Improvements in Boxes or Packing Cases for any purpose, and especially as applying to the Manufacture of Tea Chests.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 8th Oct.. 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boxes or Packing Cases for any purpose, and
especially as applying to the Manufacture of Tea Chests.
JOHN CORYTON ROBERTS 16 Cromwell Grove West Kensington London W.
Planter do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
"
In constructing, the four side pieces of the above are attached to each other
by means of bands, or a sheet or sheets of metal (such as hoop iron) or any other
flexible material in a single length with each other, which length upon being
folded and fastened at its two extremities, together with the " top" & "bottom
(affixable by grooves made in the aforesaid sides, or by any other means desired),
completes a box capable, it is claimed, of being in its original form dispatched as
an "empty" with great convenience & economy, and that can easily be put together
when required for use.
The right is also claimed to line the said sides & top & bottom of the box,
whether on the out or inside, or both, or between the boards or sections of which
they may be formed, with one or more sheets of lead, paper, or any other material,
and attached by any means desired.
March 29th 1894
J. CORYTON ROBERTS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boxes or Packing Cases for any purpose, and
especially as applying to the Manufacture of Tea Chests.
I, JOHN CORYTon Roberts, of 16, Cromwell Grove, West Kensington, in the
County of London, Planter, 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 relates to boxes or cases for the transport of tea and other
merchandise and has for its object to so arrange the different parts of a box or
packing case that, when not in use, a number of box parts can be closely packed
together in an improved manner and when required for use can be readily erected
or built up.
A case constructed according to my invention has the sides connected by strips
of suitable material such as hoop-iron, suitable grooves or recesses being formed
at or near the tops and bottoms of the sides to receive the ends of the box.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the sides of a box connected according to my
invention and extended, and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the box or case when set
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Figure 3.
up;
and
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a view illustrating a modification.
Figure 7 is a plan of a box illustrating a further modification.
Figure 8 is a front view of the upper part of the same, and

page_text: Figure 9 is a section of a portion of the top of the box.
Figures 10 and 11 are views of a slight modification.
a', a, a, a are the sides of my box each of which can be made of a single
piece of wood or of several pieces connected together and the edges of which are
bevelled so that the sides will fit together at the corners as shewn in Figure 5 (or
as shewn in Figures 10 and 11 the edges may be left square). The said sides are
connected by two or more strips or bands 6, 6 of hoop iron or similar material, so
that the edges of the sides lie together as clearly shewn in Figure 1, (and in
Figures 10 and 11) the ends of the said strips projecting at one end for facilitating
the fastening of the strips to hold the sides in position. At the top and bottom
of each side are formed rabbets or grooves c, c for holding the top d and bottom e
of the box. The bottom e of the box is introduced into the grooves as the sides
are being folded or set up so that the said bottom will be held in the grooves as_
shewn in Figure 4.
To enable the top d of the box to be placed in position after the box or case is
filled, one side of the latter, for instance, the side a is made lower than the other
sides by the thickness of the lid so that the lid may be slipped into position in
the grooves c, c (the dotted lines in Figure 4 representing the lid partly moved
into place). In order to prevent the lid from slipping out, the portion of the
band at the top edge of the box which lies against the side a* is not fixed in
position until the lid is in place; the said band is then brought across the front
edge of the lid and secured as shown most clearly in Figure 3.
Instead of forming grooves c, c in the sides to carry the top and bottom of the
box, the grooves may be formed by strips of angle-iron f secured to the sides of
the box as shewn in Figure 6.
In building or setting up a box constructed as herein before described the sides
are folded together so that the outside edge of the side a¹ is brought against the outside
edge of the side a*; the projecting ends of the bands b, bare then bent round the
corner formed by the sides a¹, a and secured to the side a¹ by screws or nails g, g,
the bottom e being inserted as herein before stated before the sides are completely
closed together.
In practice I find it advantageous to secure the projecting ends of the bands b, b
by means of screws in order that the box may be readily opened out again after it
has been used. In any case it is advisable that the band b which holds the lid in
place should be secured by a screw so as to enable the said upper strip to be readily
loosened when the box is to be opened.
In some cases instead of forming the tops of the sides of the box with rabbets
or grooves c or with angle iron f as herein before described the upper strip or
band of hoop iron is fixed so as to project above the top of the sides of the box
to the extent of the thickness of the lid (as shewn in Figures 8 and 9) which
when placed in position is fixed by a strip of hoop iron fastened by a nail at the
back and by a screw i at the front as shown in Figure 8. By this arrangement
by simply removing the screw i the lid d can be raised, the back end of the hoop-
iron strip at serving as a hinge. k is a notch cut in the top strip b to allow of
inserting a tool for prizing up the lid.
It is to he understood that when required the sides of the box may be lined or
have lining material with flaps or extended portions attached to them for lining
the box when set up.
In practice I prefer to make the sides, top and bottom of my boxes of two or
more thicknesses of wood with the grain crossed.
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 :-
1. A packing box or case, the sides of which are bevelled at their edges or left
square and connected together by strips of hoop-iron or the like in such a manner
that they can be folded into box-form, grooves being formed at the top and bottom

page_text: of the said sides or angle irons fixed for receiving the lid and bottom of the box,
substantially as described.
2. The modification hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9
of the drawings.
3. The manufacture and use of folding boxes or cases substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of October 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.