Improvements in the Construction of Packing Cases or Boxes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Packing Cases or Boxes.
I ARTHUR HUTSON in the employ of Messieurs Farrow & Jackson of 16 Great
Tower Street, in the City of London, Commercial Traveller 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 wooden boxes or packing cases and consists of an
improvement in construction whereby the strength of the box or case may be much
increased.
Whereas it is usual in many boxes or cases to dovetail the corners of the sides
together with tenon and dovetail joints for greater strength it has hitherto been
considered impracticable to dovetail the bottom of the box or case to the sides.
This has arisen from the fibre of the wood running in such a direction that if the
fibre is placed longitudinally or horizontally along the sides to suit the tenons at
the corners of the sides any dovetail recesses cut into the lower edges of the sides,
to dovetail with the bottom, would cut the fibre forming the tenons which would
be thus brittle and useless.
My invention consists of a method of construction whereby the bottom may be
dovetailed to the sides or euds with the continuity of wood fibre maintained from.
the solid wood through the dovetailed tenons, and thus with full maintenance of their
strength.
This I effect by securely attaching, preferably to the inner face of the sides or
ends, a supplementary board, so placed that the wood fibre is vertical that is, at
right angles to the fibre of the outer sides or ends.
The lower end of these supplementary boards may then be dovetailed into tenons
and dovetails to engage into and securely grip the ends or sides of the bottom.
A box or case so made is found to be much more reliable and to stand much
rougher usage than an ordinary box or case.
And in order that my invention may be the better understood I now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawing hereto annexed and to the letters and
figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a sectional perspective view of a box or case with the floor dovetailed
to the sides or ends.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the bottom of the same from underneath.
A, A, are the sides, B, B, the ends and C the bottom of the box or case.
Supplementary ends D, D, are firmly secured by nails or otherwise to the inner
lower parts of the ends, and the wood fibre of these supplementary ends is arranged
vertically so that their lower edges may be prepared into strong tenons and dove-
tails to engage with the ends of the bottom C at E in the same manner as the sides
and ends are joined to one another at the corners.
This makes an exceptionally strong box and case from which it is almost an
impossibility to knock out the bottom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. A wooden box or case dovetailed as to its sides and ends one to another and
also dovetailed as to its bottom to the ends or sides by the employment of supple-
mentary ends or sides with the wood fibre reversed at right angles to that of the
sides or ends substantially as and for the purposes described.

page_text: 2nd. A wooden box or case dovetailed lat its corners and between the bottom of
two of its sides or ends constructed substantially as described and shown in the
drawings annexed hereto.
Dated this 17th day of September 1891.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.