Improvements in Tin Vessels for Packing Biscuits and other Perishable Goods, and Instruments for Opening such Vessels.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tin Vessels for Packing Biscuits and other
Perishable Goods, and Instruments for Opening such Vessels.
1, ELLIS CARR, of Drummond Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, a
Member of the firm of Peek Frean & Co., Biscuit Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to tin boxes or canisters which are used for packing biscuits
sweetmeats cakes and other articles which require to be preserved from access
of air.
27
Such tin boxes or canisters have been constructed with an air tight cover in
addition to and within the ordinary lid. This air tight cover has been soldered onto
or otherwise affixed to the said boxes or canisters in a similar way to that in which
the ordinary lids or covers are frequently soldered on, but this air tight cover has
been constructed of such thin soft metal that it could be removed when it was desired
to open the tin vessel without the use of a "tin opener or any other tool leaving the
tin box after it had been opened in a fit condition to be used as a perfect box with an
uninjured lid or cover though no longer air tight. This uninjured lid or cover being
the second or exterior one. But there are some cases in which it is desired to have a
stronger cover, and the object of my present invention is to meet the requirements of
such cases; to provide an effectual air tight packing, whilst at the same time
preventing the trouble and inconvenience to which consumers are constantly subjected
(1) in consequence of having no opening instrument at hand, or (2) owing to the
instrument available being unsuitable and so making it difficult to effect the
opening without injury to the hand of the operator or to the contents of the box or
canister.
For the purposes mentioned I make the inner air tight cover of a sheet of thin tin
(or as it is called "tag" tin) in which is stamped or pressed a receptacle for an
opening instrument such as I will proceed to describe, and which instrument is thus
enclosed between the inner and outer tin covers; the object being, as will be readily
understood, to provide with each box or canister a suitable instrument for opening
the sealed cover which shall be sufficiently light in weight not appreciably to affect
the cost of carriage, duties, &c.; shall be sufficiently sharp to penetrate the cover by
light hand pressure; shall afford sufficient grip or hold for the hand when in use,
and shall also be of such a form that when once inserted through the tin forming the
inner cover of the box, the cut can be made to the full extent required in one
stroke i.e. without repeated incisions or withdrawal of the instrument. The construction
of the instrument moreover is such that it will not be liable to penetrate so far below
the cover as to injure the contents of the box or canister. Such an instrument is
formed by cutting or stamping (preferably by means of dies) from a sheet of suitable
metal such as steel of appropriate thickness (say 3 inch) a flat piece having at one
end any form that will enable the instrument to be easily manipulated as for example
an eye or a cross head that can be gripped by the fingers and at the other a short
projection or point at an angle with the shank. In the angle at the junction of this
projection with the shank is a small notch and within the limits of this notch the
inetal is brought to a cutting edge. The extreme point of the projection is also
made sufficiently sharp to penetrate the tin by slight hand pressure.
The object of making sharp only the point and the edge within the notch is this:
When the projection has penetrated to its full depth through the cover that portion
of the shank next to the notch will rest on the tin of the cover and by pulling the
instrument by hand the cutting edge of the notch will be caused to cut the tin of
the cover.
Were the entire inner edge of the projection sharpened it would be

page_text: difficult to keep it below the surface of the tin, as it would cut its way up and come
out, but the shoulder formed by the notch, and the obstruction offered by the
unsharpened portion of the inner edge of the projection, keep the instrument in
position under the tin and enable a continuous cut to be made.
It is of course desirable to pull the instrument in a direction as parallel as possible
to the plane of the cover.
Dated thi 1141
A1 1800
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tin Vessels for Packing Biscuits and other
Perishable Goods, and Instruments for Opening such Vessels.
1, ELLIS CARR, of Drummond Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, a
Member of the firm of Peek Frean & Co., Biscuit Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention relates to tin boxes or canisters which are used for packing
biscuits sweetmeats cakes and other articles which require to be preserved from
access of air.
Such tin boxes or canisters have been constructed with an air tight cover in
addition to and within the ordinary lid, according to the invention forming the
subject of a previous patent granted to me: viz., No. 5796 of the year 1884.
This air tight cover has been soldered on to, or otherwise affixed to the said boxes or
canisters, in a similar way to that in which the ordinary lids or covers are frequently
soldered on; but this air tight cover has been constructed of such thin soft metal
that it could be removed when it was desired to open the tin vessel, without the use
of a "tin opener" or any other tool, leaving the tin box after it had been opened in
a fit condition to be used as a perfect box with an uninjured lid or cover, though no
longer air tight. This uninjured lid or cover was of course the second or exterior
one. But there are some cases in which it is desired to have a stronger inner cover;
and the object of the present invention is to meet the requirements of such cases,
i.e. to provide an effectual air tight packing, whilst at the same time preventing the
trouble and inconvenience to which consumers are constantly subjected (1) in con-
sequence of having no opening instrument at hand, or (2) owing to the instrument
available being uusuitable and so making it difficult to effect the opening without
injury to the band of the operator, or to the contents of the box or canister.
And in order that my present invention may be clearly understood I will now
explain it more fully by reference to the annexed sheet of illustrative drawings,
in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of part of a tin box or canister.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the ordinary or outer lid.
Fig. 3 shews in side elevation part of an instrument constructed according to
this invention.
Fig. 4 shews in side elevation to a smaller scale a complete instrument but the form
of handle here illustrated can be variously modified.
Fig. 5 is an edge view of this instrument.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing part of a tin box or canister with the
opening instrument in the position it occupies when in use the inner cover of the
box or canister being shown already partly cut by the instrument.
For the purposes mentioned I make the inner air tight cover A (fig. 1) of a sheet
of thin tin (or as it is called "tag" tin) in which is stamped or pressed or embossed
a receptacle B for an opening instrument such as I will hereinafter describe the
form of the receptacle depending on the shape of the instrument; the instrument is
thus enclosed between the inner tin cover A and the outer tin cover A*; the object

page_text: being, as will be readily understood to provide with each box or canister a suitable
instrument for opening the sealed cover, which instrument shall be sufficiently light
in weight not appreciably to affect the cost of carriage, duties &c.; shall be
sufficiently sharp to admit of its being caused to penetrate the cover by light hand
pressure; shall afford sufficient grip or hold for the hand when in use; and shall also
be of such a form that when once inserted through the tin forming the inner cover
of the box, the cut G can be made to the full extent required in one stroke i.e. without
repeated incisions or withdrawal and return of the instrument.
The construction of the instrument, moreover, is such that it will not be liable to
penetrate so far below the cover as to injure the contents of the box or canister. Such
an instrument is formed by cutting or stamping (preferably by means of dies) from
a sheet of suitable metal such as steel of appropriate thickness (say 3 inch) a flat
piece having at one end any form that will enable the instrument to be easily
manipulated (as, for example, an eye as in Figs. 4, 5 and 6; or a cross head that can
be gripped by the fingers) and at the other end the formation that will now be
described with reference to Fig. 3. In that figure, C is a short projection or point at
an angle with the shank D. In the angle, at the junction of this projection with the
shank, is a small notch E, and within the limits of this notch the inetal is brought to
a cutting edge F. The extreme point of the projection is also made sufficiently sharp
to penetrate the tin by slight hand pressure. As will be evident, the shape of the
sbank and of the pointed projection might be more or less varied, so long as the
instrument be made with the notch in the angle and with a cutting edge within
the limits of this notch, as described.
The object of making sharp only the point and the edge within the notch is this :-
When the projection has penetrated to its full depth through the cover, that portion
of the shank next to the notch will rest on the tin of the cover, and by pulling the
instrument by hand the cutting edge of the notch will be caused to cut the tin of the
cover. If the entire inner edge of the projection were sharpened, it would be
difficult to keep it below the surface of the tin, as it would cut its way up and come
out; but the shoulder formed by the notch, and the obstruction offered by the
unsharpened portion of the inner edge of the projection, keep the instrument in
position under the tin, and enable a continuous cut to be made.
It is, of course, desirable to pull the instrument in a direction as nearly parallel as
possible to the plane of the cover.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A tin vessel for packing biscuits or other perishable goods, constructed with an
air tight tin cover formed with a receptacle for an opening instrument, the arrange-
ment being such that when an opening instrument has been placed in the said
receptacle and an outer tin cover has been properly placed upon the vessel the said
opening instrument will be enclosed between the inner and outer tin covers and
will be prevented from leaving the receptacle until the outer tin cover has been
removed, as set forth.
2. For opening tin vessels containing biscuits or other perishable goods, an
instrument constructed of sheet or thin metal with (a), a shank (b) a short pro-
jection or point at an angle with the shank (c) a notch in the angle formed by
the junction of the projection with the shank and (d) a cutting edge within
the limits of the said notch.
3. The improved instrument shown in and described with reference to Figs. 4
and 5 of the drawings, for opening tin vessels such as referred to.
Dated bus day or may
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.