US555835A - Refrigerator-crate - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. THOMAS & J. M. TRU'BY. REFRIGERATOR CRATE.

- Igg 555,835. x Patented Mar. 3, 189m llnrrn TABS JOSEPH THOMAS AND JACOB M. TRUBY, OF STARKE, FLORIDA.

REFRIGERATOR-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,835, dated March 3, 1896 Application filed August 6, 1895. serial No. 558,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH THOMAS and JACOB M. TRUBY, citizens of the United States, residing at Starke, in the county of Bradford and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in refrigerators.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of refrigerators, and to provide a simple and efiicient one which will be perticularly adapted for shipping fruit and other perishable articles, and which will cause a free circulation of cold air through the entire contents of it.

A further object of the invention is toprevent refrigerators which are employed 'for shipping goods from becon'iing mildewed and rotting after being closed and reshipped immediately upon the removal of their contents, and while in a damp condition.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central sectional view of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 00 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on line 7 y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the ice-receiving pan or receptacle. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the valves of the pan or ice-receptacle. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the camplate of the cover fastening. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the bolt of the same.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a refrigerator designed for shipping berries, fruit, and the like, and comprising a rectangular box or body, provided with a removable cover 2. The walls of the refrigerator are provided with interior airspaces 1, which are lined with paper 5 or other suitable material, and which are formed by inner and outer portions, 6 and 7 constructed preferably of wood. The bottom 8 and the cover 2 are provided 011 their inner faces with linings 9 and 10 of paper or other suitable material, and these linings, which arefor the purpose of rendering the body of the refrigerator a non-conductor of heat, are

designed to be secured to the body by a suit-' able adhesive mixture.

The cover is detachably secured to the body by fastening devices comprising bolts 11 adj ustably mounted on the body at the upper edges thereof, and provided at their upper ends with enlarged heads, and camplates 11 mounted on the cover and provided with a slot or opening to permit the head of the bolt to be passed through it. The slot and the head of the bolt are oblong, and the latter is adapted to be turned transversely of the slot to lock the cover in position. The plate 11 is provided at opposite sides of the slot with cam-ridges 11 to be engaged by the head, and the body has a nut 11, which renders the bolt adjustable.

lVithin the refrigerator, at the top thereof, is supported a removable ice-receiving pan or receptacle 12,constructed,preferably, of sheet metal and supported at intervals by horizontal bottom bars or cleats, 13, and vertical side and end cleats, 14, connected with the horizontal bars or cleats by Lshaped plates 15. The bottom bars or cleats, 13, and the lower ends of the vertical cleats it rest upon shoulders formed by supporting- bars 16 and 17, secured to the inner faces of the sides and end of the body of the refrigerator.

The pan or receptacle 12 is provided witha central opening 18 in its bottom, and has an upwardly projecting vertically-disposed flange 19 surrounding the same, and formed integral with the bottom of the pan or receptacle, and the pan or receptacle is provided around the opening 18 with a depression forming a gutter 20, adapted to receive and collect the water resulting from the melting of ice. The Water escapes through openings 21, located at the ends of the depression or gutter 20, and is delivered into discharge-tubes 22, disposed vertically in the refrigerator and located at the ends of the gutter 20.

The ice-receptacle is not claimed in the present application, as it forms a part of the subject-matter of the application filed by us August 6, 1895, Serial No. 558,406, and is claimed therein.

The perforations or openings 21 are covered with Wire-gauze or other foraminous material to exclude sawdust or the like from the discharge pipes or tubes. The discharge pipes or tubes pass through the bottom of the body of the refrigerator, and they are provided at their upper ends with flared tapering portions 23, forming receptacles for sponges 2et or other absorbent material, which will permit water to drip through it, and which will exclude the warm atmospheric air from the refrigerator and prevent the same from ascending the discharge pipes or tubes and passing into the refrigerator. The sponges 24, or other absorbent material, are secured in the enlarged or flared portions of the discharge pipes ortubes by springs 25, and the material is sufficiently compressed to prevent any liability of it passing downward and out through the discharge pipes or openings.

In order to prevent the ice from closing the opening 18 of the bottom of the pan. or receptacle 12, and thereby interfering with the free circulation of air in the refrigerator, screens 26 are mounted at opposite sides of the opening, and are supported at the top by parallel rods 27. A series of vertically-disposed posts 28 are arranged between the vertical screens 26, and these posts are arranged at intervals and are located at the ends of the screens and at intermediate points, and when the pan or receptacle 12 is within the refrigerator they have their lower ends resting upon a series of uprights 29. The screens are secured to the posts by metal straps 30, or the like, extending over the upper ends of the post and arranged on the outer faces of the screens. These screens 26 prevent the ice from getting directly over and closing or partially closing the opening 18, and by these means an uninterrupted circulation of air is provided throughout the entire refrigerator. The cold air at the top of the refrigerator descends through the central opening 18, and the slightly-warmer air at the bottom of the refrigerator rises to take the place of the cold air, and the entire contents of the refrigerator are subjected to this continuous circulation of cold air.

The upright-s 29 are disposed centrally of the refrigerator, and are located at the same intervals as the post 28, and they are connected near their upper ends by horizontal bars 31, which also assist in supporting the flared portions of the discharge pipes or openings.

The pan or receptacle 12 is provided on its exterior, adjacent to the openings or perforations 21, with pivoted cut-offs or valves 32, which are pivoted intermediate of their ends and have one portion arranged to cover the perforations or openings 21, and have their other ends pivoted to vcrtically-movable operating bars or slides or slides 33 are provided at their upper ends with arms, and are adapted to be raised when it is desired to remove the pan or receptacle to close the perforations 21, to prevent any The operating bars water that may be within the pan at the time of the removal from dripping out during the removal. When the cut-offs or valves 32 are closed, the upper ends of the slides or bars 33 project above the pan or receptacle in position to be engaged by the cover 2 when the latter is replaced; Should the cut-offs or valves be closed when the cover is placed on the body of the refrigerator the slides or bars will be depressed and the cut-offs or valves open, and this construction prevents any liability of the valves remaining closed while the goods are in transit, and causing the water resulting from the melting of the ice to overflow and soak the contents of the re frigerator.

The refrigerator is provided at its bottom with a discharge-opening 34, over which is secured a sponge 35, or other absorbant material, and which permits the escape of any water accumulating at the bottom of the refrigerator. The sponge also prevents the entrance of warm air through the opening 34.

It has been found by experience that if a refrigerator be closed and reshipped afterthe removal of its contents, and when in a damp condition, the refrigerator will become mildewed and will rot, and in order to prevent this result and to enable the refrigerator to be immediately reshipped as soon as its contents are removed, ventilating-openings 36 are provided at opposite sides or ends of the refrigerator. These openings are provided with thimbles, and are closed when the refrigerator is in use by automatically-opening doors 37, hinged at their tops to the refrigerator at a point above the openings 36, and arranged to swing downward to close the openings. The doors are spring-actuated in opening, and are provided with a suitable padding 38 011 their contacting faces, in order that they may lit tightly against and effectually close the openings 36, and also to render the doors non-conductors of heat.

The springs 39 are disposed at the tops of the hinged doors and are arranged to swing the doors open as soon as the latter are free to swing upward. The doors are held closed by the contents of the refrigerator, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, in which one side of the refrigerator is shown containing fruit-boxes 30 and removable division trays or partitions 40; but the contents may be varied if desired, as will be readily understood.

The lower edge of each door is rabbeted and is adapted to be engaged automatically by a pivoted latch-bar 41 having its upper edge rabbeted, and engaged at its lower edge bya spring 42. The spring 42 is arranged to throw the pivoted latch-bar upward. The latch-bar is pivoted to a vertically-disposed operatingbar 43, which extends upward to the top of the refrigerator, in position to be engaged by the cover, and as soon as the latter is taken off to permit the removal of the contents of the refrigerator the spring 42 operates to throw the pivoted latch-bar upward into engagement with the hinge door. After the contents of the refrigerator have been removed, the cover or top is replaced and the refrigerator reshipped without allowing any time before reshipping for the refrigerator to dry. The replacing of the cover depresses the bars 43 of the pivoted latch-bars 41, thereby disengaging the spring-actuated doors 37, which immediately open and cause the refrigerator to be ventilated and become dried during its return shipment.

\Vhen the refrigerator reaches the place from which it was first shipped, it will be in condition for refilling and reshipment, and the durability of it is greatly increased.

It will be seen that the refrigerator is capable of affording a free circulation of cold air to its entire contents, and that the arrangement of the horizontal bars or cleats 13 on the bottom of the ice-pan or receptacle forms air-spaces above the contents of the refrigerator, and that the pan or receptacle will not be in actual contact with the fruit or other contents.

It will also be apparent that the cut-oil's or valves of the pan or ice-receptacle are automatically opened when the cover of the refrigerator is placed in position, that when the refrigerator is empty the replacement of the cover uncovers the ventilating-openings, and that it is impossible for the refrigerator to be shipped with the cut-offs accidentally closed when the refrigerator is full or the hinged doors accidentally closed when the refrigerator is empty.

arranged to project at the top of the refrigerator, and a removable cover arrangeu to engage the bar, whereby the door will be automatically released when the cover is in position, substantially as described.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of a box or body provided with an opening for ventilating it, a cover, an automaticallyopening door arranged to cover the ventilating-opening, a pivoted latch engaging the door to hold the same closed,and an operatin gbar connected with the latch and arranged to be engaged by the cover to release the door, and means for throwing the latch automatically in engagement with the door when the cover is removed, substantially as described.

3. In a refrigeratory the combination of a body or box, a removable ice-receiving pan or receptacle arranged within the box or body and provided with a discharge-opening, a cover for the body or box, a cut-off arranged to cover the discharge-opening of the pan or receptacle, and an operating rod or bar connected with the cut-off and arranged to be engaged by the said cover, whereby the cut-off is automatically opened when the cover is placed in position, substantially as described.

4. I11 a refrigerator, the combination of a box or body provided with a ventilating-opening, an automatically-opening door arranged to cover the ventilating-opening, a catch or latch for holding the door in its closed position, a removable cover for the box or body, and means for automatically throwing the catch or latch out of engagement with the door when the cover is placed in position on the box or body, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH THOMAS. J AOOB M. TRUBY. \Vitnesses for Joseph Thomas:

JOHN H. SIGGERS,

W. B. HUDSON. W'itnesses for Jacob M. Truby:

WV. ELLERY DAVIS, ANDREW FLoREUs.

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