US976668A - Fruit-basket. - Google Patents

Description

N. E. MARSHBURN. FRUIT BASKET.

APPLIUAVTION FILED DBC. 24, 1908. 976,668. Patented 10122, 1910.

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N. E. MARSHBURN.

FRUIT BASKET.

APPLIOATION FILED 1330.24, 190s.

976,668. Patented N0v.22,.191`0.

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NICHOLAS E. MARSI-IBURN, 0F LAGRANGE, GEORGIA.

FRUIT-BASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

Application filed December 24, 1908. Serial No. 469,077.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS E. MARSH- BURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lagrange, in the county of Troup and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Baskets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to receptacles for gathering and shipping perishable products and especially to fruit baskets.

It has for its object the production of a receptacle of this class which may be filled in the orchard and shipped without transferring the fruit. In order to attain this object, certain requirements must be satisfied as follows: (l) the receptacle must be easily carried by the pickers; (2) it must be so constructed as not to bruise the fruit either in receiving it or by pressure when lled; (3) it must be simple and strong enough in its construction to withstand hard usage in the field; (4:) it must be rigid enough to stand up without eXertin any bruising pressure upon the contents; 5) it must be easily stacked up or stowed away in ordinary transportation vehicles. Other subsidiary requirements will appear hereinafter together with the means for satisfying them.

Brieiy stated, my invention comprises a rigid frame consisting ofl two substantially U-shaped members set cross-wise with their ends up, and fastened together at the crossing. Upon the upper ends a ring is secured, and across two of the perpendicular members a horizontal brace is fastened. Inside the cage thus formed a canvas bag is suspended, which swings loosely away from the frame, and is attached to the top ring by means of an inner or retaining ring around which the canvas is wrapped. Vertically in line with the horizontal brace, the top ring and its companion are indented to form a hip curve, and spaced approximately 90 away from this on both sides are staples for a supporting strap and a bail. rIhis construction meets the foregoing requirements as follows:

(l.) The rigid frame with the hip curve and shoulder strap is comfortable and very easily carried, the weight of the contents being kept entirely away from the person by the frame, the horizontal brace referred to with a narrow bottom. The method of securing the bag to the top rings, with the flaps turned over the same, leaves a canvas surface only exposed, which may be padded if desired, and even without padding will not readily bruise the fruit which may accidentally strike it.

(3.) The frames are preferably riveted together, and their design as well as the method of securing the bags within them protects the latter, while it enables the former to withstand considerable strains, such as the weight of other baskets when piled up, the weight of persons sitting upon them, etc.

(4.) It will be obvious that since my bag swings clear within the frame, the latter takes all the weight .when set upon the ground.

(5.) The shape of the frame is adaptable for piling up in stacks, without bringing any pressure on the contents, all superposed weight being of course carried by the frames beneath. The open sides of the frame also render it particularly adaptable to hooks, racks, or other forms of support in the refrigerator and freight cars. It can be stood upon a shelf or suspended beneath the same.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the frame of a fruit basket, with the other parts removed. Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view of a complete basket, one flap of the bag being turned up and a portion of the canvas broken away to show the arrangement of the top rings. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the canvas or duck form for the bag, prior to stitching. Figs. t and 5 are sectional details of the top rings, showing two methods of riveting the same.

Referring to the drawings, and especially to Fig. l, l indicates a ring of iron or wood, having an indented portion 2 forming the hip curve heretofore mentioned. A pair of U-shaped members 3 and 4 are set at righti angles to each other and their upper ends riveted to this ring, as indica-ted at 10, 11, 12 and 13. The cross pieces` of these members, 3a and 4L are also riveted as indicated at 8. vertically beneath the hip curve2 of the top ring, and parallel to the chord of its are, is a rigid brace 5 having itsends secured fupon the contiguous parallel limbs 'of the frame pieces 3 and 4. Fitted within `the ring 1 is a companion ring 9 which reup. The bag as a whole is indicated by the numeral 14, and its construction will be readilyunderstood from the diagram in Fig. 3. This shows a blank cut out from canvas or duck in the shape of a rather open Maltese cross.V The center portion 14a forms the bottom of the basket, being substantially square las shown. The four wings 14h, c, and e, are all turned up to form the body, and stitched together as indicated by the dotted lines. 14?, g h and 1 indicate the flaps, whose edges 141', and k may be cut away or not, as required in tting them to the rings. One

seam is indicated at 14k in Fig. 2, the bottom ofthe bag being indicated by dotted lines in the same figure. This bottom may be reinforced or stiffened by strips or sheets of wood or metal if desired. s

Figs. g2 and A4 show the flaps of the bag carried up over the inner face of the inner ring V9, then down between the rings, then up over the outer ring, and soover both rings and down the inside, rivets being inl Y serted through and through, at intervals all varound the top'.A VIt will be understood that in assembling the basket, the canvas is first looped over the inner 'rind all around, and this ring is then introduced into the top ring of theframe from underneath, yor to put it another way, the top ring is forced down upon it, clamping the canvas between them. The iiaps being turned over, every point and edge of the iron orwood is covered and protected, and in order to render this jrotection more efiicient, I may insert if esired padding beneath the canvas and over the rings. For example, a cotton vor hemp gasket may be laid on the upper face of the rings before the flap 14f is turned over. Even without this however, the canvas surface is little likely to produce injurious bruises on fruit which may touch it in entering the bag. The only eXposedmetal is in the heads of the rivets, and by the construction of Fig. 5 even this is protected. Here the flaps are turned over lthe inner ring as before, then the outer ring is forced down upon them, and then the two rings are riv eted together, the rivets passing through only the single thickness of canvas between the rings, and being preferably countersunk into both rings as shown. After riveting, the fiaps are turned up and over, and stitched down on the inside as indicated at 145. The importance of thus covering the frame, and of keeping the bag clear of its vertical menibers, as well as the body of the picker, is very considerable, and will be well understood from the statement that a single bruise, due to a chance blow or accidental pressure, will inevitably spoil an entire basket of fruit after a short time. I have therefore studied in the design of this basket to avoid all chances of bruising the fruit, so far as it is possible to do so with human pickers and freight handlers.

The top ring of the basket is provided with staples 6 and 7 to receive the eyes of the bail 15 and the snap hooks 16 of the shoulder strap 17. In picking, the curved portion 2 of the ring 1 is adjusted tothe hip of the picker, the brace 5 rests against the outer side of his leg below the hip, and the strap 17 passes diagonally across his body with its sliding brace 18 on the shoulder. The bags are usually made in such sizes that a half bushel or a bushel of fruit will fill them to within say one and one-half inches of the top of the ring 1. This permits piling up of the baskets without touching the fruit. When filled in the field, the picker disconnects the snap hooks 1G from the full basket, which he sets down, and takes up an empty basket in its place. Further handling of the full basket is by means of the bail 15, or of the frame members l, 3, 4 and 6.

A number of changes may be made in matters of detail described and illustrated herein, without departing from the spirit of this invention. For example, the bag may be made of rubber, leather or other materials instead of duck, and the frame may be made of wood instead of iron. I wish it clearly understood that I contemplate all such nonessential changes as fall fairly within the scope and purview of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patenty of the United States, is:

A fruit basket comprising the following elements: a rigid frame having a top ring with a hip curve and a pair of crossed inver'ted U-shaped members forming a stand with their free ends riveted to the top ring at points approximately 90 apart, two of these points being at opposite ends of the hip curve, a horizontal leg guard secured across the two limbs below and parallel to the limiting chord of the hip curve, carrying means secured to the top ring, and a exible bag suspended within the frame from the top ring, and formed of a blank shaped approximeteiy like an o en Maitese cross by turning up the arms ot the cross to form an edge of the same aggregate length as the top ring, and a substantially square bottom of smaller dimensions than the top; whereby the bag will swing free from the frame and will furnish en extended base for the fruit contained within it7 thus avoiding bruising by Contact with the frame or with the person ofthe picker or by concentration of pressure 10 upon the bottom fruit, substantially as de-A scribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICHOLAS E. MARSHBURN. Vitnesses A. T. I-IAYNES, T. MORGAN.

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