An Improved Box for Containing Butter and other Alimentary Substances, and a Process for Manufacturing same.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov.,
1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Box for Containing Butter and other Alimentary
Substances, and a Process for Manufacturing same.
We, JOHN MECKIFF, of No. 461 Rae Street, North Fitzroy in the Colony of
Victoria, Contractor, EDWIN ROBERT GAMLIN, of No. 35 Disraeli Street, Kew
in the said colony, Contractor, and THOMAS ELLIS, of No. 44 The Avenue
Windsor, in the said colony, Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been devised in order to provide a box for containing butter
and other alimentary substances which will not be expensive and yet be durable,
cleanly and in which such substances can be kept for a considerable period and be
transported from place to place and be exposed to variations of temperature without
deterioration in quality.
One of the main objects of this invention is to dispense with the necessity for
refrigerating chambers when it is required to keep butter and other alimentary
substances for any considerable period.
According to this invention an inner glass lining is first constructed of sheets of
thin glass secured together by means of grease proof paper cemented over their
corners or joints.
The lining thus formed is placed inside a mould of the
and liquid plaster of Paris is run into the space around it.
set the box is removed from the mould and in the case of
with stout paper, linen or canvas.
requisite size and shape
After the plaster has
small boxes is covered
The larger boxes are strengthened by a coating of some cheap fibrous material
such as coarse bagging which is made to adhere to the plaster by means of some
suitable adhesive composition.
The lid of the box is constructed by causing a sheet of glass of the requisite size
and shape to adhere to a plaster slab to facilitate which operation it is preferable
to first coat the back of the glass with paper or other similar material which can'
be readily caused to adhere to it.
The box is sealed between its upper edge and the lid with plaster of Paris and if
preferred a piece of twine may be first fitted in the space into which the plaster is
subsequently to be run and have its end left projecting so that the box can easily
be opened by merely pulling the string upwards or outwards so as to cause it to
cut through the seal of plaster.
If preferred a nail or other sharp pointed instrument might be used instead of
this string for opening the box.
In the case of the largest boxes such as those intended to hold about 56 lbs. of
butter we provide an outer casing of wood which we use as a substitute for the
ordinary mould, running the plaster between the glass lining and such outer casing.
which remains as the permanent outer covering of the box.
In these boxes also the lids may be made with the glass separate from the
plaster of Paris but the glass should in such a case be supplied with a backing of
stout paper.
When these boxes are intended to be used as show cases the glass lids can be
made without the paper backing so as to admit of the contents, such for

page_text: instance as preserved fruits, being exposed to view and yet be protected from flies,
dust etc.
Dated this Fifteenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
fine
An Improved Box for Containing Butter and other Alimentary
Substances, and a Process for Manufacturing same.
We, JOHN MECKIFF, of No. 461 Rae Street, North Fitzroy, in the Colony of
Victoria, Contractor, EDWIN ROBERT GAMLIN, of No. 35 Disraeli Street, Kew,
in the said colony, Contractor, and THOMAS ELLIS, of No. 44 The Avenue,
Windsor, in the said colony, Contractor, 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 has been devised in order to provide a box for containing butter
and other alimentary substances which will not be expensive and yet be durable,
cleanly and in which such substances can be kept for a considerable period and be
transported from place to place and be exposed to variations of temperature without
deterioration in quality.
One of the main objects of this invention is to dispense with the necessity for
refrigerating chambers when it is required to keep butter and other alimentary
substances for any considerable period.
According to this invention an inner glass lining is first constructed of sheets of
thin glass secured together by means of grease proof paper cemented over their
corners or joints.
The lining thus formed is placed inside a mould of the requisite size and shape
and liquid plaster of Paris is run into the space around it. After the plaster has
set the box is removed from the mould and in the case of small boxes is covered
with stout paper, linen or canvas.
The larger boxes are strengthened by a coating of some cheap fibrous material
such as coarse bagging which is made to adhere to the plaster by means of some
suitable adhesive composition.
The lid of the box is constructed by causing a sheet of glass of the requisite
size and shape to adhere to a plaster slab to facilitate which operation it is
preferable to first coat the back of the glass with paper or other similar material
which can be readily caused to adhere to it.
The box is sealed between its upper edge and the lid with plaster of Paris, and
if preferred a piece of thin wire, string or twine may be first fitted in the space
into which the plaster is subsequently to be run, and have its end left projecting so
that the box can easily be opened by merely pulling the wire or string upwards or
outwards so as to cause it to cut through the seal of plaster.
If preferred a nail or other sharp pointed instrument might be used instead of
this wire or string for opening the box.
In the case of the largest boxes such as those intended to hold about 56 lbs.
of butter we provide an outer casing of wood which we use as a substitute for
the ordinary mould, running the plaster between the glass lining and such outer
casing which remains as the permanent outer covering of the box. In these

page_text: boxes also the lids may be made with the glass separate from the plaster of
Paris, but the glass should in such a case be supplied with a backing of stout
paper.
When these boxes are intended to be used as show cases the glass lids can
be made without the paper backing so as to admit of the contents, such for
instance as preserved fruits, being exposed to view and yet be protected from flies,.
dust etc.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:-
:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the glass lining above referred to,
Figure 2 is a sectional perspective view of said lining with the plaster body of
the box cast around it,
Figure 3 is a section of the lid, and
Figure 4 a section of the upper part of the box with the lid fitted upon it.
Figure 5 is a section of a box constructed according to a modification of this
invention in which the plaster is run into the space between the glass lining and an.
outer wooden casing.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A A represent the sheets of glass which form the lining of this improved box,.
B the strips of grease proof paper which are stuck over the edges of the lining so
as to hold same together as illustrated in Figure 1.
C represents the body of the box which is formed by running liquid plaster of
Paris into a mould surrounding the lining shown in Figure 1, the space left between
said lining and the inside of the mould deterinining the thickness of the plaster box
which will of course vary according to its size.
D represents the sheet of glass forming the lining of the lid, and E the layer of
paper or other similar material which is applied to the surface of such glass in
order that it may be caused to adhere to the slab of plaster F constituting the lid
of the box.
G represents the small space which is left between the upper edge and the lid of
the box to enable it to be sealed with plaster of Paris, whilst H represents the
length of thin wire, twine or string which may be fitted in said space to facilitate
the opening of the box.
In the view of the modified box shown in Figure 5 1 represents the outer wooden
casing between which and the inner glass lining A. the cement C is run as shown
in said figure and as described in an earlier part of this specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A box for butter and other alimentary substances consisting of a glass lining
surrounded by a coating of plaster of Paris substantially as and for the purposes
specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The herein described process of manufacturing boxes for butter and other
alimentary substances consisting in securing together sheets of glass of the requisite
size and shape by cementing grease proof paper over the corners or joints, placing
said lining in a mould and running liquid plaster of Paris around it and after-
wards coating the outside of the box thus formed with paper, canvas, or the like,
substantially as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated in the accom-.
panying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of August One thousand eight hundred and ninety-six.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents..