IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND OTHER BOXES FOR HOLDING STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Diedrich Leonardt, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Hezekiah Hewitt, of
Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND
OTHER BOXES FOR HOLDING STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES."
Sealed the 29th January 1875, and dated the 19th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Diedrich Leonardt
and Hezekiah Hewitt at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 19th August 1874.
We, DIEDRICH LEONARDT, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, and HEZEKIAH HEWITT, of Birmingham,
aforesaid, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF
METALLIC AND OTHER BOXES POR HOLDING STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES,"
to be as follows:--
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
making metallic and other boxes for holding steel pens and other small

page_text: articles, and also in fastening the lids or covers of the same, and
providing means for exhibiting a sample of the articles contained in the
said boxes.
We will describe our improvements as applied to a box made from
sheet metal and of a book form. We make the sides or body of the
box from one piece of sheet metal, the bottom from a second picce of
sheet metal, and the lid or cover from a third piece of sheet metal.
The piece of metal from which the body or sides of the box are made
consists of a strip having a length somewhat greater than the length of
the said sides, and a breadth somewhat greater than the thickness of
the box to be made. One end of the strip is V shaped, and near the other
end of the strip is a piercing for receiving a portion of the said V shaped
end. By means of press tools the strip is bent into an oblong figure
and its V end passed through the piercing described and clinched so as
to fasten together the meeting or abutting ends of the strip. The lower
extreme edge of the body or sides of the box is bent at right angles so
as to form around the box a projecting rim or flange, and the body has
at its middle a projecting piece from which the central knuckle or eye
of the hinge joint of the lid is made. The bottom of the box is made
from an oblong plate of metal, and is fastened to the sides or body by
bending or closing its extreme edge upon the rim or flange described
around the bottom edge of the said sides or body. The lid or cover
consists of a similar oblong plate to the bottom, the said lid plate having
on one of its longer edges, and near the ends thereof, pieces from which
the outer knuckles of the joint are made, and also having on the
opposite edge hollow beadings or hooked catches to be used for fastening
the lid or cover.
The lid is jointed to the body of the box by passing a joint pin
through the outer knuckles on the lid and the central knuckle on the
said body.
The box thus made has the general figure of a book, the
edges of the bottom and lid projecting a short distance beyond the sides
of the box after the manner in which the binding boards of a book
project beyond the leaves of the book.
In order to make one of the longer sides of the box resemble the
convex back of a book, and at the same time provide means for
fastening and unfastening the box, and if required for exhibiting a
sample of the articles contained in the box we place on the unjointed

page_text: longer side of the box a sliding bolt which completely covers the said
side. This bolt has a convex figure, and its lower edge is engaged with
the turned over edge of the bottom plate of the box.
At the upper
edge of the said sliding bolt and near its ends are hooked shaped beadings
or catches similar to those herein-before described on the ends of the
unjointed edge of the lid. The range of motion of the bolt is limited by
a stop on the bolt working in a cut away part in the body of the box.
To fasten the lid of the box the bolt is withdrawn to its full extent and
the lid is shut down upon its hinge. The hooked catches on the said
lid are thereby brought in front of those on the sliding bolt, and by
moving the said bolt to its normal position on the box its catches take
into or engage with those on the lid and effect the fastening of tho
said lid.
The sliding bolt described may carry a sample of the pens or other
articles contained in the box. The sample article is connected to tho
said bolt in any convenient way. We do not limit ourselves to the book
form of the box herein-before described as our improvements may be
applied to boxes of other forms.
Although we have only described our Invention as applied to a
metallic box, yet it may also be applied to boxes made wholly of paper
or other rigid non-metallic material, or partly of metal and partly of
paper or other rigid material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Diedrich Leonardt and Hezekiah Hewitt in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, DIEDRICH
LEONARDT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and HEZEKIAH HEWITT, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto us, the said Diedrich Leonardt and
Hezekiah Hewitt, Her special licence that we, the said Diedrich
Leonardt and Hezekiah Hewitt, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Diedrich Leonardt and Hezekiah
Hewitt, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC AND
OTHER BOXES FOR HOLDING STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Diedrich Leonardt and
Hezekiah Hewitt, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hezekiah Hewitt, on behalf of 1
the said Diedrich Leonardt and myself, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :—
Our Invention consists of the improvements hercin-after described in
making metallic and other boxes for holding steel pens and other small
articles, and also in fastening the lids or covers of the same, and
providing means for exhibiting a sample of the articles contained in the
said boxes.
We will describe our improvements as applied to a box made from
sheet metal, and of a book form. We make the sides or body of the
box from one piece of sheet metal, the bottom from a second piece of
sheet metal, and the lid or cover from a third piece of sheet metal.
The piece of metal from which the body or sides of the box are made
consists of a strip having a length somewhat greater than the length of
the said sides, and a breadth somewhat greater than the thickness of the
box to be made. One end of the strip is V shaped, and near the other

page_text: end of the strip is a piercing for receiving a portion of the said V shaped
end. By means of press tools the strip is bent into an oblong figure,
and its V end passed through the piercing described, and clinched so as
to fasten together the meeting or abutting ends of the strip. The lower
3 extreme edge of the body or sides of the box is bent at right angles so
as to form around the box a projecting rim or flange, and the upper
edge of one of the longer sides of the body has at its middle a projecting
piece, from which the central knuckle or eye of the hinge joint of the
lid is made. The bottom of the box is made from an oblong plate of
O metal, and is fastened to the sides or body by bending or closing its
extreme edge upon the rim or flange described around the bottom edge
of the said sides or body. The lid or cover consists of a similar oblong
plate to the bottom, the said lid plate having on one of its longer edges
and near the ends thereof pieces, from which the outer knuckles of the
5 joint are made, and also having on the opposite edge hollow beadings
or hooked catches to be used for fastening the lid or cover to the
body.
- The lid is jointed to the body of the box by passing a joint pin
through the outer knuckles on the lid, and the central knuckle on the
said body. The box thus made has the general figure of a book, the
edges of the bottom and lid projecting a short distance beyond the sides
of the box, after the manner in which the binding boards of a book
project beyond the leaves of the book.
In order to make one of the longer sides of the box resemble the
convex back of a book, and at the same time provide means for
fastening and unfastening the box, and if required for exhibiting a
sample of the articles contained in the box, we place on the unjointed
longer side of the box a sliding bolt, which completely covers the said
side. This bolt has a convex figure, and its lower edge is engaged with
the turned over edge of the bottom plate of the box. At the upper
edge of the said sliding bolt and near its ends are hooked-shaped
beadings or catches, similar to those herein-before described on the ends
of the unjointed edge of the lid. The range of motion of the bolt is
limited by a stop on the bolt working in a cutaway part in the body
of the box. To fasten the lid of the box the bolt is withdrawn to its
full extent and the lid is shut down upon its hinge. The hooked catches
on the said lid are thereby brought in front of those on the sliding
bolt, and by moving the said bolt to its normal position on the box its

page_text: catches take into or engage with those on the lid and effect the fastening
of the said lid.
The sliding bolt described may carry a sample of the pens or other
articles contained in the box. The sample article is connected to the
said bolt in any convenient way.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation and edge view the strip of sheet
metal from which the body of the box is made. One end of the said
strip has a tuck or V shaped engaging piece a upon it, and the other
end is provided with a piercing 6 for receiving a portion of the end a.
Along the lower extreme edge of the strip, Figure 1, is a lip or
flange c, and near the middle of the upper edge of the said strip is a
knuckle or eye d, constituting the central knuckle of the lid joint herein-
after described. By means of press tools the strip, Figure 1, is bent
at the dotted lines e, e, e, into an oblong figure, and its tuck or engaging
end a is passed through the piercing b, and clinched so as to fasten the
meeting or abutting ends of the strip. The strip, Figure 1, so bent, and
its ends fastened together so as to form the body or sides of the box, is
represented in plan in Figure 2, in side elevation in Figure 3, and in
section in Figure 4, after the bottom ƒ has been fastened to the said
body or sides. The bottom f of the box is made from the blank
represented in Figure 5, the edges of the said bottom plate, Figure 5,
being bent inwards at the dotted lines so as to form around the edges of
the plate a lip or flange g, as seen in the edge view. In order to fasten
the bottom platef to the body or sides of the box the flange c around
the lower edge of the said body is engaged with the flange g on the
bottom f, and the latter flange g is bent or closed upon the flange c.
The two parts are thus connected together as best seen in the enlarged
sectional view of the junction of the bottom and body of the box,
Figure 4.
Figure 6 represents the partially fashioned blank from which the
jointed lid or cover of the box is made, and Figure 7 represents the
finished lid or cover. The blank i, Figure 6, has on one of its longer
edges the outer knuckles h, h, of the joint, and on its opposite edge
pieces k, k, from which the hollow beadings or hooked catches for

page_text: fastening the lid are made. The said blank i is also furnished with a
middle piece for supporting the edge of the box when the lid is shut
down. The lid or cover i is jointed to the body, Figures 2, 3, and 4 of
the box, by engaging the outer knuckles h, h, of the lid with the central
knuckle d on the body, and passing a joint pin through the said engaged
knuckles, as illustrated in the finished box represented in Figures 8 and 9,
Figure 8 representing the box in plan open, and Figure 9 an edge view
of the same, partly open. The box thus made has the general figure of
a book, the edges of the bottom and lid i projecting beyond the sides of
the box. The sliding bolt by which the jointed lid or cover : is fastened,
and the back of the book-formed box completed is marked m. The said
sliding bolt is shown separately in elevation in Figure 10, and end view
in Figure 11; a cross section of the bolt in conjunction with a part of the
box drawn to a larger scale is represented in Figure 12. The bolt m
has a convex figure, and along its lower edge is a flange or lip n, which
flange or lip engages with and slides in the turned over edge g of the
bottom of the box, as best seen in Figures 9 and 12. The opposite edge
of the sliding bolt m is furnished with hooked shaped beadings or catches
P, p, similar to those marked k, k, on the lid, and between the said
catches p, p, on the bolt is a piece 9, which is turned
the body of the box, in the manner seen in Figure 12.
over piece q serves to connect the bolt to the box, and
limit the sliding motion of the bolt, the said stop piece q working in a
cutaway part in the edge of the box. To fasten the lid i of the box
the bolt m is withdrawn to its full extent, as illustrated in Figures 8 and
9. The lid is then shut down upon its hinge, the hooked catches k, k,
on the said lid are thereby brought in front of the catches p, p, on the
sliding bolt m. By now moving the bolt m in the direction of the
arrow, Figure 9, its catches p, p, take into or engage behind the catches
k, k, on the lid i, and effect the fastening of the said lid. The manner in
which the hooked catches k, p, of the lid and bolt engage with one
another is best seen in the enlarged sectional view, Figure 12.
over the edge of
The said turned
acts as a stop to
Figures 13 and 14 represent elevations of the backs of two boxes
having sliding bolts m constructed to carry samples of the pens (or
other articles) held in the boxes; Figure 15 represents a cross section
of the bolt m, Figure 13, and a portion of the box drawn to a larger
scale; and Figure 16 represents a cross section of the bolt m, Figure 14,
and a portion of the box drawn to a larger scale. The bolt m, Figures 13,

page_text: 14, 15, and 16 has in it a depression of a shape proper to receive the
pens or other sample article. In Figures 13 and 15 the pen 8 is held
in the depression by cars t, t, being made to clip the pen; and in
Figures 14 and 16 by a cross bar or band u, under which the pen is
passed.
We do no limit ourselves to any particular means for connecting the
pen or sample article to the sliding bolt; neither do we limit ourselves
to the book form of the box herein-before described and illustrated as
our improvements may be applied to boxes of other forms.
Although we have only described and represented our Invention as
applied to a metallic box yet it may also be applied to boxes made
partly of metal and partly of paper or other rigid non-metallic
material.
In making a box partly of paper or other rigid non-metallic material,
such as vulcanite, leather, wood, jet, and bone, and partly of metal we
take a metallic skeleton frame, the said frame carrying the necessary
parts for fastening and jointing the lid, and we either embed the said
frame in the non-metallic material when plastic or we fix panels of the
said non-metallic material in the said frame, or we fasten the non-
metallic parts in the metallic frame by clinching or closing portions of
the said frame upon the said parts. When vulcanite or other material
capable of being moulded is used, loops, spaces, or openings may be left
in the box for the sliding bolt to engage with for fastening the lid to
the box.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we
do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our
Invention, but we claim as our Invention of improvements in the con-
struction and manufacture of metallic and other boxes for holding steel
pens and other small articles,-
First. Constructing the sides or body of the box and fastening the
bottom to the said body, substantially in the manner herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. Fastening the jointed lid or cover of the box to the said
box by means of a sliding bolt constructed and applied to the box, sub-

page_text: stantially as described and illustrated, the said sliding bolt being
provided with hooked catches which engage with corresponding hooked
catches on the jointed lid or cover, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Thirdly. Constructing the said sliding bolts with recesses or depressions
for receiving and exhibiting samples of the articles contained in the
boxes, the said sample articles being held in the said depressions in any
convenient way, as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hezekiah Hewitt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HEZEKIAH HEWITT. (L.S.)