Apparatus for supporting tobacco leaves in bulk form for curing

Claim 1

A RACK FOR SUPPORTING A BATCH OF TOBACCO LEAVES IN COMPRESSED BULK FORM FOR PASSAGE OF A FLOW OF FORCED AIR VERTICALLY THERETHROUGH COMPRISING (A) A PAIR OF SEPARABLE RACK SECTIONS DISPOSABLE IN SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER IN A LOADING POSITION WITH A BATCH OF TOBACCO LEAVES POSITIONED THEREBETWEEN IN LOOSE BULK FORM HAVING THE FLAT SURFACES THEREOF DISPOSED GENERALLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION, (B) A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL ELONGATED PRONGS FIXEDLY SECURED AT ONE OF THEIR ENDS TO ONE OF SAID RACK SECTIONS AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID RACK SECTIONS WHEN THE LATTER ARE DISPOSED IN SAID LOADING POSITION, (C) SAID RACK SECTIONS BEING MOVABLE FROM SAID LOADING POSITION RECTILINEARLY TOWARD EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF EXTENT OF SAID PRONGS INTO AN OPERATIVELY ENGAGED POSITION TO PIERCE THE FREE ENDS OF SAID PRONGS THROUGH THE LEAVES IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FLAT SURFACES THEREOF AND TO COMPRESS THE BATCH OF LEAVES IN LOOSE BULK FORM INTO A RELATIVELY COMPACT BATCH ON SAID PRONGS, (D) INTERENGAGING GUIDE AND ABUTMENT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID RACK SECTIONS ADJACENT EACH OF THE END PORTIONS THEREOF OPERABLE DURING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID RACK SECTIONS FROM SAID LOADING POSITION TO SAID OPERATIVELY ENGAGED POSITION TO GUIDE SAID RACK SECTIONS INTO PROPER ALIGNMENT IN DIRECTIONS PERPENDICULAR TO THE EXTENT OF SAID PRONGS AND TO PREVENT MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID RACK SECTION IN DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PRONGS WHEN THE RACK SECTIONS ARE DISPOSED IN SAID OPERATIVELY ENGAGED POSITION, (E) INTERENGAGING SPRING LATCH PARTS CARRIED BY SAID RACK SECTIONS ADJACENT EACH OF THE END PORTIONS THEREOF ENGAGEABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID RACK SECTIONS INTO SAID OPERATIVELY ENGAGED POSITION TO PREVENT MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID RACK SECTIONS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF EXTENT OF SAID PRONGS AND MANUALLY DISENGAGEABLE TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID RACK SECTIONS OUT OF SAID OPERATIVELY ENGAGED POSITION, AND (F) MEANS ON SAID RACK SECTIONS DEFINING SPACED SUPPORTING SURFACES FACING IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF EXTENT OF SAID PRONGS WHEN THE RACK IS IN AN OPERATIVELY ENGAGED CURING POSITION FOR PASSAGE OF THE FLOW OF FORCED AIR VERTICALLY THROUGH THE BATCH OF LEAVES SUPPORTED THEREIN, (G) SAID RACK SECTIONS IN THE OPERATIVELY ENGAGED CURING POSITION OF THE RACK INCLUDING HORIZONTALLY INWARDLY FACING PERIPHERAL SURFACE MEANS FOR EXTERIORLY PERIPHERALLY SUPPORTING THE BATCH OF COMPRESSED LEAVES WITH THEIR FLAT SURFACES EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FORCED AIR FLOW, (H) SAID PRONGS IN THE OPERATIVELY ENGAGED CURING POSITION OF THE RACK EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE SPACE BOUNDED BY SAID INWARDLY FACING PERIPHERAL SURFACE MEANS AND BEING SPACED APART RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER IN SAID SPACE TO PROVIDE INTERIOR SUPPORT TO THE BATCH OF LEAVES FOR VERTICAL POSITIONS WITHIN THE UPPER EIGHT TO TEN INCHES OF THE LEAVES AND AT HORIZONTAL POSITIONS SPACES AT LEAST FROM THREE TO SIX INCHES APART.