US785952A - Butter-tray. - Google Patents

Description

No. 785,952. PATENTED MAR. z8, 1905.

. A. o. HUMMER.

BUTTER TRAY.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.. 30, 1904.

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A TT ORNEK UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

BUTTER-TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,952, dated March 28, 1905.

Application filed March 30, 1904. Serial No. 200,769. i

T0 all whom, it muy concern.-

Beit known that I, ARTHUR CLENNING HUM- MER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State ofA Wl'ashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butter-Trays, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trays for molding' butter, and has for its objects to provide a simple and inexpensive device in'which a comparatively large quantity of butter can be quickly molded and divided into blocks of convenient size for shipment or for division into bricks of predetermined weight without waste and embodying essential features of adaptability, utility, and general efficiency which facilitates the division of the body of butter molded and the removal of the divisions from the tray.

The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as disclosed on the accompanying drawings, set forth in this specification, and succinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

Vith reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a plan view of the tray with the parts assembled for molding butter. Fig. 2 is an edge view of one of the sections of the platform of the tray. Fig. 3 is a view of one of the handles for said sections. Eig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the tray with parts assembled as shown in Fig. 1. Eig. 5 is a side view of the tray with the parts assembled for dividing the body of butter. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the tray with the parts assembled as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the tray with the parts assembled for molding butter. Eig. 8 is an end view of the tray with the parts assembled for molding butter, and Eig. 9 is a perspective View of the cutter employed to divide the body of butter.

This invention includes a suitable rectangular base 10 of extended length, a separable box 11, in which the butter is molded, removably seated on the base, and vertical guides 12 and horizontal guides 14 for the cutter, as l5, which are arranged in position for cutting after the side and end walls of said box have been removed. In the present instance the box 11 is of suitable size and form to mold the butter for division into a number of blocks of hexahedral shape and measuring substantially twelve by twelve by thirteen inches each, as a convenient size for shipment and for division into bricks of predetermined weight for the retail trade without waste, and this box comprises a platform composed of a suitable number of removable sections 16, equal in size to the end surfaces of said blocks, and an adjustable casing fitting about said platform and comprising removable side and end walls, (marked, respectively, 17 and 18,) which fit against the side and end surfaces of said platform and extend thereabove a distance equal to the length of said blocks. The base 10 is somewhat greater in length and width than the aforesaid box and conveniently consists of three parallel sills 10, spaced apart, and cross-ties, as 19, secured tosaidsillsat the ends. Upon theupper surface of this base,ad jacent the ends and along the side edges, are secured transverse cleats 2O and longitudinally-disposed cleats 21, between which the box 11 iits freely, and wedges, as 22, are arranged in pairs between the cleats and one side wall and one end wall of the box, and removable bearing-blocks 25 are placed between one end cleat and the adjacent end wall of the box and between the opposite end wall and adjacent pair of wedges. These bearing-blocks are provided with rabbets at the inner lower corner to receive freely the side edges of shims, consisting of strips 26 of suitable thickness, which are placed transversely on the base beneath the end walls and extend across the lower edges of the side walls, so as to increase the depth of the box in case the specific gravity of the butter is below standard, as is sometimes the case. When the pairs of wedges 29. are set up,7 they serve to clamp the end walls of the box between the bearing-blocks and end sections 16 of the platform and one of the side walls between said platform and the side wedges and the opposite side wall between the platform and adjacent side cleat, thereby securing IOO the walls in place and the box on the base. To keep the side walls of the box from spreading apart at the upper edges when packing butter in the box, removable ties, as 23, are provided and consist of bars formed with opposite laterally-projecting hooks arranged at suitable separation to embrace the said walls snugly, and to keep the end walls from spreading apart vertical cleats 24 are secured to said side walls adjacent the ends for the side edges of the end walls to bear against.

The guides 12 are preferably four in number and are adapted to guide the cutter 15 in making vertical cuts and are also used as standards to support the horizontal guides 14, and they are transferable, so that they can be set relatively to the abutting' edges of the platform-sections 16 at opposite sides of the body of butter. Each guide 12 conveniently consists of a fiat bar of suitable length having one edge true and even for guiding the cutter and provided with a downwardly-projecting stem or tongue at the base end and a longitudinal slot 12', extending' downwardly from the upper end past the center. This slot is adapted to receive freely a clamp-bolt 14, by means of which the respective horizontal guide 14 is conveniently fastened at one end in adjusted positions, and the stems or tongues are of suitable size to fit snugly in socket-holes, as 27, provided on the base 10 along each side margin at suitable points to receive said stems or tongues when the guides are set relatively to the abutting edges of the platform-sections 16 or when set adjacent the corners of the base to act as standards.

The guides 14 are adapted to guide the cutter 15 in making horizontal cuts, and they consist of flat bars of somewhat greater length than the box 11 and having the upper edge true and even for guiding the cutter, and these bars are provided with an aperture adjacent each end to receive the clamp-bolts 14, which pass through said apertures and the slots 12' of the guide 12 when they are arranged as standards and carry thumb-nuts by means of which the horizontal guides are secured in adjusted positions.

The cutter 15 consists of asubstantially U- shaped frame of greater width between the stems than the distance between the outer side surfaces of the horizontal guides when set in position for guiding the cutter and a cutterwire 15, secured to the free ends of said stems.

To facilitate lifting the platform-sections 16, suitable handles` as 28, are provided therefor, and these handles consist of sections of round bars bent to substantially U shape and removably fitting' at the ends of the stems in suitable holes 29, which are formed in each of said sections at opposite sides, so as to lie above the top surfaces of the cleats 21 when the sections are resting on the base. Furthermore, the platform-sections are provided with grooves, as 16, in the top surfaces which are suitably arranged to receive the cutters ernployed to divide the blocks into bricks, thus adapting the sections for use as platforms in a butter-cutter, and thereby avoiding the necessity of transferring the blocks from the platform-sections for cutting, as the sections can be lifted from the base with the blocks in place and set in position in the butter-cutter for division into bricks.

To arrange the tray for molding butter, the platform-sections 16 are placed side by side on base 10, the side and end walls of the casing are set in position, the wedges arranged and set up as heretofore set forth, and the ties 23 engaged with the side walls. 1f, however, the quantity of butter to be packed is not sufcient to fill the box to its normal capacity, one end wall of the box is shifted inwardly and set with the lower edge between contiguous platform-sections, so as to reduce the box to the desired capacity,and the wed ges are then setup. Furthermore, if desired to increase the depth of the box inside, shirns, as 26, of suitable thickness are placed beneath the side and end Walls thereof. After the box is filled with the butter the ties 28 are removed, and the cutter 15 can then be used, if desired, to trim the top surface of the body of butter by dragging the cutter-wire thereof along the topedges of the side walls of the box. The walls of the casing of the box are now removed, leaving the body clear for removal or for division into blocks and sections. In proceeding to divide the body1 of butter the guides 12 are arranged -as standards adjacent each corner of the base by engaging the stems thereon in the socket-holes 27, provided in the base for this purpose, the horizontal guides 14 are now secured to said standards at the opposite sides of the body of butter by means of the clamp-bolts 14' and are set with the upper edges midway the depth of the body or at any point it is desired to make the cut, and the cutter is then used to divide the body longitudinally by dragging the cutter-wire along' the upper edges of the guides. These guides are then removed and` the vertical guides 12 transposed from the ends of the base to the socket-holes adjacent the inner edges of the end platform-sections and set in position for guiding' the cutter, which is then used as before to make vertical cuts through the body at these points. The vertical guides are then again moved to the next sets of socket-holes and the cutter again used, thus dividing the butter into blocks corresponding in number to the platform-section and each of which blocks are divided midway their height and can be readily lifted from the base for division into bricks or for shipment or storage by engaging the handles 28 in the holes 29 in the platform-sections.

By forming the platform of movable sections the casing of the box can be readily ar- ICO ranged to mold a body of butter conforming in size to one or more blocks up to the normal capacity of the casing, and the molded blocks can be readily removed without danger of destroying the shape of the blocks by simply lifting the platform-sections. Furthermore, by embodying the vertical cutterguides with the tray the body of butter can be quickly and accurately divided at abutting edges of said lifting-sections, and by using the horizontal cutter-guides the body can be readily divided longitudinally.

This device is simple and inexpensive of construction and the parts thereof can be readily assembled and adjusted for molding or dividing the butter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-

l. In a butter-tray, the combination with a base, and a platform, of vertical cutter-guides transferable on the base, horizontal cutterguides, and means to removably attach said horizontal guides to the vertical guides.

2. In a butter-tray, the combination with a base, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting sections, vertical cutterguides transferable on the base, horizontal cu tter-guides, and means to adjustably secure the horizontal guides to said vertical guides.

3. In a butter-tray, the combination with a base, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting sections, vertical cutterguides transferable on the base and acting as standards adjacent the ends thereof,horizontal cutter-guides, and means to adjustably secure the horizontal guides to said vertical guides for vertical adjustment.

4. In a butter-tray, the combination with a base, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting-sections, horizontal cutterguides comprising opposite bars, and means to removably mount said guides on the base.

5. In a butter-tray, the combination with an elongated, rectangular base having opposite socket-holes adjacent the corners thereof and at suitable intervals along the side edges, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable square lifting sections, vertically disposed transferable cutterguides having stems fitting in said holes, and horizontal cutter-guides mounted on the transferable guides when they are engaged with the holes adjacent said corners.

6. In a butter-tray, the combination with a rectangular base having opposite socket-holes arranged at suitable intervals along the edges, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting-sections arranged on said base with the abutting edges adjacent said holes, and transferable cutter-guides having stems fitting in said holes.

7. In a butter-tray, the combination with an elongated base, having opposite cleats along the edges, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting-sections, a casing fitting about said platform and comprising removable side and end walls, wedges arranged in pairs between said cleats and casing at one end and one side of the casing, and cutterguides arranged on said base in position for cutting at the abutting edges of said sections when said casing is removed.

8. In a butter-tray, the combination with an elongated base, of a platform comprising a plurality of removable lifting-sections, a separable casing removably fitting about said platform, vertical cutter-guides transferable on the base, horizontal cutter-guides, and means to secure the horizontal guides to said vertical guides.

9. In a butter-tray, the combination with a base, a platform, and a removable casing, of vertical cutter-guides transferable on said base, horizontal cutter-guides, and means to removably mount said horizontal guides on the vertical guides.

10. In a butter-tray, a base, vertical cutterguides on the base, removable horizontal cutter-guides connected to the same, and means whereby the vertical cutter-guides can be adjusted along the base when the horizontal cutter-guides are removed.

11. In a butter-tray, a base, vertical cutterguides mounted at each end thereof, and longitudinal horizontal cutter-guides disposed between the same.

12. In a butter-tray, in combination with a base, and vertical cutter-guides mounted thereon, a plurality of adjustable horizontal disposed cutter-guides.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 18th day of March, 1904.

ARTHUR CLENNING HUMMER.

Witnesses:

L. FRANK BROWN, THAD R. PERRY.

IOO

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