Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH WELLINGTON FRAZIER, of 290, Broadway, in
the City and State of New York, United States of America, Merchant.]
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The principal object of this improvement is to provide a cartridge-box with a cover
flap which is capable of being rapidly adjusted to shield the contents of the cartridge
box from rain, and also of being rapidly removed from the position in which it covers
the cartridge box to a position in which it is entirely out of the way, and, offers no
obstruction to the extraction of cartridges from the box.
To this end the invention consists, first, in the combination with the cartridge box
of a sliding cover flap, sufficiently long to cover the rear side of the box, the top, and
the whole or a suitable portion of the front of the box, and sufficiently wide to extend
beyond the ends of the box, and thereby act as a shield to protect the contents of the
box from rain.
There is attached to the back of the box, by riveting or otherwise, a suitable frame,
which may be made of metal, and which extends beyond the ends of the box a
sufficient distance to enable it to contain the sliding cover flap; the ends of the frame
serving as vertical guides for aligning the path of movement of the cover flap.
The belt, by means of which the cartridge box is secured to the person of the user,
may be either fastened to this frame, or the frame may be provided with openings at
its ends, through which the belt may be inserted. The frame is wide enough to allow
space for the insertion of the belt, and is offset from the back of the box to afford.
clearance for the sliding cover-flap; and also to hold the box away from the body of
the user, and thus leave a space for ventilation in the rear of the box.
A further feature of the invention, therefore, consists of a frame which is suitably
applied to the back of the cartridge-box, and thus serves to hold the box away from

page_text: the body of the user, and thereby leaves a space for ventilation in the rear of the box ;
and finally, the invention embraces the combination of the box and its cover-flap with
a frame suitably applied, to and projecting rearwardly from, the back of the cartridge-
box, which frame is adapted to afford vertical guides for the sliding cover-flap, and is
also adapted to be attached to or suspended from the cartridge belt.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1, is a front elevation of a cartridge box showing the cover flap pulled half
way up, and showing portions of the belt upon which the box is suspended.
Figure 2 is a top view of the parts in the position in which they are represented
in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the cartridge box, with the cover flap pulled half
way up, showing broken portions of the belt, and the central portion of the cover
flap broken out to afford a view of a loop affixed to the back of the box, and the
strap passing through the loop and affixed to the cover flap limiting the range of
movement of the cover flap.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the cover flap, showing the cover flap drawn
over, and fastened in position to shield the contents of the box.
Figure 5 is an isometrical perspective view of a modification of the cartridge box,
which consists in the application to the back of it of a skeleton metallic frame.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of the modification illustrated in Figure 5.
A represents a leather cartridge-box of the shape and size required to enable it to
contain a prescribed number of cartridges, as for example, two rows of ten each,
as shown in Figure 2.
To the back of the box there is affixed, by riveting or otherwise, a metallic frame
or strip of sheet metal, B, the ends of which are respectively turned backwardly and
inwardly, forming the bends b, b, which project, respectively, beyond the opposite
ends of the box, and which are adapted to embrace the vertical edges, respectively, of
the sliding cover flap, D.
The leather strip of which the back, a, is formed is preferably clongated sufficiently
to enable it to cover the exterior surfaces of the bends b, b. The bends b, b, are
provided with the transverse loops C, C, through which the belt E, is inserted when,
as is usually the case, it is desired that the cartridge box shall be capable of sliding
upon the belt.
If it is not desired that the cartridge box shall be capable of sliding
upon the belt, the belt may be permanently affixed to the bends b, b.
The sliding cover flap Ď exceeds in width the length of the cartridge box, and is
provided upon its transverse edges, respectively, with the tongues D1 and D2, by
means of which it may be pulled upward or downward, as required. Its range of
sliding movement is limited by suitable means, as, for example, by means of a
vertical strap d, the opposite ends of which are sewed fast to the inner side of the
cover flap the strap d being loosely inserted through the loop d', affixed to the
back of the cartridge box or to the sheet metal strip B covering the back of the
cartridge box.
The tongue D', is provided with a button-hole, by means of which, when the cover
flap is pulled over the top of the cartridge box and down the front side, the tongue D¹
is fastened to the button knob F, affixed to and projecting downward from the bottom a¹,
of the cartridge box.
It will be seen that the back of the cartridge box and the bends b, b, might be made
entirely of leather, but it preferable to make the bends b, b, of metal, for the
purpose of enabling them to more perfectly preserve their form; and the metallic
strip B affords the simplest and most convenient method of giving to the back of
the box, and to the bends b, b, the desired stiffness. A like result can be obtained by
the employment, in the place of the metallic strip B, of a skeleton frame of metal, G,
affixed to the back of the box, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6; this part of the
invention being present in any cartridge box the back of which is provided with
rearward projections with which the belt can be either adjustably or permanently con-
nected, and by means of which space is left between the belt and the back of the box
for the reception of the sliding cover flap.

page_text: Various modes of limiting the range of sliding movement of the cover flap may be
adopted without departing from the invention as, for example, that illustrated in
Figure 6, in which a transverse check bar H, is affixed to the inner side of the cover
flap and by its collision with the top of the box limits the range of downward move-
ment of the cover flap while the transverse check bar H', by its collision with the
bottom of the box, or with the rearwardly projecting frame, limits the range of
upward movement of the sliding cover flap.
;
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:
First. A cartridge box for holding a prescribed number of cartridges, in combina-
tion with a vertically-sliding cover flap, and guides affixed to the back of the box for
the purpose of guiding the movement of the sliding cover flap.
Second. The combination of a sliding cover flap with a cartridge box provided
upon its back with a frame or extension suitably offset to afford clearance for the
sliding cover flap.
Third. The combination as herein set forth, of a cartridge box provided at its back
with a rearwardly projecting frame, or rearward extensions adapted for connection
either loosely or permanently with the cartridge belt and a sliding cover flap inter-
posed between the belt and the back of the box, and a fastening device for fastening
the cover flap when it is extended over the top of the box in position to shield the
contents thereof.
Fourth. The combination, as herein set forth, of a sliding cover flap and means for
limiting the range of movement of the said sliding cover flap, with a cartridge box
the back of which is provided at its opposite ends with rearwardly-offset extensions for
connection with or suspension upon the cartridge belt, whereby clearance is afforded
for the cover flap between the belt and the back of the box, and the cover flap is
guided in its vertical movements.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.