IMPROVE- MENTS IN TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, AND SAMPLE CASES FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS AND OTHERS
Year: 1881

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LETTERS PATENT to William Brett Worger and Edwin Miller Richford, both
of Newgate Street, in the City of London, for an Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, AND SAMPLE CASES FOR THE USE OF
TRAVELLERS AND OTHERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brett Worger and
Edwin Miller Richford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
12th November 1881.
WILLIAM BRETT WORGER and EDWIN MILLER RICHFORD, both of Newgate
Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRUNKS, BOXES, BAGS, AND
SAMPLE CASES FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS AND OTHERS."
Our Invention relates to improvements in travelling trunks or boxes, which
improvements are applicable also to bags and sample cases, such as are used by
commercial travellers and others where it is desirable to keep different goods or
grades of goods separate.
According to the first part of the Invention, the trunk, box, or case is composed
of set of drawers fitted in a rectangular case or body, and furnished with a lid
which forms the front side of the box, and is received between the ends and top of
the case, and entirely covers the fronts of the drawers when in the closed position,
and when opened to permit of the drawers being pulled out is received within the
case or body at the lower part thereof beneath the set of drawers. This lid has
studs or pivots at its lower corners which engage in grooves in the sides of the
outer case, and extending from front to back thereof, and carried downwards a
short distance at the front ends. When the lid is in the closed position and locked
by any suitable fastening at the upper part, the studs are engaged in these down-
ward extensions of the grooves, so that the lid is securely held at the lower part
and cannot be displaced. When the lid is unlocked it is free to pivot upon the
tuds, and when lowered to the horizontal position, the pivots may be raised out of
be vertical into the horizontal part of the grooves, and the lid may then be slid
nto the space at the lower part of the case provided for its reception. The lid
Prise C11

page_text: may however form the top, bottom, or one of the sides of the box. This part of
the Invention may also be applied to bags used by commercial travellers, in which
case the drawers would be fitted in the body of the bag so as to open at one side,
provided with a lid as above described, the upper part of the bag being separated
from the body part containing the drawers, and used to contain order books, &c.
According to the second part of our Invention the case containing the drawers is
combined with an arrangement of hinged sliding flaps, which when opened out
form a hanging closet or wardrobe. In this case the top of the case and the front
which encloses the drawers as before are connected together and hinged to a
sliding back piece contained in a recess in the back part of the case, so as to be
capable of being raised up bodily to form the back and top of the hanging closet.
The sides of the hanging closet are formed of flaps hinged to the sides of the case
which project above the drawers, the said side flaps folding down when in the
closed position for travelling beneath the top of the case, and the front of the
hanging closet is formed by two doors hinged to the said side flaps, and by another
hinged flap, all folding beneath the side flaps, which when raised to form a hanging
closet or wardrobe are held in position by suitable jointed stays and fastenings.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views, and Figures 3 and 4, cross sections of a
trunk constructed according to this Invention; Figure 5 is a detail on a larger
scale of one of the pivots; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a trunk with a pair of
doors; Figures 7 and 8 are horizontal and vertical sections of same; Figure 9 is
an end view of a bag suitable for commercial travellers.
In Figures 1 to 5 inclusive the lid or door forms the front of the trunk, and is
received in a recess beneath the drawers, shelves, trays, or partitions, but we
would have it understood that the recess might be either above or below the set of
drawers, &c., and the lid might form the front, back, top, bottom, or end of the
trunk, according to circumstances.
A is the lid or door, and a are the pivots on which it works, received in grooves b
made in the ends B of the carcase; C are the drawers fitted to slide in frames c of
the carcase; D is the space beneath the set of drawers in which the falling front A
is received, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. When closed, as in Figures 1 and 3, it is
received between and lies flush with the edges of the sides and top which project
forward beyond the fronts of the drawers, a distance equal to the thickness of the
door A. The grooves b extend the whole depth of the recess D, and at their front
ends are curved or bent downwards in a direction at right angles to their length, as
shown at b. When the door is closed the pivots a drop into these right-angled
portions 6, and are retained therein by the lid taking under the overhanging edge
of the top. When closed and locked the door is thereby held securely, and when
unlocked it is free to turn on its pivots, which may then be moved into the straight
part of the grooves, and the door slid into the recess D out of the way of the
drawers, trays, or partitions.
In case the recess D is above the drawers, the grooves b would be turned
upwards instead of downwards, as will be readily understood, and the door will
pivot on its upper edge, and have the lock at its lower edge.
In Figures 6, 7, and 8, there are a pair of doors A, A¹, and the trunk is con-
structed with a recess D¹ at each end for their reception respectively. The doors
work on pivots a, a, at top and bottom, running in grooves in the top and bottom
of the trunk body extending the whole depth of the recess, and curved outwards at
their front ends, as will be readily understood from the preceding description
without further explanation.
The body of the bag shown in Figure 9 is a case or frame fitted with drawers,
and provided with a fall down front or door received in a recess beneath the

page_text: drawers as above described, the upper part being an ordinary bag mouth to hold
order books and other articles.
The Invention may also be applied to the construction of wine boxes, deed, or
other cases. The advantage of being able to get at the contents of any particular
case, which may be the lowest one in a stack, by simply removing the cover
without the necessity of first removing the upper cases, will be manifest without
further description.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
A trunk, box, case, or bag fitted with drawers, shelves, trays, or partitions, and
constructed with a recess below, above, or at either side of the said drawers,
shelves, trays, or partitions, in combination with a door or doors working on pivots
running in grooves in the said recess or recesses, the said door or doors being
received therein when opened, substantially as herein described and shown in the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brett Worger, for myself and on
behalf of the said Edwin Miller Richford, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eleventh day of May, A.D. 1882.
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