Improvements in Vesta-boxes, applicable for Advertising purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vesta-boxes, applicable for Advertising purposes.
"
I, ALBION PAUL NEGLEY, of Fairlight," Thorney Hedge Road, Gunnersbury,
London, W., Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to improvements in vesta-boxes, applicable for adver-
tising purposes, and in accordance therewith I provide a substantially rectangular
plate of steel or other resilient metal, which plate is bent in the centre trans-
versely of its length, and the two ends brought together.
The said plate is tempered to give it the requisite and necessary resiliency, so
that when it is in its bent position aforesaid, the two opposing halves when
forced apart will spring together again and meet, or nearly meet, at their upper
or parallel edges.
The space between the two halves of the bent plate is greater at its lower or
bent over part than at any other point.
One of the opposing sides of the bent plate, is provided with end extensions or
wings, which are bent inwardly in a curved, or it may be a right-angled manner,
toward the corresponding edges of the other plate, in such a manner as to con-
stitute end walls, the free edges of which fit snugly against and form free joints
with the corresponding edges of the other plate, so as to permit of play'
between the two spring sides while at the same time enclosing the end openings.
The side of the bent plate that has no end extensions, has a vertical recess
formed in it at one end, the lower extremity of which recess or cut-away part
is enlarged. The object of this recess or cut-away part is to allow the box to be
filled with vestas, which are inserted one at a time with the heads downward.
A lid, designed to cover the upper or open side of the vesta-box, is hinged to
a projection upon one of the end walls aforesaid, or between lugs situated at one
end of the spring sides, a suitable spring being provided to assist in the opening
or raising of such lid. A spring catch of ordinary construction is provided upon
the other end wall for the purpose of engaging with a projection upon the inner
side of the corresponding end of the lid, in order to retain such lid in its closed
position.
The inner surfaces of the opposing spring sides of the box so constructed, are
serrated or roughened to a desirable and convenient depth, in order that when a
vesta is withdrawn from the box, the spring sides will impinge upon the head of
the said vesta and cause same to ignite by the friction against the said serrated
or roughened surfaces.
If desirable, one or both of these roughened portions may be bent inwardly
slightly in order to give additional friction to assist the ignition of the vesta.
In lieu of the particular construction and arrangement of the vesta-box before
described. I may provide a box of any suitable shape in which is disposed a
hinged plate having a serrated surface and adapted to be held against one of the
rigid sides of the box, in a resilient manner, by means of a flat, coil or other

page_text: suitable spring, the opposing surface of the said rigid side against which the
hinged plate aforesaid bears, being serrated in the beforementioned manner.
Suitable advertising matter may be printed, impressed or otherwise displayed
upon the sides of the box.
Dated this 20th day of June 1899
HUGHES, SON, & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., for the Applicant.
I, ALBION PAUL NEGLEY, of "Fairlight,” Thorney Hedge Road, Gunnersbury,
London, W., 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 improvements in vesta-boxes applicable for advertising
purposes, and has for its object to provide a vesta-box in which the simple action
of with-drawing a vesta from same instantaneously ignites such vesta in such a
manner that all danger of igniting the remainder of the vestas in
the box is eliminated, while at the same time the head of the ignited
vesta is not caused to fall off and the said vesta retains its straight form, or in
other words, not bent over at the head portion as is almost invariably the case
where a vesta is ignited by being rubbed along a single roughened surface.
A further advantage that my invention possesses over existing forms of vesta-
boxes, is that when a vesta is withdrawn from the box, the action of withdrawing
same vertically, carries such ignited vesta directly up to the pipe, cigar or the
like between the user's lips, thereby rendering the lighting of such pipe or the
like a much easier matter than heretofore, especially in a high wind.
A further object of my invention is to so simplify the construction of the vesta-
box, as to render same inexpensive and easy to manufacture and thereby adapt
same for advertising purposes, while the peculiar construction of the box enables
the latter to be carried in the pocket without bulging same out or otherwise
becoming an inconvenience.
In carrying my invention into practical effect I provide a substantially rectan-
gular plate of steel or other resilient metal, which plate is bent in the centre
transversely of its length, and the two ends brought together.
The said plate is tempered to give it the requisite and necessary resiliency, so
that when it is in its bent position aforesaid, the two opposing halves when
forced apart will spring together again and meet, or nearly meet, at their upper
or parallel edges.
The space between the two halves of the bent plate is greater at its lower or
bent over part than at any other point.
One of the opposing sides of the bent plate, is provided with end extensions or
wings, which are bent inwardly in a curved, or it may be a right-angled manner,
toward the corresponding edges of the other plate, in such a manner as to con-
stitute end walls, the free edges of which fit snugly against and form free joints
with the corresponding edges of the other plate, so as to permit of "play"
between the two spring sides while at the same time enclosing the end openings.
The side of the bent plate that has no end extensions, may, if desirable, have a
vertical recess formed in it at one end, the lower extremity of which recess or
cut-away part is enlarged.

page_text: The object of this recess or cut-away part is to allow the box to be filled with
estas, which are inserted one at a time with the heads downward.
A lid, designed to cover the upper or open side of the vesta-box, is hinged to
projection upon one of the end walls aforesaid, or between lugs situated at one
nd of the spring sides, a suitable spring being provided to assist in the opening
or raising of such lid.
A spring catch of ordinary construction is provided upon the other end wall for
he purpose of engaging with a projection upon one side of the corresponding end
of the lid, in order to retain such lid in its closed position.
The inner surfaces of the opposing spring sides of the box so constructed, are
serrated or roughened to a desirable and convenient depth, in order that when a
vesta is withdrawn from the box, the spring sides will impinge upon the head of
the said vesta and cause same to ignite by the friction against the said serrated
or roughened surfaces.
If desirable, one or both of these roughened portions may be bent inwardly
slightly in order to give additional friction to assist the ignition of the vesta.
In lieu of the particular construction and arrangement of the vesta-box before-
described, I may provide a box of any suitable shape, in which is disposed a
hinged plate having a serrated surface and adapted to be held against one of the
rigid sides of the box, in a resilient manner, by means of a flat, coil or other
suitable spring, the opposing surface of the said rigid side against which the
hinged plate aforesaid bears, being serrated in the beforementioned manner.
Suitable advertising matter may be printed, impressed, or otherwise displayed
upon the sides of the box.
In order that this my said invention may be the more readily understood and
carried into practical effect, reference is hereby made to the accompanying sheet
of illustrative drawings, wherein;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the vesta-box complete and shewn
closed.
Fig. 2 a similar view of a modified form of the box shewn open.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in cross section of the vesta-box illustrated in Fig. 1,
shewing the action of withdrawing a match in order to ignite same.
Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the form of vesta-box shewn in Fig. 1,
a portion of the side being broken away in order to more clearly shew tho
interior, while,
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the lower part of a modification of my invention.
In the drawings, wherein like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
throughout the several figures, a represents one of the plates constituting part of
the box, such plate having a second plate b hinged thereto at c.
Between these plates a and b a spring d is interposed and fixed at its ends to
the plates in order to hold the upper parts of such plates together in a resilient
manner, and cause the serrated inner faces w¹ and b¹ of such plates to impinge
firmly upon the head of a vesta e when such vesta is being withdrawn from the
box. The ends of the plate a are bent at right angles to such plate as at a² in
order to form end walls, the free edges of which fit snugly against and form free
joints with the corresponding edges of the plate b, so as to permit of the neces-
sary "play" between the two plates, while at the same time enclosing the end
openings.
If represents the lid of the vesta-box, which is hinged at f¹ to one of the end
walls a, the other end of such lid being extended downwardly as at f2 and caused
to engage with a projection a³ on the end wall a², for locking purposes.
Any suitable means may be employed, in lieu of the one shewn, for retaining
the lid of the box in its closed position, such lid preferably being assisted in its
closing by a suitable spring (not shewn).
The serrations on the opposing inner surfaces of the plates
and b are only
extended downwardly a short distance in order to prevent the ignition of the
remaining vestas when one is withdrawn from the box.

page_text: One or more horizontally projecting pins g may be provided upon the inner side
of one or both plates, in order to retain the vestas in their vertical position during
the process of filling the box.
Lips may be provided upon the upper edges of the plates a and b, such lips
being for the purpose of facilitating the separation of the two plates when it is
desired to fill the box with vestas.
I preferably form the improved vesta-box in three pieces by stamping them out
in the form of blanks and then bending them, by any suitable means, into the
required shape.
In the form shewn by Fig. 2, I provide the plate a, forming one of the sides
of the box, with a downwardly extended portion at, which is bent up into semi-
circular form to constitute a bed for the hinge-pin c and spring d to lie in and be
concealed from external view.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improvements in vesta-boxes, consisting in a box having its sides held
together in a resilient manner, the upper portions of such sides being serrated
upon their inner or opposing edges, whereby a vesta is ignited by the action of
said vesta being withdrawn from the box, substantially as specified and shewn.
2. In vesta-boxes, the combination with a box proper formed of two plates
hinged together at their lower edges and maintained at their upper edges in close
contact one with the other by means of an interposed spring, one of said plates
having its vertical edges at an angle to the main portion of serrations formed
upon the inner opposing faces of said plates, said serrations extending about a
fourth of the depth of such plates, so that when a vesta is withdrawn from the
box, head downwards, the serrations on both plates will impinge firmly upon the
vesta-head and ignite same without causing the remaining vestas in the box to
also ignite, substantially as described and shewn.
Total lia lat dov of Cautam 1800
HUGHES, SON, & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., For the Applicant.