Improvements in Cases for Holding and Conveying Fruit and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cases for Holding and Conveying Fruit and the like.
We, WILLIAM HENRY FOOTE, of Ashburton, Guernsey, Gentleman, HERBERT
TITE and ARTHUR MORRIS ALLISON, both of 32, Catherine Street, Covent Garden,
London, W.C., Fruit and Flower 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:
This invention relates to improvements in cases for holding and conveying from
place to place, fruits and other commodities, such as flowers and vegetables, placed
in separate baskets or other receptacles in such a manner that the latter may be
easily and expeditiously removed from the said cases and delivered to their re-
quired destinations.
For this purpose the said case consists of a rectangular box, which may be
formed of wood, metal, or other suitable material, and is fitted with a door or
doors hinged to one of its sides. The interior of the case is fitted with trays sup-
ported therein and capable of being slidden in or out of the same.
Upon these trays are placed the baskets of fruit or other commodities, and when
it is required to remove any of the said baskets at the end of the journey one or
more of the trays are drawn out from the case and the baskets carried thereon
are removed bodily to the shipping agents, railway station, or other place to which
they are due, and the trays returned empty to the case in which they are placed
for further use.
By this means much waste of time and labour is prevented by removing the
several baskets of produce carried by each tray at one operation instead of having
to remove them singly as has hitherto been the case.
And in order to clearly understand our invention reference is made to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the im-
proved case with the doors shewn open, Fig 2 is a vertical section from front to
back of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the trays, and Fig. 4 a cross section
thereof.
a is the case of rectangular shape provided with the hinged doors a', shewn
open in Figs. 1 and 2, and which may be fitted with a lock or other suitable
fastening.
The case is provided with two compartments formed by a central partition a²
but it may be constructed with three or more according to its size. The sides of
these compartments are formed with grooves b or the latter may be formed by
means of battens 6' attached to the sides.
These grooves are for receiving and supporting the trays c three of which are
shewn in each compartment, but more may be placed therein according to the
space required between the same.
The trays are provided with a central partition c¹ upon each side of which the
baskets are placed in two rows and they are formed with solid bottoms for sup-
porting the baskets and permitting of their being safely carried about when the
trays are removed from the case.
The baskets containing the fruit or other produce are removed from the case,

page_text: when the latter has been unloaded from the ships hold or other place in which
it has been stowed, by drawing out the sliding trays containing them, as shown
partly in Figs. 1 and 2, the said trays being then carried to the place required for
delivering the baskets, unloading the latter therefrom, and returning the empty
trays to the case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
-
(1) The improved case for holding and conveying fruits and the like comprising
a rectangular box provided with hinged doors and constructed with two or more
compartments formed with grooves for supporting sliding trays carrying baskets
. or other receptacles in which the fruits or other products are placed, substantially
as described.
(2) In cases for holding and conveying baskets of fruit and the like, the com-
bination of a box such as a provided with hinged doors a¹, and having one or more
partitions and grooves 6 or battens for supporting trays e formed with a par-
tition c, substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
ated this on day of June 1999.
J. B. FLEURET,
Agent for the Applicants,
5, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, London, E.C.