Improvements in Strengthening Wood Boxes and Cases.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Strengthening Wood Boxes and Cases.
We DAN RYLANDS LIMITED, of Hope Glass Works, Stairfoot, near Barnsley,
in the County of York, Wooden Box Manufacturers, etc., and JAMES WEGG, of
218 Sheffield Road, Barnsley aforesaid Box Factory Manager, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of boxes or cases which are usually partitioned
for receiving and conveying mineral water, ale, beer, or porter bottles, confectionery
bottles, and for similar purposes. It is usual in boxes of this kind to leave an open
space on two sides of the box to allow the insertion of a brush for cleaning
purposes.
The objects of our present invention are to better secure and strengthen these
boxes by means of wire stays, which are applied to the boxes in a special manner
so as to avoid any exposure or appearance of the strengthening appliances on the
outer sides and outer ends of the boxes, and at the same time to give strength to
those parts at the ends of the brush space which are unsupported by the
box sides.
We are aware that wire has been used before for strengthening boxes, but such
wire has been more or less exposed on the sides of the boxes, as for instance in
Specification No. 4897 of 1883 the wire lies in a groove in the external sides of the
box. And in other Specifications where the wire is passed through the centre of
the wood some portion of the wire has been exposed at the sides of the box either
in passing the open brush space or in the fastening of the wire ends at the sides or
ends of the boxes. But in our present invention no portion whatever of the wire
stays is exposed at the sides or ends of the box; nor does the wire pass through
the brush space, and therefore does not form any obstacle to the use of the cleaning
brush.
According to our improvements we bore vertical holes through the wood forming
the sides and ends of the box a short distance from the dovetails, and we prefer to
make these holes before the ends and sides are put together. After the box sides
and ends have been dovetailed together (but before the bottom is attached), we pass
four of our wire stays, of any suitable gauge and of the required length through the
vertical holes, two of which are required at each corner of the box for each wire
stay. These wire stays are so passed through the vertical holes that the two ends
of each stay can be clenched underneath the box. In passing from one hole to the
other at each top corner of the box, the wire stays form an acute or other angle in
relation to the box side and end; and thus crosses the inside corners over which
the stays are by preference made to project a short distance, but so as not to
prevent the bottles passing into the corner partitions. After the wire stays are
placed in their respective positions they are tightened up and clenched on the
underside of the box. There will thus be eight clenched wire ends underneath the
box; four of these are under the box sides and over the brush space, and these four
are further secured by one or more wire staples. The remaining four clenched ends
do not require fastening staples but are secured by the box bottom which holds
them securely, and entirely hides them from view.
If
The box bottoms are put lengthwise of the box and are secured under the box
ends preferably by means of screws or nails or in any other suitable manner.
desired we may use metal or other washers under the heads of the screws or nails
on the box bottom, and such washers may be countersunk to receive the heads of
such nails or screws. The box bottoms are thus securely attached to, and give

page_text: strength to the ends of the box, and in order to more securely hold the sides we
reverse the ordinary way of forming the dovetails. It will be observed that our
wire stays do not pass through the box bottom and that we avoid cutting or boring
any horizontal hole through the bottom of the box, which horizontal hole would
simply weaken the box bottom, at those parts where the most strength is required
and where it is important that the full thickness and strength of the wood should
be preserved.
The other weak portions of other boxes are those parts at the ends of the brush
space where the sides are cut away; but in our improvements the wire stays pass
through these parts and give them additional strength. Should these parts by rough
usage become broken they will even then be prevented leaving the box by means
of the wire stays which pass through them at four ends of each box.
Another advantage secured by our improvements is that the wire stays can easily
be tightened up by anyone. Should the wood shrink the wire can only slacken
at the top corners of the box, and a blow from a hammer at these points will 1
effectively tighten up the wire and again secure the box in rigid position.
We prefer to use galvanised wire, and No. 10 gauge we find a suitable strength
for the purpose of our present invention, but we do not limit ourselves to any
particular kind or strength of wire. The wire stays may be allowed to rest op the
wood at the top of the box and by projecting above the box top will thus protect:
the wood when the boxes are placed one upon another; or if desired the wire may
be level or flush with the top of the box.
By means of our improvements we obtain, a sightly secure, strong, and
serviceable box, strengthened by our improved stays without in any way showing
any portion of the wire or other fastenings on the outer sides or ends of the box,
and by reversing the ordinary way of forming the dovetails we combine with the
wire stays an additional security to the box sides, while the box ends are supported
and secured by fastening the bottoms thereto, the whole box being rigidly held
together by the wire stays which are clenched and secured underneath the box in
such a manner that as regards balf of the wire ends, they are totally hid from view,
and as regards the other half of the wire ends they are difficult to be seen, and
indeed will not be seen unless by turning the box upside down, or by being at the
trouble of carefully looking at the underside of the box.
Dated this 11th day of January 1894.
For DAN RYLANDS LIMITED,
WILTON BROOKE, Secretary.
JAMES WEGG.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Strengthening Wood Boxes and Cases.
We DAN RYLANDS LIMITED, of Hope Glass Works, Stairfoot, near Barnsley,
in the County of York, Wooden Box Manufacturers, etc., and JAMES WEGG, of
218, Sheffield Road, Barnsley aforesaid, Box Factory Manager, 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 that class of boxes or cases which are usually partitioned
for receiving and conveying mineral water, ale, beer, or porter bottles, confectionery
bottles, and for similar purposes. It is usual in boxes of this kind to leave an
open space on two sides of the box to allow the insertion of a brush for cleaning
purposes.
The objects of our present invention are to better secure and strengthen these
Loxes by means of wire stays, which are applied to the boxes in a special manner

page_text: so as to avoid any exposure or appearance of the strengthening appliances on the
outer sides and outer ends of the boxes, and at the same time to give strength to
those parts at the ends of the brush space which are unsupported by the box sides.
We append drawings in order that our invention may be clearly understood.
Fig. 1 is an illustration of our improved box showing our strengthening stays A
attached to the box at each corner.
Fig. 2 represents the same box with the bottom upwards for the purpose of
showing our method of securing the ends E and G of the strengthening stays. In
this view half of the wood bottom is removed to show the clenched ends E.
Fig. 3 is another box with the bottom upwards and shows the strengthening
stays with one end N lengthened and passed vertically through the box bottom and
secured in a shallow groove on the outside of the wood forming the box bottom.
Fig. 3 also shows our method of hiding or covering these ends N by means of strips
or runners P of wood or other suitable material.
We are aware that wire has been used before for strengthening boxes, but such
wire has been more or less exposed on the sides of the boxes, as for instance in
Specification No. 4897 of 1883 the wire lies in a groove in the external sides of the
box. And in other Specifications where the wire is passed through the centre of
the wood some portion of the wire has been exposed at the sides of the box either
in passing the open brush space or in the fastening of the wire ends at the sides or
ends of the boxes. But in our present invention no portion whatever of the wire
stays A is exposed at the sides or ends of the box ; nor does the wire pass through
the brush space B and therefore does not form any obstacle to the use of the
cleaning brush.
According to our improvements we bore vertical holes through the wood forming
the sides and ends of the box a short distance from the dovetails as shown by the
dotted lines X, and we prefer to make these holes before the ends and sides are put
together. After the box sides and ends have been dovetailed together (but before
the bottom is attached) we pass four of our wire stays A of any suitable gauge and
of the required length through the vertical holes X, two of which are required at
each corner of the box for each wire stay. These wire stays A are so passed
through the vertical holes ✗ that the two ends of each stay can be clenched under-
neath the box as shown at E and G in Fig. 2. In passing from one hole to the
other at each top corner of the box, the wire stays A form an acute or other angle
in relation to the box side and end; and thus crosses the inside corners over which
the stays A are by preference made to project a short distance, but so as not to.
prevent the bottles passing into the corner partitions. After the wire stays A are
placed in their respective positions they are tightened up and clenched on the
underside of the box as shown at E and G (Fig. 2). There will thus be eight
clenched wire ends underneath the box ; tour of these ends G are under the box.
sides and over the brush space B, and these four ends may be further secured by
one or more wire staples as shown at Fig. 2. In the case of the box illustrated at
Fig. 2 the remaining four clenched ends E do not require fastening staples but are
secured by the box bottom which holds them securely and entirely hides them from
view.
The box bottoms are put lengthwise of the box and are secured under the box
ends preferably by means of screws or nails or in any other suitable manner. In
some cases we continue one lengthened end N of each wire stay vertically through
the box bottom, and then nail or otherwise secure these lengthened ends N in a
shallow groove on the outer side of the box bottom as shown by Fig. 3. To protect
and hide these ends N from view we screw or nail or otherwise attach a runner or
strip or plate of wood or other suitable material over the wire and groove along
the box bottom as shown by P in Fig. 3. If desired we may use metal or other
washers H (Fig. 2) under the heads of the screws or nails on the box bottom, and
such washers H may be countersunk to receive the heads of the nails or screws.
The box bottoms are thus securely attached to, and give strength to, the ends of
the box; and in order to more securely hold the sides, we reverse the ordinary way

page_text: of forming the dovetails, as shown at R in the drawings. It will be observed that
our wire stays A do not pass through the box bottom horizontally, and that we
avoid cutting or boring any horizontal hole through the bottom of the box, which
borizontal hole would simply weaken the box bottom at those parts where the most
strength is required and where it is important that the full thickness and strength
of the wood should be preserved as far as possible.
The other weak portions of other boxes are those parts at the ends of the brush
space B where the sides are cut away; but in our improvements the wire stays A
pass through these parts and give them additional strength. Should these parts by
rough usage become broken they will even then be prevented leaving the box by
means of the wire stays A which pass through them at the four ends or corners of
each box.
Another advantage secured by our improvements is that the wire stays A
can easily be tightened up by anyone. Should the wood shrink the wire can only
slacken at the top corners of the box, and a blow from a hammer at the part S of
the stays A will effectively tighten up the wire and again secure the box in rigid
position.
We prefer to use galvanised wire and No. 10 gauge we find a suitable strength
for the purpose of our present invention, but we do not limit ourselves to any
particular kind, shape, or strength of wire. The wire stays A may be allowed to
rest on the wood at the top ends or corners of the box, and by projecting above the
box top will thus protect the wood when the boxes are placed one upon another;
or if desired the wire may be level or flush with the top of the box.
By means of our improvements we obtain a sightly, secure, strong, and serviceable
box, strengthened by our improved stays without in any way showing any portion
of the wire or other fastenings A on the outer sides or ends of the box, and by
reversing the ordinary way of forming the dovetails R we combine with the wire
stays an additional security to the box sides, while the box ends are supported and
secured by fastening the bottoms thereto, the whole box being rigidly held together
by the wire stays A. which are clenched and otherwise secured underneath the box
in such a manner that as regards half of the wire ends they are totally hid from
view, and as regards the other half of the wire ends they are difficult to be seen, and
indeed will not be seen unless by turning the box upside down, or by being at the
trouble of carefully looking at the underside of the box.
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 :-
Our improved strengthening stays A applied to boxes for the purposes and in
such manner as described and illustrated and so as not to be exposed on the sides
or ends of the boxes, and to be capable of being tightened up by a blow from a
hammer.
Dated this 10th day of October 1894.
For DAN RYLANDS LIMITED,
WILTON BROOKE, Secretary.
JAMES WEGG.