Improvements in the Construction of Toast Racks, Letter Racks, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Cate of Application, 10th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Toast Racks, Letter Racks, and
the like.
I, JOHN SHELDON, of No. 10, Saint Augustine's Road, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Mechanical 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 consists in constructing toast racks, letter-racks and other like
racks of separate sections threaded on a wire or wires (or instead of wire, tubes or
thin rods may be used) and secured together either permanently or so that the said
sections can readily be separated from each other for cleaning and readily be secured
together again. This method of construction enables the said toast racks, letter
racks and other like racks to be produced at a low cost.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section, Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is an end
elevation of a toast rack constructed according to my invention;
Fig. 4 shews one of the sections of the same separately and
Fig. 5 shews one of the wires and its nut by which the sections are secured
together;
Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of my invention and
Fig. 9 is a front elevation and Fig. 10 an end elevation of another form of my
invention.
The toast rack illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of my drawings is made of five
sections marked respectively A' A' A³ A'A' one of which (A2) is shewn separately
by Fig. 4. In this particular toast rack the said sections are made of cast metal
but (as hereinafter described) my invention is not confined to this as the sections
can be made of other suitable substances. Each section has two bosses marked b¹²
which project so as to form distance pieces to keep the sections the proper distances
apart and form long bearings on the wires C1 C2 to ensure the sections being
upright. These wires pass through the bosses and each wire has a knob dat
one end and a nut at the other end, (or there may be a nut at each end) so that
by turning the nuts the said sections can be firmly cramped together on the wires ;
or by removing the said nuts the sections can be unthreaded off the wires and be
readily cleaned and refixed on the wires when required. The end sections A' A'
have or may have feet e for the toast rack to stand upon, and the central section A³
has a handle as usual.
The said sections of which the rack is composed may if desired be secured
together by one three or more wires applied in a similar manner to that above
described but when only one wire C' is used this is by preference arranged to pass
through bosses 63 which are situated about midway between the bosses as shown
in Figs. 6 and 8. The bosses 662 on each section have then to be made to engage
with the corresponding bosses on the next section (as shewn for instance in Figs. 6
and 7 where the bosses fit one into the other) so as to prevent the sections turning
round on the wire.
I do not limit myself to any particular number of sections to form a toast rack,
letter rack or other like rack, as for instance a letter rack would usually be made
of only three sections that is a central section such as A³ and two end sections such
as A¹ A
The said sections may be made of any suitable substance other than cast metal,
as for instance they may be made of pottery ware or papier maché or of stamped
metal or of glass.
Instead of the wires tubes or rods on to which the sections are threaded having a

page_text: nut or nuts at the end or ends to enable the sections to be separated the sections
may be permanently fixed on the wires tubes or rods which can readily be done by
rivetting over the ends of the wires tubes or rods or by soldering the wires tubes or
rods in the sections after the sections have been threaded thereon.
Instead of the sections of the toast rack letter rack or other like rack being kept
the proper distances apart by bosses such as which are formed with the
sections a separate collar or collars (such for instance as those marked y shewn in
the toast rack illustrated by Figs. 9 and 10) may be threaded on to the wires tubes
or rods 'between the sections so as to keep the sections the proper distances apart.
These collars are particularly applicable when I make the sections of thin plates of
metal or of glass as in the toast rack shewn by Figs. 9 and 10.
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 I
claim is
4. Making a toast rack, letter rack or other like rack of two or more separate
sections either removably or permanently secured together by a wire tube or rod
or by two or more wires tubes or rods on which the said sections are threaded in the
manner and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
2. Making a toast rack, letter rack or other like rack of two or more separate
sections and collars either removably or permanently secured together by a wire
tube or rod or by two or more wires tubes or rods on which the said sections and
collars are threaded in the manner and substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference more particularly to Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 8th day of March 1892.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.