Improvements in Picnic Boxes or like Receptacles.
Year: 1899

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by VILLIERS STEWART FELLOWES WILSON, of
Trichinopoly, India, Madras, Uncovenanted Civil Service.]
Improvements in Picnic Boxes or like Receptacles.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention has reference to a box or receptacle for holding crockery,
glass, cutlery, plate, and similar articles, required at picnics, or by travellers,
when camping out.
The object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of this description, which,
while it holds its contents safely within convenient compass, at the same time
is easily and quickly packed and unpacked.
The box which forms the subject of this invention is made without fitted parti-
tions or divisions within. It is, however, provided with various racks and trays,
which are either detachably secured to the interior of the box, or are arranged
to be retained in position by one another.
The rack for the plates and saucers, which forms an important feature of this
invention, is composed of a framework mainly consisting of a transversely
grooved bottom rail, and two side or top rails similarly grooved, one of which
is movable around an arc struck from a point in line with the centre of the
plates and saucers.
The latter are set edgewise in the grooves of the fixed rails, and are there
retained by the movable rail, which is returned to its normal position after
being moved to permit the plates to be introduced. This rack is capable of
being bodily lifted in or out of the box, and is therein retained, when desired,
by spring clips.
-
Besides the rack just described, there is a box fitted with compartments for
tumblers, &c., which box can be lifted bodily out. There are also trays for
jugs, cups, sugar basin, teapot, knives and forks, spoons, and other table requisites
each tray being suitably furnished with notches or recesses for holding its appro-
priate article.
All the trays are so fitted to the box as to engage therewith, or to be secured
therein, by reason of their position with regard to one and another, and to be
capable of being so moved or replaced with the utmost facility and dispatch.
Dated this 8th day of February 1899.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature 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; —
The present invention has reference to a box or receptacle for holding crockery,
glass, cutlery, plate, and similar articles, required at picnics, or. by travellers..
when camping out.
The object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of this description, which,
while it holds its contents safely within convenient compass, at the same time
is easily and quickly packed and unpacked.
The box which forms the subject of this invention is made without fitted parti-
tions or divisions within. It is, however, provided with various removable racks
and trays, which are either detachably secured to the interior of the box, or are
arranged to be retained in position by one another.
The rack for the plates and saucers which forms an important feature of this
invention, is composed of a framework mainly consisting of a transversely
grooved bottom rail, and two side or top rails similarly grooved, one of, which
is movable around an are struck from a point in line with the centre of the
plates and saucers.
The latter are set edgewise in the grooves of the fixed rails, and are there
retained by the movable rail, which falls by its own weight, to permit the
removal of the plates when the rack is lifted from the box, and is returned
to its normal position as the rack is replaced.
Besides the rack just described, there is a box fitted with compartments for
tumblers, &c., which box can be lifted bodily out. There are also trays for
jugs, cups, sugar basin, teapot, knives and forks, spoons, and other table requisites
each tray being suitably furnished with notches or recesses for holding its appro-
priate article.
In the accompanying drawings is shown a box fitted with table requisites for
breakfast, tea, & dinner services, according to this invention.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the box, showing the interior fully furnished.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, showing the box empty, except for the plate
rack, and the means for retaining the same in position.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detached plan and end views of the plate rack fitted with
plates and saucers.
Fig. 5 shows the box for glasses in plan view, open.
Fig. 6 is a plan of a tray for vegetable dishes and tea cups.
Figs. 7 and 8 are plan and end views of the cutlery and plate tray.
Figs. 9 and 10 are plan and end views of a tray holding tea-pot, milk jug, and
butter dish.
Figs. 11 and 12 are similar detached views of a tray holding finger glasses.
The box, as shewn, is fitted to accommodate four persons, but may be of any
desired dimensions.
A is the box having a hinged cover A¹. In the front portion of the box stands
the rack B, which holds the plates. The rack B comprises a base b, two
uprights,, and two side frames 62, 63, one of which (63) is pivoted to the
uprights.
The plates & saucers are set up edgeways in notches supported by attachments
carried by the base and side frames 2, 3, and arranged in accordance with

page_text: the diameter of the plates and saucers to be accommodated, so as to bring their
centres into one straight line. The pivot of the side frame 63 is set also in line
with the plate centres, so that it can readily move around the circumference
of the plates, from its extreme position in one position to its extreme position in
the other. In Fig. 4, the drawn position of the side frame 63 is that which it
occupies when the rack is removed from the box for packing or unpacking the
plates. The dotted lines show the frame 63 in position for holding the plates
when the rack is in the box.
6, 6, are a pair of metal springs carried by the uprights b₁. These springs
act as handles for the rack, and as retaining devices for the latter when in
engagement with the catches b, b³, in the box A (see Fig. 2).
Above the rack B, fits the tray C (see Fig. 6), carrying the cups and vege-
table dishes, as indicated.
The back portion of the box, behind the vertical guides a a, is occupied by
the tray D (Figs. 9 and 10), the tumbler and wine glass box E (Fig. 5), the
finger glass tray F (Figs. 11 and 12), and cutlery tray G (Figs. 7 and 8), arranged
preferably in the order shewn in Fig. 1. It will be understood that padding
is applied to these receptacles, so that when placed one over the other, the
articles contained are held firmly in place, and the whole retained by the padded
lid A. One of the guides a is notched transversely, as indicated at Fig. 1,
to receive the feet of egg cups H. The glass box E (Fig. 5), besides having the
tumblers arranged side by side in wooden racks, and wine glasses set in notches
which hold their feet, is fitted with a compartment e for cork-screws, tin-openers,
&c., to which compartment the board el forms a close cover. The compart-
ment es, including the part behind the cover el, furnishes a convenient place for
leathers and glass cloths, which will serve to hold the wine glasses firmly in
position. is a place for spare carvers or other articles not otherwise provided
with space. The cutlery tray G needs but little description, as the arrange-
ment of spoons, forks, and knives of various sizes, is sufficiently apparent from
Fig. 7 of the drawings. The knives are preferably arranged handle to blade,
as shewn, to economize space.
Between the base 6 of the plate rack B and the front of the tray, F, there is
space enough to accommodate, on the floor of the box, a cruet stand and a toast
rack. These are not shewn in the drawings however. They may be retained in
position by means of under-cut wooden strips, beneath which their feet are
stepped.
All the receptacles and their contents being so fitted to the box as to engage
therewith, or to be secured therein by reason of their position with regard
to one and another, they are capable of being removed or replaced with the
utmost facility and despatch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention an in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to
me from abroad), I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A picnic box constructed, arranged, and fitted substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In boxes of the description above mentioned, a plate rack comprising a
base, a fixed side frame, and a side frame movable on a pivot constructed and
operating substantially as herein above set forth.
Dated this 26th day of May 1800
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.