Improvements in Fastenings for Travelling Trunks and other Trunks and Boxes.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Fastenings for Travelling Trunks and other
Trunks and Boxes.
We, JOHN MARSTON, of Paul Street Works, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, japanner and tin-plate worker, and GEORGE COOCH, of Viaduct Chambers,
Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London, commercial traveller, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention refers to improvements in the fastenings of travelling trunks, and
other trunks, and boxes, inore especially of those trunks and boxes which are made
of sheet metal; and consist in improvements in the fastening described in the
specification filed by Samuel Lloyd, junior, in pursuance of the conditions of
Letters Patent granted to him, dated the 15th day of February A.D. 1879, and
numbered 603, for an invention entitled, "Improvements in travelling and other
trunks, and cash, deed, and other boxes made of sheet metal."
According to the said specification, the sliding bar employed to engage with the
links projecting downwards from the lid, is formed as the bolt of a lock, and is shot
and drawn back by means of the key.
Now, according to this invention, a hasp is hinged to a part projecting from the
bar through a slot formed in the moulding or case in which the bar is carried.
The bar is moved endways by means of the hasp, to fasten and unfasten the links,
and the bar is locked by closing the hasp over a staple and into a lock of any
ordinary or convenient construction on the front of the body of the trunk or box,
and locking such hasp, either by means of such lock, or by means of a pad-
lock through the staple, or by both of such means. The slot in the moulding is,
of course, of sufficient length to permit of the. endway movement of the part
projecting therethrough.
The bar may be carried by a plate fixed at the back of the (usual or other)
moulding at the front of the trunk or box, as described in the said specification;
or the moulding may be formed separately from the trunk or box and be fixed at
the front thereof.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
:
Improvements in Fastenings for Travelling Trunks and other
Trunks and Boxes.
We, JOHN MARSTON, of Paul Street Works, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, japanner and tin plate worker, and GEORGE COOCH, of Viaduct Chambers,
Holborn Viaduct, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference
marked thereon (that is to say):-
This invention refers to improvements in the fastenings of travelling trunks, and
other trunks, and boxes, more especially of those trunks and boxes which are made
of sheet metal; and consists in improvements in the fastening described in the
specification filed by Samuel Lloyd, junior, in pursuance of the conditions of
Letters Patent granted to him, dated the 15th day of February A.D., 1879 and
numbered 603, for an invention entitled, "Improvements in travelling and other
trunks, and cash, deed, and other boxes made of sheet metal."
According to the said specification, the sliding bar employed to engage with the
links projecting downwards from the lid, is formed as the bolt of a lock, and is shot
and drawn back by means of the key.
Now, according to this invention, a hasp is hinged to a part projecting from the
bar through a slot formed in the moulding or case in which the bar is carried.
The bar is moved endways by means of the hasp to fasten and unfasten the links,
and the bar is locked by locking the hasp in any convenient manner in which
lasps are now locked, at the front of the body of the trunk or box. The slot in
the moulding or case is, of course, of sufficient length to permit of the endway
movement of the part projecting therethrough.
This invention will be clearly understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which figure 1 is a front elevation of a fastening constructed
according to this invention as applied, by way of example; in the case of a sheet
metal travelling trunk, the fastening being shewn as broken lengthways for con-
venience of illustration, and sufficient only of the trunk and lid being shewn to
make the illustration clear. Figure 2. is a section taken on line xx of figure 1.
Figure 3. is a detached view shewing in front elevation the sliding bar and hasp,
and also the plate and guides hereinafter referred to by which the sliding bar is
carried; and figure 4 is a section taken on line y y of figure 3, but shewing, also in
section, the upper part of the front of the box body with the moulding thereon.
The same letters of reference occurring upon two or more of the views indicate
corresponding parts.
A is the body of the trunk and B the lid. C is a moulding of the usual
character at the front of the body. E is a plate fixed on the inside of the front
of the body by means of screws, one of which is shewn at a figure 2, so as to
close in the open side of the moulding C. F F is a bar (shewn by broken lines,
figure 1) corresponding to the sliding-bar of rectangular section described in the said

page_text: specification of Samuel Lloyd, junior, but the bar F F is, preferably, formed of
strong tin-plate bent into an L or angle form, as shewn. bbb are hooks (shewn
by broken lines, figure 1) riveted to the horizontal member of the bar F F, and c c
and d d are straps or guides' (shewn by broken lines, figure 1) soldered or otherwise
fixed to the plate E. The straps c c are bent around the outer edge of the
horizontal member of the bar F F, and the straps dd are bent up in front of
the vertical member of the bar, and these straps c c and d d act as guides to
the longitudinal movement of the bar. G G G are links projecting downwards
from the lid and passing, when the lid is closed, through corresponding openings in
the top of the moulding C. These links correspond with the links described in the
said specification of Samuel Lloyd, junior. In the position in which the links G
and hooks b are shewn the hooks are engaged with the links and thus fasten the
lid, and when it is desired to unfasten the lid the hooks are disengaged from the
links by moving the bar F F in the direction indicated by the arrow a¹ (figure 3)
when the hooks may be drawn clear of the links and afterwards the lid may be
raised. e is a hinge-piece or bracket riveted to the bar F F, or otherwise fixed
thereto, and projecting forwards through a slotted opening f formed partly in the
front of the trunk and partly in the bottom of the moulding. H is a basp hinged
to the projecting end of the hinge-piece e. J is a lock of any convenient
description fixed to the front of the trunk, and the hasp is capable of being
locked thereto in any ordinary or other convenient manner, or a staple and padlock
may be used for locking the hasp, either alone or in combination with a fixed lock.
The bar F F is moved by means of the hasp which is raised up clear of the lock
for this purpose, the slotted opening f permitting of the longitudinal movement of
the hinge-piece e, and the bar is securely locked in its position to fasten the lid by
closing down and locking the hasp.
The screws a are soldered or otherwise fixed to the moulding, and pass through
the plate E which is retained in place by nuts on the screws. Four of these
screws are usually employed in the length of the plate E to securely hold it in
position.
The plate E does not bear flatly against the inside of the front of the trunk, but
has its upper and lower edges curved forwards, as shewn, so that when fixed in
position the flat part of the plate is set back from the front A of the trunk, and
thus forms, with the front of the trunk, a recess g in which the lower part of the
vertical member of the bar F F is carried.
In lieu of forming a moulding, as is usual, in the' sheet metal forming the body
of the trunk the moulding may be formed separately therefrom and be fixed at the
front thereof, in which case the bar F F may be carried on the sheet metal forming
the front of the trunk instead of on a separate plate, and the moulding must of
course be formed of a sufficient depth to allow for the vertical member of the
bar F F, or otherwise must be made with a part so as to form, when fixed to the
front of the trunk, a recess corresponding to the recess g.
Instead of carrying the bar on the plate it may of course be carried by the
moulding, if desired.
In lieu of a moulding or case running the whole length of the fastening
the bar F F may be simply carried in suitable mountings at the front of the
trunk, leaving the major portion of the bar exposed, and in such case the
mountings may be fixed in position so that the hasp is hinged at a part of the bar
which is exposed to view, and consequently no slotted opening for the endway
movement of the hasp, or a part to which it is hinged, will be required.
This invention is more especially applicable to trunks and boxes which are made
of sheet metal, but it is obviously applicable also in the case of trunks and boxes
formed of other material, such as wood. In such case it will be found convenient
to carry the bar F F on a plate fixed to the wood or other material forming the
front of the trunk or box, and to screw a case corresponding to the. moulding C,
but with provision for the vertical member of the bar, to the front of the trunk
or box.

page_text: We do not, of course, limit ourselves to the exact details described and illustrated,
as such may obviously be varied without departing from the nature of our
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim in respect of fastenings for travelling trunks, and other trunks and
boxes, is :-
1. The combination of a sliding-bar carried within a moulding or case at the
front of the trunk or box body, or otherwise at the front of such body, and having
hooks or parts capable of engaging with links on the lid, and having a hinged haup
by which it may be moved endways to fasten and unfasten the lid, and by which
it may be locked in its fastened position, substantially as described.
2. The combination of a sliding-bar carried within a case formed in the sheet
metal of the trunk or box, or otherwise formed separately from the trunk or box
and afterwards fixed thereto, with a hinge-piece projecting therefrom through a
slot in the case, and with a hasp hinged to such binge-piece, substantially as
described for the purpose set forth.