US1408666A - Fruit-drying tray - Google Patents

Description

w'. w. WATSON.

FRUIT DRYING TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 192i.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

STATES PATENT OFFICE. p

WILLIAM W. WATSON, F JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

FRUIT-DRYING TRAY.

Application filed May 21,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM 1V. VVATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Drying Trays, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The invention relates to drying screens for fruit; and the object of the improvement is to provide a heavy wire screen tray having a tubular sheet metal frame construction of great strength and durability, which can be economically struck up from the sheet metal providing a construction which is light and specially adaptable to the purpose; and the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the upper side of the tray, the vertical and lateral central portions being broken away to show the construction and arrange ment of the same. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the frame side adjacent one of the corners showing the attaching groove for the screen fabric on the outer side, and opening downward, and the protective flange on the spline strip for the heavy screen fabric on the under side of said tray. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of said under side of the screen frame showing the attaching groove for the screen fabric around the outer side of the sheet metal tubular frame, the central portions of said frame sides being broken away. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring spline for holding the screen fabric in the grooved frame side with the projecting flange extending out at right angles to the same. Fig. 5 is a modification of the spline as shown in Fig. 4:, showing a metal rod in the tubular edge of said spline so as to form a solid spline which depends upon the spring of the sheet metal frame side for holding the spline and screen fabric in said outer groove around said frame.

Like characters of reference refer to cor responding parts in the several views.

The numeral designates the tubular sheet metal frame side which is cut and bent from the flat sheet metal strip by means of suitable dies so as to form the lengthwise groove 11 along the outer edges of said frame side.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 471,487.

The groove 11 enlarges inwardly and opens sidewise toward the bottom or under side of the tray frame along its outer edge, and is formed by folding the lengthwise edges of the strip into the groove formation, the outer edge portion 12 being bent over the inner edge portion 13 to thereby give the enlarging inward effect so as to receive the edge of the screen fabric in the groove 11 to be held in place by springing the spline 14 into said groove.

The modified form 15 of the spline 14 with its rod 16 through the tubular portion thereof is used in precisely the same manner as the spring spline 1 1, depending upon the spring of the sheet metal groove sides to permit the inlet of the solid spline 15 which is slightly larger than the mouth of said groove 11 so that as it springs into the same, it is held firmly in position. The contacting edge portions 12 and 13 of the strip on the two sides of the groove are preferably welded or soldered or otherwise attached so that they cannot turn or move upon one another, thereby giving great rigidity to the construction of the tray side.

Both the resilient or spring spline 14 and the modified spline 15 have the protecting flange 16 extending out angularly therefrom along the bottom or under side of the screen fabric 17 to rest upon and protect the same, when the trays are stacked upon one another or upon other wearing surfaces. This also strengthens the screen wire in its attachment to the frame side of the tray. The peculiar placing of the groove 11 and its opening downward is made necessary by the manner of using the tray for drying fruit. The fruit is spread upon the screen 17 and is taken therefrom by means of shovels or other flat metallic tools. If the groove 11 were on the inner edge of the frame side, the screen fabric 17 would be quickly cut by the shovel or other tool where it enters the groove, thereby ruining the tray for this use.

The present arrangement provides a strong tubular frame side 10 with its full depth which may be of any desired measurement along said inner edge, and the fruit may be shoveled or taken from the tray by means of the usual tools without danger of cutting or injuring the heavy screen fabric 17 At the same time, the flange strip 16 protects said screen fabric from wear as the loaded tray rests upon the same, yet permits the quick withdrawal of the spline from the groove 11 by means of a suitable tool and re moval of the screen fabric 17 for repair or renewal of the same. V

The corners of the screen frame are preferably mitered and united by soldering or welding or any other suitable means, and have the protective corner clips 18 riveted or welded thereto tothereby hold said corners against the heavy strains in the rough usage towhichsaid trays are subjected. The sides of the corner clip also brace the outer sides of the groove side, thereby giving added strength to the same.

A tubular sheet metal insert corner piece 19 is also provided within the tubular frame side to which said mitered corners of the frame side may be attached, thereby greatly stiffening and strengthening each of the corners of the tray, the outer corner clip and inner tubular corner support holding firmly against one another and forming a strong attaching means in. addition to themitered and welded corners of the sheet metal tubular frame side.

The placing of the attaching groove 11 so that it opens along the outer edge of the under side also provides a smooth, broad upper surface for the frame sides 10 with the exception of the protective corner clips 18, so that there is nothing on the frameside for the shovels or other tools to catch and injure the tray frame, and they are easyito clean. The corner clips 18, as stated, are preferably struck up from thick metal so as to provide strong protection to the corners as shown in Figsfl, 2 and 3, while the broadly flanged spline 14: or 15 is made of sufficiently heavy.

metal to thoroughly protect the under side of the frame, thereby provlding arstrongly protected and durable construction.

What is claimed is:

1. A fruit drying tray comprising a tubular sheet metal frame side having a lengthwise groove therein opening sidewise, a spaced distance from its inner edge, screen fabric having its edge portions in said groove, an attaching spline for said fabric in said groove, and a broad protective flange on said spline parallel with said screen fabrlc.

2. A fruit drying tray comprising a tuv bular sheet metal frame having a groove on its outer under side opening downward, screen fabric covering said side of said frame having its edge portions in said groove, an attaching spline for said fabric in said groove, and a broad flange on said spline extending therefrom around said frame beneath the same to protect said screen fabric.

:3, A. metallic fruit drying tray comprising a tubular sheet metal frame composed of frame sides struck from strips of sheet metal into the tubular form, the edge portions of said strips of sheet metal formed in a groove opening downward along the outer sides of said tubular frame, the contacting surfaces of said edge por ions welded or soldered to one another, said groove shaped to enlarge inwardly, screen wire over the under side of said frame, and a sheet metal spline having a broad flange extending beneath said frame and screen fabric and springing into said groove to attach said screen fabric therein around said frame.

4;. A metallic fruit drying tray'comprising tubular sheet metal frame sides struck from strips of sheet metal and attached to one another by mitered corners, tubular corner inserts to assist in holding said miter ed corners, the edge portions of said strips attached to one another by soldering or welding and formed in a groove enlarging inwardly, corner clips to hold said mitered corners, screen wire on the under side of said frame side, a sheet metal spline having a tu- WILLIAM w. warson.

Witnesses V GORINNE V. Swanson, THno. THoMAs Haas.

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