Improvements in or relating to Sheet Metal Boxes or Cans.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Sheet Metal Boxes or Cans.
We, RODERICK JAMES FRY, of Barclay & Fry, Limited, The Grove, Southwark,
London, and BARCLAY & FRY, LIMITED, of The Grove, Southwark, London afore-
said, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same 18 to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement. —
This invention has for its object improvements in or relating to sheet metal
boxes or tin cans, canisters, or cases o similar receptacles (of a cylindrical or
cicular shape) for storing or holding food, tobacco, or any other articles, sub-
stances, or materials-such invention relating pumanly to cucular-shaped sheet
metal boxes of the character in which a cutter lid is employed for cutting or open-
ing tins or cans which have been hermetically or otherwise sealed or closed such
for instance as of the character described in Letters Patent No 19930 of 1896
And in order that this invention may be easily understood and readily carried
into practice we will proceed to fully descube same with reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed
Fig 1 is an extenor view of a tin box oi canister showing one aliangement
according to our present invention, Fig 2 being a plan of the top end thereof
and Fig 3 a plan of the bottom end thereof.
Fig 4 is a vertical sectional view of the body A of the tin box alone with the
outer cover Z (Fig 5) and cutter hid X (Fig 6) removed the said outer covel
(Fig 5) and cutter lid (Fig 6) also being shown in vertical section
Fig. 7 shows a box (partly in section) with the cutter lid X (Fig. 6) on the
bottom end thereof the separate outer lid Z (Fig 5) being dispensed with in this
case and the cutter lid (Fig 6) serving the double purpose of cutting out the tagger
top and acting as lid or cover to the box when opened
In the airangement shown in Fig 8 two lids are used (similarly to Fig 1) only
in this arrangement (Fig 8) the cuttei lid on the bottom end of the can has the
cutter 11veted (or it may be soldered or otherwise suitably affixed) to the inside of
said cutter lid as shown in Figs 8 and 9 (the latter being a plan view of the inside
of the lid X) and consequently if desired the outer cover may be dispensed with
as the cutter lid Fig 9 may be employed in place thereof to form the lid of the
box when the inner cover C has been cut out (by means of said cutter lid X-Fig 9)
this modified arrangement being shown in Fig 10
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout
A is the body of a sheet metal box or can which according to the present inven-
tion 18 constructed with the bottom B thereof sunk depressed or arranged at such a
distance inwardly from the bottom edge of the can or box as to enable the cutter
id X with the cutter Y in cutting position (as shown in Figs 6, 7 8 or 10) to be
placed on said bottom end of the body A (Fig 4) as shown in Fig 1 without the
cutter Y being able to touch or injure said bottom B and thus we provide a safe
place and means for mounting and carrying the cutter lid X before same is
equired for use for cutting out the thin tin or tagger or other suitable inner lid C

page_text: which inner lid may be hermetically sealed or enclosed or otherwise suitably
attached to the tin in the ordinary or any suitable manner as desued provided same
he so arranged as to be adapted to be cut out by the cutter Y on the cutter lid X
when the latter is removed from the bottom end and applied to the top end of said
box or case and stabbed or forced through the said inner lid C and the lid X
revolved
ני
In all the anangements shown in the diawings both the top and bottom end
of the in box on case A are shown contracted or set inwards so that the cutter lid X
and the outer hid Z (when the latter is used) will fit snugly over said contracted
ends and will lie flush or thereabouts with the outside of said metal box or case A
see Figs 1, 7, 8 and 10 but it will be obvious that this invention is not confined
to tin o metal boxes or cases having any particular form of contracted ends or
any contracted ends at all-as if desired the bottom B may be "set up or arranged
to form a recess at the bottom end (such as shown in Fig 4) with a flush-sided
tin box the cutter lid X being of a size to fit over the bottom end of the tin what-
eve the diameter thereof may be while the cutter Y (on said cutter lid X) will
be received in sand recess at the bottom end of said tin in every case as before
described so as to be held in safety until requued for cutting out the inner lid
such as C on the top end of said tin
The top and bottom ends of the body A may be advantageously made of corie-
sponding diameter so that the cutter lid X may be made to gup and hold tightly
on the bottom end and top end alike.
Or the top end may be slightly smaller in diameter than the bottom end so that
the cutter lid can be freely evolved thereon when cutting out the inner hid
such as C
Z is the outer cover or hid which in the case illustrated in Figs 1 to 6 is used
for the top end of the tin, and tin boxes or cases according to the arrangement
shown in said figures (Figs 1 to 6) would be filled and closed as shown in Fig 4
and then the outer cover Z (Fig 5) appled over the top end thereof (and serve to
protect the thin inner cover C) and the cutter lid X (Fig 6) applied to the bottom
end thereof respectively as shown in Fig 1 and in this form such boxes or cases
can be stored transported etc with safety and without fear of the cutter Y punctur-
ing or injuring either end B or C or any part of the tin box or case.
To open the tin the outer cover Z inust be removed from the top end and the
cutter lid X must be removed from the bottom end of the tin and applied over the
top end of the tin whereby the inner lid C can be cut out in the well-known manner
and then the cutter lid (Fig 6) can be thrown away or thrown on one side and
the outer cover Z can now be applied over the top end of the open tin box A to
thereby tightly close same and form a complete tin box or can having an air-tight
or tight-fitting removable lid or cover Z thereto.
In cases where it may not be desired to have a tin box with tight-fitting lid Z
thereto as above described (after the inner lid C has been cut out) then the said
outer cover Z may be dispensed with and metal boxes A simply with the cutter
lid on the bottom end thereof according to the present invention may be
employed as shown in Fig 7 in which case after the cutter lid X has served to cut
out the inner lid C then said cutter lid X may be retained and employed as
removable cover over the top end of the now opened box A
In the airangement shown in Figs 1 to 7-the cutter Y in the cutter lid X as
illustrated is formed integially out of the substance of the cutter lid but this con-
struction of the cutter Y out of the substance of the lid forms the subject of our
Patent No 19930 of 1896 and therefore obviously forms no part separately of the
present invention. Moreover we may employ arrange or mount any suitable cutter
in any suitable manner on any suitable circular cutter-lid adapted to be mounted
on the bottom end of the tin according to the present invention
In Figs 8 to 10 the cutter Y* instead of being formed integrally out of the lid (as
shown in Figs 1 to 7) is here shown separately mounted (riveted) on the inside
of the cutter lid X

page_text: This arrangement of the cutter lid X with the cutter Y* riveted thereto being
employed as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 in conjunction with the outer cover Z similarly
as described with reference to Fig 1; or said outer cover Z may be dispensed with
and the outter lid X (with cutter Y* thereon) used alone as shown in Fig 10 in a
similar manner as described with reference to Fig 7
Instead of the cutter such as Y or Y* being carried on a lid X such as shown in
the drawings the said cutter may be carried on a flanged ng or device other than
a complete lid especially when such cutter carrying device is used in conjunction
with an outer cover such as Z and is therefore not required for use for closing
the tin after the inner lid C has been cut out
In some cases when the cutter Y (or Y*) is of a length greater that it is desired
to make the depth of the recess on the bottom end of the can or metal box then
a shoulder such as A* (Fig 4) may be formed near the bottom edge A¹ of the
body A of such box or can which shoulder A* will serve as a fixed stop to prevent
the cutter lid X from being pushed far enough on the body for the cutter Y
(or Y) to touch the bottom B of the box or can
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same 18 to be performed we declare that what
we claim 18:―
1 In circular-shaped sheet metal boxes or cane-arranging and constructing
the bottom end of said box or can in suchwise that the bottom 18 set sunk oi
depressed inside the plane of the bottom edge of the can or box to thereby form
a recess adapted to receive and hold the cutter formed arranged or mounted in
any suitable manner on any suitable circular cutter-lid ring or device which latter
is adapted to fit over and hold on the bottom end of said can oi box in combination
and in conjunction with 'which can or box said cutter-lid on ing is adapted to art
and an outer cover such as Z employed substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described.
2. Arranging and mounting a cutter hid ing or device on the bottom end of a
circular-shaped sheet metal box 'or can until said cutter is required for use to cut
or open the lid C of said box or can and constructing the bottom end of said box o
can with 'a recess adapted to receive and hold therein and thereby protect the
cutter on said cutter-lid ng or device when the latter 16 placed on said bottom
end of said can substantially as and for 'the purposes hereinbefore described and
as illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed
I
Dated this 31st day of December 1898
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, WC.,
Agents for the Applicants