An Improved Box or Receptacle for the Transport of Fruit, Flowers, and other Produce.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Box or Receptacle for the Transport of Fruit, Flowers,
and other Produce.
We, JOHN HAMILTON PARSONS, and JOHN DE GARIS BOURGAIZE, both of Covent
Garden Market, London W.C., Fruit Growers and Salesmen do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows
The object of our invention is to enable perishable articles, when sent in quantity
by rail or otherwise as for instance in sending fruit flowers etc., to market, to be
transported in an unpacked or loosely packed condition and so avoid the damage
which is now liable to occur by reason of the necessity of more or less closely packing
the fruit etc., in baskets or hampers when thus sent; and to this end our invention
consists in a box or container (which we term a fruit box) so constructed as to receive
a considerable number of baskets hampers or crates loosely filled with fruit etc., and
enable them to be conveyed without risk of their contents being damaged in transit.
The size of the fruit box may be varied, to suit requirements, but it is of rectangular
form with a rounded roof and made of wood iron or other inaterial of sufficient strength
to withstand rough usage. It is provided with hinged doors preferably at one of the
ends and with horizontal grooves or ledges on its inner walls for receiving sliding
shelves upon which the baskets or crates are supported. There are a sufficient number
of grooves to enable the distance between the adjacent shelves to be varied according
to the height of the baskets hampers or crates which need not be fastened down as at
present. The box is braced with iron straps having eyes at their ends to enable the
box to be lifted bodily by means of a crane as is necessary in transferring the hox
from a railway truck to a steamer as in the Channel fruit trade or from a truck to a
van, etc.
DJ: 01.1 1
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Box or Receptacle for the Transport of Fruit, Flowers.
and other Produce.
We, JOHN HAMILTON PARSONS and JOHN DE GARIS BOURGAIZE, both of Covent
Garden Market, London, W.C. and Guernsey Fruit Growers and Salesmen, 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 object of our invention is to provide means whereby to enable perishable articles
in bulk (as, for instance, fruit flowers etc., for market) to be transported by rail or
otherwise in an unpacked or loosely packed condition with a view to avoid the damage
to which such goods are now liable in consequence of being necessarily closely packed
in baskets or hampers which are separately handled when transferred from one means
of conveyance to another; and to this end our invention consists in a box or container
(which we term a fruit box) adapted to receive a number of baskets hampers or crates
so as to enable them to be transferred en bloc from boat to railway or vice-versa without
being separately handled. By avoiding this separate handling of the said baskets
hampers or crates, the goods may be loosely packed without risk of being damaged in
transit.

page_text: Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
specification, wherein figure 1 is a perspective view of the box, partly open, and
figure 2 is an end view of the same, both doors being open and shewing a few only
of the baskets and shelves in position. The same letters of reference indicate like
parts in both figures.
The box is of rectangular form with a rounded roof to shed the rain, and is
constructed of wood or iron of sufficient strength to withstand rough usage and of
dimensions suited to requirements. It is provided with hinged doors A A, preferably
at one of the ends, and is braced at the sides with iron straps B B having eyes at their
upper ends to enable the box to be lifted bodily by means of a crane as is necessary.
in transferring the box between a railway truck and a steamer, as in the Channel fruit
trade, or from a truck to a van, etc. Internally, the sides of the box are provided
with horizontal ledges e for supporting movable shelves d upon which the baskets or
crates are placed, there being a sufficient number of ledges or grooves to enable the
distance between the adjacent shelves to be varied according to the height of the
baskets hampers or crates. The baskets used are preferably of rectangular form so as
to fit close together, economise space, and mutually hold each other in position and they
need not have any lids or covering of paper, or if provided with lids, they need not be
fastened down as at present.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;
The herein described box or container fitted with removable shelves for the reception
and transport in bulk of baskets or crates containing perishable goods, substantially
as specified.
Dated is 1st day of January 100.
J. H. PARSONS.
J. DE G. BOURGAIZE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents