IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASES FOR JEWELLERY, FOR OPTICAL AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS, AND FOR MINIATURES, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Quin, of No. 65, Poland Street, Oxford
Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASES FOR JEWELLERY, FOR OPTICAL AND OTHER
INSTRUMENTS, AND FOR MINIATURES, AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 23rd June 1865, and dated the 31st December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Quin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1864.
I, RICHARD QUIN, of No. 65, Poland Street, Oxford Street, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASES FOR JEWELLERY, FOR OPTICAL AND
OTHER INSTRUMENTS, AND FOR MINIATURES, AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 3rd May 1853
(No. 1075), there was described an improvement in the manner of making
the top portion of cases for containing jewellery and other articles.
One part of this Invention has for its object to further improve the
manufacture of cases by facilitating the manner of making the rims or
edges.
In order to explain this part of my Invention, I will first describe how a
case (for jewellery and such like articles) is usually constructed; a case
consists of three principal parts, viz., the bottom, the rim, and the top; to

page_text: form these into a case for jewellery, the process is as follows:-A piece of flat
wood is procured and cut into the shape the case is to be, thin shavings of
wood or scaleboard, as it is technically called, are then wound round it and glued
together until a sufficient thickness is obtained, and then forced to follow the
form of the piece of wood or block described above by means of small tacks
driven into the block, or tied round it with string and allowed to dry, and the
rim thus formed is then made flat at both its edges and glued on its top and
bottom, the latter being a thin flat piece of wood, and the top being suffi-
ciently thick to cut into the form required; it is then shaped by band with
chisels, gouges, and rasps, and when cut through the rim to allow the case to
open, the top part is hollowed out with gouges to correspond with the outside
form.
An improvement in the formation of these tops was the subject of my first
Patent, and was effected in the following manner :-Two metal moulds are
made of the form of the top, one concave and the other convex, to fit within
it, and paper or other thin fabric is placed in the hollow mould, the form of
which it is made to take by cutting or fitting, several thicknesses of paper or
fabric are thus glued together within the hollow mould, and then the convex
mould is placed in it, and the whole is placed in a press until the glue is set.;
the waste edges of the paper are then cut off, and the top is then in a fit state
to be glued on to the rim.
I now propose to make the rims in the following manner:-A metal mould
of the shape required for the rim is fitted to the hollow mould already made
for the top, which may be either fixed to it or be in a separate piece from it,
which latter is found more convenient; the thin wood or scaleboard is then
wound round the inside of the metal rim mould, and the paper which is to
form the top worked into its place at the same time; the inner or convex
mould is then placed inside; the edges of this mould are made to correspond
to the shape of the rim mould, room being, however, allowed between them
for the thickness of the rim of scaleboard; the whole is then pressed, and
when sufficiently dry can be taken out of its mould, the rim and top being
perfectly formed in the one process.
In constructing the inner linings of cases for jewellery it is customary to
place the article to be cased on a wooden block projecting up from the bottom
of the case for the purpose of raising the article to such an angle as will show.
it to advantage; in place of this I propose to form the linings in such manner
that the part of the lining upon which the articles rest shall, when the lid of
the cases is opened, be pressed up by a spring so as to raise the article, to the
requisite angle, but when the lid is closed,, the article, and part of the case upon

page_text: which it rests, are pressed down so as to lie flat within the case, and thus the
case need not be made deeper than would be required to contain the article
without its being raised.
In constructing cases intended for watches, in the manner above described,
the circular portion that receives the watch is raised by the spring to the
requisite angle, the velvet or other covering which connects the circular
portion with the bottom of the case being so formed as to allow of this portion
of the lining being turned up to the required angle. On shutting the case,
the lid presses down the watch flat on to the bottom of the case, at which
time the velvet or other covering that connects the circular portion with the
bottom, folds down out of the way; on again opening the case, the circular
portion upon which the watch rests will again be raised to an angle by the
spring until it is.stopped by the velvet or other covering. Cases for bracelets
will have in addition to the foregoing arrangement side springs of steel or
other suitable material to enable them to take any sized bracelet.
In constructing cases intended to contain a quantity of jewellery, and where
several trays are required for that purpose, I construct the cases in such
manner that when the case is closed the trays rest one on the other, but when
the case is opened so as to allow of the trays being drawn out of the case, the
trays are raised the one from the other, so that any one of the trays may be
drawn out without interfering with the other trays; for this purpose the case is
formed with an inner lining of thin wood round the two ends and back, but
open to the front; this lining is made capable of rising and falling by the
following means:-The case is made with what is termed a fall-down front,
that is, the front of the case in jointed to the bottom of the case, so that it
can be turned down flat with the bottom of the case, leaving the trays in the
case exposed and easily got at; this front is connected to two links, one on
each side of the case, which links pass under the ends of the sliding lining
above described, and one of their ends is jointed to the lining and the other
to the case. When the front of the case is pulled down it acts on the links
in such manner as to lift the lining, and on the lining are formed runners or
rails, which as the lining is raised come under projecting edges of the trays
and raise the trays in succession, by which means there is a space left between
each tray, which allows it to be drawn out of the case at pleasure without
disturbing the other trays; on shutting up the front of the case the lining
descends and with it the trays, and the trays then press on each other, as in.
an ordinary jewel case.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Quin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
QUIN, of No. 65, Poland Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Richard Quin, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Quin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Richard Quin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASES FOR JEWELLERY, FOR OPTICAL
AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS, AND FOR MINIATURES, AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Quin, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Quin, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 3rd May 1858,
(No. 1075), there was described an improvement in the manner of making
the top portion of cases for containing jewellery and other articles.
One part of this Invention has for its object to further improve the
manufacture of cases by facilitating the manner of making the rims or
edges.
.
In order to explain this part of my Invention, I will first describe how a

page_text: case (for jewellery and such like articles) is usually constructed. A case
consists of three principal parts, viz., the bottom, the rim, and the top; to
form these into a case for jewellery, the process is as follows:-A piece of flat
wood is procured and cut into the shape the case is to be; thin shavings of
wood or scaleboard, as it is technically called, are then wound round it and
glued together until a sufficient thickness is obtained, and then forced to
follow the form of the piece of wood or block described above by means of
small tacks driven into the block or tied round it with string, and allowed
to dry, and the rim thus formed is then made flat at both its edges, and glued
on its top and bottom, the latter being a thin flat piece of wood, and the top
being sufficiently thick to cut into the form required; it is then shaped by
hand with chisels, gouges, and rasps, and when cut through the rim to allow
the case to open, the top part is hollowed out with gouges to correspond with
the outside form.
An improvement in the formation of these tops was the subject of my first
Patent, and was effected in the following manner:-Two metal moulds are
made of the form of the top, one concave and the other convex, to fit within
it, and paper or other thin fabric is placed in the hollow mould, the form of
which it is made to take by cutting or fitting; several thicknesses of paper or
fabric are thus glued together within the hollow mould, and then the convex
mould is placed in it, and the whole is placed in a press until the glue is set,
the waste edges of the paper are then cut off, and the top is then in a fit state
to be glued on to the rim.
I now propose to make the rims in the following manner :-A metal mould
of the shape required for the rim is fitted to the hollow mould already made
for the top, which may be either fixed to it, or be in a separate piece from it,
which latter is found more convenient; the thin wood or scale board is then
wound round the inside of the metal rim mould, and the paper which is to
form the top is worked into its place at the same time; the inner or convex
mould is then placed inside, the edges of this mould are made to correspond to
the shape of the rim mould, room being however allowed between them for
the thickness of the rim of scaleboard, the whole is then pressed, and when
sufficiently dry can be taken out of its mould, the rim and top being perfectly
formed in the one process.
In order to illustrate this part of my Invention, I have at Figure 1 of the
Drawings hereunto annexed, shewn a section of a metal mould suitable for
forming the top and rim of a case for containing ear-rings; the mould is com-
posed of three parts, the bottom part a; the rim b, and the inner convex
part c.

page_text: In making a top for a case in this mould, the top is first pressed into form
in the part a, as described in the Specification of my former Patent above
referred to;. this portion of the top may be made of paper and cement, as
therein described, or may be moulded from any suitable plastic material; the
thin wood or scaleboard, or material of which the rim is to be formed is coated
with glue or suitable cement, and is worked into its place around the interior
of the part 6 of the mould; the part 6 is then placed over the part a, and a
further layer or layers of scaleboard is fitted around the scale board already
fitted into the part b; this layer or layers is made to slightly overlap the part
of the case that is contained in the mould a, so as to connect the rim and top
together; the convex part c is then again inserted into its place, and by a
press pressed down into the part a; when the glue or cement is sufficiently
set the mould is removed from the press.
In constructing the inner linings of cases for jewellery, it is customary to
place the article to be cased on a wooden block projecting up from the bottom
of the case for the purpose of raising the article to such an angle as will shew
it to advantage; in place of this I propose to form the linings in such manner
that the part of the lining upon which the articles rest shall when the lid of
the cases is opened be pressed up by a spring, so as to raise the article to the
requisite angle, but when the lid is closed the article and part of the case upon
which it rests are pressed down, so as to lie flat within the case, and thus the
case need not be made deeper than would be required to contain the article
without its being raised.
In constructing cases intended for watches in the manner above described,
the circular portion that receives the watch is raised by the spring to the
requisite angle, the velvet or other covering which connects the circular
portion with the bottom of the case being so formed as to allow of this portion
of the lining being turned up to the required angle. On shutting the case
the lid presses down the watch flat on to the bottom of the case, at which
time the velvet or other covering that connects the circular portion with the
bottom folds down out of the way. On again opening the case the circular
portion upon which the watch rests will again be raised to an angle by the
spring until it is stopped by the velvet or other covering. Cases for bracelets
will have, in addition to the foregoing arrangement, side springs of steel or
other suitable material to enable them to take any sized bracelet.
Figure 2 of the Drawings shows a section of a watch case constructed in
the manner above described.
a is the circular portion upon which the watch
covering which unites this circular portion with
the lining c at the bottom of the case; d is a coiled spring, which presses up
rests; b, the velvet or other

page_text: the circular part a; other forms of springs might, however, be employed for
the purpose.
From the Drawing and description above given a workman will readily be
able to construct in a similar manner cases for other articles of jewellery.
In constructing cases intended to contain a quantity of jewellery, and where
several trays are required for that purpose, I construct the cases in such
manner that when the case is closed the trays rest one on the other, but when
the case is opened so as to allow of the trays being drawn out of the case, the
trays are raised the one from the other, so that any one of the trays may be
drawn out without interfering with the other trays. For this purpose the
case is formed with an inner lining of thin wood round the two ends and back
but open to the front; this lining is made capable of rising and falling by the
following means:-The case is made with what is termed a fall-down front,
that is, the front of the case is jointed to the bottom of the case, so that it can
be turned down flat with the bottom of the case, leaving the trays in the case
exposed, and easily got at; this front is connected to two links, one on each
side of the case, which links pass under the ends of the sliding lining above
described, and one of their ends is jointed to the lining, and the other to the
case. When the front of the case is pulled down, it acts on the links in such
manner as to lift the lining, and on the lining are formed runners or rails,
which as the lining is raised come under projecting edges of the trays, and
raise the trays in succession, by which means there is a space left between
each tray, which allows it to be drawn out of the case at pleasure without
disturbing the other trays. On shutting up the front of the case the lining
descends, and with it the trays, and the trays then press on each other as
in an ordinary jewel case:
Figure 3 shows a transverse section of a case constructed as above described,
some of the parts of the case being removed, and the front of the case being
shewn turned down on its hinges; Figure 4 is a part front view of the case,
the front of the case in this view also being turned down.
a is the inner lining of thin wood, which passes round the back and two
ends of the case; this lining is attached to slides b, b, which are received in
vertical grooves at each end of the case; these slides are at their lower ends
connected to horizontal metal rods c, which are carried by links d, d; these
links at their lower ends turn on pin joints at the bottom of the case. The
front of the case is connected by links e to the links d, which are nearest to
the front of the case, as is shown; by this means when the front is turned
down on its hinges, as shown in the Drawings, the rod c, and consequently
the lining a, are raised. a' are the rails or runners, carried by the lining a,

page_text: which when the lining is raised come under the projecting edges f¹ of the
trays f, and raise the trays in succession into the positions shewn at Figure 4,
so that any one of the trays may be drawn out without disturbing the other
trays. When the front is turned upon its hinges, the lining a is lowered, and
the trays will descend with it until the trays rest one on the top of the other,
and if the lid of the box be then closed the trays will be retained in this
position. Each tray on its under side is padded, so that when the trays rest.
one on the other the jewellery or other articles contained in each tray will be
held in their places by the padding, as in an ordinary jewel case.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Quin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
RICHARD QUIN. (L.s.)