Improvements in Holders or Containers for. Vestas, Matches, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar.. 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Holders or Containers for. Vestas, Matches, and
the like.
I, FRITZ HYMMEN of 12 Bartlett's Buildings, Holborn Circus in the City and
County of London, Die Sinker, 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 for its object to provide a holder or container for vestas
matches and the like, from which they can be abstracted or withdrawn only one at
a time and that the mere act of effecting such abstraction or partial abstraction
shall alone be sufficient to ignite the same, while the container itself serves as
a holder therefor while being used.
My said invention may be made of any kind of metal, precious or otherwise,
or partly of metal and other material such as bone, vulcanite or the like, and
(according to one method of construction) so as to be capable of being carried in
the vest or other pocket for the use of smokers and others, or (according to another
method of construction) so as to be stood upon a table or other flat horizontal
surface, or suspended or fixed upon a wall or other vertical surface, for domestic
use, or upon the interior of a brougham or other carriage, or other places where it
may be conveniently found in the dark.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I have hereunto appended a
sheet of drawings of which:-
Figs. 1 to 10 relate to a holder or container for pocket use, Fig. 1 being a front
elevation, Fig. 2 a top plan with the lid closed, Fig. 3 a top view with the lid open,
Fig. 4 under plan Fig. 5 a vertical section upon the line A B Fig. 1, Fig. 6 a cross
section upon the line C D Fig. 1, Fig. 7 an elevational view of the revolving
serrated or fluted cylinder for bolding the vestas or matches, Fig. 8 is a plan of the
false bottom, Fig. 9 a cross section of Fig. 1 upon the line EF of Fig. 5, and
Fig. 10 an internal view of the lid of Fig. 1 with the crown thereof removed.
Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of an alternative method of constructing the ignition
portion of the apparatus.
Fig. 12 is an elevation of the apparatus substantially as I prefer to construct it
for table use, or for suspension upon a vertical surface for domestic and similar
purposes.
Figs. 13 and 14 are details relating to Fig. 12.
In so far as relates to the pocket apparatus or box illustrated by Figs. 1 to 11,
I carry my invention into effect by constructing of any suitable metal or material,
and of any desired size, capable of being carried in the vest or other pocket, a
hollow cylindrical case A, having in any part of its circumference a longitudinal
lot B, and internally a fixed partition or false bottom C, (shewn in position in
Fig. 5 and detached at Fig. 8). Within the case A is placed a preferably metallic
ylinder D (shewn in position in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, and detached at Fig. 7) capable
f revolving freely therein, upon the outer or cylindrical surface of which is formed
ny number of flutings E (according to the capacity of the apparatus) each of
which is capable of holding a vesta or inatch when dropped thereinto from the
pper end of the case, with their enlarged ignition ends uppermost, so that these
ay rest upon the upper ends of their respective flutings, the upper end of D being
educed in diameter at F to make room therefor. The centre of D is preferably
ollow at G, in which, other vestas or matches may be stored for replenishing the
utings E. The lower end of D is provided with a projecting pin H, which passes
Duinn 227

page_text: downward through a hole J in the fixed partition C, which forms a pivot upon
which D may revolve, and upon J below C is fixed a wheel K having upon its
circumferance notches, serrations or ratchets, corresponding in number and position
to that of the flutings E, and with these engage a spring catch L, (Fig. 9). The
case A has a fixed or portable bottom.M, through which also passes the pin H, and
upon the end of H, below M, is fixed any form of finger hold by which the
cylinder. D and wheel K may be rotated, which, for preferance, may be a
milled edged wheel N of such size that. the entire apparatus may stand upright
thereon.
9
An aperture O is formed in the plate C, immediately facing the slot B in A, the
position of the wheel K upon the stud H being such, that whenever the catch L
engages with one of the notches or the like in K, one of the flutings E of D is
immediately over the said aperture O in the plate C. A stud P slides in the
slot B, the inner portion of which is so formed as to fit and slide freely in either of
the flutings E in D, while the outer portion may be of any form capable of affording
a hold for the fingers.
The case A is surmounted by a hollow lid R hinged at a, and provided with
a suitable catch or fastening 6 the under surface of R having a hole c and the
upper a similar hole surrounded by a boss.d, both of the said holes when the lid is
closed being in line with each and the aperture O in the plate C. Within the
lid R is a spring e carrying a pointed stud or pricker (Figs 5 and 10), the normal
position of being such that its point enters half way or thereabouts into the passage
through the holes c d, (Fig. 10) or I may provide two or three such springs and
prickers ef all converging to the same point, as suggested by dotted lines in
Fig. 10. Or I may in lieu of the pricker or prickers mount upon the end or
ends of the spring or springs e a roughened surface such as g
(Fig. 11). Or where
the apparatus is designed to carry safety matches the said surface or surfaces g
may be covered with the usual material by frictional contact with which such
matches are ignited. The manner of operation is as follows.
Assuming that the flutings E of the cylinder D are charged or partly charged
with vestas or matches as stated, and the lid R closed, when a light is required,
the cylinder D would be rotated by the finger hold N, until the click of the spring
catch L, engaging with one of the notches in the wheel K was heard, which would
indicate that one of the flutings E was in line with the openings Ocd, and pre-
suming this to contain a vesta or match, the stud P would be pushed upward
violently along the slot B, and this colliding with the bottom of the said vesta or
match would push this upwardly through the holes c and d; and some distance.out
of the latter, and as the igniting end of this collided with the pricker or prickers f
or its or their equivalents g, the same would be ignited before passing out of d, and
after use for lighting the pipe or what not the same would be removed and thrown
away, and by a like movement of the finger hold N the next and the next vesta or
match would be placed in position, and ignited in the same manner when required
until the whole of the flutings were emptied, when the apparatus may be again
charged as before.
In Figs. 12, 13 and 14 I illustrate the manner substantially in which I prefer to
construct my invention when employed for table uses or for suspension upon a wall
or in a similar position, in which the same principle is involved throughout as in the
pocket apparatus.
For the purposes of this arrangement, the body or case A' may be of any size desired,
having a slot B, partition C, lid R and its accessories, and cylinder D having any
number of flutings E, and necessarily a much larger reserve aperture G. In such
containers having a foot or stand such as S, I dispense with the finger hold N and
provide for the rotation of D as follows. The stud P I form as at Fig. 13, or
substantially so, with a graduated extension upon its under surface, and in lieu of
the notched or serrated wheel K I mount upon the pin H a ratchet wheel K
having the same number of teeth as there are Hutings E in D, and engaging with
the said teeth is one end of an arm or lever k, the opposite end of which has a slot,

page_text: through which passes a stud or set screw p, which may engage with the plate C,
a forked or two pronged spring m engages with the side and end of the arm k, the.
tension of which operates to keep this in its normal position abutting against a stud
or its equivalent n, and with its free end in contact with the wheel K. The arm k
when in its normal position (shewn by the full outline in Fig. 14) would be such
that upon pushing the stud P towards its lowest position in the slot B, the lowest
end of its extension h would first engage with as shewn at Fig. 13, and finally
push this in the direction of the arrow Fig. 14, until the position of k was that
shown by dotted outline in the same figure, such movement of k imparting rotation
to the wheel K' a distance equal to that of one tooth, thereby rotating D a distance
equal to that of one fluting E, and when P was raised for expelling the match or
vesta as previously described the tension of the spring m would return k to its
normal position, the slot serving to permit k to recede from the wheel K¹
sufficient to pass over and drop behind the next tooth.
the wheel K from rotating in the opposite direction. I may find it convenient
A spring pawi T prevents
that the upward movement of the stud P may be effected by the tension of a
spring or springs instead of a push as in the previous method. The apparatus
Fig. 12 when arranged to be suspended upon a wall or the like, may have connected
to the casing A, preferably facing the slot B, a plate, hook or its equivalent S¹,
as suggested by dotted outline, in which case the foot S may be disposed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a holder or container for vestas, matches and the like, for pocket table
and other uses, the combination of a fluted cylinder with means for rotating the
same in predetermined stages, with means for ejecting or abstracting the said
matches or vestas one at a time, and igniting the same in one operation, substantially
as herein described and shewn.
2nd. In a pocket match or vesta box or container, the combination of a casing A,
with partition C, and lid R, and containing a fluted cylinder D with spring governed
wheel such as K and finger hold such as N for rotating the said cylinder
by predetermined stages, with stud P sliding in a groove B in A for raising the
said matches or vestas one at a time, with means provided in the lid R for igniting
he said matches or vestas as so raised, substantially as herein described and
hewn.
3rd. In a table or hanging container or box for vestas, matches and the like, the
he combination of a casing A¹ with partition C, lid R, and foot such as S, or means
uch as S¹ for suspending A', the said case containing a fluted cylinder D, with
atchet wheel K, operated by a spring governed arm or lever k, actuated by the
ownward movement of a stud such as P, the upward movement of P (which may
e by the hands or by the tension of a
aid vestas or matches one at a time, with means provided in the lid R for igniting
spring or springs) operating to eject the
he said matches or vestas as so raised, substantially as herein described and
newn.
4th. In combination with the pocket, table or suspended match or vesta holder
et forth in the preceding claims, the employment of a lid R, having holes such
sed, and containing a spring or springs such as e, and pricker or prickers such
f, or roughened or otherwise prepared surface or surfaces such as g, in lieu of f,
nnected and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
ewn.
Dated this 19th day of Februar 100
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.