Improved Vesta Box.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th Feb., 1596-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Vesta Box.
WILLIAM THOMAS RISING 9 High Street Hampstead Middlesex, Jeweller, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Consists of a false bottom added to ordinary box with lathes inserted above
slightly separated and placed in an upright position, depth of same lathes to be
about of an inch. A space to be left between bottom and lathes each end of
vesta box to be left open to allow sulphur and matter to escape. The object
of the invention is to prevent accumulation of sulphur from matches thereby
preventing matches from striking and danger incured by false striking causing
part of match to fly.
Signed this 31st day of January 1896
WILLIAM THOMAS RISING.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS RISING of 9 High Street in the Parish of Hampstead in
the County of Middlesex Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what tuanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Match boxes as now made are provided at one end or side with a corrugated or
stamped portion which I call the striking plate and against which the head of a
match or vesta is intended to be rubbed in order to produce a light. In practice
however it is found difficult to produced the desired result after the striking plate
has been used a few times as the sulphur from the heads of the matches tends to
adhere to the plate and to fill up the corrugations or depressions & so to render
it unable to produce the necessary friction when the head of the match is rubbed
on it. My invention relates especially to these striking plates and is intended to
overcome the difficulties above referred to and to provide striking plates which
shall always be free from accumulation of sulphur and in an efficient condition for
the work which they are intended to perform.
In carrying it into effect I construct the striking plate in the form of a grating
composed of a series of plates which are fixed parallel to each other and side by
side a small space being left between each pair of plates to allow any sulphur or
other material that may be rubbed off the head of the match by striking it on the
grating to fall through it and I provide an opening or passage on the other side of
the grating to allow this sulphur etc. to pass right away..
I will now describe my invention as applied to an ordinary fusee-vesta box with
the aid of the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 shows a side elevation Fig. 2 a section and Fig. 3 an end elevation.
Figures 4 & 5 respectively are plan views showing the two modifications of the
striking plate.
Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of striking plate suitable for affixing by screws to
a match box or in any other desired position.

page_text: The box is formed with a false bottom A placed some little distance from the
end of the case and in the space below it a grating formed of a number of parallel
plates B B is fixed the lower edges of which C form the striking surface. These
plates do not quite reach to the false bottom A of the box and so allow of a space
between it and the grating and openings D communicating with this space are
provided in the ends of the box. It will be easily seen that any matter which may
be rubbed off the heads of the matches during striking will pass through the
openings in the grating and subsequently fall out through the opening D. In
some cases I may prefer to make the striking plate of a single corrugated plate
as shown in Fig. 5. instead of a number of parallel plates.
Although I have described my invention as forming part of a vesta match box
it is obvious it may be made to affix to a box or other receptacle by screws or
otherwise and in Fig. 6 1 show an arrangement suitable for attaching by screws to
a box or even to a window-ledge or in any other suitable position in a smoking
room or railway carriage instead of the stamped or cast plates at present
in use.
Having now fully described my invention and the manner in which it may
conveniently be carried into effect I hereby claim as follows.
1st. The "improved vesta box" substantially as described.
2nd. Striking plates for match boxes and the like consisting of a number
of parallel plates or of one corrugated plate made as and for the purpose
.described.
Dated this 28th day of February 1896.
WILLIAM THOMAS RISING,
Applicant.