IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLE CASES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James William Lewis, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Die Sinker, and George Archbold, of Handsworth, in the
County of Stafford, Rouge Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 23rd August 1867, and dated the 4th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James William Lewis
and George Archbold at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th March 1867.
We, JAMES WILLIAM LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Die Sinker, and GEORGE ARCHBOLD, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford,
Rouge Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLE CASES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of needle
cases in the manner herein-after described, whereby needles of different sorts
or sizes are compactly, stored while ready access to them is obtained. We
make a series of flat cases of sheet metal of a size proper to receive the
ordinary packets of needles; the said flat cases have a semicircular piece cut
from their top open ends for facilitating the introduction and removal of the
packets of needles, and near the middle of one side of each of the said cases
an elliptical opening may be cut for the purpose of exhibiting the numbers on
the packets of needles; the said flat cases of sheet metal are hinged together

page_text: at their sides, and close and fold upon one another in a manner similar to that
in which folding lockets and maps fold or close; a plate of metal is binged to
cach end of the series of hinged flat cases; these plates, when the series of
cases are folded, constitute covers or flaps which cover and protect the flat
cases; clasps on one of the said flaps or covers engage with the ends of the
other flap or cover and secure the needle case in its folded condition and
prevent the falling out of the needles; these flaps or covers may be made
ornamental. On disengaging the clasps the series of hinged flat cases may be
opened out so as to display the series of packets in the said cases.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James William Lewis and George Archbold in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 27th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
WILLIAM LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Die Sinker, and
GEORGE ARCHBOLD, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Rouge Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James William Lewis and George Archbold, Her special licence that
we, the said James William Lewis and George Archbold, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James William
Lewis and George Archbold, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN NEEDLE CASES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
William Lewis and George Archbold, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said James William Lewis, on behalf of
myself and the said George Archbold, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:
Our Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of nee:lle
cases in the manner herein-after described, whereby needles of different sorts
or sizes are compactly stored while ready access to them is obtained. We
make a series of flat cases of sheet metal of a size proper to receive the
ordinary packets of needles; the said flat cases have a semicircular piece cut
from their top open ends for facilitating the introduction and removal of the
packets of. needles, and near the middle of one side of each of the said cases
an elliptical opening may be cut for the purpose of exhibiting the numbers on
the packets of needles; the said flat cases of sheet metal are hinged together
at their sides, and close and fold upon one another in a manner similar to that
in which folding lockets and maps fold or close; a plate of metal is hinged to
each end of the series of hinged flat cases; these plates, when the series of
cases are folded, constitute covers or flaps which cover and protect the flat
cases; clasps on one of the said flaps or covers engage with the ends of the
other flap or cover and secure the needle case in its folded condition; and
prevent the falling out of the needles; these flaps or covers may be made
ornamental. On disengaging the clasps the series of hinged flat cases may be
opened out so as to display the series of packets in the said cases.
Ilaving explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a compound needle case constructed
according to our Invention, and Figure 2 is an edge view of the same, the
said needle case being open; Figure 3 is a side elevation, and Figure 4 a
front elevation of the said case after it has been folded up and fastened, as
herein-after described; Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are portions of the
needle case. The same letters of reference are employed to indicate the same
parts in each Figure of the Drawing.
The said needle case consists of a series of flat cases of sheet metal marked a,
the said cases being constructed in the manner herein-after explained. In
the cases a the ordinary packets of needles b, b³, are placed; a semicircular
opening c is made near the top open end of each case for facilitating the
introduction of the packets of needles into or removing them from the said
cases a, and an elliptical opening may also be made in the front of each of the

page_text: cases a; as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, for the purpose of exhibiting
the numbers on the packets of needles, or the numbers or sizes of the needles of
the packets placed in the cases may be marked outside the cases a. The series
of flat cases a are hinged together at their longer sides, in the manner herein-
after explained, so that they are capable of closing and folding upon one
another in the manner represented in Figure 3. Each of the flat cases a is
made of two plates of sheet metal represented in side elevation and end
elevation in Figures 5 and 6. The plate d, Figure 5, consists of a shallow
trough made by bending up the sides and bottom of the plate at right angles
to the other part, the said trough-like plate having a series of eyes or joint
pieces on its longer sides, and the other plate, Figure 6, consists of a flat
plate also having a series of eyes or joint pieces on its longer sides. The two
plates d, e, being placed upon one another in the manner represented in end
elevation in Figure 7, one of the flat cases a is formed having on its opposite
sides a series of eyes or joint pieces. By engaging or fitting together the eyes
or joint pieces of the respective flat cases a, and passing pins or axes through
the said eyes or joint pieces the said cases are jointed together, the said pins
or axes also securing together the two plates of which each case is composed.
In order to ensure the folding flat of the series of cases upon one another they
are o jointed together that every alternate case is not in the same line or
plane as those on either side of it, as will be understood by an examination of
Figure 2. By jointing the cases, a together in this way, when the said cases
are folded up, the hollow side of one case folds upon or engages with the pro-
jecting side of that next it, so that no spaces are left between the said folded
cases, and great compactness is thereby secured. To the end cases of the
series plates f, g, are hinged, the said plates f, g, when the cases a are folded
upon one another constituting covers or flaps, as represented in Figure 4,
which cover and protect the folded flat cases. The flaps or covers f, g, are
shown separately in Figures 8 and 9; to the end plate or cover f clasps h, h,
are binged, and in the top and bottom of the other end plate or cover f slots
or piercings i, i, are made. Figure 10 represents a separate view of one of
the clasps h and the blank from which it is made. After the flat cases a have
been folded upon one another, by then engaging the hooks h² of the cover f
with the slots or piercings i, i, of the cover 9 the compound needle case is
secured in its folded condition, and the top and bottom of the case are at the
same time closed, as represented in Figure 3; the packets of needles are
thus prevented from falling out of their cases. When it is wished to gain
access to the needles in the compound case the clasps h; h, of the cover fare
disengaged from the cover g, when the series of flat cases a may be opened

page_text: out so as to display the series of packets in the said cases, and one or other of
the said packets may be drawn from its case in the manner illustrated in
Figure 1, and access obtained to the needles.
When the size of the packets of needles to be held in the flat cases a is
less than that of the case, as in the packet marked 63, in Figure 1, we insert
in the cases filling up pieces made of cardboard or other rigid material. A
filling-up piece of the kind we employ is represented in Figure 11, and is
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. The end covers or flaps f, g, and the flat
cases a may be ornamented by stamping or chasing, or in any other desired
way, and the said parts may be made of any metal or alloy capable of being
cut out and stamped, or raised in dies, or fashioned by band.
We do not limit ourselves to any particular number of flat cases hinged or
jointed together to form the compound needle case.
Ilaving now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described, as the same may be
varied without departing from the nature of our Invention; but we claim as
our Invention the improvements in needle cases, herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making compound
needle cases of a series of flat cases of sheet metal, open at top and hinged or
jointed together so as to be capable of being opened out or displayed, or closed
or folded upon one another and fastened together, substantially as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James William Lewis, have hereut. set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JAMES WILLIAM LEWIS. (L.S.)