Improvements in the Preparation or Packing of Figs or other like Fruits, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preparation or Packing of Figs or other like
Fruits, and in Apparatus therefor.
A communication from abroad by FREDERICK GEORGE VEDOVA, of the City of
Smyrna, Asiatic Turkey, Export Merchant.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.f.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
-
Hitherto figs have been prepared and packed entirely by hand. The usual
custom is for the packer, after wetting his fingers, to take the fig and manipulate it
till he brings it to the shape or form required, after which he lays it in the box, and
again presses it by hand and shapes it to make it fit with the figs that have been
placed in the box before, and so on, fig after fig, till the box is filled.
Now this invention has for its object the preparation and packing of figs or other
like fruits by moulding, or stamping them by various mechanical contrivances. In
carrying the invention into effect, a mould, tube or funnel is provided in which the
fig or other fruit is placed. This goes under a small press, by pulling the handle of
which the fig gets moulded and stamped into shape, and it is then placed in the box,
without any fitting, pressing or hand manipulation of any kind. The shape that
the fruit acquires depends on the shape of the tubes or moulds, the plate underneath
the tubes, and the die or stamp of the machine that presses the fig from above, all
of which can be changed or altered at will.
By this invention the fruit can be packed with rapidity, and with a saving of
manual labour. Cleanliness is also secured, there being little or no hand manipula-
tion, and the fruit is packed with regularity and with finish of form.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preparation or Packing of Figs or other like
Fruits, and in Apparatus therefor
A communication from abroad by FREDERICK GEORGE VEDOVA, of the City of
Smyrna; Asiatic Turkey, Export Merchant.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The packing of figs, and their preparation during the packing process, have
hitherto been carried out entirely by aid of the hand or fingers alone and without
the intervention or use of any kind of appliances or implements.
The usual custom is for the person entrusted with the packing, after moistening
or wetting the fingers, to take each fig separately and manipulate it till it is brought
to the shape or form required; the fig having such shape or form is then finally laid

page_text: in the package or the box, and the person again presses it by hand, shaping it to
make it fit with the figs that have been previously placed in the package or box, and
so on, fig after fig, till the box is filled."
Now this invention has for its object the preparation for packing of figs, or other
like fruits, by moulding and stamping them by various mechanical contrivances (the
word "mechanical "being used in this Specification in its wide sense, or in contra-
distinction to the use of the hands or fingers alone), and by the aid of this invention
the fruit can be prepared and packed both rapidly and also cleanly,cas, owing to
there being little or no hand manipulation, the fruit will be in a better state of
cleanliness; further, the fruit can be fitted or packed in their packages or boxes
with greater regularity, and, consequently, the finished package or box will have a
much better or neater appearance than hitherto, and a uniformity of shape and size
impossible to be given with the hand.
In carrying the invention into effect, a mould, tube, or funnel is provided in which
the fig or other fruit is placed. This goes under a press by operating which the fig
is moulded and stamped into shape.
Referring to the accompanying drawings-
Figures 1 and 2 show the devices in a simple form for moulding or shaping the
fruit.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the shaping or moulding devices in
combination with a hand press:
Figure 4 a detail section.
Figure 5 a plan of table carrying two sets of moulds.
The devices in a very simple form for moulding, compressing or shaping the fruit
are shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which E is the mould of any requisite size, form
or shape, A is the base plate of the press on which the mould is laid and adapted to
slide, a cheeks or slides by means of which the moulds are held in place and guided
while passing under the plunger N. The press itself and the mechanism for
operating the plunger N, may be of any suitable kind such, for example, as a screw
press, a fly press, a lever press, a press with a fly wheel, etcetera, my correspondent
not restricting himself to any special form of press-
The mode of action is as follows-.
In each of the moulds E which have preferably no bottom, a fig or figs is or are
placed. The moulds are then brought one by one under the plunger by sliding
them along the base plate between the cheeks. By operating the plunger, the figs
are stamped and moulded into form, and after the plunger has compressed the fruit
in one of the moulds, another mould is brought under the plunger by sliding the
moulds along between the checks by hand or by means of a suitable device which
automatically slides the moulds along after each descent of the plunger.
Referring now to Figures 3, 4 and 5-
A, is the base plate, B B two standards, C guides fixed thereto, D table with
brackets sliding on guides C, E E moulds, F handle keyed to axis G, G shaft,
H pinion keyed to shaft G, I segment gearing into pinion H, J shaft carrying
segment, KK bearings of shafts GJ, L pin on segment eccentric thereto,
M M links connecting pin L with a similar pin on lugs on table D, N N a series of
plungers, one of which is set forth in detail in Figure 4. The plunger is held and
regulated by nut and pressed outward by spring O. This spring however allows
the plunger to give way if an abnormal pressure come upon it.
PP two steadying springs, R. S two blocks carried by table D and sliding on
guides CC, T fences or guides on table D. In order to guide the moulds laterally,
a further spring fence is arranged on the table to stop the advance of the moulds at
a point where they are exactly under the plungers; this is not shown in the drawing
and is not absolutely necessary.
In the machine shown in these figures, there are eight plungers and may be
provided with (say) 6 or 8 sets of moulds, each set of moulds having eight moulds.
These sets of moulds are filled with figs. The man attending to the machine takes
of these sets of moulds and places it under the stampers; he pulls the lever, the
one

page_text: plate rises and the figs are moulded and stamped; he then places another set of
moulds (by this action the first set of moulds passes out of the other side of the
machine), he again pulls the lever, and so on. When the set of moulds has been
passed to the other side of the table D of the press, another man gets hold of this
set of moulds, gives it a gentle knock and all the figs come out of the moulds; he
then hands the set of moulds to those who fill them. All these figs so moulded and
stamped are there and then placed in their respective boxes without practically any
fitting, pressing, or manipulation of any kind, as has hitherto been the case, the
various sizes, forms or shapes of the moulds, tubes or funnels having boxes made to
measure to fit exactly in width, length and depth. The shape that the fruit
acquires depends on the shape of the moulds, as aforesaid, also on that of the plate
underneath the moulds, and on that of the faces of the dies, stamps or plungers that
press the figs, all of which can be changed or altered at will.
Furthermore, the press itself may be changed; there can be a movable plunger
or plungers, vertically, and a movable train horizontally, or a circular train etcetera,
etcetera, as it is obvious that many other forms of press may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is-
1. The method or process of preparing or packing figs or other like fruits,
consisting in giving to the fruit the shape requisite for packing, by moulding and
stamping by suitable mechanical appliances in place of roughly shaping them by
the hands or fingers alone, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a plunger or any suitable mechanical press, of devices
or appliances substantially as described for moulding or shaping figs or other
like fruits.
3. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts substantially as
described, and shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of October 1201
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and London, Patent Agents.