which are at a slightly higher level than the other parts of
the rack. These arms which may be of an ornamental character extend
over and rest upon the rim of the dish and support the rack or frame
parallel with the bottom of the dish; or the said arms may extend
beyond the edge of the dish and be turned down at their ends and be
provided with screws which engage under the edge of the dish and fix
the rack or frame firmly thereto. The partial unscrewing of the said
screws withdraws their ends from under the edge of the dish when tho
rack or frame may be lifted from the dish.
In order to enable one rack to be used with dishes of different sizes,
the parts for connecting the rack to the dish may consist of three arms,
two fixed, and the third capable of lengthening and shortening, the hold
of the moveable arm upon the edge of the dish being effected by a
spring or by adjusting the length of the arm and fixing it by a set
screw.
In order the more effectually to support the joint or other article of food
firmly on the rack or frame it may be provided at the intersection of the
bars; or elsewhere, with short pointed spikes which enter the joint or
article of food laid on the rack and give great stability thereto.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying
Drawings racks or frames constructed according to my Invention.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in plan, and Figure 2 in longitudinal section one
of my improved racks or frames applied to a meat or other dish having
a well at one end.
Figure 3 represents a plan of the rack or frame detached. The said
rack or frame consists of an elliptical rim a to which are connected the
intersecting bars b. The said rim a has the figure of the outline of the
sunken part of the dish, excepting at one of its ends marked a², which
end is concave, as represented, so as to leave the well c of the dish
uncovered and convenient of access. On the rim a of the rack or frame
are four short arms d, d, having expanded ornamental parts at their
ends. The said arms d, d, are situated at a slightly higher level than
the other parts of the rack. When the rack or frame is placed in the
sunken part of the dish the arms d, d, extend over and rest upon the
rim e. of the dish and support the rack or frame parallel with the bottom
of the dish, as best seen in the section, Figure 2. When the joint or
article of food is placed on the rack or frame a, b, the said joint or
article of food is firmly held on the dish and is supported out of contact
with the gravy, and the gravy is free to, flow to the well c without
interruption. When the rack or frame is to be applied to dishes
having wells at both ends both ends of the rack may be concave or
rectangular.
Figure 4 represents in plan a rack or frame constructed according
to my Invention fixed to the dish by hooked arms and screws engaging
with the edge of the dish. This rack is made wholly of intersecting
bars a, b, the outer part a resting on the rim of the dish, and the arms
c, c, and d, d, projecting beyond the edge of the rim. The arms c, c,
are hook-shaped similar to the arms c, c; in Figures 5 and 6, and the
ends of the other arms d, d, are bent at right angles as seen in the..
sectional view of Figure 4, screws f, f, working in the said bent parts.
By hooking the arms c, c, to the edge of the rim of the dish at one
side, and driving home the screws f, f, so as to make them engage
under the edge of the dish at the other side the rack is fixed firmly to
the dish.
Figure 5 represents in plan, and Figure 6 in longitudinal section
a rack or frame constructed according to my Invention provided with
a moveable or adjustable arm for the purpose of enabling one rack or.
frame to be used with dishes of different sizes. The hooked arms c¸c,.

page_text: are fixed as last described, while the central arm 9 is moveable and
adjustable in the central case or tube h. The moveable arm g is
prevented from turning in the case or tube h by a feather or rib gå on
the said arm working in a longitudinal slot 2 in the case or tube h.
The moveable arm g is fixed in its adjusted position by the set or
binding screw i. To fix the rack or frame to the dish the screw i is
loosened and the hooks of the two fixed arms c, c, and the moveable
arm g are engaged with the edge of the dish. By driving home the set
or binding screw i the moveable arm g is fixed and the rack or frame
firmly secured to the dish. By unscrowing the screw the moveable
arm g may be pushed outwards, the rack is thereby released and may
be lifted from the dish. This rack or frame is furnished with sharp
pointed spikes k, k, which enter the joint or article of food laid upon the
rack or frame and give great stability thereto. The spikes k, k, may
be applied to all the racks or frames represented in the Drawings.
ל
Figure 7 represents in plan, and Figure 8 in longitudinal section
another rack or frame constructed according to my Invention, having
an adjustable spring arm for fixing the rack or frame to the dish.
Figure 9 represents in clevation the rack or frame detached. a, b, is
the rack or frame, and c, c, are the fixed hooked arms; dis the moveable.
spring arm having at its holding or outer end a double or forked
'hook d², d, for engaging it with the edge of the dish.
The inner end of
the arm & works in the fixed case or barrel e on the rack, and the said
arm d is pressed in the direction of the arrow by the coiled spring f
within the case e, and around the inner end of the arm d. The said
coiled spring takes its abutment at one end against the end of the
case e, and at the other end against a nut or collar d³ on the arm d. In
fastening this rack or frame to the dish the double hook d², d³, of the
moveable spring arm d is first engaged with the edge of the dish. The'
rack or frame a, b, is then grasped by the hand at the part q, and pulled
outwards and pressed downwards until the hooked ends of the fixed
arms c, c, are engaged with the edge of the dish. By then releasing the
rack or frame the elasticity of the spring f draws it towards the moveable
spring arm d, and thereby causes the hooks of the arms c, c, to engage
themselves very firmly with the edge of the dish, and hold the rack or.
frame on the said dish. To release the rack or frame it is only necessary:.
to pull outwards the rack or frame a, b, at the part q, when the several

page_text: hooks of the frame may be lifted from the edge of the dish, and the rack
removed.
This rack or frame and that last described are provided with feet 1, 1,
which rest upon the bottom of the dish and support the rack above the
said bottom, and thereby permit the gravy to flow without interruption
to the well of the dish. The ends of the rack, Figures 7, 8, and 9, are
concave.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the new or improved racks or
frames for meat and other dishes herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, racks or frames placed in
or fixed on meat or other dishes for supporting and firmly holding the
joint or other article of food while it is being carved, and for supporting
the joint or article of food out of contact with the gravy, and permitting
the gravy to flow readily or without interruption to the well or wells of
the dish.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas White, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
THOMAS WHITE. (L.S.)