Improvements in Travelling Bags.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 20th Dec., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Travelling Bags.
We, EUGENE HARRY POPE of 12 Young Street, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Foreman, and WILLIAM HAYNES of St. Stephen's Works, William Street,
Salford in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 :-
Our said invention relates to improvements in travelling bags and more especially
to those kinds of bags which are made in two parts hinged together at the bottom
and of which what is commonly known as a Gladstone bag may be considered an
example. Bags of this kind are usually constructed of leather or similar material
attached to a framework of metal constructed in sections and provided with hinged
joints at the bottom. In some cases the framework of one part of the bag is
simply hinged direct to the other. In other cases the framework of each part is
jointed to connecting or joint pieces or to a bar. The leather covering of the bag
is continued outside and over the hinged joints so that when the bag is placed on the
ground the weight of the bag and its contents tends to press the hinges through the
leather at these points, and tends to the destruction of the leather by contact with
the ground.
The frames of such bags have a strengthening bar extending from one hinge to the
other inside the leather covering and the leather covering is secured thereto by rivets
or in other ways. When provided with a strengthening bar in this manner the
weight of the contents of the bag pressing on the flexible bottom tends to distort
and to press the leather away from the strengthening bar.
We overcome the before-mentioned defects by providing according to our said
invention a strengthening bar which extends from one end of the bottom of the bag
to the other end outside the leather covering and which may be formed in such a
manner as to act as a guard to prevent the leather under the hinges from coming into
contact with the ground.
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in all the figures
of which the same letters refer to the same parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of one half of a bag made in accordance with our said
invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan showing the bottom of such a bag.
Fig. 3 is a cross section throughy of Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shows on a larger scale than the other figures our method of forming part
of the hinged joint.
Fig. 5 shows modifications of the outside strengthening bar hereinbefore referred to.
A is the hinged metal framework to which the body of the bag bb is secured
in the usual manner. The ordinary handles, locks or other fastenings suitable for
such a bag are used. The line a Fig. 1 indicates the leather or other material of
which the bottom of the bag is composed. Outside the bottom of the bag and under
the joint we provide the bar e preferably of the shape shown in Fig. I, that is to
say bent up at the ends e¹ to protect the ends of the bag, and hollowed or shaped
at e in such a manner as to prevent the leather under the hinges d from coming
nto contact with the ground when the bag is placed thereon. By placing the bar e
outside the bag in the manner shown the bottom of the bag is supported.
acilitate the passage of the usual straps between the bottom of the bag and the
are we provide depressions or hollows e in the bar e.
To
Although we prefer to form the bar e as described with reference to Fig. 1 we
nay use other forms of outside bar as for example f g h Fig. 5 which may or may

page_text: not be provided with passages for the straps or means for protecting the hinges or
the body of the bag at the ends.
To form the hinges of a double hinged bag we form the double centre by simply
cutting the end of a piece of metal c in such a manner as to form a fork with two
prongs cc on each of which the parts d d at the ends of the frames A can swivel.
Two such pieces c may be rivetted to the bar e with the bottom of the bag lying
between as shown in Fig. 1 or a plain long bar shown in dotted lines at c² forked at
the ends may be rivetted through the leather bottom to the bar e.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. In a jointed travelling bag the use of an external bar under the bottom of the
bag at the joint substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and set
forth.
2. In a jointed travelling bag the use of an external bar under the bottom of the
bag at the joint shaped at the ends so as to protect the hinged joints and the
body of the bag substantially as herein before described and set forth.
3. In a jointed travelling bag the use of an external bar under the bottom of
the bag at the joint formed substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawing for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
4. In a jointed travelling bag the use of an external bar under the bottom of the
bag in combination with double hinges constructed as shown in Fig. 1 and secured
to the external bar through the bottom of the bag substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this Fourteenth day of November 1890.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicants.