IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PRESERVING LETTERS, PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior, both of the
City of Coventry, Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PRESERVING LETTERS, PAPERS, AND OTHER
DOCUMENTS."
Sealed the 14th January 1870, and dated the 23rd October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cash and Joseph
Cash at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 23rd October 1869.
We, JOHN CASH and JOSEPH CASH, junior, both of the City of
Coventry, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PRESERVING LETTERS,
PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements relate to boxes, cases, or other receptacles in
which letters, papers, or other documents may be preserved in an open
state for easy reference.
The Invention consists in fitting inside a box, case, or other receptacle
inclined or tapered pieces for the ends of a rod, bar, or plate to pass

page_text: under and be held in place. The letters, papers, or other documents
which are placed in the box are pressed upon by the rod and secured
in a superposed position. In some cases we form double inclines in
the box so that the rod may be passed under cither of the inclines to
enable the letters to be examined from their upper parts or from their
lower parts. We prefer that the box should be fitted with a lid, if a
box be used, so that the papers placed in the box are secured against
dust and dirt. In place of making the inclined side pieces a fixture in
the box, we sometimes fit spring picces, which are secured at one end
while the other ends are free to press upon the papers. The boxes may
be made in halves and hinged or otherwise secured together so that
when folded one upon the other they form a completo box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Cash and Joseph Cash in the Great Senl
Patent Office on the 23rd April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Joun
CASH and JOSEPH CASH, junior, both of the City of Coventry, Manu-
facturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior, Ier
special licence that we, the said John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior, 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 BOXES OR CASES FOR PRESERVING LETTERS,
PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior, our or one of us,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or one of our, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should

page_text: particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
Isame 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 we, the said John Cash and Joseph Cash,
junior, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to 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 :-
Our improvements relate to boxes, cases, or other receptacles in which
letters, papers, and other documents may be preserved in an open state
for
easy reference.
The Invention consists in fitting inside a box, case, or other receptacle
inclined or tapered pieces to form channels or grooves for the ends of a
rod, bar, or plate to pass under or into and be held in place. The letters,
papers, or other documents which are placed in the box are pressed upon
by the rod, and secured in a superposed position. In some cases wo
form double inclines or double grooves in the box, so that the rod may
be passed under either of the inclines or into the grooves to enable the
letters to be examined from their upper parts or from their lower parts.
We prefer that the box should be fitted with a lid, if a box be used, so
that the papers or articles placed in the box are secured against dust
and exposure. In place of making the inclined side pieces to form the
channels or grooves a fixture in the box we sometimes fit spring picces,
which are secured at one end while the other ends are free to press upon
the papers. The boxes may be made in halves and hinged or otherwise
secured together so that when folded one upon the other they form a
complete or double box.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the accom-
panying Drawings and to the following detailed description. The
Drawings represent several modes of placing the inclined pieces and the
strips. In the Figures we have shewn the Invention as applied to boxes
fitted with lids, but, as before mentioned it can be applied to all kinds of
boxes or cases whether such be used as drawers in tables or other articles
of furniture.
Figure 1 represents a box in perspective with a single incline or
tapered piece a on each side of the box; the inclines run from one end,
say the bottom, to the other end or top, so that letters, papers, or

page_text: documents of any kind which it may be found necessary to preserve can
be held in position therein by the strip of wood or other material b,
which can be placed under the edges of the inclines or in the grooves at
any point as the box becomes full or slide up the same as desired. Wo
have shewn the inclined or tapered pieces as being fitted in the box c by
pins or nails d, d, and this mode of fastening them in will be found of
great advantage in existing boxes, but in making new boxes the inclined
or tapered picces may be glued or otherwise fastened, or they may be
formed by removing portions of the sides to form channels or grooves by
a saw or other cutting instrument, and this would be advisable when the
boxes are made of wood, particularly when the boxes are of largo
size.
Figure 2 shows a box with a double inclined piece on each side so
that two strips b, b, can be used. This mode will be of service where it
is necessary to examine the letters or other articles at the bottom or at
the top of them occasionally, as either strip can be removed and the ends
of the letters turned up and looked at without in the least disturbing or
disarranging them.
Figure 3 represents a similar box with double inclined pieces fitted in
a contrary manner to those shown in the previous Figure, that is to say,
the narrow or thin parts of the picces meet at the centre of the box.
Figure 4 shows both the thin ends of the pieces a, a, looking in the
same direction. Of course it is not necessary to place the tapered pieces
or to form the grooves in the sides in all cases, as in many instances
they may be at the ends or at the top and bottom, as shown in Figure 5.
In this Figure we have shewn only one strip to the double inclines, so
that it can be used on either side as found most convenient.
In the foregoing Figures we have shewn what we consider to be the
best and handiest as well as the most economical mode of applying our
Invention, but we do not confine ourselves to fitting the tapered or
inclined pieces in or to the boxes or other receptacles, as other modes of
making them or of fitting them in to form the channels or grooves can
be devised, which mode will be determined by the size or depth of the
box or receptacle or by the kind of papers or other documents or even of
articles of wearing apparel, such as gloves, ties, handkerchiefs, socks, or
any other article that it may be found necessary to preserve in a
superposed position.

page_text: We do not in all cases, as before spoken of, use the inclined or tapered
picces, as the papers, documents, or other articles can be retained in a
superposed position by spring picces g, g, as seen in the perspective view,
Figure 6. It will be here observed that the spring pieces 9, g, are
connected at their free ends by a cross piece and are held in position
at one end of the box by a rod j, as shown. We prefer that the springs
shall be formed of coils of wire and the degree of pressure shall be such
that only a slight pressure shall be put upon the articles when the box is
full, so that they shall not be injured or creased by the cross piece h.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be carried into effect, we declare that wo
claim,―
Firstly. Fitting inclined or tapered pieces to form channels or grooves
in the inside of boxes, cases, or other receptacles and the employment of
rods, bars, or plates for taking under or into them for the purpose of
holding the contents in a superposed position in the manner shewn in
the several Figures of the annexed Sheet of Drawings and as herein-
before described.
Secondly. Fitting spring picces in boxes, cases, or other receptacles for
holding the contents in a superposed position, as herein-before referred to
and shewn in Figure 6.
In conclusion we would remark that although we have shown the best
way in our opinion of carrying our Invention into effect, we do not in
any way limit ourselves to those modes, nor to fitting only one or two
such inclined or tapered pieces in a box or other receptacle, as in some
cases, in a box fitted with trays, for instance, each or any of the trays
may be fitted with any number of piecos as found most desirable.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Cash and Joseph Cash, junior,
have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Twenty-first day of
April One thousand eight hundred and seventy.