IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOXES, TRUNKS, OR PACKING CASES, TO BE CALLED THE "PLICABILIS" OR FOLDING BOX, TRUNK, OR PACKING CASE
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel James Wilkinson and
George Frederick Lee Meakin at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th July 1860.
We, SAMUEL JAMES WILKINSON and GEORGE FREDERICK LEE MEAKIN,
trading under the Firm of Wilkinson and Meakin, at No. 14*, Saint Mary
Axe, in the City of London, Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOXES, TRUNKS, OR
PACKING CASES, TO BE CALLED THE "PLICABILIS" OR FOLDING BOX, TRUNK, OR
PACKING CASE," to be as follows:-
We propose to construct these boxes, trunks, or packing cases of wood,
metal, or both, or the combination of these and or any other known substances
which may be found expedient for the purpose. They may be either flat,
square, long, oblong, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or of any other form
or shape, and of any dimensions. Each box, trunk, or packing case, if flat.
square, long, or oblong, will be composed of six pieces, but four of these
forming the top and bottom, front and back, are to be so belted, strapped,
ligatured, hinged, or otherwise fastened together, that they can be folded; the
remaining two pieces forming the ends or sides are to be grooved, rebated,
mitred, tongued, or dovetailed on the edges so as to fit or slide into cor-
responding grooves, rebates, mitres, tongues, or dovetails, 'as the case may be...
in the top, bottom, front, and back pieces so as to make a close joint, and at
once to form a box, trunk, or packing case, the whole to be bound together

page_text: where necessary, externally or internally, with belts, straps, hinges, ligatures,
or other fastenings of canvas, cloth, leather, metal, or other material, or the
combinations of any or all of these, and secured or fastened by screws, bolts,
springs, hasps, locks, or other effective fastening. The said boxes, trunks, or
packing cases may further be fitted internally with slides or divisions grooved,
rebated, mitred, tongued, or dovetailed in the same manner as the end pieces,
and fitting into corresponding grooves, mitres, tongues, or dovetails, &c., as
the case may be, made in the top, bottom, front, back, and ends, or all or any
of these of the said boxes, trunks, or packing cases, thereby forming greater
convenience for packing, and giving greater strength and solidity thereto.
The great advantages to be derived from our method are, that the box, trunk,
or packing case not being fastened together with nails or screws, as hitherto
adopted when empty, can be folded and stowed away, thus occupying no more
space than the actual cubical contents of the materials of which they are con-
structed and can readily be refolded so as to form a box, trunk, or packing
case when again wanted for use. -By-these-means-such-boxes, trunks, or
packing cases, when required for the conveyance of merchandize, &c., from
place to place at home, or for shipment abroad, may afterwards be returned
at a nominal expense for carriage or freight, or used for the packing of home-
ward bound produce. Nor are these advantages confined to the mercantile
and shipping interest alone, but apply to emigrants, and all classes of the
community.