Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CAPSULES OR PACKAGES POR CON- TAINING TEA AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Geeves, of No. 51, Thornhill Square,
Barnsbury, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CAPSULES OR PACKAGES POR CON-
TAINING TEA AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH
MANUFACTURE."
Sealed the 1st February 1870, and dated the 6th December 1869..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Geeves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th December 1869.
I, WILLIAM GEEVES, of No. 51, Thornhill Square, Barnsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CAPSULES OR PACKAGES FOR CON-
TAINING TEA AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH
MANUFACTURE," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of capsules or packages for containing tea and other like articles, and

page_text: way
is
in apparatus employed in such manufacture. I take a strip of paper,
and having pasted or cemented it on the surface I lay on to it a strip
of lead or metal foil or paper. I then roll the two together around a
block which is rectangular in section and divided longitudinally into
four parts, which receive a wedge between them. The edges of the
paper having been secured by the cement the wedge is forced into the
block so as slightly to separate its parts, which are held together by
the paper
dowels and by elastic bands encircling them. In this
tightly strained; the ends which project beyond the block are then
folded in. The capsule so formed is allowed to dry, and afterwards the
wedge is withdrawn. The wedge I prefer to make conical, and to work
against inclined surfaces formed on the several portions of the block;
I make a head or enlargement at the lower end of the conical wedge,
and this is received into a recess between the parts of the block. The
recess is of such a size as to allow to the wedge the requisite amount of
play, and to stop it at the end of its course, so that it may remain
connected with the block and serve as a handle to it.
The block may be made in two parts only, but I prefer to make it
in four parts. A number of capsules or packages thus prepared are
placed together in a shaking frame and filled with the tea or other
material, and when this is sufficiently shaken together the open end of
each capsule is folded over and cemented down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Geeves in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GEEVES, of No. 51, Thornhill Square, Barnsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in
the thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Geeves, Her special
licence that I, the said William Geeves, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Geeves, 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 CAPSULES OR PACKAGES FOR CONTAINING TEA AND OTHER
LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Geeves, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands 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 William Geeves, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of capsules or packages for containing tea and other like articles, and
in apparatus employed in such manufacture. I take a strip of paper,
and having pasted or cemented it on the surface I lay on to it a strip of
lead or metal foil or paper. I then roll the two together around a block
which is rectangular in section and divided longitudinally into four
parts which receive a wedge between them. The edges of the paper
having been secured by the cement the wedge is forced into the block.
so as slightly to separate its parts, which are held together by dowels
and by elastic bands encircling them. In this way the paper is tightly
strained; the ends which project beyond the block are then folded in.
The capsule so formed is allowed to dry, and afterwards the wedge is
withdrawn; I make a head or enlargement at the lower end of the wedge,
and this is received into a recess between the parts of the block. The
recess is of such a size as to allow to the wedge the requisite amount of
play, and to stop it at the end of its course so that it may remain
connected with the block. The block may be made in two parts only,
but I prefer to make it in four parts.
:

page_text: and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus, I employ in construction of
capsules lined by preference with metal foil, and suitable for containing
'tea or other like article; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same
apparatus; and Figure 3 is a transverse section thereof.
a, a, a, a, are four parts which fit together and form the block or form;
they are connected together by dowels a¹, a', and by an elastic band b
which is received into grooves cut around the block. The groove is
covered by strips of wood so that the surface of the block is flat. c is
a four-sided wedge inserted between the parts a, and which when pushed
down so that its lower end is flush with the ends of the parts a separates
them a small distance the one from the other; c',. c, are projections on
the wedge c entering corresponding recesses a² in the parts a, and serving
to limit the motion of the wedge; c, c, are holes formed in the wedge
to facilitate its withdrawal; d is a plunger within the wedge to aid in
drawing off the capsule.
The operation of making the capsule is as follows:-A sheet of tin
foil is taken of a length to wrap around the four sides of the block, and
to overlap by, say, ½ of an inch, and of a width sufficient to form the
length of the capsule and to overlock at the ends. The tin foil is pasted,
and a sheet of moistened paper is laid upon it, the paper being somewhat
longer than the sheet of foil to give a sufficient overlap. The compound
sheet thus made is wrapt around the block, the overlap is pasted down,
and the end of the sheet which is left projecting beyond the block is
turned in neatly on all four sides. The block is now set on end and the
wedge forced down so as to strain the paper tight and make the corners
of the capsule square. In this state the capsule is left for an hour to
dry, and then the wedge is drawn up by inserting a small lever into one
of the holes c and prizing the wedge up; the block is thus rendered
slack and it is lifted out of the capsule which is held down by the weight
of the plunger d upon its bottom. Capsules thus constructed may be
filled directly with the tea or other materials, but I prefer to pack
within them eight, sixteen, or other number of similar capsules pro-
portionally smaller and not metal lined, those each contain a weighed

page_text: quantity such as the requirements of the retail trade demand, say a
½ pound or a pound, or more or less. Thus without the expense of a
separate metal lined capsule for each small quantity the effectual
protection of the tea from loss of aroma is ensured.
Figure 4 is a side view, Figure 5 a longitudinal section, and
Figure 6 a transverse section of a block or apparatus such as I employ
in making the smaller capsules. It will be seen that the wedge is in
this case for convenience made circular in section, the plunger dis
dispensed with, and the grooves for the elastic bands are left uncovered,
for in small sizes the contraction of the paper on the groove is
unobjectionable especially if a groove be so placed as to mark the paper
at the point whero a fold is to be made. A number of the small capsules
are arranged in a tray, the quantities are weighed into them, and when
they are all full the tray is shaken until the tea is sufficiently con-
solidated; the tops of the capsules are then turned over and pasted down.
The large capsule is then filled with its number of smaller capsules and
is similarly closed. The large capsules are packed in wooden boxes for
the market.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the construction of capsules or packages for containg tea
and other like articles, substantially as herein described.
I also claim the construction of apparatus for the manufacture of
capsules or packages for containing tea and other like articles,
substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Geeves, have hereunto.
set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM GEEVES. (L.S.)