US2112486A - Method of loading and transporting watermelons - Google Patents

Description

March 29, 1938. I 1.. .v. FRANCIS ET AL 2,112,485 I METHOD OF LOADING AND TRANSPORTING WATERMELONS Original Filed June ll, 1936 f a 3 nnentors (Ittorueg Patented Mar. 29, 1938 NETED sr oFFlCE ME'rnon or Lemma AND ramsron'rma warannaaons Lester V. Francis, North Kansas City, and .ioseil H. Grafues,

@ity, Mo.

Serial No. 156.5%)

6 Claims. (Cl. Hi -152) Our invention relates to improvements in methods of loading and transporting watermelons.

This application is a continuation of an application filed by us June 11, 1936, Serial Number 84,650, and is a continuation in part of an application filed by us May 11, 1933, Serial Number 670,420.

One of the objects of our invention is the provision of a novel method of loading watermelons in a car by which the melons may be transported and subjected to the jarring, by sudden starting and stopping of the car, without liability of the melons being bruised or otherwise damaged, and which enables the quick and easy loading of the melons in the car.

The novel features of our invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrative of our improved method,

Fig. 1 is an end view of a first tier of melons as loaded at the end of a car, a portion of the car body being shown in vertical section, and a pad shown in end elevation lying against one side of the tier in position for the loading 01. the next tier.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the melons as arranged in Fig. 1, the pad being removed and the car body broken away and shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing another tier of melons added to the first end tier, and another pad disposed in position for loading the melons of the next succeeding tier.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the two tiers of melons arranged as in Fig. 3, the second pad being removed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing how a melon of a row is disposed with relation to the melons in the rows next below.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of 8. tier of melons.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the different views.

I designates the floor, 2 an end wall, and 3 a side wall of the body of a freight car of usual type;

In loading the melons, a transverse layer 4 of melons is laid on the floor along side the end wall 2 against a pad 5 disposed vertically against the end wall,'a layer of straw 6 being disposed between the first melon of the row and the adjacent 50 side wall 3, the melons being disposed with their lengths longitudinally of the car.

Then a second row is laid on the floor, I with the melons 1 respectively end to end and longitudinally aligned with the melons 4,. A third row of melons 8 is then laid with the me ons in staggered relation to the melons i and 5, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, and overlapping midway the melons t and l.

A fourth row of melons 9 is then laid crosswise with the melons 9 resting on the melons 4.

A fifth row of melons It is then laid with the melons on top of and in staggered. relation to the melons 8 and overlapping the latter and the crosswise melons 9.

The five rows of melons 4, l, 8, 9 and I0 form 1 a. transverse tier at the adjacent end of the car.

A pad or padding H is then disposed transversely of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, against the ends 01 the melons l, 8 and I0, following which another tier is started by laying a transverse row of melons 15 E2 on the floor I with their left ends abutting against the padding II, and longitudinally alined with the melons 4 and 1.

Another row of melons I3 is then laid with the melons in staggered relation to and midway overlapping the melons l2 and resting on the padding II which is folded over and rests on the upper sides of the melons I, Fig. 3, the melons l3 also midway overlapping the melons 1.

Another row of melons I4 is then laid with the melons l4 resting on the melons It in staggered relation thereto.

The melons l4 also rest on the padding H which rests on the upper sides of the melons 8, the latter being overlapped midway substantially by the melons M, the left ends of the latter, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4 holding the padding ll against the adjacent ends of the melons III. This completes the second transverse tier against the right side of which is disposed another padding or pad l5, following which another tier of melons is laid in'the manner corresponding to the laying of the next preceding tier.

The car is thus loaded until the side doors,

' not shown, of the car are reached, after which the 40 loading may be started at the other end of the car and proceeded with as has been described until the doorways are reached, following which the space between the doorways may be loaded in like manner, padding corresponding to the pads or padding 5, H and I5 being respectively inserted, as the loading progresses between the difierent transverse tiers and between the right end of the car and the adjacent tier.

The pads 5, II and i5 are flexible and of substantial thickness and softness, and each is preferably composed of a burlap casing filled with soft cushioning material, as wood wool, asbestos fiber, cotton or other suitable soft material. The casing may be waterprooied, if desired.

By disposing the melons of each row above the bottom row of a tier in staggered relation to the melons in the row next below and overlapping midway the melons of such row and those in the tier next adjacent thereto, the melons interlock with each other, which prevents relative shifting of contacting melons. By inclining the tiers, as shown, and inserting the padding between ad-.

jacent tiers in contact with the melons thereof,

the padding midway overlaps the melons in both of the under rows of each tier, thus afiording a soft cushion support for the melons above and protecting the melons below it, so that the shoulders of the melons so protected are not liable to damage.

The disposition of the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane in longitudinal alinement respectively with each other, and by having the melons in each row of a tier above the bottom row of the tier resting on the melons next below in the tier and overlapping midway such melons and those in the row below in the next tier, and disposing the padding between the tiers and spread upon the upper sides of the melons in the rows below the top row, not alone protects the melons from damage, butit serves to firmly retain the padding in its proper operative position and prevents the melons from relative shifting with respect to each other.

It also serves to protect the melons from injury due to vertical shocks.

It will be understood that when the melons are laid in transverse rows, the rows are extended to near the opposite side of the car from that at which the laying started, straw or other suit-.

able filling material being inserted between the said opposite side of the car and the adjacent melons. If desired the bottom rows of melons may be laid upon straw or other soft material spread upon the floor of the car. The melons are thus protected upon all sides except from above, from contact with any hard material, and the inserted padding, arranged as has been described,

prevents damage by any bodily shifting of the load. Such padding may be of any suitable material and form so long as it is flexible and is of substantial softness and thickness.

Modification of our invention, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim is:

1. The method of loading melons in a car consisting in disposing the melons in transverse rows in the car and in tiers one row above the other, the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane being longitudinally alined respectively with each other, the melons in each row above the bottom row of a tier being in staggered relation to and resting on the melons in the row next below and respectively overlapping and being supported by melons in a row next below and in one of the next tiers, and inserting sheets of flexible cushioning padding of substantial thickness and softness between adjacent tiers respectively in contact with the melons therein, each of said sheets extending from between the melons of the bottom row upwardly between all of the rows of the two adjacent tiers.

2. The method of loading watermelons in a. car consisting in disposing the melons in transverse rows in the car and in tiers one row above the other, the melons of rows in the same horizontal plane being longitudinally alined respectively with each other, the melons in each row above the bottom row of a tier being in staggered relation to and resting on the melons in the row next below and respectively overlapping and. be-

' ing supported by melons in a row next below in one of the next tiers, and inserting sheets of flexible cushioning padding of substantial thickness and softness between'adjacent tiers respectively in contact with the melons therein and contacting with the under sides of the said overlapping melons and with the-upper sides of said overlapping melons, each of said sheets extending from between the melons of the bottom row upwardly between all of the rows of the two adjacent tiers.

3. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposing melons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverse to the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposed lengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row, resting on the melons next below, similarly forming another tier of melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons in each row of each tier respectively longitudinally alining with the melons in the corresponding row of the other tier, and disposing cushioning padding of substantial softness and thickness between and contacting with the adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

4. The method of loading watermelons in a I car, consisting in disposing melons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverse to the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposed lengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row, being in staggered relation to and resting on and between the melons next below similarly forming another tier of melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons in each row of each tier respectively longitudinally alining with the melons in the corresponding-row of the other tier, and disposing cushioning padding of substantial softness and thickness between and contacting with the adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

5. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposing melons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverse to the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposed lengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row, being in staggered relation to and supported by and between and projecting beyond the melons next below, similarly forming another tier of melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons in each row of each tier respectively alining with the melons in the corresponding row of the other tier, the projecting melons in the second tier being in staggered relation to and overlapping and supported by and between the melons next below in the first tier, and disposing cushioning padding of substantial softness and thickness between and contacting with the adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers.

6. The method of loading watermelons in a car, consisting in disposing melons in the car in rows one above the other to form a tier transverse to the length of the car, the melons having their lengths disposed lengthwise of the car, the melons in each row, excepting the bottom row, being in staggered relation to and supported by and between and projecting beyond the melons next below, similarly forming another tier of melons adjacent to and parallel with the first tier, the melons in each row of each tier respecthe adjacent ends of the melons in the two tiers, and between and contacting with the projecting melons in one tier and the overlapped melons next below in the other tier.

LESTER V. FRANCIS. JOSEF H. GRAFUES.

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