IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PACKING AND EXHIBITING GOODS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Couchman, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-
le-Grand, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PACKING AND EXHIBITING GOODS
H
Sealed the 8th March 1867, and dated the 14th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Couchman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1866.
I, RICHARD COUCHMAN, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOXES OR CASES FOR PACKING AND EXHIBITING
GOODS OR ARTICLES OF VARIOUS KINDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in boxes or cases which are con-
structed with glass, ornamental, or other fragile lids or covers for exhibiting
the goods or articles contained therein.

page_text: The principal object of my improvements is to afford protection to such
glass, ornamental, or other fragile lids or covers when the boxes or cases are
in transit, or are not required to exhibit the goods or articles they contain.
For this purpose I insert the box or case furnished with a glass or ornamental
lid or cover into an outer case, into and out of which it can be readily drawn
or slid.
One side of this outer case is formed with an opening (or openings),
so that when the inner box or case is inserted with the glass or ornamental lid
or cover thereof opposite this opening the goods or articles are seen or
exhibited, but by reversing the position of the outer case the glass lid or
cover will be covered over, and thus protected by the closed side of the outer
A hinged or other moveable cover may be applied to the opening in
the outer case if desired; or a similar cover may be slid over or applied to
protect the transparent or ornamental cover of a box or case separate from
and independently of an outer case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Couchman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
COUCHMAN, of Noble Street, Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Couchman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Couchman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Couchman, 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
BoxS OR CASES FOR PACKING AND EXHIBITING GOODS OR ARTICLES OF VARIOUS
Kims," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Coichman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Richard Couchman, 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 relates to improvements in boxes or cases which are con-
structed with glass, ornamental, or other fragile lids or covers for exhibiting
the goods or articles contained therein.
The principal object of my improvements is to afford protection to such
glass, ornamental, or other fragile lids or covers when the boxes or cases are
in transit, or are not required to exhibit the goods or articles they contain.
For this purpose I insert the box or case furnished with a glass or ornamental
lid or cover into an outer case, into and out of which it can be readily drawn
or slid. One side of this outer case is formed with an opening (or openings),
so that when the inner box or case is inserted with the glass or ornamental
lid or cover opposite or below this opening the goods or articles (or ornamental
cover) are seen or exhibited, but by reversing the position of the outer case
the glass lid (or ornamental cover) will be covered over, and thus pro-
tected by the closed side of the outer case. A hinged or other moveable
protecting cover may be applied to the opening in the outer case if desired;
or a similar cover may be slid over or applied to protect the transparent
or ornamental cover of a box or case separately from and independently, of
an outer case.
And in order that the nature of my improvements may be more fully
understood and readily performed or carried into practice, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 show different views (the nature of each of which is
written thereon) of an outer protecting case a, suitable for receiving the box
or case 6 and its glass lid or cover b (shown separately at Figures 4, 5,
and 6). The outer protecting case a formed with an opening a¹ on one side,
through which the glass lid or cover b' of the box box b with its contents can
be seen when slid into the case a, as shown at Figures 6 and 7, but when the
position of the case a is reversed, as shown at Figure 8, then the glass lid b¹

page_text: In like
will be covered and protected by the closed side a³ of the case a.
manner if the lid or cover of the box b is of an ornamental or fragile
character the case a will exhibit or afford protection thereto when required
in transit or otherwise. The lid or cover 6¹ may be hinged to the box 6 if
preferred. I would remark that although I prefer to form the protecting
case or cover a as previously described, it may be formed in two parts
similar to an ordinary box, but with an opening a¹ formed in the lid or
cover, and having one end removed or hinged to the bottom part to admit of
an inner box (containing the goods or articles to be exhibited) being slid
into or out of the same, by which means the glass or ornamental cover of
the inner box may be exposed or covered and protected from time to time
as required.
Figures 9, 10, and 11 show separate views of a similar box 6 having a glass
(or it may be ornamental) lid or cover 6', which may be covered and protected
when required by means of the detached sliding cover as held in position over
the glass (or it may be ornamental) cover 6¹ when required by means of
clips c or other contrivances, such sliding cover being retained by similar
clips c below the bottom of the box when it is not required to cover and
protect the glass (or ornamental) lid or cover of the box b, as shown at
Figures 10 and 11.
Figure 12 shows a similar box 6 to which a protecting cover a is hinged
at a-by means of a strip of woven fabric or other flexible material which can
be folded over the glass (or it may be ornamental) lid or cover b¹ when
required to protect the same, such cover a being folded underneath the box b
when it is desired to exhibit the contents or the ornamental cover of the box b.
The cover a may be retained in either position by means of clips c, as shown,
or by other convenient means. A similar hinged cover a may be applied to
one of the sides of the protecting case a, shown at Figure 1, to fold over the
opening a¹, or below its under side a³, in which arrangement the ease a would
not require to be reversed, as previously described.
The cases and covers arranged and applied for the purpose of protecting
the glass or ornamental covers of boxes or cases in the manner herein-before
described may be made of paper, wood, metal, or other suitable material
according to the character of the box or case to which such protecting cases
or covers are applied.
Having thus described the nature of my improvements in boxes or cases
for packing and exhibiting goods or articles of various kinds, what I claim
is, the application of a supplemental case or cover to protect the glass,

page_text: ornamental, or other fragile lids or covers of such boxes or cases when
required, in the manner herein described and shown in the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Couchman, have hereunto* set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
RICH. COUCHMAN. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings, W.C.