Improvements in Boxes or Cases for Holding Hats, Bonnets, and other like Delicate Articles Liable to Injury in Transit.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1898-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1898
Improvements in Boxes or Cases for Holding Hats, Bonnets, and other
like Delicate Articles Liable to Injury in Transit.
We, JAMES WALLACE PATON and HARRY CALVERT, of 20, Cumberland Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to provide a hat or bonnet box, or other box
for holding delicate articles which are liable to be injured in transit by railway or
otherwise.
In carrying our invention into effect, the model box we have constructed is
formed of card-board or mill-board strengthened at the top by a wood rim and at
the sides by metal angle pieces. It is constructed at sides and bottom with double
layers of material partly for the purpose of more effectually resisting the access of
damp and also for the purpose hereafter mentioned. The inside of the box is
fitted with elastic or other bands. These bands may be arranged a pair at each side
on the bottom, and if desired on the inside of the lid. They are by preference
fastened in the following way; -Holes are made through the inner layers of
material composing the sides and bottom of the box, and through these holes the
bands are passed and fastened between the inner and outer layers in any suitable
manner such as by joining the opposite ends or by a suitable fastening. By
arranging them in this way there are no unsightly holes on the outside of the
box, which are so apt to let damp in, the holes being on the inside layer only.
These bands which are preferably elastic are adapted to hold the bonnets or other
articles firmly against the insides, bottom, etcetera, of the box in position so that
they cannot shift and so prevent them getting knocked about or in any way
injured. In addition however to these elastic bands we may provide
eyes, through which bands, straps, cords, or their equivalent could be
passed SO
as to provide a further means
of holding the article
in place. These eyes can be secured in the wooden rim aforesaid and
(or) passed through holes in the inner layer of the sides or bottom, and
fastened behind in any suitable manner. A box of this construction can be made
at a very reasonable price, and will safely hold four or five hats or more without
any danger of their getting knocked about or otherwise injured. We have de-
scribed our sample box, and it must be understood that we do not confine ourselves
strictly to details or materials of construction as these may be varied without
departing from our invention.
The box above described or other box may be fitted inside at one or more sides
with a flat tray or slide or its equivalent, adapted to slide in stationary guides in
the box, so that it can be removed from the box or when replaced therein be held
firmly in position. This tray or slide is fitted with elastic or other bands which
are adapted to hold a hat or other article firmly against it, so that the article can-
not shift and so prevent it getting knocked about or in any way injured. To inser

page_text: a hat in the box all that is necessary is to remove the tray or slide, fasten the hat
to it by the elastic band, so that it shall stand at right angles thereto, and then
slide the tray into the box and put on the lid, the guides holding the tray in posi-
tion and preventing the hat getting rubbed against the box's sides or otherwise
injured. This idea of using a tray or slide may be applied to a box of any suit-
able construction, and we do not confine ourselves to a box of any particular kind.
Dated this 5th day of November 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Boxes or Cases for Holding Hats, Bonnets, and other
like Delicate Articles Liable to Injury in Transit.
We, JAMES WALLACE PATON and HARRY CALVERT, of 20, Cumberland Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchants, 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:-
This invention has for its object to provide a hat or bonnet box, or other box
for holding delicate articles which are liable to be injured in transit by railway or
otherwise.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a general view of the box with lid closed;
Figure 2 a view showing the lid separated from the box, and one of the slides
partly raised;
Figure 3 a detail view showing the manner of passing the elastic band through
a hole on the inner layer;
Figure 4 a cross section through box showing front view of a slide or tray.
Referring to these figures the box is formed of card-board or mill-board or
leather-board strengthened at the top by a wood rim A and at the sides by metal
angle pieces B. It is constructed at sides and bottom with double layers of
material partly for the purpose of more effectually resisting the access of damp
and also for the purpose hereafter mentioned. The inside of the box is fitted with
elastic or other bands C. These bands may be arranged a pair at each side, on the
bottom, and if desired on the inside of the lid. They are by preference fastened
in the following way: Holes D are made through the inner layers of material E
composing the sides and bottom of the box, and through these holes the bands C
are passed and fastened between the inner layers E and the outer layers F in
any suitable manner such as by joining the opposite ends or by a suitable fasten-
ing. By arranging them in this way there are no unsightly holes on the outside F
of the box, which are so apt to let damp in, the holes being on the inside layer E
only. These bands C which are preferably elastic are adapted to hold the bonnets
or other articles firmly against the insides, bottom, etcetera, of the box in position
so that they cannot shift and so prevent them getting knocked about or in any way
injured. In addition however to these elastic bands we may provide eyes G,
through which bands, straps, cords, or their equivalent could be passed so as to
provide a further means of holding the article in place. These eyes can be secured
in the wooden rim aforesaid and (or) passed through holes in the inner layer E of
the sides or bottom, and fastened behind in any suitable manner. A box of this
construction can be made at a very reasonable price, and will safely hold four or

page_text: five hats or more without any danger of their getting knocked about or otherwise
injured.
We have described our sample box, and it must be understood that we do not
confine ourselves strictly to details or materials of construction as these may be
varied without departing from our invention. Thus for example they can be made
of tin, or cloth covered wood and leather.
The above described or other box may be fitted inside at one or more sides with
a flat tray or slide H or its equivalent, adapted to slide in guides I in the box, so
that it can be removed from the box or when replaced therein be held firmly in
position. This tray or slide is fitted with elastic or other bands C which are
adapted to hold a hat or other article firmly against it, so that the article cannot
shift and so prevent it getting knocked about or in any way injured. To insert
a hat in the box all that is necessary is to remove the tray or slide H, fasten a hat
such as L to it by the elastic bands C so that it shall stand at right angles thereto,
and then slide the tray into the box and put on the lid J, the guides I holding the
tray H in position and preventing the hat getting rubbed against the box's dies or
otherwise injured. The ends of the strip K are then fastened together, holding
the lid on the box. This idea of using a tray or slide enables an article to be held
firmly without any liability of accidental displacement, and also enables the in-
sertion or removal of a tray with an article fastened thereto without disturbing the
other articles in the box. The idea may be applied to a box of any suitable con-
struction, and we do not confine ourselves to a box of any particular kind. Any
other suitable form of fastening device or other suitable form of guides or clips
may be used, instead of the elastic bands and guides respectively herein depicted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improvement in boxes or cases for holding hats, bonnets, or other delicate
articles, which consists in forming the sides and bottom thereof of double layers
of material, and attaching bands for fastening the articles, in holes in the inner
layers only, leaving the outer layers intact, whereby there are no unsightly holes
on the outside of the box which are so apt to let damp in, substantially as described.
2. In boxes or cases for holding hats, bonnets and other articles, providing them
with flat trays or slides with means for firmly holding the articles thereon without
any liability of accidental displacement, said trays or slides being adapted to slide
in or be held by guides on the interior sides of the box, in such a manner that any
individual tray with an article attached thereto can be removed from, or replaced
in, the box without disturbing the other articles therein, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture of boxes for holding hats, bonnets or other delicate articles
constructed at sides and bottom with double layers of material substantially as set
forth.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.