Year: 1886

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We, JOSEPH DAVIS, Chemist, and NORMAN WHITNEY STEARNS, Patent Attorney,
both of 10 Tremont Street, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts in the United
States of America, 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:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a Bottle Case closed, when constructed in
accordance with our invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the same with a
bottle in place therein..
Figure 3 is a perspective view of our improved case with its screw cap and bottle
removed.
Figure 4 is a view of one of our cases with a bottle partially entered therein.
Figure 5, represents in section a metal shell provided with screw thread and a
flange and designed to fit snugly within an outer shell or casing of other material,
for instance wood or paper pulp.
Figure 6, a metal shell without a flange.
Figure 7 is a vertical section representing a bottle wrapped in a sheet or strip of
felt, blotting paper or other absorbent.
Figure 8 our case closed by a screw cap fitting outside thereof and with a flat
elastic washer between them.
Figure 9, our case closed by an ordinary cap or cover not provided with a screw
thread and with an annular elastic washer (circular in cross section) between them.
Figure 10, a horizontal section on the line x x of fig. 7.
Figure 11 a horizontal cross section through one of our finished cases of hexagonal
form.
Figure 12 is a transverse section through a case having only one flattened
surface.
Figure 13 represents a screw cap having a milled edge.
Figure 14 is a section representing a spiral spring in the bottom of the case.
Figure 15 represents an elastic washer.
This invention has for its object to provide a securely sealed case of convenient
size and form for the reception of a bottle for containing a liquid or semi-liquid
TD 0.77

page_text: sample, for instance, oil, alcohol, syrup, perfumery, medicinal compound, mucilage,
ink, cement, essence, etc., or for containing a plastic or semi-plastic or powdered
substance such as glue, paste, etc. or seeds, sharp-pointed instruments etc. inclosed
or not in a bottle; said package to be transmitted by mail or express without
liability of breakage of the bottle, leakage, or of damage to the contents of the case
or injury to persons handling the same; and this invention consists in a case or
receptacle having an impervious lining either of metal, cement, paraffine or other
liquid proof substance, whereby the escape and passage of the contents from the
interior of the case is precluded.
And this invention also consists in a suitable soft absorbent and preferably
elastic cushion to be employed when a bottle or other frangible article is to be
transmitted, said cushion being interposed between the frangible article and the
interior (or wall and bottom and top) of the case and permitting the gradual
necessary play or yielding and thus prevent the breakage of the article when
exposed to shock in handling or during transmittal or when subjected to a severe
blow or to great pressure from heavy weights thereon.
This invention also consists in a cap preferably with a screw thread for closing
the mouth of the chamber of the case; said case being provided with an outer shell
or casing and an inner shell impervious to the passage of liquids.
This invention also consists in a washer preferably of elastic material interposed
between the cap or cover and its case at the joint or point where they are to be
united; in combination with an outer casing and an inner impervious shell or
lining said washer performing two functions viz. a sealing and a locking device;
and this invention also consists in a screw cap having its outer periphery milled or
roughened in order that the fingers may better retain their hold thereon when
applied thereto for closing the chamber in the case and for removing the same
therefrom.
In the said drawings A represents an outer shell or casing opened at its top and
of any suitable material for instance of wood, papier-mnache, paper pulp, paste-
board, leather, leather scraps, saw-dust etc. of cylindrical form (both inside and
outside) in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 10 and with a portion of its exterior flattened in
Figs. 11 and 12 to prevent rolling from a table or other position, the interior of
the shell being of any desired shape to conform to that of the bottle it is to receive,
but ordinarily of cylindrical, elliptical or rectangular form.
•
The inside of this outer casing is provided with a lining B composed of one or
more coats of cement impervious to liquids, one description of cement which
answers a good purpose being compounded of glue, shellac, bichromate of potash
and silicate of soda thoroughly applied to the walls and bottom of the chamber a
and left to dry when the case is to be employed for transmitting various substances
not encased in a bottle for instance pastes, confectionary, flour, sugar, etc. covered
by a wrapper such as waxed paper and for containing other plastic, semi-plastic,
and powdered substances, seeds, etc. When, however the case is to contain
liquids in bottles, a soft elastic and absorbent cushion 6 is necessary to prevent the
breakage of the bottle incident to shocks in handling and in the transmission by
mail or express. Various forms of cushions are employed for instance comminuted
sponge, ground cork, rubber, felt, cotton, hemp, woollen, saw-dust, blotting paper,
and other suitable substances but preferably of absorbent nature; and these
cushions are to be interposed between the bottle or other frangible object and the
interior of the case. The absorbent cushions may be in the form of sheets or
strips wrapped around the frangible object or may be inserted in a tubular or
other form within the case in contact with the impervious lining B or they may
be attached to the sides of the lining by applying it thereto while the cement is
still moist or green and then left to dry. Another form of impervious lining B
figa, 2, 5, 6 and 11 is an inner shell or casing of metal having its top open and with
its bottom preferably closed and of cylindrical form, in order to endow it with the
maximum resisting power, the diameter of the outside of the metal shell being the
Bame as the diameter of the interior of the outer casing so as to fit snugly therein

page_text: but yet allow of its removal if desired. This latter metal lining B may be without
a flange as seen in fig. 6 or it may have a flange at its top and be provided with
an interior screw thread; being formed integral with the metal shell if desired;
fig. 5; or a collar having a flange and screw thread may be soldered or otherwise
secured to the metal shell or lining. When the lining of impervious cement is
employed the screw collar C with or without a flange at its top may simply be
located within the top of the outer casing in which event the metal lining is
dispensed with. The flange of either the screw collar C or the flange at the top of
the screw threaded metal lining B should be flush or nearly flush, that is a little
above or a little below the top of the outer casing and having its bearing thereon,
the screw thread in either case being for the reception of a screw cap D to fit"
snugly therein and applicable to both the top of the metal lining and the outer
casing so as to tightly and securely close the chamber therein. The cap should
either bear upon the stopper of the bottle when the case contains one or, it (the
cap) should be provided on its under side with a soft elastic and preferably
absorbent material in the form of a disk, see fig. 7, or an absorbent packing may
be simply interposed between the underside of the case and the bottle stopper.
e is an annular washer of elastic or non-elastic material interposed between the
cap and the contiguous end of the case. This washer is preferably of rubber or
leather; a resilient material answering the best purpose as it performs the two
functions of sealing the joint and also of locking the cap when seated in a position
to close the chamber. By milling or roughening the outer periphery or edge of
the screw cap it may be readily turned by application of the fingers thereto, as the
edge so constructed will allow of being grasped without the liability of the fingers
sliping thereon, which would not be the case were the edge of the cap smooth.
The cap may be provided with a cross bar for the fingers to grasp when turning
the cap but we prefer the milled edge as shown in figs. 1 and 3. A spiral spring,
with a disk v, of cork or other suitable material thereon, or a spring of rubber,
may be located in one end of the bottle-chamber, Fig. 14, in order that the
distance between the bottle-bearings may be made to automatically conform to the
distance between the bottom of the bottle and outer flat face of the stopper, for,
although the length of the bottle and depth of the chamber may be readily
determined, the length of the portion of the stopper projecting from the mouth of
the bottle is not always the same, either when they are first placed in the case, or
the stopper may afterward be driven farther in by a blow, and in such event there
would be unnecessary longitudinal play were it not for some compensating device
to "take up" or reduce the distance between the bearings at. the ends of the
bottle and its stopper.
Instead of the impervious lining of the cement described herein, other forms of
water proof cement for instance, paraffine, wax, or other liquid repellent may be
employed. We regard the lining of metal ordinarily as the equivalent of the
impervious linings of cement, paraffine, wax, tar, etc. but as the integrity of such
linings of cement etc. would be destroyed, were the outer casing of wood crushed or
split, the liquid would escape were the bottle broken, but under such unusual
circumstances the metal lining being stronger would possess the ability to preserve
its integrity and no leakage would ensue.
Furthermore any suitable coating or impervious shell or lining may be applied to
the outside and inside, or either outside or inside of an outer wooden case of
papier-mache, paper pulp, paste-board or other material adapted to receive it.
A string is tied to the bottle to facilitate its removal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
1. A mailing case consisting of an outer shell or casing, an inner shell and a cap
applicable to the tops of both shells,

page_text: 2. A mailing case of wood, metal, papier-mache or other suitable material,
having its interior provided with an impervious or water proof lining of cement,
paraffine, wax, tar, or other liquid repellent.
3. A mailing case for bottles etc. consisting of a shell or casing in combination
with a cushion of soft elastic absorbent material interposed between the interior of
the shell and frangible object to be protected thereby, substantially as set forth.
4. A mailing case consisting of an outer shell or casing, an inner metallic shell
and a screw cap for closing the mouth of the chamber therein, substantially as
described.
5. A mailing case having a receiving chamber and provided on its outside with
a coating, covering, or shell impervious to liquids, in combination with a cushion of
soft elastic and absorbent material, and a cap for closing the mouth of the chamber
as specified.
6. In combination with a shell or casing and a screw cap for closing the chamber
therein, an elastic washer for sealing the joint between them and for locking the
screw cap to the casing as specified.
7. In combination, an outer shell or casing, an inner impervious lining of metal,
cement, paraffine, tar etc. a screw cap for closing the mouth of the chamber
therein, and an elastic washer which serves both the function of sealing the joint
between and as device for locking the cap to the casing as shown and described.
8. A mailing case consisting of an outer shell or casing, an inner tightly fitting
but removable metallic shell, a soft elastic and absorbent cushion interposed
between the metal shell and the bottle or other frangible object, and a cap for
closing the chamber within the case as set forth.
9. A screw cap having a milled edge in combination with a shell or casing and
an elastic washer for sealing the joint between them, and for locking them together
as described.