Improvement in Fruit Carriers or Orates.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Fruit Carriers or Orates.
I, GEORGE W. STEVENS, of No. 428 Fourteenth Street, in the City and County
of San Francisco, State of California, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:—
My invention relates to an improved compartment box or case which is adapted
to the transportation of fruits, and the protection of each article in a separate cell
by itself, with means for ventilation, and re-inforcing devices for the sections of the
carrier, all of which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a view of the box with the top and part of two sides broken away,
showing the arrangement of the interior compartments.
Figure 2 is a view showing one tier of compartments and their construction.
The compartments are made of strips of paste-board or other suitable material,
crossing each other at right angles, as shown at A. and B.
These transverse strips are fitted to cross each other in pairs, each two parallel
strips which form a side of one of the compartments being sufficiently far apart so
that they will present elastic surfaces upon all sides against which the fruit rests,
and by which the separated articles are prevented from pressing against or bruising
each other, and also to admit fruit of different and irregular sizes.
These compartments are made of any size suitable for the class of fruit which is
to be conveyed.
The smallest will be about two inches square, and are suitable for apricots.
The next sizes may be 21, 2 and 3 inches, and these sub-divisions are so
arranged that a certain number of them will fit within an exterior box or case,
the interior dimensions of which are sufficient to receive these carriers, and allow
them to be placed one above the other, with suitable horizontal interposing partitions
or plates, as shown at D.
In arranging my carrier, I first place upon the bottom of the box C a shallow
grating E which may be about one quarter or one half an inch in depth, and upon
this is laid the first of the horizontal diaphragms D.
Upon the top of this diaphragm is placed one of the carrier sections formed of
the double transverse strips A, B, then another of the diaphragms D, and so on
until the case is filled, each carrier section being filled with the fruit before the
superposed diaphragm D is placed over it.
A grating similar to the one at the bottom completes the filling of the case,
which is so proportioned that a certain number of compartments with these top and
bottom gratings will just fill it. The gratings and the top and bottom diaphragms
may be secured together if preferred.
The sections A A and B B have slits cut in them, so that they fit each other,
the series which extends in one direction reaching from the surface upon which they
rest, up to a point not quite as high as the upper edges of those which cross them
transversely, while these latter in turn do not extend quite to the bottom of the
first named ones. This leaves a considerable air space extending beneath the series
of compartments in one direction and above it in the other direction.
In order to render these compartments sufficiently rigid, and to further assist in
the ventilation, I have shown the re-enforcing strips F F and G G of heavier
material, which cross each other at points near the centre of each compartment
section.

page_text: These strips extend the entire distance from the top to the bottom of the carrier,
as shown, so that they rest firmly upon the surface below, and in turn present a
sufficient bearing for the support of the diaphragm or series which is placed
above them.
It will be manifest that without these re-enforcing strips, which are preferably
made of heavier material than the remainder, the superposed weight upon the
lowermost ones would crush them or cause them to be forced together if all were
arranged with the air spaces at top and bottom, as previously described, but by the
use of these re-enforcing strips, I prevent such an accident.
$
These heavier strips are forced into the narrow slots which are cut for the
thinner stripe, and thus serve as a lock to bind the whole tray firmly together
The top, bottom and sides of the exterior box C are either so nailed together as
to leave slots, or openings H, or these slots may be cut in the material forming
the top and bottom as shown.
These slots are made to correspond with the spaces between the re-enforcing
strips F, F, G, G, so that when the first tier of carrier sections is placed within the
box, the spaces between these strips and the openings in the bottom of the box will
stand in line.
The diaphragm or partition D which is placed upon the top of the first section,
after it has been filled with fruit, has corresponding slots or openings I made in it,
the next carrier section being placed upon this diaphragm, the next diaphragm D
is placed upon it, and it again has slots corresponding, and so on until the top of
the case is reached, when a shallow grating similar to that shown at E, is placed
upon the upper diaphragm D, and the cover of the box is secured in place over
the hole.
The cover having similar slots HH, as previously described, it will be manifest
that there will be openings entirely through the box, and between the layers of
fruit which, together with the peculiar construction of the transverse strips A and B,
with the alternate upper and lower transverse air passages, will provide a
very perfect ventilation for the interior of the case, and the fruit which is
contained therein..
In addition to the ventilation thus produced, the protection against damage
provided by the double arrangement of these elastic sides of the compartments, and
the strengthening or re-enforcing to prevent crushing the carriers, it renders the
operation of inspecting and examining the fruit exceedingly easy, as cach compart-
ment with the diaphragm beneath it, may be lifted off one after the other, and they
may be turned over or in any way inspected in a short time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1st. A fruit carrying crate consisting of compartments formed of double
parallel strips having slits made in one of the edges, corresponding double
parallel strips extending transversely to the first ones, with slits whereby the two
series, are locked together, one series having a space left below its lower edges,
and the other series having a space extending in the opposite direction between its
upper edges and a box within which several series of these compartments are
contained with interposing diaphragms, substantially as herein described.
2nd.-A fruit carrier consisting of compartments formed of double parallel strips
of material crossing each other at right angles and notched together so that each
compartment has a double elastic wall around it, and air, spaces are formed above
and below each compartment at right angles with each other, re-enforcing strips of
heavier material crossing each other near the centre of each compartment series
and extending from the extreme upper to the extreme lower edges of the com-
partments, horizontal diaphragms interposed between each compartment series,

page_text: with openings corresponding with the spaces between the double walls, gratings at
the top and bottom, and an enclosing case with ventilating openings corresponding
with those in the diaphragms, substantially as herein described.
Dated this Third day of May 1892.
GEORGE W. STEVENS.