Oh, Letters Patent!* D. T. Abercrombie space saving cabinets

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Abercrombie & Fitch not only catered to wilderness specialists, but they also outfitted famous outdoor enthusiasts such as Theodore Roosevelt for his 1909-1910 African Safari, Ernest Hemingway for his long stays in Cuba, and Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh for their flight gear and survival rations. Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower, famous anglers, are also known to have purchased fishing rods, waders and other gear, directly from the A&F Co., Madison Avenue flagship store in New York City: "Where the blazed trail crosses the boulevard", as shown in the advertisement depicted below. 

The US utility patent, US775766A, titled Camping outfit, illustrates a luxury camping cabinet invention for clothes storage, the lower part of which might alternatively be used as a table. The cabinet and shelves were foldable, easily stored and re-assembled for use.

The patent Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the assembled cabinet, comprising slatted shelves 1 to 4, a canvas back 9 and canvas sides 8. Pocket shelf-holders were attached to each canvas side 8, into which the shelves 1 to 4 were separately inserted. The cabinet stood on four forked uprights 12, with two crossbars 10 from front to rear, resting on the upright forks. 

The lower part had a larger tabletop 13, resting on its own crossbars 14, lashed to the uprights 12. The lower table portion was detachable from the upper shelves for standalone use. Means might be included to suspend the upright shelves. 

Note

* US patents were initially called Letters Patent in the European tradition, dating as far back as the 15th century, and at the inception of the United States, at the end of the 18th century, according to the first US Patent Act (1790). The term Letters Patent was then used well into the 19th century, although usage began to shift, following the provisions of the third US Patent Act (1836), which established the United States Patent Office. 

    The term “Letters Patent” is derived from Latin, “litterae patens”, a form of the verb “patere”, which means “to stand open”. In other words, a term that refers to “open letters” in the sense of public or “by decree” and in contrast to private “sealed letters” (in Latin litterae clausae) 

Reference

Abercrombie & Fitch (website)

https://www.abercrombie.com/

Oh, Letters Patent!* D.T. Abercrombie’s pack carrier

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The popular Abercrombie pack carrier, comprising a rigid frame, optional tumpline(1) and chest strap, is another patented invention that was awarded to David T. Abercrombie, the founder of Abercrombie Co., in 1892. Indeed, the US patent, US1217262, titled Pack carrier, was awarded on February 27, 1917 to David T. Abercrombie, hailing from New Jersey, and assigned to the New York corporation, David T. Abercrombie Company.

The invention had a twofold purpose. First, the rigid frame was designed to prevent contact between the rucksack(2) and the user’s back so that air could circulate freely in between. Secondly, the frame was designed to prevent the rucksack from rolling during movement and in case of an uneven load, ensuring that the load's weight was consistently centrally distributed between hips and shoulders, and optionally transferred in part to the forehead and/or chest.

The included patent Figure 1 depicts a side elevation view of the invention, and a user’s body(3). The patent Figure 1 further depicts a side view of the frame a, preferably rectangular in shape, and comprising light steel rods, with rounded ends a1 to conveniently attach a tumpline g, comprising a head strap g1 and an adjustment buckle g2. Likewise, the top bar of the frame might be bent upwards at the center a2 to enable attachment of shoulder straps c, adjusted with various buckles c1. Preferably, the frame a has a flexible light canvas filler b, secured to the frame a with lacing b1. The filler material b was designed to provide additional support in case the load was shorter or smaller than the frame. Finally, two hinged thrust rods d at the lower end of the frame were joined via a transversal rod d1. Together, the three rods functioned as a bail to transfer a portion of the load's weight to the hips, where it is less inconvenient to carry.

Below, pages 34 and 35 are extracted from the 1921 Blazed Trail Abercrombie & Fitch product catalog. The pages show various rucksacks, some of which would have accommodated the present invention frame, which also had the advantage of being removable and adaptable to various rucksack models.

Notes

* US patents were initially called Letters Patent in the European tradition, dating as far back as the 15th century, and at the inception of the United States, at the end of the 18th century, according to the first US Patent Act (1790). The term Letters Patent was then used well into the 19th century, although usage began to shift, following the provisions of the third US Patent Act (1836), which established the United States Patent Office. 

    The term “Letters Patent” is derived from Latin, “litterae patens”, a form of the verb “patere”, which means “to stand open”. In other words, a term that refers to “open letters” in the sense of public or “by decree” and in contrast to private “sealed letters” (in Latin litterae clausae)  

(1) A tumpline, also called a tump strap, is a canvas forehead band designed to transfer some of the rucksack weight to the head. 

(2) A rucksack is a top-loading pack designed for heavy outdoor loading.
(3) The user’s body is drawn with broken lines to indicate context vs. object of the invention.

Reference

Abercrombie & Fitch (website)

https://www.abercrombie.com/

Oh, Letters Patent! D. T. Abercrombie's camping utensil

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

David T. Abercrombie, the founder of Abercrombie Co. in 1892 was also a multiple-time patented inventor. A surveyor by trade, his experience of the great outdoors undoubtedly informed both his entrepreneurship in high-end gear for wilderness adventurers, and his inventions in the domain of camping.

For example, the Letters Patent* No. 730731, titled Camping utensil, is one such US utility patent, awarded June 9th, 1903, to David T. Abercrombie, hailing from Newark, NJ, and assigned to the New York firm Abercrombie & Fitch. The patent recites an improvement to camping utensils, specifically to frying pans. Still in use to date, this improvement comprised a removable handle, so that the improved frying pan might be easily packed, stored, and readily assembled for use.

The patent Figure 1, included above, depicts a side elevation view of the invention. The invention comprises a frying pan 1, preferably made of aluminum. The side 2 of the frying pan comprises a socket, made of two pieces of metal 3, riveted into the side 2. The socket is tapered at the top and flared at the bottom inlet, with slightly raised edges 4 to enable cooperation with the foot 6 of the handle. 

The handle comprises a grip 12 and a shank 5 with a foot 6 turned upwards, intended to cooperate with the frying pan socket, slipping in from the bottom up. To prevent the handle foot 6 from disengaging from the frying pan socket, a retaining member, comprising a rim-engaging member 9 and a shank portion 8, is clamped together with the handle shank 5, using a slide 11, moved laterally towards the socket. The slide 11 also moves back laterally, towards the grip 12, to allow the handle foot 6 to be disengaged from the frying pan socket.  

A vintage Abercrombie & Fitch camping advertisement is also included above. On the left, the advertisement depicts a Nesting cook set comprising, in particular, a frying pan with a detached handle.  

________

Note
*  Patents were called Letters Patent as early as the 15th century in Europe, and at the inception of the United States, at the end of the 18th century, according to the provisions of the first US Patent Act (1790). The term Letters Patent was used well into the 19th century, although usage began to shift following the provisions of the third US Patent Act (1836), which established the United States Patent Office. 

    The term Letters Patent is derived from Latin, litterae "patens”, a form of the verb “patere”, which means “to stand open”. In other words, a term that refers to “open letters” in the sense of public or “by decree”, and in contrast to private “sealed letters” (in Latin litterae clausae).

Reference

Abercrombie & Fitch (website)

https://www.abercrombie.com/

Oh, patents! The Fouclette

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Fouclette undoubtedly rimes with raclette, the delicious broiled "scraped-cheese", Swiss appetizer. Especially, considering that the inventors, Denis Flota and Marie Christine Ribatto, both hail from Chamonix, in the French Alps, a mountain range shared with Switzerland, in the Southeast of France. The Fouclette, an ultra-portable, all-in-one, gas grill, broiler, and rôtisserie (skewer-roaster), was invented by a professional food-industry couple, with the famous multifunctionality of the “Swiss army knife” in mind. A couple, who craved to grill, broil, and skewer-roast on high-altitude treks, using an ultra-portable, multipurpose, gas-powered cooking appliance.

The Fouclette invention was awarded the French Industrial Property Office (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle - INPI) patent, FR 3120423, titled Ultra-portable gas cooker with orbital rotating burner. The first syllable of the term Fouclette, “Fou”, meaning “jester” in French, is also a homonym for “crazed”, which is how the inventors are purported to have felt when their invention, the ultra-portable, multipurpose, combination broiler, skewer-roaster and grill, went on to collect many accolades, including the 2022 gold medal, at the historically famous, French innovation contest, called the Concours Lépine (first launched in1901).

The Fouclette combines three-appliances-in-one: a griddle or plancha for grilling, a rotisserie for food cooked on a skewer, and a broiler. The patent Figure 1 is included below, together with an image of the marketed Fouclette in use. The patent Figure 1 depicts the appliance enclosure (1), a radiant burner (2), supplied by an air/gas pipe (3), a circular groove (4) allowing to set the position of the burner, a central axis (5), a locking ring (6), a burner rotation handle (7), and stowaway feet (8). The enclosure has pegs (9) for installing cooking accessories (e.g., a griddle), a front opening (10) for sliding in a cooking dish or food for broiling, and a groove (11) for accommodating skewers. The Figure 1 also depicts a detachable lid (12) which, once removed, enables the Fouclette to accommodate containers larger than the heating surface, and once closed, enables to use the Fouclette as an oven.

Below, the English abstract of the Fouclette invention.

Ultra-portable gas cooking appliance with an orbital rotating burner, enabling various cooking operations to be carried out with the same appliance. The present invention relates to an ultra- portable gas appliance, whose orbital rotation of the burner enables miniaturization, and to perform several cooking operations. The orbital rotation of the burner enables it to be positioned either on the top, side, or bottom of the enclosure, which has the effect of reducing the overall size of the enclosure, unlike other rotary burner cooking appliances, which rotate on their central axis, and therefore always remain positioned in the center of the appliance, regardless of their orientation. Traditionally, portable gas cooking appliances are limited in their cooking operations due to the stationary position of the burner. The central position of rotary burners, inside the cooking enclosure, results in an increase in the size of the enclosure, and therefore also of the appliance. The appliance is intended for cooking food. [Abstract FR3120423]

References

Fouclette 

https://fouclette.com/

Concours Lépine

https://www.concours-lepine.com/

Oh, patents! The BeauEr 3x caravan

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Going on a vacation? How about camping in style with a BeauEr caravan, recipient of the 2017 Concours Lépine Grand Prize!

This stylish caravan telescopes, and triples its size in just 20 seconds, with no installation, using patented hydraulics. Once unfolded, the 15 feet wide, and customizable 130 ft² living area, contains a small kitchen (with a fridge, a sink and 2 burners, a microwave, and lots of storage), a seating area with a large extendable table, a separate sleeping alcove and toilets. Folded back into its compact form, without taking anything apart, the caravan is just 6 feet wide, so that it can easily be hauled around.

European patent EP2330255 discloses this invention, titled in English: Extensible, transportable habitable cell. The English patent Abstract is included below, with 3 patent drawings showing three phases of the telescoping abode for the road 

The cell has a wall including a vertical bottom panel (18) formed of a single plate, and mounted movably relative to a floor panel (17). The bottom panel forms a floor of a habitable module (2) when the module is fully extended with respect to another habitable module (1). A mounting unit mounts the bottom panel by an edge (30) with respect to an edge of the floor panel. The mounting unit mounts another edge (31) of the bottom panel of the wall with another vertical bottom panel (23) of another wall. [Abstract EP2330255]

References
BeauER
http://www.beauer.fr/en/
Concours Lépine
http://www.concours-lepine.com