IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES FOR PACKING AND TRANSPORTING EGGS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Hesketh Lever and James
Darcy Lever at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th
September 1883.
WILLIAM HESKETH LEVER and JAMES DARCY LEVER, both of Bolton in the
County of Lancaster. Grocers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES
FOR PACKING AND TRANSPORTING EGGS."
The object of our invention is to construct packing cases for eggs in such a
manner that during their transportation from one place to another, the contents
shall not be injured by shocks to which the cases are liable.
The present system of packing eggs is attained but in a very incomplete manner,
having to be carefully enveloped with a soft material in order to protect them, and
the weight of the upper layers bear upon the lower ones. The packing up and
unpacking is troublesome, and much time is occupied as well as in most cases the
packing material is wasted, which is also to some degree expensive.
By our Invention the former troublesome manner of packing up is dispensed
with, and means are provided whereby the eggs are completely assured against
breakage by shocks, and damage arising from pressure.
The packing case is constructed in the same manner as any other case, whether
equare, oblong or other shape as far as the outside is concerned, viz, of sides, ends,
bottom and lid, and is made of any suitable size as desired.
The internal arrangement of the case is the part to which our invention relates,
and is constructed as follows. We provide a series of removable frames or divisions
made of wood or other suitable materials, constructed to fit in the said box or case,
the depth of each frame being slightly larger than the depth of the eggs, being
provided with a suitable number of cross pieces or divisions placed either
longitudinally, cross-wise or diagonally; each crosspiece as well as the ends and
sides of the frame resting on each other the whole depth of the case containing
them.
For the purpose of protecting the eggs further from breakage, we provide thin
layers of straw or other suitable materials between each layer, the weight of the
frames firmly holding the straw or other soft material in position, thus preventing
the eggs from pressing on each other. We do not confine ourselves to this
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page_text: particular mode, as in some cases we substitute the straw or other soft materials
with a covering of sacking or other equivalents, such as by making a shallow frame
similar to the egg frames, each side being covered with a suitable covering of soft
material, and which are placed over and under the eggs.
By this arrangement the cases can be made of any suitable size to hold a given
number of eggs in a row, and of a given number of rows to facilitate counting.
These improvements are also applicable to packing eggs in barrels, in which
case the frames or divisions are made circular to the diameter of the barrel or
nearly so.
Cases made on our principle for shipping or transporting eggs may be used many
times; the sending back of the said cases when empty not being expensive on
account of their lightness.
The novelty of this invention is that of reducing to a minimum the losses which
occur through the breakage of eggs during transit from one place to another.
Another is that when the cases are placed edge-ways, no breakage takes place from
the pressure of the eggs on each other, as in the present system of packing, each
egg having to bear only the weight of itself so whatever position the case is placed
in; at the same time effecting considerable saving in the quantity of packing
material required to protect them.