Improved Means for Hermetically Closing Vessels or Receptacles of all kinds.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Hermetically Closing Vessels or Receptacles
of all kinds.
I, SALVADOR MALO, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention relates to improved means for hermetically closing vessels or
receptacles of all kinds.
By my improved closing device, illustrated, by way of example, in the
accompanying drawings, the materials contained in the vessel or receptacle may
be kept from contact with the external air for a longer or shorter period of time..
Figure 1 is a plan of a circular box, provided with my improved closing
device.
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Figure 2 is a side elevation of the said box, partly in section, showing the same
closed, some of the parts being removed to allow the arrangement of the joint to
be seen.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 1-2, Figure 1, showing the box
open.
Figure 4 is a plan, showing a flat box designed for holding sandwiches,
sardines, or other alimentary substances, or tobacco, cigars, or other articles.
Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the said box closed, some
of the parts being removed as in Figure 2.
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Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 3-4, Figure 4, showing the box
open.
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Figure 7 is a front view of the box, showing the inner casing or drawer
partly withdrawn.
I will describe my improved closing device with reference only to the apparatus
shown in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, Figures 1, 2 and 3 simply showing the appli-
cation of the said device to a box of different form, the principle being the same.
The box A, which is hermetically closed at its lower part, is provided with
a hinged lid or cover B, and has a channel C formed in its periphery. Inside
the box A is the drawer D for containing the sandwiches or other articles or
substances to be kept from contact with the air. A ring F permits the
drawer to be pulled out, until its lower end E comes into contact with two
small stops G fixed on one of the sides of the box A. When the latter is
closed, the ring F folds back upon the upper end of the drawer D as shewn
in Figure 5.
The improved closing device comprises the lid or cover B, a movable
plate H, and an india-rubber ring or washer I, in the form of a flange, held
in grooves formed in both of the said pieces. The plate H is secured to the
cover by means of two bolts J on which are screwed fly-nuts or thumb-
nuts K. The plate H and the lid or cover B are provided with corresponding
holes through which the bolts pass. By the action of the said thumb-nuts, the
ring or washer I is flattened and forced into the channel C, thus ensuring a
hermetical closure of the box. The pressure exerted by the thumb-nuts can be
regulated at will according to the degree of tightness which may be necessary.
To prevent the turning of the bolts while the nuts are being screwed up, the
head of each bolt is provided with a small pin L, which enters a hole or recess
formed in the plate H.
To open the box, all that is necessary is to slightly unscrew the nuts K. By
virtue of the elasticity of the india-rubber, the plate H is pushed away from

page_text: the cover B, and the ring or washer I resuming its original shape, no longer
engages with the channel C. The cover B can then be turned about its hinge.
When the dimensions of the boxes are considerable, as, for example, in that
represented by Figures 1, 2 and 3, the pressure exerted by two screws is not
sufficient to cause the ring or washer to enter the channel evenly all around. In
this case, it is necessary to use three (or more) screws, each of them, in the case
of a circular box as shown in Figure 1, being placed at an apex of an equilateral
triangle.
In some instances, I provide my closing device with a spring, a hook or the like
to keep the box closed either when there is no time to screw up the nuts, or when
it is not necessary to effect hermetical closure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved means herein before described for hermetically closing vessels or
receptacles of all kinds, and more especially characterized by :-
First. A lid or cover and a plate united by bolts and nuts, the bolts being
prevented from turning during the screwing of the nuts thereon, by means of pins
or projections thereon, and holes or recesses formed in the said plate.
Second. An india-rubber washer which, when the said plate and the lid are
drawn together by means of the bolts and nuts, is compressed or flattened and
thereby caused to engage with a channel formed in the periphery of the vessel
or receptacle.
Third. The combination of the lid or cover, the plate, and the india-rubber
washer, with a vessel or receptacle having a channel, with which the india-
rubber washer engages, when it is flattened by reason of the drawing together of
the said lid and plate, in such a manner as to ensure the hermetical closure of the
vessel or receptacle (which may be made of sheet-iron, glass, porcelain or other
suitable material) and prevent any communication between the inside and the
outside of the said vessel or receptacle.
Dated the 17th day of December 1892.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.