US2300317A - Drying tray - Google Patents

Description

@ct 27, 1942. R P, SCHERER 2,300,317

DRYING TRAY Filed NOV. 8, 1959' IN VENTOR. @DEEE/7' .D ECHE/LFE?? ATTORNEYS?.

Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED lSTATES ,PATENT OFFICE DRYjNG TRAY Robert P. Scherer, Detroit, Mich. Application November 8, 1939, Serial No.303,443

2 Claims. (Cl. 34-238) This invention relates to improvements in drying trays and is illustrated as embodied in a tray of this character provided for the drying of gelatin capsules.

An object is to provide a tray so constructed as to be sanitary and easily cleaned, which is light in weight, yet is strong and inexpensive and which is so formed that objects supported thereon, such as capsules will be exposed to free circulation of the air thereover for drying. i

A further object is to provide a tray so constructed that a plurality of such trays may be stacked or nested in such a manner that the contents of the several trays so nested will be protected and will still be open to air circulating thereover for drying and the trays may be readily Aand easily moved as a stack from one place to another and without disturbing the contents.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of this invention will more fully appear from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating a plurality of trays embodying my invention stacked or nested one upon the other,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view through a corner of one of the trays embodying my invention,

Fig. 3 is a. vertical sectional view through a v corner of a stack of three trays nested together and each embodying this invention.

A tray of this type is adapted to carry a large number of gelatin capsules spread out in a single layer upon the bottom of the tray for drying. The trays are so -constructed as to be nested one upon the other and arranged in stacks of a large number of trays. In these stacks they are adapted to be moved from one place to another for storage. It is necessary, therefore, that the nesting of the trays be such that this movement from place to place will not disturb the capsules carried thereon. It is furthermore necessary that the drying of the capsules be accomplished and the invention here set forth relates to a tray which is adapted to support the capsules or Whatever articles are carried upon the tray in such manner as to permit free circulation of air thereover and in such manner as to permit the stacking of a large number of trays in nested relationship without disturbing the capsules carried on the trays. When nested the trays are held against accidental lateral displacement and seal upon each other to protect the capsules carried thereby.

This improved tray has a bottom I0 and a side wall I2. The side wall which slopes upwardly and outwardly from the bottom and is rolled over along its upper margin as at I 4 to provide a double thickness of the margin as shown particularly in Fig. 3.

.Such side wall is provided as shown with a plurality of air circulation perforations I6. 'I'hese perforations are spaced at their lower margins slightly above the bottom of the tray so that there would not be any tendency for small capsules to become lodged therein or deformed thereby and to render more rigid the tray side wall structure. The upper folded over margin I i of the side wall also reinforces the structural rigidity of the trays. These perforations may be of the elongate sh'ape shown in Figs. l and 3.

The tray is provided with an outwardly projecting shoulder portion which forms a support. These shoulder portions are here illustrated as embodied in supports which embrace each corner of the tray as shown particularly in the drawing. A corner support is shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 2 at I8. It is formed of sheet metal which is preferably heavier than the sheet metal of which the side wall and bottom of the tray is formed-and is so shaped as to embrace a corner of the tray being welded or otherwise secured to the side Wall. The support is hanged over at 2D and its upper and lower margins against the side Wall of the tray and the upper margin I4 of the tray side wall rests upon the upper flange 2U of the support. The support embraces a portion of the side wall of the tray which preferably is not perforated the perforations extending merely between the corner supports. This support at its lower edge terminates spaced above the bottom of the tray as at 22. It is spaced above the tray bottom at approximately the same distance as the perforation I6.

When a plurality of trays are nested one upon the other as shown in Figs. l and 3 these supports of the several trays seat upon each other to so support the trays that the perforated portions of the side Walls exposed to permit free circulation of. air over the bottom of the trays. The supports also project outwardly beyond the side walls so as to form abutments which protect the trays from outside blows which might damage its relatively thin metal wall. When the trays are stacked the weight of the stacked trays is taken upon these supports as shown.

What I claim is: l. A tray of the character described having bottom formed of thin sheet metal bent upwardly and outwarciiy to form a side wai, said side wail provided `with an outwardly rolled upper margin, a sheet metal corner support ernf7 bracing each corner of the side wall and secured thereto below said outwardly rolled upper marcgin and having a marginal flange seated against. the side wail spacing the corner support out`= wai-diy beyond the side wall, said corner support terminating spaced slightly above the tray bottom and at the top engaging the outwardly rolled margin of the side wall, said side wall hav ing air circulation perforations therein between said corner supports and spaced above the trav bottom.

2. A tray of the character described formed ci sheet material having a bottom portion, a man ginal side wall portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion, said side wall portion provided with an outwardly rolled upper margin, a corner support embracing each corner of the side wall and secured thereto, said corner support having upper and lower marginal flanges seated against the side wall and spacing the corner support therefrom, said upper` marginal ange directly abutting the outwardly rolled upper margin of the side wall, said lower man ginal flange disposed spaced above the bottom oi the tray, said side wall having air circulation perforations therethrough between said corner supports and spaced above the tray bottom a distance approximating that of the lower flange of the corner support above said bottom.

ROBERT P. SCHERER.

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