IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of CASES OR ENVELOPES FOR COVERING BOTTLES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Seithen, of 13, Wakefield Street, Brunswick
Square, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of
CASES OR ENVELOPES FOR COVERING BOTTLES."
Sealed the 20th February 1855, and dated the 29th August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Seithen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th August
1854.
I, JOHN SEITHEN, of 13, Wakefield Street, Brunswick Square, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CASES OR ENVELOPES FOR COVERING BOTTLES" to be as follows:--
This Invention consists in an arrangement of apparatus by which lengths of
rush, straw, or other suitable material may be readily tied together so as to
form cases or covers to protect bottles from breakage when packed. For this
purpose I take equal lengths of rush, straw, or other suitable material, and
confine them at one end within a ring or cap, which I then place over the neck
end of a mould or mandril, corresponding in form to the bottle for which the
case or cover is intended. The mould is fixed to a frame, and its lower part is

page_text: surrounded by a ring, which is capable of being raised and lowered by the
operator. The cap being placed on the mould, and retained by any suitable
contrivance, the lengths of rush or straw surrounding the mould or form are
then tied tightly near the middle of their length below a moveable clastic ring
on the mould. The ring surrounding the lower part of the mould is then raised
by depressing a treadle, by which the lower ends of the rushes or straw will be
turned up over the cord and around the mould or form, when they are again
tied tightly around it near the upper part; the cap may then be removed, and
the upper ends may, if necessary, be tied near their extremities. The case or
cover may then be removed from the mould or form, the elastic ring in being
drawn off contracting within a groove on the mould or form, so as to release it
from the case or cover; or in place of forming the cases or envelopes separately,
the bottle to be covered may be substituted for the mould or form, and the
rush or straw permanently secured thereto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Seithen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SEITHEN, late of 13, Wakefield Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of
Middlesex, but now of 101, Richmond Row, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancashire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Seithen, Her special licence that I, the said John Seithen,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Seithen, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CASES OR ENVELOPES FOR COVERING BOTTLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Seithen, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under my hand and seal, 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 John Seithen, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 (that is to say):-
:-
This Invention consists in an arrangement of apparatus by which lengths of
rush, straw, or other suitable material may be readily tied together, so as to
form cases or covers to protect bottles from breakage when packed. For this
purpose I take equal lengths of rush, straw, or other suitable material, and
confine them at one end within a ring or cap, which I then place over the neck
end of a mould or mandril, corresponding in form to the bottle for which the
case or cover is intended. The mould is fixed to a frame, and its lower part is
surrounded by a ring, which is capable of being raised and lowered by the
operator. The cap being placed on the mould, and retained by any suitable
contrivance, the lengths of rush or straw surrounding the mould or form are
then tied tightly near the middle of their length below a moveable elastic ring
on the mould. The ring surrounding the lower part of the mould is then
raised by depressing a treadle, by which the lower ends of the rushes or straws
will be turned up over the cord and around the mould or form, where they are
again tied tightly around it near the upper part; the cap may then be removed,
and the upper ends may, if necessary, be tied near their extremities. The case
or cover may then be removed from the mould or form, the clastic ring in
being drawn off contracting within a groove on the mould or form, so as to
release it from the case or cover; or in place of forming the cases or envelopes
separately, the bottle to be covered may be substituted for the mould or form,
and the rush or straw permanently secured thereto.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing represents a side elevation of a machine combined according
to the Invention. A, A, is the framing of the machine, at the upper part of
which is fixed a rack B, into a step or notch, in which the upper end of the
strut Centers when the hollow can D is brought into position over the top of

page_text: the pattern E, as is shown in the Drawing. The cap D is fixed to the lever F,
which is hinged at G, and it will be raised out of the way when desired by the
weight and chain H, when the cover or cap D is required to be lifted off from
above the pattern E. The pattern E is screwed on to the standard I, affixed
to the block J; and it may be remarked, that in place of a pattern, it will be
evident that the parts might be modified, so as to receive a bottle in place of
the upper part of the pattern E, and the machine is arranged for having larger
or smaller patterns E introduced. In the pattern E is formed a groove E',
into which an elastic ring of india-rubber or other suitable material K may
contract, as is indicated by red lines in the Drawing; but when in use the
elastic ring K is expanded, and is moved down to a position on the pattern E,
below the groove, as is shewn by black lines, such ring being brought down a
distance according to the length of envelope or cover which is intended to be
made. L is a ring carried by a frame, as shown, and it is capable of being
raised by a treadle M, so as to be brought into the position shown by the red
lines, by which the lower ends of the rushes, straws, or suitable material will
be raised up into the position shewn in the Drawing. In using the machine,
the upper ends of the rushes, straws, or other materials are spread round the
neck of the pattern E, and in sufficient quantities to cover the larger diameter
of the pattern; and this is done when the ring L is at its lowest position, and
the lower ends of the rushes or other materials will cover the exterior of the
ring L. The cap D, which has been previously out of the way, is to be brought
down, and the strut placed under one of the notches in the rack above, so as to
hold the cap D in position. The clastic ring K is placed in its position below
the notch E', before commencing to make an envelope or case for a bottle.
The rushes or other materials used are to be tied in under the ring K by a
string N. The ring L is then to be raised into the position shown by red lines,
by which the lower ends of the rushes or materials will be folded upwards, and
be held in position, as is indicated by the Drawing, for their being further tied
in by strings at the points shown by the dotted lines (1), (1), and (2), (2). The
cap D is then to be raised out of the way by unstepping the strut, and the
upper ends of the rushes or other materials are to be tied tightly in by a string,
which will complete the process of making an envelope or case; and the same
may be lifted off the pattern E, the elastic ring K sliding upwards and con-
tracting into the groove E' in the pattern E, as shown by red lines in the
Drawing. In thus using rushes, straw, or other suitable materials for making
envelopes or cases for bottles, such materials will be in a damp state when the
nature of the materials require to be so, as is well understood.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have it
understood that what I claim is, the combination of mechanism and the making
of envelopes for bottles, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Seithen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
99, Richmond Row,
GOTTLOB SCHRÖEDER.
JOHN SEITHEN,
101, Richmond Row.
(L.S.)