Improvements in the Construction of Boxes and Chests.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Boxes and Chests.
I, ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN, of Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street,
Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to boxes and chests in which metal sheets are
employed in the formation of the top, bottom and sides, or, of some of these parts.
These metal sheets particularly when thin, very soon get damaged and out of shape
and the articles or goods packed therein are consequently liable to injury.
Now the main object of my invention is to strengthen these sheets or render
them more solid and for this purpose line them with straw board, millboard,
leather, wood-pulp or other like material.
In carrying out the invention, I take a metal sheet of dimensions suitable for
forming, say, the top, bottom, or side of a box or chest, and against one face of
same lay a liner of strawboard or other like material of somewhat smaller
dimensions than the metal sheet. Before, or after applying the liner, I flange the
edges of the sheet and I then flatten or turn down the flanges upon the liner so as
to hold this in place. I thus obtain a compound sheet which is cheap and
sufficiently strong to stand a large amount of rough usage without appreciable
damage. If greater solidity be required I interpose between the metal sheet and
the liner a layer of asphalte or other tenacious cement. And for further strength
and stability I corrugate the liner and sometimes the metal sheet also.
In applying these compound sheets to boxes, the sides of which are of wood, I
can employ the sheets for the top and bottom, fixing them to the wooden sides by
nails or screws. Boxes thus made will be found particularly adapted for packing
goods such as tin plates.
For some purposes I can make all the sides as well as the top and bottom with
my compound sheets these sheets being fastened or soldered together at the meeting
points in any ordinary manner.
For purposes such as for packing tea, I prefer to employ grooved wooden frames
and to use my compound sheets for the top, bottom and sides of the chests, the
edges of these sheets being inserted into the grooves of the frames in the manner
described in my Specification No. 17,489 of 1889. In order to make the chests or
boxes watertight at the joints and to keep the contents from contact with the
wooden frames, I make the metal sheets with a return or inward fold having a
flange to cover or partly cover the wood of the frame inside. The flanges on
adjoining sheets overlap each other so as to entirely cover the wood and should be
soldered together so as to make them air and watertight.
For boxes of a more or less ornamental character I can employ grooved frames
of vulcanite or celluloid to receive my compound sheets which may be ornamented
by enamelling or otherwise.
I also sometimes cover the face of the liner next the goods to be packed with
paper, tin foil or lead. This renders my boxes particularly adapted for delicate
and perishable articles, such as tea, which are liable to lose flavor and deteriorate
with variations of temperature and climate. The strawboards being a bad
conductor of heat shield the contents of the boxes from the effects of varying
temperature.
If the boxes or chests are required to be fire proof I line the metal sheets with
one or more sheets of asbestos millboard and between these sheets or between the
millboard and the metal I can place a layer of asbestos cement or other suitable fire
resisting material.

page_text: For special boxes or chests I can make my compound sheets of two metal sheets
having a sheet of strawboard or like material sandwiched between them.
Although I have stated that I employ the strawboard or other material as a
liner to a metal sheet it is obvious that in any case where desirable the strawboard
or other material can form the outside and the metal sheet the inside of the box.
Dated this 11th day of Anril 1891
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Boxes and Chests.
I, ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN, of Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street,
Westminster, Engineer, 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 has reference to boxes and chests in which metal sheets are
employed in the formation of the top, bottom and sides or of some of these parts.
These metal sheets particularly when thin very soon get damaged and out of
shape and the articles or goods packed therein are consequently liable to injury.
Now the main object of my invention is to strengthen these sheets or render
them more solid and for this purpose I line them with strawboard, millboard,
leather, wood pulp or other like material.
In carrying out the invention I take a metal sheet such for example as
represented at a in Figure 1 of the annexed drawings of dimensions suitable for
forming say the top, bottom or side of a box or chest and against one face of same
I lay a liner of strawboard or other like material of somewhat smaller-dimensions
than the metal sheet. Before or after applying the liner I flange the edges of the
sheet a as at a and I then flatten or turn down the flanges upon the liner as at a² so
as to hold this in place. I thus obtain a compound sheet which is cheap and
sufficiently strong to stand a large amount of rough usage without appreciable
damage. If greater solidity be required I interpose between the metal sheet and
the liner a layer of asphalte or other tenacious cement. And for further strength
and stability I can corrugate the liner and sometimes the metal sheet also.
In applying these compound sheets to boxes or chests the sides of which are of
wood, can employ the sheets for the top and bottom fixing them to the wooden
sides by nails or screws. This construction of box or chest is shown partly in
elevation and partly in section in Figure 2. The four sides of the box are made of
wood cc and the top and bottom are formed of my compound sheets which are fixed
to the wooden sides by nails or screws d d. Boxes or chests thus made will be
found particularly adapted for packing goods such as tin plates.
For some purposes I can make all the sides as well as the top and bottom with
my compound sheets; these sheets being fastened or soldered together at the meeting
points in any ordinary manner.
For purposes such as for packing tea I prefer to employ grooved wooden frames
and to use my compound sheets for the top, bottom, and sides of the chests the
edges of these sheets being inserted into the grooves of the frames in the manner
described in my Specification No. 17,489 of 1889.
This construction is illustrated in Figure 3 one half of which is in elevation and
the other half in section. ccare. the grooved wooden frames and a h, ab are my
compound sheets forming the top, bottom and sides of the chests and let into the
grooves in the said frames in a manner similar to the metal sheets shown in
Figure 13 of the drawings accompanying my said Specification No. 17,489 of 1889.
In order to make the chests or boxes watertight at the joints and to keep the
contents from contact with the wooden frames, I make the metal sheet with a return
or inward fold having a flange to cover or partly cover the wood of the frame

page_text: inside. The flanges on adjoining sheets overlap each other so as to entirely cover
the wood and should be soldered together so as to make them air and watertight.
This mode of making a tight joint is illustrated in Figure 4 which shows it applied
to a box in which the top and bottom are formed of my compound sheets a b, a band
the sides of metal sheets e e all the sheets being inserted into grooves in the wooden
frames cc.
It will be seen that the metal sheets a and e have each a return or
inward fold with a flange g to partly cover the wood of the frame < inside and
that the flanges of the plates aa and those of the plates ee overlap each other
at hh so as to entirely cover the inside of the wood . The overlapping parts at h h
should be soldered together. I have shown this joint applied to a chest or box in
which the top and bottom are formed of miny compound sheets and the sides
of metal sheets but it is equally applicable to chests or boxes in which the top,
bottom and sides are all made of compound sheets or of metal sheets. Figure 4*
represents a modification of this joint in which the wood between the metal sheets a
and e is covered by a separate metal piece with flanges which enter the same
grooves in the wood as are entered by the sheets a and e respectively and which
are soldered to these sheets.
I
For boxes of a more or less ornamental character I can employ grooved frames
of vulcanite or celluloid to receive my compound sheets which may be ornamented
by enamelling or otherwise.
I also sometimes cover the face of the liner next the goods to be packed with paper,
tinfoil or lead. This renders 'my boxes particularly adapted for delicate and
perishable articles such as tea which are liable to lose flavor and deteriorate with
variations of temperature and climate. The strawboards being a bad conductor of
heat shield the contents of the boxes from the effects of varying temperature and
in order to further increase the non-conducting power of my compound sheets 1
can for special purposes interpose felt or other non-conducting material between the
metal sheets and the strawboard liners, as seen in Figure 5 in which represents
the felt or non-conducting material between the metal sheets a and the liners b.
If the boxes or chests are required to be fireproof I line the metal sheets with
one or more sheets of asbestos millboard and between these sheets or between the
millboard and the metal I can place a layer of asbestos cement or other suitable
fire resisting material.
For special boxes or chests I can make my compound sheets of two metal sheets
having a sheet of strawboard, compressed felt or like material sandwiched between
them.
Although I have stated that I employ the strawboard or other material as a
liner to a metal sheet it is obvious that in any case where desirable the strawboard
or other material can form the outside and the metal sheet the inside of the box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. In the construction of boxes or chests, the use of compound sheets such as
those herein before described to form the box or chest or portions of the same as set
forth.
2. The several modifications or constructions hereinbefore explained of boxes or
chests formed entirely or partly of compound sheets such as those hereinbefore
described.
3. In boxes or chests which consist of grooved wooden frames having compound
sheets or metal sheets inserted to constitute the top, bottom and sides, the joint
formed substantially as hereinbefore described between adjoining sheets for the
purposes set forth.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.