IMPROVEMENTS IN PLATE RACKS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM STEPHEN DIMES of 9 Buckingham Road, Wood Green, London, N.
in the county of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN PLATE RACKS to be as follows:-
My invention relating to improvements in plate racks for holding dinner and
other plates enables a larger number of plates to be arranged in a given space
than is possible with plate racks as ordinarily constructed The cost of manufacture
is also diminished by means of these improvements.
In plate racks constructed according to my invention the plates rest at their
lower edges upon two horizontal bars supported by arms or brackets projecting
from a frame or back adapted to be fixed to or suspended against the wall of the
scullery or kitchen. The plates are supported laterally by thin supports, preferably
of galvanised wire, passing between the plates and which are curved laterally in
such a manner as to approximately correspond with the form of the plates in section
and thus enable the plates to be packed as closely together as is consistent with
provision for drying. The curved supports are preferably attached at one extremity
to the front supporting bar that is to say the one farthest from the wall and
extend in a diagonal direction across the plates being secured at the other extremity
to a bar arranged above the plates or to the binder supporting bar of the tier next
above (when the rack is made to carry more than one tier) or to any other suitable
part of the frame.
The lateral supports are preferably inclined so as to bring the centre of gravity
of each plate into about the same vertical plane as the points where the edges rest
upon the supporting bars and in addition to the lateral curvature hereinbefore
described are preferably arranged to present a double curvature in a plane at right
angles to the wall in order to enable them to support the plates laterally at a point
about equidistant from the said bars. The plates are prevented from slipping on
the bar nearest the wall by projections or rods or wires formed on or attached to
the bar.
The curvature of the lateral supports may be so adjusted as to enable them to
accommodate themselves readily to plates of various diameters and depths by
employing a curve approximating a mean between those corresponding to the
extreme sizes of plates in ordinary use.

page_text: I, WILLIAM STEPHEN DIMES, of 9 Buckingham Road, Woodgreen, London N
in the county of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLATE RACKS" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention of improvements in plate racks consists essentially in the employ-
ment of curved lateral supports between the plates which are thereby enabled to
be arranged as closely together as is consistent with provision for draining and
drying owing to the peculiar curvature of the aforesaid supports which corresponds
approximately with the profile or form of a plate in section. By these means I
effect a very considerable economy in space a plate rack made according to my
invention being capable of holding nearly three times as many plates and dishes
as could be placed in an ordinary rack of the same dimensions. The curve of the
aforesaid support is so adjusted as to enable them to accommodate plates of varying
diameters and degrees of concavity with equal facility in any part of the rack and
the simplicity of the construction enables these improved racks to be manufactured
at a less cost than the cumbersome articles heretofore employed.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent respectively a front
elevation and transverse section of a plate rack for holding one row or tier of
plates and figures 3 and 4 represent in front and side elevation a plate rack for
holding two tiers of plates with accommodation for dishes at the side.
The frame A which may be either of wood or metal is provided with holes and
slots a to admit of its being readily suspended by and removed from ordinary nails
or hooks inserted in the wall. Arms A' projecting from this frame support
horizontal bars B B¹ upon which the plates, rest at their lower edges being
supported laterally by curved supports D preferably made of galvanized wire
and curved to correspond with the shape or profile of the plates as indicated in
Figures 1 and 3 so as to admit of the plates being nested one into the other as
indicated at figure 1 where three plates are represented in section with the
curved supports D passing between them. The curve of the supports is so regu-
lated as to admit of the insertion of all sizes of plates in ordinary use from deep
soup plates as indicated at b figure 3 to shallow dinner plates as indicated at c.
The supports D extend preferably in a diagonal or oblique direction across the
plates as indicated in figures 2 and 4 and may be either curved (as shown in the
drawing) or straight in the planes perpendicular to the axis of the plates. The
upper extremities of the supports D are attached to a bar A forming part of
the frame A or in the case of the lower tiers in racks of more than one tier to
the supporting bar B₁ of the tier next above as indicated in figures 3 and 4. The
plates are prevented from slipping on the bars B' by notches or projections in or
on the said bars or preferably by wires D' figure 2 formed by prolonging the
wires D and extending in the form of a grating across the space between the
bars B B¹. In certain cases it is desirable to provide the racks with a gutter
or trough G to catch the drip from the plates as indicated in figures 1 and 2.

page_text: 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
1. A Plate Rack having supports by which the plates are supported laterally in
the rack the said supports being curved or formed to correspond or approximately
correspond with the profile of a plate substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The Combinations or arrangements of parts forming the improved plate racks
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.