Improvements in Boxes for Containing Matches, Cigarettes, and other Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1894-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boxes for Containing Matches, Cigarettes, and
other Articles.
I, EDWARD JACOB HILL of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in boxes for holding matches, cigarettes,
lozenges, or other small articles, for which I made former application for Letters
Patent dated the 4th day of October 1892, No. 17687.
The box as described in the Specification of my aforesaid application is composed
of a single strip of sheet metal stamped or cut of such shape and so folded as to
form a self-closing box from which the articles may be withdrawn singly by merely
compressing the sides of the box so as to bring an inner chamber, forming the
receptacle for the articles, opposite a discharge opening in the end of the box, with
which in its normal position the receptacle does not communicate, so as to allow
the articles to fall out.
The blank from which the box is made has lateral extensions of a form suitable
to constitute the ends of the box, one of which has an aperture which forms the
discharge orifice.
With the box so constructed difficulty is apt to be experienced in withdrawing
the contents by a person unaccustomed to its use and it is moreover troublesome to
refill.
Both of these objections I seek by my present invention to avoid while at same
time improving the appearance of the box.
According to my present invention, I make the box from a strip or blank of
substantially the same form as before overlapped upon itself so as to enclose an
inner capacity constituting the container for the articles, but so bent or folded as to
provide a pocket which extends the whole length of the box and occupies a position
corresponding to the vacant space in my previous box which was necessary to
allow the movement of the receptacle within the overlapping portion in discharging
the article to take place, said pocket in its normal position being closed by the end
portions of the box neither of which have apertures serving as discharge openings
as in the previous box, the articles being capable of being freely withdrawn from
the pocket when, by pressure on the sides of the box, said pocket is caused to
protrude beyond the side of the box.
The accompanying drawing shews in Figure 1 a cross-section of a box made
according to my present invention and Figure 2 shews an end view the pocket in
Figure 1 being shewn in its normal closed position while in Figure 2 it is shewn in
the position it occupies in withdrawing the contents of the box.
The box as will be seen consists of a single strip brought to box-like form by
being bent at a and b and at c aud d, inwardly bent at e, and then bent in a reverse
direction at f to form the pocket g which communicates with the container / by a
throat of a width sufficient to give passage to the articles from the container h to
the pocket g, the strip being bent back so that its extremity bears against one of
the sides of the box.
To enable the box to be readily refilled one or both of the lateral extensions
which in the former box are integral with the strip may be dispensed with and
in lieu thereof I may substitute a slide or slides or covers which are received in

page_text: guides or ears formed on the edges of the blank and serving to securely retain said
covers in position and close the ends of the box when in place.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1893.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boxes for Containing Matches, Cigarettes, and
other Articles.
I, EDWARD JACOB HILL of 11 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in boxes for holding cigarettes, matches,
lozenges or other small articles, for which I made former application for Letters
Patent dated the 4th day of October 1892, No. 17687.
The box as described in the Specification of my aforesaid application is composed
of a single strip of sheet metal stamped or cut of such shape and so folded as to
form a self-closing box from which the articles may be withdrawn singly by merely
compressing the sides of the box so as to bring an inner chamber, forming the
receptacle for the articles, opposite a discharge opening in the end of the box with
which in its normal position the receptacle does not communicate, so as to allow the
articles to fall out.
With the box so constructed difficulty is apt to be experienced in withdrawing
the contents by a person unaccustomed to its use and it is moreover troublesome to
refill.
Both of these objections I seek by my present invention to avoid while at the
same time improving the appearance of the box.
The accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification illustrate the
mode of making the improved box which is formed of but two pieces of metal.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the successive stages of forming the one piece and
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the formation of the other piece, the two pieces together
constituting the box as shown in cross section in Figure 6 and in perspective view
in Figure 7 as in the act of delivering one of the articles contained.
According to my present invention I make the inner part of the box from a
blank of slightly springy sheet metal stamped out of the form shown in Figure 1,
overlapped upon itself so as to enclose a capacity constituting the container for the
articles, but so bent or folded as to provide a pocket which extends the whole
length of the box, said pocket in the normal position being closed by the end
portions of the box, one end only of the pocket being uncovered, when by pressure
on the sides of the box, said pocket is caused to protrude beyond the end of the box
to discharge one of the articles contained in the box.
The blank a is of rectangular form with rounded corners and has stamped out
integrally with it an end piece b which projects from about the middle of one of
the long edges of the portion a. This end piece b is of a form corresponding to the
intended form to which the part a is to be bent to form the container for the
articles. The blank first has a slight boss or indentation i punched up in it at
the middle of its width near the end g. It is then bent along the line c so as to
bring the end piece at right angles to the plane of the part a and the latter is then
bent by means of dies or upon a former or mandrel corresponding to the configura-
tion of the end piece b, that is to say the part a is bent at about the transverse
lines d and e to form the pocket d', Figure 3 and reversely curved bend e¹ and at
about the transverse lines to form the rounded corners f', Figure 3. When thus

page_text: The
bent the extremity 9 overlaps the extremity h, the former playing the part of a
spring bearing against the outer part k in such manner as to tend to return the
inner part of the box to its normal or closed position with regard to the ends l.
The bend e', Figure 3, may extend inwards so far as to leave a throat; of only
sufficient width to allow one cigarette (or other article which the box is intended
to hold) to enter the pocket d' from the body of the box, at a time. The inner
portion of the box body is permanently closed at one end by the piece b. It is
closed at the other end by a removable outer portion formed of a blank k, stamped
out of the form shown in Figure 4, consisting of a longitudinal member corre-
sponding in length to the width of the blank a and the intended length of the box,
and of two cross members 1, 1, provided with semi-circular extensions o.
parts 1, are first buckled or slightly cupped by stamping in dies so as to constitute
the convexed ends of the box and the blank has a slight indentation p punched up
in it at the middle of its length. The blank is then bent at right angles on the
lines m mnn so as to bring it to the form shown in edge view in which the
portions are in planes perpendicular to the part k. and the portions
parallel to the part k. In this manner a removable sliding clip or cover is formed
which exactly fits on the inner part of the box shown in Figure 3, and which after
the box has been filled is slipped thereon until the indentation p corresponds with
and fits in or on the indentation i so as to hold the clip in place, whilst the
extensions o embrace the opposite side of the box as shown in Figure 6.
o are
The open end of the inner capacity is then closed by the end l', but by pressing
slightly together the part k and the opposite broad side of the box, the pocket d' is
caused to project beyond the end l', as shown in Figure 7, and in dotted lines in
Figure 6, and if a cigarette or other article has first been allowed to roll through
the throat j into the pocket it may be delivered as shown in Figure 7 by tilting the
box endwise so as to allow the article to slide out.
The dimensions of the box being of course proportionate to that of the articles
contained only one such article can be delivered at a time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described box, constructed substantially as specified.
Dated this 4th day of June 1894.
E. J. HILL,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.