Improvements in Apparatus for Stacking Beer in Bottles, applicable as Adjustable and Removable Shelves for Stacking other Goods or Articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov.; 1891
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stacking Beer in Bottles, applicable
as Adjustable and Removable Shelves for Stacking other Goods
or Articles.
I, WALTER EDWARD GUTHRIE of Dingwall Road, Croydon in the County of
Surrey, Brewer's Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus which may be used as means for building up
at various distances apart as required shelves or supports upon which bottles con-
taining beer may be stacked the shelves or supports being removable when required
to remove the bottles from the stack and being employed again for remounting
when required.
Though my invention is designed especially with a view to stacking beer in
bottles it is applicable for any other purpose for which shelves may be required to
be mounted in a way to be adjustable in height according to the size of the
packages to be placed thereon and to form a compact stack of goods the weight of
which is borne by the shelves collectively in a manner to relieve the goods below
from the weight of the superincumbent goods.
By the arrangement adopted I am enabled in the case of stacking beer in bottles
to economise space vertically and make a compact stack though composed of tiers
not all representing the same size bottles.
I provide vertical pillars preferably running from the floor to the ceiling
arranged in rows equi-distant apart in each direction. These vertical pillars carry
in a manner to slide vertically thereon and to be rigidly fixed thereto at any desired
elevation, blocks with suitable radial projections therefrom to receive definite
lengths of T section iron bars used to connect one pillar with the adjoining one in
either direction.
The lengths of T section iron bars are prepared at each extremity in a manner
to be interlocked with the blocks fixed upon the vertical pillars. They form
supports for tapered laths to be placed thereon in a manner to allow for necks of
bottles in the next lower tier of the stack to protrude between these tapered laths
which together form a grating upon which a tier of bottles can stand firmly upon
spaces available around or between the bottle necks protruding from a tier below.
Or in case a shelf be required instead of one in form resembling a grating boards
may be placed to rest closely together upon the T section iron bars allowing no
goods from one shelf to protrude through into the next tier above.
In stacking bottled beer with this apparatus I begin by stacking the lowest tier
between the vertical pillars in parallel rows. Then, according to the vertical
height of the bottles, I secure in position upon the pillars the sliding blocks to
carry between each column in parallel rows the lengths of T section iron bars.
Upon these, in parallel rows, at right angles to the lengths of T section iron bars,
I place the tapered laths to form the grating through which the necks of the
bottles of the lowest tier protrude and upon which the next tier of bottles is to be
placed. I arrange this next tier of bottles in parallel rows at right angles to the
parallel rows of bottles beneath as by this means the vertical pillars are tied together
by the T section iron bars of one tier longitudinally at right angles to the direction
in which they are tied by the similar T section iron bars of the next tier.
I have described the vertical pillars as fitted from floor to ceiling as generally
the whole floor space is required for tiers to be carried as near as conveniently may
be to the ceiling; the vertical pillars may however be made in lengths capable of
being united so that the same may be used for occupying a greater floor space the

page_text: tiers being carried to a less height as in that case a stack built as hereinbefore
described will have perfect stability without carrying the pillars from the floor to
the ceiling.
Dated this 20th day of November 1891.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stacking Beer in Bottles, applicable
as Adjustable and Removable Shelves for Stacking other Goods
or Articles.
I, WALTER EDWARD GUTHRIE, Browers Manager of Dingwall Road,
Croydon in the County of Surrey, 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 :-
This invention has for its object, a simple and efficient system of building or
erecting shelves or supports which can readily be fixed at the desired distances apart,
and which can be readily taken down and re-crected at the same or other distance
apart and is more especially applicable for stacking bottled beer and the like and
consists essentially in carrying the shelves on T-irons supported at their ends from
brackets capable of sliding on, and adapted to be readily fixed at any desired parts
of vertical pillars, and in a new vertical bottle stack whereby the spaces between
the necks of the bottles are utilized and yet each layer of bottles is supported
independently of the other layers.
In the accompanying two sheets of illustrative drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional
plan of a stack of bottled beer, and Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section through one of the supporting brackets and Figures 4
and are plans of the same showing two slightly different brackets. Figure 6 is a
front elevation of a stack of bottled wine or spirit and Figure 7 is a side elevation
of the same.
C
The vertical pillars or tubes a extend from the floor to the ceiling of the store
room or cellar and are received at the bottom in the flanged sockets and at the top
pass through the steadying boards e secured to the joists d. Each pillar a is pro-
vided with a suitable number of brackets e free to slide on the pillar and adapted
to be fixed at any desired parts of the pillar by means of the set screws. Each
bracket e is provided on its upper face with two, three, or four vertical pins which
are inserted in the mould before the brackets are cast and are thus firmly fixed in
place. As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the stack is divided into square sections, each
section holding a gross of bottles in each layer. Each section has a vertical
pillar a at each corner. In stacking a section with bottled beer, the first layer of
bottles is supported on the floor. Four brackets e are then secured on the four
pillars a so that their upper surfaces are slightly above where the bottles begin to
narrow, near their necks. The adjacent brackets are then connected by two
parallel T-irons having their webs uppermost and cut away at the ends above the
brackets. The ends of the T-irons i are perforated to receive the pins g. Wooden
slats are then inserted between the necks of the first layer of bottles at right
angles to, and resting on the T-irons i the webs of the irons preventing movement
endwise. The next layer of bottles is then placed on the slats and four more
brackets are fixed with their upper surfaces slightly above where the bottles of
this layer begin to narrow. The adjacent brackets are again joined by two
parallel-irons preferably at right angles to the first set of T-irons, and supporting
slats similarly arranged but at right angles to those of the first layer. Another
layer of bottles is then stacked on these slats, and so on until this section is full
when another section is started. The T-irons are, preferably arranged alternately
at right angles to one another to stay the pillars, or the pillars are stayed by

page_text: independent T-irons extending in a similar manner between the adjacent pillars.
To prevent any risk of damage the slat supporting the row of bottles of each layer
of each section that overhangs the main stack is preferably made slightly stronger
than the others.
In the modified arrangement shown in Figures 6 and 7, suitable more especially
for stacking wine or spirit where the bottles require to be laid horizontally, the
pillars a and brackets e are arranged in a similar manner to that previously
described, and the first layer of bottles is carried by a continuous Hooring m
supported by the T-irons in a similar manner to the slats l. In this case several
layers of bottles are supported from the same flooring m resting on one another as
clearly shown, and at a suitable or desired height a second Hooring is erected
in a similar manner and parallel to the first, the pillars being stayed by
additional T-irons as shown in Figure 6. By this arrangement the back of the
stack can be stacked from bottom to top then the middle, and finally the front, the
only obstruction in the front being the staying irons i'.
In order to prevent the bottles falling out sideways, vertical lattice work is
supported at the top by the clasps p from pins o cast in the brackets e, and its lower
end bears against the web of the lower T-iron and thus secures it in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. Shelves or supports carried on T-irons supported at their ends on brackets
capable of sliding on and adapted to be fixed at any desired parts of vertical pillars
substantially as described.
2. A. stack for bottles consisting of slats adapted to carry an upper layer of
bottles situated between the necks of the adjacent lower layer of bottles and
carried on T-irons supported at their ends on brackets capable of sliding on, and
adapted to be fixed at any desired parts of vertical pillars substantially as
described.
3. A stack for bottles and other goods consisting of shelves carried on T-irons
supported at their ends on brackets capable of sliding on, and adapted to be fixed
at any desired parts of vertical pillars, and of lattice work secured to the pillars
and adapted to prevent the bottles rolling, or goods falling out sideways substantially
as described.
4. A stack for bottles and other goods substantially as described with reference
to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings.
5. A stack for bottles and other goods substantially as described with reference
to Figures 3 to 7 of the drawings.
Dated this 20th day of August 1892.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.