New or Improved Means to be Employed for the Storage and Preservation of Eggs.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means to be Employed for the Storage and
Preservation of Eggs.
I, WALTER FOWLER, of 7 Arvon Road Drayton Park, Highbury, London, N.,
Engineer, 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 relates to new or improved means to be employed for the storage
and preservation of eggs.
It is well known that in order to maintain eggs in a good state of preservation, and
prevent the yolks from settling to one side, they should be kept in a vertical position
apart from each other that the air may circulate around them, and be reversed or
turned upside down at short intervals.
The chief object of my invention is to provide means whereby a large number of
eggs may be maintained in a vertical position open to the air and apart from each
other within a small compass, in such a manner as to be practically free from any
chance of damage by breakage or otherwise, and readily turned upside down in
quantity at a single operation, in lieu of requiring the position of each egg to be
reversed separately.
For this purpose my invention consists essentially of a frame to which are secured
a number of spring clips, the frame being so constructed and arranged as to permit
free access to the eggs held by such clips from either side, and the clips themselves
being each of such construction and arrangement as to grip an egg firmly about its
circumference only, (leaving its ends free,) and hold it securely, no matter what the
position of the frame and clips.
I prefer in practice to employ several frames, disposed one above another within a
case or holder, which may either stand upon feet, or be provided with trunnions, and
mounted in bearings, carried by convenient standards or supports, as hereinafter
described.
I prefer, also, to provide each of the frames with vertical feet or supports at each
corner, projecting on either side thereof, so that when a frame filled with eggs
removed from its case or holder, it may be stood upon any fairly level surface without
disturbing the eggs, no matter which side of the frame is lowerinost.
I will now proceed to describe my invention more particularly, and the manner in
which it is to be performed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar letters refer to similar parts in all the figs.
Fig. 1, shews (full size,) the construction and arrangement of spring clip I prefer
to employ, and the manner in which an egg is held thereby.
Fig. 2, is a plan of a frame provided with a number of these clips.
- Fig. 3, is a horizontal section of fig. 2 on line 1-2 thereof.
Fig. 4, is a vertical section of fig. on line 3-4 thereof.
Fig. 5, shews the frames enclosed within a case or holder.
Fig. 6, illustrates a case or holder for the frames, provided with trunnions and
mounted in bearings.
Fig. 7, is an end view of fig. 6.
Fig. 8, is a section of one of the bars, (full size,) shewing how the clips are held
therein.
Figs. 9, & 10, illustrate some forms of clips which may be employed and methods
of securing them in position.
a is the frame crossed by the transverse bars b-c c, are the spring clips, preferably
constructed of thin sheet steel, (but which may be of wire or other suitable material,)
and adapted to grip the eggs firmly around their circumference whilst leaving their

page_text: ends free. For simplicity and economy of construction I prefer the arrangement of
clip shewn clearly in figs. 1, 2, 3, & 8, which consists of four steel blades slightly
bent away from one another, and secured within saw cuts d, made in the transverse
bars b, which bars are by preference divided longitudinally to facilitate the making
of the cuts and insertion of the blades therein, as clearly shewn in figs. 3, 1,
8 & 9. It will be seen that in this arrangement each spring blade forms a part of
two clips, one on each side of the bar to which it is secured. e e are vertical feet or
supports, projecting sufficiently both above and below the frames a to keep the eggs
clear of the surface upon which the frames may be placed, whichever side of the frame
is lowermost. f is a convenient case or holder for the frames a, provided with
horizontal ledges g, upon which the frames are supported and slide, the top surface h
of this case will also serve to stand a frame upon. In tig. 5 the case fis shewn as
provided with feet or supports i, in the arrangement figs. 6 & 7 it is shewn as
mounted on trunnions k, rotating in bearings 1, carried by convenient standards m.
fig. 7, is a hook or catch, adapted to engage with suitable loops o for securing in
position and preventing the accidental rotation of the case or holder f when not
required.
n
In the drawings I have illustrated by way of example a frame constructed to hold
three dozen eggs, and a case for containing five frames or fifteen dozen eggs in all,
these proportions may of course be varied as desired.
In the arrangement fig. 5, each frame with its eggs is reversed or turned upside
down separately, but in the arrangement figs. 6 & 7 all the frames with their con-
taining case may be reversed bodily at once. In this latter arrangement it is obvious
that suitable means, (which I have not considered it necessary to shew in my
drawings,) must be provided to prevent the frames from slipping out of the case
during its rotation.
If desired, in lieu of disposing the frames a within a case or holder f, they may be
simply placed one upon another, (the feet e of one frame supporting those of the next,
and being in this case provided with small projections on one side and corresponding
recesses on the other so as to fit into each other,) and hooked or otherwise detacheably
secured together so that they may all be reversed bodily at one operation.
Fig. 9 illustrates a clip blade forked at its extremities so as to have two points of
contact with the egg, and fig. 10 a clip in the form of a divided circle, the clip being
constructed either singly or in pairs, as shewn, secured by screws or rivets to the
frame bars.
The clip blades c may also be made double, the blades being parallel to each other
with a small space between; in this case the bars should preferably be divided
longitudinally into three to admit of the clips being readily fixed in position.
It will be quite obvious that the forms of the clips may be varied without departing
from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The new or improved means or apparatus for the storage and preservation of
eggs, consisting of a frame provided with spring clips, the frame and clips being so
constructed and arranged as to permit free access to the eggs from either side and
circulation of air around and between the eggs, and hold them securely whilst and
when the apparatus is turned upside down substantially as specified and illustrated.
2. The new or improved means for the storage and preservation of eggs, consisting
of the use in combination of a set of frames each provided with spring clips, (as
described in the preceeding claim) and a case or holder, mounted either upon feet or
trunnions, substantially as specified and illustrated.
3. The new or improved means for the storage and preservation of eggs, consisting
of the combination and arrangement of a set of frames, each provided with spring
clips (as described in the first claim), and vertical feet or supports projecting on
either side, such frames being secured one above another by hooks, clips, or other

page_text: detacheable means to permit their reversal bodily at one operation, substantially as
specified.
1
4. For the purpose of holding eggs, a spring clip so constructed and arranged as to
grip an egg firmly around its circumference only whilst leaving the ends thereof free,
and hold it securely whilst and when such clip is turned upside down, substantially as
specified and illustrated.
November 1889.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON, Fels. Inst. P.A.,
19, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.