IMPROVEMENTS IN BAD CONSMPHATION OF EXPANSIBLE BOYES CASES AND RECEPTACLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Childs the younger, of Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BAD CONSMPHATION OF EXPANSIBLE BOYES CASES AND RECEPTACLES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Childs at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th March 1857.
I, WILLIAM (HILDS the younger, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention fo
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXPANSIBLE BOXES, CASES, AND RECEP-
TACLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing the sides or backs, according to the
article, of boxes, cases, purses, and other receptacles, of two or more parts,
capable of sliding over each other, and of being expanded by means of screws,
and fixed in the position required by set screws; or I cause the parts to slide
over each other or V, dovetail, or other suitably shaped grooves; or I form a
slot in one part and cause a stud or screw fixed on the other part to travel in
such slot, and fix the parts where so desired by turning down the stud or

page_text: screw; or I cause the parts to slide over each other by a rack and pinion; or
I connect the parts and cause them to expand to the extent desired by "lazy-
tongs" or I cause a collar or collars to slide over a rod, and fix the collars by
set screws; or I connect the parts and cause them to expand by means of
arins, moving freely on pins at one end, the arms being pierced to receive pins
or screws to fix them where required; and I combine or not with either or
any of the before-named appliances clastic bands, sheets, or linings, attached
to both or all the parts to be expanded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHILDS the younger, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Childs the younger, Her special licence that I, the said
William Childs the younger, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I,the said William Childs the younger, my 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, au
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXPANSIBLE BOXES, CASES
AND RECEPTACLES." upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Childs the younger, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Childs the younger, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing the sides or backs (according to the
article) of boxes, cases, purses, and other receptacles, of two or more parts,
capable of sliding over each other,and of being expanded by means of screws,
and fixed in the position required by set screws, or I cause the parts to slide
over each other in V, dovetail, or other suitably shaped grooves; or I form a
slot in one part and cause a stud or screw fixed on the other part to travel in
such slot, and fix the parts where so desired by turning down the stud or
screw; or I cause the parts to slide over each other by a rack and pinion; or
I connect the parts and cause them to expand to the extent desired by lazy-
tongs; or I cause a collar or collars to slide over a rod, and fix the collars by
set screws; or I connect the parts and cause them to expand by means of arms
moving freely on pins at one end, the arms being pierced to receive pins or
screws to fix them where required; and I combine or not with either of any
of the before-named appliances elastic bands, sheets, or linings, attached to
both or all the parts to be expanded.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is a perspective view of a box,
constructed according to my Invention, and partially expanded; Figure 2
shews the same closed. The body of the box is formed of two parts, A and B.
The part B is made of such a size as to fit over and be free to move up or
down on the bottom D, Figure 4, so as to be capable of being expanded and
adjusted to any desired size. Figure 3 is a view of part of the moveable top,
and Figure 4 is a view of the back of the bottom part of the box. a, a, are
two iron pins or rods, screwed to the piece B. These rods a, a, are made as
long as it may be desired to open or expand the box, leaving enough in the
grooves to afford a proper support. a¹, a', are grooves or slots to receive the
rods a, a; c, c, are set screws, to keep the rods a, a, at any required height
in the grooves a¹, a¹.
Figure 5. is a view of one side of a box, shewing the manner in which I
elevate and depress the sides and end pieces. C is a metal collar, inserted
in and fixed by screws to the side of the box; a" is a plate through which
the screw B works; D is a milled button or thumb-piece for operating the
screw B.
When it is desired to enlarge the box, the set screws c, c, are
loosened and the thumb-piece D is turned, until the collars C carrying the
upper part of the box has been sufficiently raised above the part D", when it
is kept in the required position by the set screws c, c. To close or contract
the box, the reverse operation must be performed.

page_text: Figure 6 shews the side of a box, in which I employ elastic bands to con-
tract the box when required. The box is shewn drawn out to its utmost point
of expansion. a,a,a, are three elastic bands, secured to the upper part A and
the lower part C of the box. These parts A and C are made capable of sliding
over each other, as in the former case. B, B, are slot or grooves in the lower
part of the box. In these; grooves the set screws B',. B', are placed. By
, reference to the Drawing, it will be evident that when the set screws. B¹, B',
are unscrewed the elastic bands a,a,a, will contract, and thus draw. the part A
over the part C to the required position, when the set screws B'; B', are again
.fixed. When it is desired to make the box larger, the set screws are loosened
and the part A is raised over the part C, when the set screws B¹, B¹, are
again tightened, and keep the box at the requisite point of expansion.
Figure 7 is a view of.au arrangement in which I cause the parts to slide
over each other by means of a rack and pinion.. a is the rack; B is the pinion;
.C is a catch or pawl, tak ng into the teeth of the pinion B, which keeps the
whole in proper position after the necessary, degree of expansion has been
given to the box ;D. is a clip or support for the rack a. One end E of the
rack a is connected to the side F' of the box.. One motion being communicated
to, the, pinion B, the rack a is caused to move either to the right or left, as
the case may be. The end of the rack being connected to the side of the
box E, moves with the rack, and thus the box can be caused to expand or
.contract as desired, the catch C retaining it in any desired position.
Figure 8 shews my plan for causing boxes to expand to any desired extent
by, means of lazy-tongs. A. is the top, and B the bottom of the box; C is.a
metal plate, attached to the box, and pierced with a series of holes a, a; D, D,
are the lazy-tongs, the ends of which are attached to the upper and lower
parts of the box. In the lazy-tongs, at the points where the pieces cross,. I
. bore holes c, c, corresponding with tho se formed in the metal piece C. When
it is desired to expand or contract the box, the top. is either..depressed or
lowered, as the case may be, and retained in the desired position. by a pin
passing through the holes in the lazy-tongs and metal plate C.
Figure 9 is a view of an expanding box, constituting a modification of the
one shewn at Figure 8. A is the top, and B the bottom of the box, as before.
.B' is a metal plate inserted in the top A. This plate is slotted nearly its
whole length. In this slot the lugs c,c, which are a part of the upper legs of
the lazy-tongs, are free to move. a is a screw; passing through holes formed
in the lugs c, c, so that when the screw a is turned the upper legs of the
lazy-tongs are drawn together or separated. This action causes the: box
to expand or contract, as desired.

page_text: Figure, 10 is a view of an arrangement which may be employed to expand
boxes, by means of two plates or bars A, A', crossing each other, similar, to a
pair of legs of lazy-tongs. These arms are centred and move freely on pins
through their upper ends a, a¹. These pins are fixed in the upper part
of the box. When the box is expanded it is kept in a proper position by
means of a ratchet rack c, fixed on the lower portion of the box, into which
the lower end of one of the plates or bars A takes, the end being pawl-shaped
for that purpose. Both of the lower ends of the bars A and A' may be used
if necessary, or a plate with holes formed therein may be fixed to the front of
the box; and the arms secured in a similar manner to that represented and
described with reference to Figure 8.
Figure 11 shews another arrangement which I make use of in expanding
boxes. a, a, is a slotted plate, in which a moveable stud B works. The box
is expanded by moving the stud along the long slot b, b. The box is retained
in à proper position by the stud B being slipped into one of the short slots c. c,
which are formed at right angles to the longest slot b, b.
Figure 12 is a view of a ratchet wheel motion for expanding boxes, some-
what similar to that shewn at Figure 7. a is the rack working into the pinion
B; c is a pawl or stop, which takes into the pinion B to keep the whole in
any desired position; D is a spring to keep the rack a in gear with the pinion
B. As the pinion B is turned in one direction or another the rack is raised
or lowered, which will cause the box to become contracted or expanded, as
desired.
Figures 13 to 13k are views of purses or porte-monnaeis constructed accord-
ing to my Invention. These purses are provided with telescopic sides and
divisions to suit the different coins. I connect the sides of these purses
together by projecting pins, screws, rivets, dovetails, or corrugations, which
slide in corresponding grooves or slots fixed to or cut into the sides of the
purses.
Figures 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 are views of various plans which I adopt
for this purpose. An immense number of articles can be formed in the manner
I have described, for example, portmanteaus, knapsacks, bags, pockets, sides
or backs of books.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, constructing the sides or backs of boxes, cases, purses, and other
receptacles of two or more parts, capable of sliding over each other, and of
being expanded by means of screws, and fixed in any required position by set
screws, as herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings annexed

page_text: Second, I claim the several methods of and apparatuses for producing the
contraction or expansion of boxes, as herein-before described, and represented
in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Childs the younger, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
W CHILDS, Jr. (1.s.)