Apparatus for bulk curing tobacco

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING DEFOLIATED TOBACCO LEAVES IN BULK FORM FOR TRANSPORTATION AND CURING COMPRISING A PAIR OF UPRIGHT IMPERFORATE WALLS AND AN IMPERFORATE ROOF EXTENDING BETWEEN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID WALLS, MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID WALLS FOR SUPPORTING A MULTIPLICITY OF TOBACCO LEAVES IN BULK FORM THEREBETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT THEREOF WITH THE FLAT SURFACES OF SAID LEAVES EXTENDING VERTICALLY AND WITH A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FLAT SURFACES PARALLEL SO AS TO PERMIT VERTICAL AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH, THE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID LEAVES BEING ADAPTED FOR DEFINING WITH SAID ROOF AN OPEN ENDED DUCT PERMITTING HORIZONTAL FLOW OF AIR THERETHROUGH, SAID WALLS AND ROOF HAVING MEANS ON EACH OF THE ENDS THEREOF FOR SUBSTANTIALLY SEALINGLY ABUTTING THE OPPOSITE END OF A SIMILAR DEVICE, SAID WALLS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RECTANGULAR WALL SECTIONS SECURED TOGETHER IN VERTICALLY STACKED AND END-TO-END RELATION, SAID TOBACCO LEAF SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING SPACED HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING PRONG MEANS DIRECTLY CONNECTED BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF SPACED CORRESPONDING WALL SECTIONS.