An Improved Receptacle for Containing Matches or similar Articles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 3rd Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th Apr., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Receptacle for Containing Matches or
similar Articles.
I WILLIAM ERNEST RICHARDSON of Hartfield in the County of Sussex Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED RECEPTACLE FOR
CONTAINING MATCHES OR SIMILAR ARTICLES to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a box or casing containing mechanism by which matches
or similar articles are passed through an opening in such box or casing one at a time,
so that on the one which is exposed outside the casing being removed another is
placed there ready for use.
The mechanism by which this is accomplished consists of a round box mounted on
a spindle on which it is free to revolve and inside of which the matches or similar
articles are to be placed.
Inside of this box are one or more tubes arranged radially round the axis of the box
so that as the box revolves the matches or similar articles will enter the tube or tubes
one by one in such a manner as to project through openings in the revolving box,
and as this box revolves the projecting match or similar article will be carried round
until it is passed through an opening in an outside casing in which the above
mentioned box is contained and the inside box will thereby be prevented from
revolving until that match or similar article be removed when it will again revolve as
before. The inside box may be caused to revolve by means of a coiled spring, weight
or any convenient means.
Dated this Third day of June 1886.

page_text: An Improved Receptacle for Containing Matches or
similar Articles.
I, WILLIAM ERNEST RICHARDSON, of Hartfield, in the County of Sussex, 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
This invention consists of a box or casing containing mechanism by which matches
or similar articles are passed through an opening in such box or casing one at a time
so that on the one which is exposed outside the casing being removed another is placed
there ready for use.
The mechanism by which this is accomplished consists of a round box mounted on
a spindle on or with which it is free to revolve and inside of which the matches or
similar articles are to be placed.
Inside of this box are one or more tubes arranged radially round the axis of the
box, so that, as the box revolves, the matches or similar articles will enter the tube or
tubes one by one in such a manner as to project through openings in the revolving
box, and as this box revolves the projecting match or similar article will be carried
round until it is passed through an opening in an outside casing in which the
above mentioned box is contained and the inside box will thereby be prevented from
revolving until that match or similar article be removed when it will again revolve as
before. The inside box may be caused to revolve by means of a coiled spring, weight,
or by clock-work or by hand or any convenient means suitable for furnishing the
required power.
•
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe a
suitable means whereby it can advantageously be carried into practical effect by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 represents a section partly
in elevation of a receptacle for containing matches or similar articles constructed
according to my invention the view being taken lengthwise of the axis of the revolving
box figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the crooked line A, B, of figure 1.
Similar letters in both the figures represent similar parts.
a, a', represent the round box inside which the matches or other similar articles
are to be placed and b, b, represent the spindle with which the box a, a¹, is free to
revolve, e, are the bearings of the spindle b, b; the box is divided into two
compartments a and a¹, by a partition, and the matches or other articles are
introduced into the conical shaped compartment a, through a circular opening a²,
therein, opposite a spout and opening, in the outer casing the partition 6', is
formed with a slit or opening a³, having a guiding skip or stop 3, against which the
articles are caused to fall by means of the conical shape of the compartiment a, as the
box revolves and whereby they are caused to enter the compartment a²; d, d, are
the tubes arranged radially round the axis of the box in the compartment a', the said
tubes communicating by means of channels or semi-tubes e, e, with V-shaped
receptacles, which serve to receive or take up the matches or other articles which
are in the compartment a', as the box a, a, revolves, the channels e, being of such a
size that they will allow only one of such articles passing to and entering the tubes d,

page_text: at one time; g. 9, are the openings in the periphery of the compartment a¹, of the
revolving box, through which openings the matches or other articles project in the
manner shewn in the drawings; h, is the opening in the outer casing into which
the projecting articles pass as the box a, a', revolves, the edge of the opening h, then
forming a stop whereby the box is prevented from revolving until the match d',
(or other article) be removed; i, is a gauge or guide against which the ends of the
matches bear to limit the extent to which they shall project and to prevent them
falling within the outer casing ej, are counterweighted pivottod arms which I
find it advantageous to employ to press the matches against the edges of the openings g,
after they have passed into the same thereby preventing the matches from falling
back into the box a, a', when nearing the top of the apparatus. Or a spring arm
attached to a suitable part of the apparatus can be employed for this purpose;
k, represents a clockwork movement for effecting the rotation of the box a¹
The operation of the apparatus as follows
-
;
The matches (or other article) being introduced into the conical compartment a,
through the spout 62, and opening a, and the clockwork, being set in motion the
box a, a, will be revolved in the direction indicated by the arrow in figure 2 and a
few of the matches will be caused by the guiding strip or stop b³, to enter the
compartment a, through the slit or opening a³, at each revolution of the box ; several
of the matches will then be taken up by each of the V-shaped receptacles f
but only one of such matches will slide into each of the tubes d, at a time
because the channels e, e, are only wide enough to allow a single match to lie therein
the said match projecting from its tube d will be held by the counter-weighted arm j,
provided for that purpose so as to prevent it falling back into the box and the
match d, will finally pass into and project through the opening h, and stop the box
from revolving until the match be removed; the box will then continue to revolve
and the next match ', will thereby be presented through the opening h, and so on.
It will be obvious that if the opening h, be placed in a horizontal line (or there
abouts) with the axis of the box a, a, so that the matches or other articles shall
be presented in a horizontal position instead of in a vertical position as shewn in
the drawings the pivotted counter-weighted arms j, j, would not be required but I
prefer that the articles should be presented in the manner indicated in the drawings.
Also it will be obvious that any suitable means such such as a weight or spring
or manual or other power that can be conveniently applied may be used for giving
the box a, a', its required rotary motion instead of using clockwork though as a rule
I find clockwork may be used with the greatest advantage.
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. An apparatus consisting of a box or casing adapted to contain matches or
similar articles and provided with mechanism such as herein referred to whereby
the matches or other articles are automatically projected one at a time through an
opening in the apparatus as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination of parts forming the improved apparatus for containing and
presenting for delivery one at a time matches or other articles substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The use in combination with and for operating my improved containing and
delivering apparatus of clockwork mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 3rd day of March 1987
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.