IM- PROVEMENTS IN BOXES, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO BOXES FOR THE TRANSMIS- SION OF SAMPLES BY POST
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City
of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BOXES, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO BOXES FOR THE TRANSMIS-
SION OF SAMPLES BY POST." A communication from abroad by Francis Forbes
Atkinson, of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 30th September 1879, and dated the 1st April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st April 1879.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES, SPECIALLY APPLI-
CABLE TO BOXES FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF SAMPLES BY POST." [A communication
from abroad by Francis Forbes Atkinson, of New York, in the United States of
America.]
This Invention of improvements in boxes relates more particularly to boxes for
the transmission of samples or other articles by post, and its object is, while com-
bining lightness, strength, and simplicity, to allow of the box being readily opened
and closed by the postal authorities, or to be opened by the person to whom it is
addressed without loss of time and without damage to the box or to the sample or
article therein.
The box is made of cardboard or other sufficiently rigid or stiff material covered
with canvas, muslin, oil paper, or other suitable flexible material, and in some cases
lined with tin foil. The opening of the box is at one end, beyond which end the
canvas or other covering is prolonged to the extent of, say, an inch, or other required
distance. The lid or cover for closing this end of the box is jointed thereto, and is
gummed or otherwise fastened to the inside of the prolongation of the canvas
covering, and from the edge of this lid a tongue of triangular shape projects, this
tongue being jointed to the lid. When it is required to close the box the lid is

page_text: pushed by the finger against the end of the box, the effect of which is that the sides
of the prolongation of the canvas covering (to a portion of which the lid is gummed
as aforesaid) become folded or doubled, and the tongue then stands out from the end
of the box. The prolongation of the canvas covering is then further folded partly
against the end of the box and partly against the tongue; and, lastly, the parts are
secured in this position by a fastening passed through holes made for the purpose in
the tongue and in the folds of the canvas covering. It is preferred to use an ordinary
T-shaped fastening.
The canvas covering and lid effectually close the end of the box, and by simply
removing the fastening the end can be opened.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mowburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st October 1879.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES, SPECIALLY APPLI
CABLE TO BOXES FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF SAMPLES BY POST." (A communica
tion from abroad by Francis Forbes Atkinson, of New York, in the United States
of America.)
This Invention of improvements in boxes relates more particularly to boxes for
the transmission of samples or other articles by post, and its object is, while com-
bining lightness, strength, and simplicity, to allow of the box being readily opened
and closed by the postal authorities, or to be opened by the person to whom it is
addressed, without loss of time, and without damage to the box or to the sample or
article therein.
The box is made of cardboard or other sufficiently rigid or stiff material, and may
be covered with canvas, muslin, oil paper, or other suitable flexible material, and in
some cases lined with tin foil. The opening of the box is at one end, beyond which
end the canvas or other covering is prolonged to the extent of, say, an inch, or other
required distance. The lid or cover for closing this end of the box is jointed thereto,
and is gummed or otherwise fastened to the inside of the prolongation of the canvas
covering, and from the edge of this lid a tongue of triangular shape projects, this
tongue being jointed to the lid. When it is required to close the box the lid is
pushed by the finger against the end of the box, the effect of which is that the sides
of the prolongation of the canvas covering (to a portion of which the lid is gummed
as aforesaid) become folded or doubled, and the tongue then stands out from the
end of the box. The prolongation of the canvas covering is then further folded
partly against the end of the box and partly against the tongue; and, lastly, the
parts are secured in this position by a fastening passed through holes made for the
purpose in the tongue and in the folds of the canvas covering. It is preferred to use
an ordinary T shaped fastening. The canvas covering and lid effectually close the
end of the box, and by simply removing the fastening the end can be opened.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings represents a box made according to this Inven-
tion as hereinbefore described; the canvas paper, and other covering of the box is
prolonged beyond the open end, as seen at a, for a distance equal to the depth of
the box. The lid or cover for the open end of the box is gummed or otherwise
fastened to the inside of the part a¹ of the prolongation a, and is jointed to the box
at b; it will generally be made of the same material as the box. c is a tongue
jointed to the lid at 61; it will generally be made of the same material as the lid
and box, and a good way of forming the joints b and 6' is to form the top side of
the box, the lid, and the tongue from one piece of cardboard or other material, and
to cut it about half through its thickness at the places for the joints; the cut for
the joint 6 will be on the outside, and that for the joint b¹ on the inside. A hole is
made in the tongue at d, and other holes in the extension a at e, e, e. In order to
close the box the lid is pushed against the end, and this will cause the sides of the
prolongation a to fold or double on the lines a³, a². The prolongation is then further
folded partly against the lid or end of the box and partly against the tongue c, the
parts being then as seen in Figure 2. They are secured in this position by a
fastening passed through the holes d and e, which all come together. The fastenings
preferred are the well known fastenings represented in Figure 3.
Figure 4 shows a modification of the box, in which the prolongation a of the
covering does not extend from the bottom of the box, as in Figure 1, but is replaced
by a tongue like prolongation c¹ corresponding with the tongue c. Figure 5 shows
this box after the parts have been folded for closing. Figure 6 shows another
modification in which the two side prolongations are also dispensed with and the

page_text: closing effected by the lid or cover in combination with the two tongues c and c³,
which when brought together, as seen in Figure 7, are secured as in the other modi-
fications by a fastening passed through holes d. The lid is shown with a backing or
strengthening piece f.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
The manufacture of boxes such as are herein referred to, with means of closing
them, substantially as herein described; and I claim particularly the tongue c jointed
to the lid or cover in combination with the prolongation a, or with a second tongue c¹
to enable the parts to be secured in the closed position, substantially as described,
and shown in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, 1, the said John Clayton Mewburn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy nine.