IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTE CASES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTE
CASES 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 that class of cases or packages in which small lots of
cigarettes are put up for sale, and which are also designed to afford a convenient
pocket receptacle for the cigarettes until the lot is exhausted.
This class of cases as heretofore constructed 'have usually consisted of a rigid or
substantially rigid paper or pasteboard tube closed at one end, and sometimes
provided with a removable cover. The better class of these cases have also some-
times consisted of a collapsible tubular body composed of paper, pasteboard, or
other suitable material and having one end closed by a piece of flexible material
(usually silk or other like fabric,) so secured to the end of the body as to form an
inward bellows fold when the latter was collapsed. In constructing cases in this
last named manner it has been customary to secure the edges of the silk or other
fabric forming the bottom, to the outside of the body, thus making it necessary, in
order to conceal the raw edges of the fabric, which, if left exposed, would present
an unsightly appearance, to place an outside covering or wrapper around the entire
body, or at least a band or trimming of sufficient width to conceal the raw edges of
the fabric. This wrapper or trimming of course entailed some additional labour
and expense, which, as will readily be understood, are matters of the highest
consideration, as, in order to provide each packet of cigarettes with a case of this
character, it is necessary that the cases should be produced at a very trifling cost.
It is the object of the present Invention, among other things, to produce a case
in which the necessity for an outside wrapper or covering shall be avoided; and to
this end, the Invention consists in securing the edges of the fabric forming the
bottom of the case to the inside of the tubular body, so that the edges of the fabric
will.not be exposed, and may be left uncovered. While the bodies of cases of this
class have sometimes, as before stated, been made collapsible, they have not
possessed such a degree of flexibility as to be capable of readily accommodating
Dis 173

page_text: themselves to the shape of the package of cigarettes, particularly when the package
was decreased in size by reason of the removal of a portion of the cigarettes. This
is a feature of importance, not only because by having the body of the case to
conform closely to the shape of the package, less waste room is left in the case, but
because it permits the cigarettes to be packed snugly, and allows them to be with-
drawn easily and without danger of tearing the wrappers. It also allows the case
to collapse readily as the package decreases, so as not to occupy unnecessary room
in the pocket of the user.
To provide means by which the body of the case will be rendered more flexible
and capable of conforming more nearly to the shape of the package of cigarettes,
either when the package is whole or when partly used; the body of the case is
formed with corrugations, creases, or scores arranged to effect this result, as will be
hereinafter fully explained and particularly pointed out.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette case
embodying the Invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively longitudinal and cross
sections of the same. Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating other forms, to be
hereinafter referred to.
The case shown in the Drawings as embodying the Invention is, as to its
principal features, of an ordinary form, consisting of a tubular body A, composed of
paper, leather, cardboard, cloth or other suitable material, and closed at one of its
ends by a piece of flexible material B, which forms the bottom of the case, the
bottom end of the body being of such shape that when collapsed the piece B will
form an inward bellows fold b, between the sides. The edges d of the piece B are
pasted or otherwise secured to the inside of the end of the body, as shown in Fig. 2,
so that the joint between the body and bottom is not exposed, and all necessity for
an outside wrapper or covering to conceal the raw edges of the material is avoided.
The body A, in order that it may be sufficiently elastic to readily conform itself to
the shape of the package of cigarettes, is formed with a number of corrugations c,
so that when expanded and filled it will assume the form shown in Figs. 1 and 3,
thus permitting all or substantially all the space in the case to be utilized, and at
the same time giving such a degree of flexibility to the body that it will readily
conform itself to the reduced size of the package when part of the same is
removed.
Although corrugations will be found preferable as giving greater strength to the
body, yet the same result may be accomplished by providing a series of creases or
scores a, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The creases or scores a may of course be
varied according to the size of the case. It will usually, however, be found
preferable to provide a considerable number of the creases or scores, as indicated in
Fig. 5.
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
Constructing cases for containing cigarettes substantially as herein shown and
described.