Portfolios, Purses, Bags, Wallets, Boxes, and Coverings or Bindings for Books, Consisting of Asbestos, for the Purpose of Affording Security against Fire.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Portfolios, Purses, Bags, Wallets, Boxes, and Coverings or Bindings
for Books, Consisting of Asbestos, for the Purpose of Affording
Security against Fire.
1, GIOVANNI DEVALLE, of Corso Siccardi Turin, Italy, Engineer, 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 for its object to provide an efficient and durable means for
insuring the preservation of papers, documents, readily combustible articles, office
or commercial books, under circumstances where they may be exposed to the direct
action of fire or to high temperatures as in the case of a fire. This object is
effected by means which are hereinafter described and which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively three views of a purse, bag, or wallet, having
two compartments or pockets for papers, and documents in general.
Figures 4, 5 and 6, are three views of a wallet having a single compartment for
documents and other readily combustible articles.
Figure 7 illustrates a wallet having several compartments.
The wallets illustrated in the said drawings are constructed differently from
similar wallets or bags that have heretofore been usually employed, only in
the respect that all the parts composing the same are made of asbestos either in
the form of woven fabric or of the natural fibre or of cardboard. For example the
back D of the wallet or bag is made by placing two or more pieces of asbestos
fabric upon one another, which are then fastened at the edges by means of sewing,
cementing, or other suitable means. Or it may be by interposing between two or
more pieces of fabric one or more pieces of asbestos cardboard, and then fastening
the cardboard and the fabrics together at their edges by means of sewing,
cementing, or other suitable means, and also if desired extending the cementing
over the entire surface. Or again, by arranging together, pieces of fabric,
cardboard, and wadding of asbestos, which are then fastened together in the above
mentioned manner, and thus constitute a more or less flexible layer of incombustible
material which is refractory to heat.
Upon the back thus formed, there are fastened, also by means of sewing or
cementing at the edges, or by similar means, further layers similarly composed,
care being naturally taken to leave open one of the edges for the purpose of
introducing the articles to be preserved. In this manner there are formed the
compartments of the portfolio or purse as shewn at A.
1
The interior of the compartments may be lined for the purpose of elegance of
appearance, with silk or similar tissues which may even be combustible, because
the action of the heat will not have any effect at that point by reason of the
refractory outer envelopes.
C. indicates the projecting ends of the papers to be preserved.
An accessory which will generally form part of the said bags, wallets or purses,
is a clasp or fastener shown at E which will be made of metal or of a special tissue
of asbestos.
The same processes above described for making the back of the receptacles and
more particularly by the second process which consists in the manufacture of

page_text: incombustible layers by means of fabrics and. cardboard composed of asbestos
alternately arranged upon each other and fastened together by sewing or
cementing, may be employed to make backs used in book binding, especially
commercial books, which it is very important to preserve from the effects of fires.
In such a case the process of binding the books differs from those at present
ordinarily employed merely in that instead of using ordinary cardboard, paper,
common thread, leather, cloth, the binder uses asbestos cardboard, asbestos fabrics,
and asbestos thread.
Figs. 8 and 9 shew by way of example two views of a bound book. The
portion S may be a layer of greater or less stiffness consisting of asbestos card-
board fixed between asbestos fabric firmly cemented to and suitably folded
around the same. R is a back also composed of asbestos tissue. T is an asbestos
tissue to protect the internal sewing of the book. The threads used for joining the
binding to the body of the book are also composed of asbestos. In the same
manner and with the same boards of asbestos, boxes of greater or less size may be
made capable of opening on one side or the other, as shewn in Fig. 10, and into
which articles of any kind and particularly commercial books may be placed.
.
'
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bag, wallet or purse constructed in the forms and by means of the processes
already at present in general use, but composed entirely of asbestos, substantially
as described.
.
2. A bag or wallet having one, two or more compartments as shewn in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, composed entirely of asbestos, fitted or not with a clasp or
fastener and constructed as above described.
3. A box constructed of the forms and by means of the processes already at
present in ordinary use, but composed entirely of asbestos, substantially as
described.
4. A method of binding in asbestos intended for application to books, in the
manner above described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.