CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF MATCHBOXES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Harcourt and Joseph Harcourt, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass Founders, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
MANUFACTURE OF MATCHBOXES."
Sealed the 16th April 1853, and dated the 18th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Harcourt
and Joseph Harcourt at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th October 1852.
We, WILLIAM HARCOURT and JOSEPH HARCOURT, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF MATCHBOXES" to be as follows:-
Our improvements more particularly relate to what are termed
wrought boxes, and consist,-
First, in a new mode of forming a base moulding to such boxes, by
spreading the metal at the bottom by the process known as "spinning,"
the spread part to be again turned in by the same process, to hold the
bottom:
Secondly, by forming a base moulding at the same time we form
the cover, by the process of stamping; the said base moulding being

page_text: afterwards separated from the cover, and applied to the base of the
box:
Thirdly, for raising or forming the ornament on or around such
boxes, by producing the sunken design and counterpart on the peri-
phery or surface of rollers, which being put in motion, and the
strips of metal pushed between, will come out with the design formed
unen them
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Harcourt and Joseph Harcourt in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
'WILLIAM HARCOURT and JOSEPH HARCOURT, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Brass Founders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, Anno
Domini One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Harcourt and Joseph Harcourt,
Her special license that we, the said William Harcourt and Joseph
Harcourt, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said William Harcourt and Joseph Harcourt, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF MATCHBOXES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Harcourt and
Joseph Harcourt, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and;
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six;
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters:
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Harcourt and Joseph-
Harcourt, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in,
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly, described:
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
We will first recite our Provisional Specification, which is as:
follows "Our improvements more particularly relate to what are
termed wrought boxes, and consist,―
"First, in a new mode of forming a base moulding to such boxes;
by spreading the metal at the bottom by the process known as spinning,,
the spread part to be again turned in by the same process, to hold the
bottom:
"Secondly, by forming a base moulding at the same time we form
the cover, by the process of stamping, the said base moulding being.
afterwards separated from the cover, and applied to the base of the
box:
:
"Thirdly, for raising or forming the ornament on or around such.
boxes, by producing the sunken design and counterpart on the peri-
phery or surface of rollers, which being put in motion, and the strips.
of metal pushed between, will come out with the design formed upon,
them:
"And, fourthly, in the application of china and glass to the tops,
bottoms, and taper and match-holders of matchboxes."
This being our Provisional Specification, and whieh gives a general-
outline of our Invention, we will now proceed to describe in full, and.
under the several heads, the manner in which the said improvements
are to be carried into effect, reference being had to the Drawings:
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that
is to say):
The first part of our Invention consists in forming what may be
termed a base base moulding around the bodies of metal matchboxes,
which bodies being tubular, they may be drawn in long lengths in the

page_text: usual in which round metal tubes are made, and from the long tube
are cut in suitable lengths the pieces required for such bodies of match-
boxes we may desire to make, and which pieces are now ready to receive
our improvement, which consists, as before stated, in forming a base
moulding around the bottom edge of such bodies; and this we effect by
a process known as spinning, which may be described thus:--We take
a body and place it on a suitable chuck, which chuck being fixed or
screwed in a common lathe, we have only to set the lathe in motion,
and at the same time apply a suitable amount of pressure on the inside
bottom edge of the box body, which is, of course, by the action of the
lathe rapidly revolving at the time the pressure is applied, will have
the effect of spreading out the metal until it assumes the shape that
may be desired. The tool necessarily used for applying the pressure is
known as a burnisher, commonly made of a blunt polished piece of
hardened steel. Referring to the Drawings; Figure 1, represents a
sectional view of a body of a box, with a base moulding made according
to the plan herein described. a, & b, shew how the bottom is secured
to the base moulding, which is simply done when the moulding is
sufficiently spread and in the desired form to receive the bottom;
which done, the lathe is again put in motion, and the burnisher with a
moderate amount of pressure applied at the outer edge of the base
moulding and lapped over on the bottom, and thereby securing it.
c, d, merely show that the metal of the box body have been turned
down on the outside to give additional strength to that part of the box.
We will now proceed to describe the second part of our Invention,
which consists in forming a moulding suitable for the base of a match-
box at the same time we form the cover of such matchbox, and this we
do by the well known process of stamping. A suitable die being pre-
pared, having a cavity sunk on its face the inverted shape of the cover,
and such box moulding as may be required, the die being placed on a
stamp bed, and a piece of thin metal placed over the sunken part of
such die, three or four blows of the stamp hammer will be sufficient to give
to the metal the shape and character of the cavity sunk in the die, the
metal being annealed between each blow, as it may require; and, next,
we clip off the surplus metal around the mculding, leaving it in the

page_text: Form shewn at Fig. 2, and ready for the next operation, which is to
clip off the base moulding from the cover at the part marked e, & f.
Fig. 4, represents also in section the base moulding e, and f, and cover
g, applied to the body of a matchbox, the bottom being also shewn
applied in the manner described, and shown at a, b, Fig. 1.
The third part of our Invention, and which relates to the mode of
ornamenting the bodies of matchboxes, will be understood by the
following description:-Figures 7, and 8, represents a pair of rollers,
which being fitted with suitable gearing, and having a design and
counterpart formed upon their faces, as shewn at h h, i i, jj, and k k,
the rolls being mounted in a suitable frame or carriage, and set a little
distance from each other, which may be regulated according to the
thickness of metal required to be passed between them, and which
metal should be first cut to the required width, but may be of any
indefinite length, the rolls being put in motion, the strip of metal has
only to be put to the rolls, when it will be drawn through, having been.
impressed with the design cut on the surface of the rollers, as exhibited
at Fig. 9. The strip of metal, when so ornamented, has only to be cut
to the required size, and bent up and soldered to form the bodies of the
matchboxes, such design adding much to the appearance appearance
and strength of such boxes. The base moulding may be formed on
those ornamented bodies in the manner described in the first part of
this our Specification.
We will now proceed to describe the fourth or last part of our
Invention, which consist in the application to matchboxes of china
and glass to certain parts which have not heretofore been made of such
material (viz.), the bottom 7, and nozle m, shewn in Figure 4; also
the match-holder shewn in section and separate at Fig. 5; likewise a-
cover and matcholder shewn also in section at Fig. 6, which may be
secured within a metal rim by the same means as we secure the
bottoms described at a, b, Fig. 1.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, in continuation
of our Provisional Specification, and also the manner in which the same
may be carried into effect, we wish it to be understood, that while we
believe the various modes herein described to be the best for giving

page_text: practical effect to our Invention, nevertheless we do not bind ourselves
to their exact detail; but what we do claim as our Invention is,-
First, the forming of a projecting base moulding to the bodies of
matchboxes, as described under the first head of our Invention, without
any regard to the shape or extent of such moulding.
Secondly, in the forming of a base moulding for matchboxes at the
same time we make the cover for the same, without any regard to the
shape or extent of such mouldings, or to the manner in which such
mouldings are separated from the covers and applied to the bodies.
Thirdly, in ornamenting the bodies of matchboxes by means of rolls,
as herein described, without any reference to the extent, nature, or
character of such designs.
'And, lastly, for the application to matchboxes of china and glass
to the tops, bottoms, taper and matcholders of such boxes, without
any regard to their shape and size, or to the manner of applying the
same.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Harcourt and Joseph
Harcourt, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Four-
teenth day of April, Anno Domini One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.
WILLIAM HARCOURT. (L.S.)
JOSEPH HARCOURT.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HARCOURT. (L.S.)
JOSEPH HARCOURT.
(L.S.)