AN IMPROVED MOVEABLE COVER OR TOP FOR SHOW CASES OR BOXES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Matthews, of Chelmsford, in the County.
of Essex, for the Invention of “AN IMPROVED MOVEABLE COVER OR TOP
FOR SHOW CASES OR BOXES."
Sealed the 30th August 1872, and dated the 1st July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Matthews at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st July 1872.
I, WILLIAM MATTHEWS, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MOVEABLE COVER OR TOP FOR SHOW CASES OR BOXES," to be as follows:-
In some trades, and more particularly in the fancy biscuit trade, it is
customary to supply the goods to the retail dealers in glass covered boxes
or cases usually of tin, more or less ornamented, with a view to being
displayed in the shop window..
The glass cover is made to lift bodily off the box or case so as to afford
access to the biscuits or other goods, whilst it at the same time enables

page_text: the goods inside the box or case to be readily seen through the trans-
parent medium of the glass lid or cover. It has been found in practice,
however, that these covers frequently become broken in transit, whereby
the utility of the entire box or case is destroyed.
Now according to this Invention it is proposed to provide a separate
loose top piece or frame (more or less ornamented if desired) having
deep sides to which another frame containing a sheet of glass and pro-
vided with a suitable catch or fastening is hinged. The sheet of glass
is itself contained within a light tin frame or border, which is loosely
fitted into the hinged frame and secured by side lugs, this inner loose
frame or border being made to draw out to receive a fresh sheet when
required. The main top piece or loose frame is intended to be fitted like
an ordinary loose lid on to any ordinary box or case in substitution for
its original metal or wooden lid, thereby converting it for the time being
into a show case, whilst should any injury occur to the glass the entire
case is not rendered useless, since a new top or cover can be readily
applied, or the case may be used again with its original lid or cover.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Matthews in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MATTHEWS, of Chelmsford, in the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Matthews, Her special license that I,
the said William Matthews, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Matthews, my executors, administrators,
or 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 "AN IMPROVED MOVEABLE COVER OR TOP FOR

page_text: SHOW CASES OR BOXES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Matthews, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Matthews, do hereby
declare the nature of my said 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 to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
In some trades, and more particularly in the fancy biscuit trade, it is.
customary to supply the goods to the retail dealers in glass covered boxes
or cases usually of tin, more or less ornamented with a view to being
displayed in the shop window.
The glass cover is made to lift bodily off the box or case, so as to
afford access to the biscuits or other goods, whilst at the same time it
enables the goods inside the box or case to be readily seen through the.
transparent medium of the glass lid or cover. It has been found in
practice, however, that these covers frequently become broken in transit,
whereby the utility of the entire box or case is destroyed.
Now according to this Invention it is proposed to provide a separate
loose top piece or frame (more or less ornamented if desired) having deep
sides, to which another frame containing a sheet of glass and provided
with a suitable catch or fastening is hinged. The said sheet of glass is
itself contained within a light tin frame or border, which is loosely
fitted into the hinged frame and secured by side lugs, this inner loose
frame or border being made to draw out to receive a fresh sheet of glass
when required. The main top piece or loose frame is intended to be
fitted like an ordinary loose lid on to any ordinary box or case in
substitution for its original metal or wooden lid, thereby converting it
for the time being into a show case, whilst in the event of any injury
occurring to the glass the entire case will not be rendered useless, since
a new top or cover can be readily applied, or the case may be used again
with its original ordinary lid or cover.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the accompanying Drawing, which represents a
perspective view of my improved moveable cover or top for show cases
or boxes, the show case or box itself being indicated at A in dotted
lines only; B, B, are the deep sides of the improved moveable cover for
the show case or box, which are formed with an internal projection a
(shewn at the part broken away), and fit on to the box exactly in the
same manner as the ordinary lid or cover, the projection a resting on
the top edge of the box. To these sides B there is hinged at b, b, the
frame-C containing a sheet of glass D, and provided or not with any con-
venient catch or fastening, or with a knob or button at c, the said frame
closing down on to the top of the sides of the moveable lid or cover B
like the lid of an ordinary box. In the Drawing the glass is represented
as being secured in its place in the hinged frame by a series of tongues
d, d, overlapping the edges of the glass and soldered to the inside of the
frame C. I sometimes propose to secure the glass on to a separate loose
frame of its own made to draw out for receiving a fresh glass, as herein-
before described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the com-
bination of the hinged frame C containing a glass with the sides B of
a moveable cover or top for show cases or boxes, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Matthews, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of
December One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two..
WILLIAM MATTHEWS. (L.S.)