IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING CASES FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PICTURES, FRAMES, AND OTHER ARTICLES.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Dawes, of Kingston Grove, Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer, and Alfred Horace Dawes, of Staveley, in the County of
Westmorland, Artist, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING CASES
FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PICTURES, FRAMES, AND OTHER ARTICLES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Dawes and Alfred
Horace Dawes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th
October 1880.
WILLIAM DAWES, of Kingston Grove, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
and ALFRED HORACE DAWES, of Staveley, in the County of Westmorland, Artist.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING CASES FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PICTURES, FRAMES,
AND OTHER ARTICLES."
"8
The object of the said Invention is to reduce the difficulty, labour, and time
required in the process of packing pictures, frames, and other articles, and also to
increase their stability, security, and consequent freedom from damage, when
packed, during transmission from place to place, and it may be thus described :-
We first construct a substantial packing case of the usual or ordinary kind or
description, except as regards the lid or cover, and the method of securing the
Bame, which will be hereinafter described, and to or upon the bottom inside surface
of this case we firmly fix, by screws or other means, two (or in some cases more)
adjustable holders or receivers for gripping and firmly securing the picture, frame
or other article to the case.
We prefer to construct the before-named holders or receivers with either
"dovetailed" or T slides for the purpose of adjustment to various sizes of article,
and in such a manner that their pressure or grip shall not allow the "stretcher
frame" of a picture to receive any strain in those cases where it projects beyond
the level of the back or wall face of the frame; and by the use of screws with
wing-nuts" and sharp prods or spikes, in conjunction with the T or dovetailed
slides, the picture, frame, or other article is rapidly and firmly secured in and to the
..

page_text: case without the use of a tool of any kind. In some cases we use ratchets and
springs, or wedges, in lieu of the before-named screws and wing-nuts; and, also,
we sometimes employ cross-bands of leather or webbing secured to movable pins in
connection with or in lieu of the before described T or dovetailed holders or
grippers.
For the better and more rapid and durable securing of the lid or cover to the
case we generally employ "metal screws" in lieu of what are known as
"wood
screws," and either angle-iron or angle brackets, or metal nuts fitted into strips of
wood round the inner edge of the case, and thus the screws are placed further from
the outer edge, and greater strength, security, and durability are obtained.
In some cases we also construct similar adjustable grippers or holders upon the
inside face of the lid or cover of the case, and we sometimes construct the case in
two corresponding halves or counterparts, or as a double case, each part capable of
containing its picture, frame, or other article, attached and firmly secured according
to the foregoing description.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Dawes & Alfred Horace Dawes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th April 1881.
WILLIAM DAWES, of Kingston Grove, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
and ALFRED HORACE DAWES, of Staveley, in the County of Westmorland, Artist.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING CASES FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PICTURES, FRAMES,
AND OTHER ARTICLES."
The object of the said Invention is to reduce the difficulty, labour, and time
required in the process of packing pictures, frames, and other articles, and also to
increase their stability, security, and consequent freedom from damage when
packed during transmission from place to place, and it may be thus described:-
We first construct a substantial packing case of the usual or ordinary kind or
description, except as regards the lid or cover, and the method of securing the same,
which will be herein-after described, and to or upon the bottom or other inside
surface of this case we firmly fix, by screws or other means, two (or in some cases
more) adjustable holders or receivers for gripping and firmly securing the picture,
frame, or other article to the case.
"
We prefer to construct the before-named holders or receivers with either "dove-
tailed" or T slides, for the purpose of adjustment to various sizes of articles, and
in such a manner that their pressure or grip shall not allow the "stretcher frame "
of a picture to receive any strain in those cases where it projects beyond the level
of the back or wall face of the frame; and by the use of screws with "wing nuts
and sharp prods and spikes, in conjunction with the T or dove-tailed slides, the
picture, frame, or other article, is rapidly and firmly secured in and to the case
without the use of a tool of any kind. In some cases we use ratchets and springs,
or wedges in lieu of the before-named screws and "wing nuts," and, also, we
sometimes employ cross bands of leather or webbing secured to moveable pins, in
connection with or in lieu of the before-described T or dovetailed sliding holders
or grippers.
23
For the better and more rapid and durable securing of the lid or cover to the
"wood
case we generally employ "metal screws" in lieu of what are known as
screws," and either "angle iron or angle brackets, or metal "nuts" fitted into
strips of wood round the inner edge of the case, and thus the screws are placed
further from the outer edge, are "metal into metal" in lieu of metal into wood,
and greater strength, security, and durability are obtained.
In some cases we also construct similar adjustable grippers or holders upon the
inside face of the lid or cover of the case, and we sometimes construct the case in
two corresponding halves or counterparts, or as a double case; and for a "multiple
case," for greater numbers still, we fix the before-described grippers or holders
upon a number of loose frames or boards, constructed to slide into grooves upon
the ends or sides of the case, the pictures, frames, or other articles being firmly
secured according to the foregoing description as applied to other parts of the
case.
In the accompanying illustrations, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a
case fitted with one pair of adjustable grippers or holders; Figure 2 is one of a
pair of the adjustable screw grippers; Figure 3, one of a pair of the grippers with
springs and ratchets, or racks; Figure 4, one of a pair of pin racks for leather or
webbing bands; Figure 5 is a plan of a case fitted with two pairs of grippers for
one large or two smaller pictures; Figure 6 is a plan of a large case fitted with 18
pairs of grippers upon 13 sliding skeleton frames, and capable of receiving from
13 to 18 pictures, frames, or other articles of various sizes; and Figures 7, 8, and 9

page_text: are enlarged views of the corner and intermediate angle brackets for securing the
lids with metal into metal screws.
In all the foregoing, a is the sliding or otherwise adjustable gripper or holder;
b is a part of the case to which it is fitted, and c the corner and intermediate
brackets for securing the lid or cover.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not confine or restrict ourselves to
the precise details or arrangements which we have described or referred to, as
many modifications and variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of the said Invention, but what we consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The application and use of permanent sliding or otherwise adjustable"
grippers or holders, with or without leather or webbing cross-bands, and loose
sliding frames or boards, as attachments or appendages to packing cases, for
receiving and securely holding pictures, frames, or other articles without requiring
the use of a tool, and
Second. The angle iron or other combined rectangular metalic brackets and
screws for securing the lids of packing cases, virtually as or after the manner of
the foregoing description.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Dawes and Alfred Horace Dawes,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
JOHN BARRAT,
Staveley,
Westmorland.
WILLIAM DAWES.
(L.S.)
ALFRED HORACE DAWES. (L.S.)