Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Wooden and other Boxes, especially applicable to the Manufacture of Match-boxes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 26th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Wooden and other
Boxes, especially applicable to the Manufacture of Match-boxes.
A communication from THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF INDUSTRY, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For the manufacture of match-boxes of wood or paper there have hitherto been
employed various forms of apparatus which present advantages over the making of
the boxes by hand but yet present considerable inconveniences when practically
applied.
The thin sheets or pieces of wood are still damp when leaving the rolling out and
dividing machines and in these existing machines rolled round a metallic mandrel imme-
diately after the paper which serves as a cover for the wood is pasted on the same,
and therefore the box made of damp wood and paste-covered paper leaves the
machine while still very damp, and has to be afterwards dried in the air or in speciał
chambers as before employed. During the drying process the wood is contracted in
the direction of the fibres to the extent of about 7 per cent. while to a smaller extent
the same effect is produced on the paper. The result of this is that the paper mostly
wrinkles upon the box and when dry is of defective or inferior appearance and does
not present the even surface which is necessary for the ignition side of the box ;
these boxes also get out of shape and as the degree of moisture is not the same all
over the wood, the contraction takes place irregularly and produces irregularity in
the form of the box.
In all the systems hitherto employed the paper alone holds the parts of the box
together as the wood is not glued or otherwise cemented or solidly joined together.
The apparatus constructed according to this invention is based upon the following
principles: :-
While the mandrel is surrounded with a sheet of damp wood which is dried
thereon the wood adopts and preserves the shape of the mandrel whatever the shape
may be. In the apparatus herein described the sheets of wood are mechanically
bent or wrapped around a hollow mandrel of a shape corresponding to the form it is
desired to give to the boxes to be manufactured. These sheets of wood are of a
length which is a multiple of that of the boxes to be made. The sheet which is
placed upon the mandrel is on one side coated with glue by means of a small
preferably bronze wheel or a brush. When so rolled upon the mandrel, the wood
becomes glued upon itself and the glued part is pressed sufficiently to hold the glue
until it becomes dry.
Each sheet of wood so taken pushes the preceding and so on. The metallic
mandrel is internally heated by steam hot water or otherwise. The mandrel
is of a length sufficient for the bent or folded box which moist at first and then
glued, leaves the mandrel at the opposite end dry and hard and of a practically
mathematically exact form. At this juncture if desired the paper can be pasted on
the wooden box and although the box is dry and the paper is moist the tension
produced during the drying of the paper will only produce a smooth and regular
surface and no wrinkles.
The box being solidly joined the additional paper covering only acts as an
accessory which can be dispensed with as the wooden box already formed, glued
and set or rigid without the aid of the paper. The wooden sheets each of a
multiple length of the boxes to be manufactured are arranged in sheath or tubular
form and when upon a suitable mandrel are cut to the length of the boxes or parts

page_text: thereof. The apparatus can be used for making the exterior casing of the boxes as
well as for making the inner parts or drawers of the boxes and moreover permits of
the manufacture of boxes without paper which in certain cases would prove of
considerable economy.
In the apparatus constructed according to this invention is provided a receptacle
for containing the wooden sheets piled one on the other and each of which is in
length a multiple of that of each of the boxes to be manufactured. The lifting bar
or base of the receptacle has a reciprocating motion and serves to take the wooden
sheets one by one on to a horizontal table placed in a convenient position. The
movement of the lifting bar is effected by an oscillating lever. The sheet is after-
wards coated with glue by means of a disc or brush which dips at one part of its
periphery into a suitable vessel or box placed under the table. The quantity of the
glue contained in the vessel can be regulated at will. The glue disc or brush is
secured upon a shaft and receives its motion from a wheel which brings the wooden
sheet forward on to the metallic and hollow mandrel situated in the vertical axis of
the folders. These folders are connected to the frame are moved upwards by springs
and downwards by means of cams upon the driving or other suitable shaft. When
the sheet after having been glued arrives near the folders a bar will press those parts
of the sheet desired to form the small sides of the box against the superior part of
the hollow mandrel then the folders placed on each side will fold down the two lateral
sides of the sheet and thereby form the two larger sides of the box. A suitable cam
engages a folder to fold in horizontally the lateral unglued edge of the sheet under
the inferior part of the mandrel and immediately after another folder will operate on-
the other lateral glued edge of the sheet to press it tightly against the first named
edge whereby the two edges joined together form the second side of the rectangular
case or sheath. The case or sheath being complete the folders disengage to allow the
sheet which has now the shape of the mandrel to be taken from the latter firstly by
the action of the lifting bar pushing another sheet into its place and afterwards by
the action of a travelling band which is operated at a speed adapted to allow the
sheet to dry before it reaches the end of the hollow mandrel which as before described
is heated at its interior by means of hot water, steain or otherwise. Each of the
different sheets in the receptacle undergoes in proper succession the same process
which transforms them into cases or sheaths. The machine may be arranged to
make one, two or more cases or sheaths at the same time by using the mechanism in
a single or double form or otherwise adapting it to suit requirements.
When the drying of the sheaths upon the hollow mandrel is complete the sheaths
are passed on to a solid mandrel of dimensions similar to the hollow mandrel. The
solid mandrel is operated by a large quadrant to which it is connected by steel or other
suitable bands. The intermittent progress of the solid mandrel is produced by a
spring catch attached to the sector and entering successively into notches of a fixed
quadrant. During the intermittent progress of the solid mandrel the sheaths placed
thereon are cut by cutting discs operated by cams, eccentrics or any other convenient
mechanical means in order to divide these sheaths into sections of the corresponding
length of a box. Upon the same apparatus can be applied dies or any other
mechanical contrivance either heated or cold for marking upon the boxes the names,
addresses trade marks and the like of the manufacturer. This apparatus allows of
the manufacture of wooden boxes without the application of paper or of boxes of
cardboard or paper only.
Dated this 30th day of November 1889.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Wooden and other
Boxes, especially applicable to the Manufacture of Match-boxes.
A communication from THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF INDUSTRY, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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:-
For the manufacture of match-boxes of wood or paper there have hitherto been
employed various forms of apparatus which present advantages over the making of the
boxes by hand, but yet present considerable inconveniences when practically applied.
The thin sheets or pieces of wood are still damp when leaving the rolling out and
dividing machines and are in these existing machines, rolled round a metallic mandrel
immediately after the paper which serves as a cover for the wood is pasted on the
same and therefore the box made of damp wood and paste-covered paper leaves the
machine while still very damp and has to be afterwards dried in the air or in special
chambers as before employed. During the drying process the wood is contracted in
a direction perpendicular to the direction of the fibres to the extent of about 7%
while to a smaller extent the same effect is produced on the paper. The result of
this is that the paper mostly wrinkles upon the box and when dry, is of defective or
inferior appearance and does not present the even surface which is necessary for the
ignition side of the box; these boxes also get out of shape and as the degree of
moisture is not the same all over the wood the contraction takes place irregularly
and produces irregularity in the form of the box. In all the systems hitherto
employed the paper alone holds the parts of the box together as the wood is not glued
or otherwise cemented or solidly joined together.
The
The apparatus constructed according to this invention is based upon the following
principles-While the mandrel is surrounded with a sheet of damp wood which is
dried thereon the wood adopts and preserves the shape of the mandrel whatever
the shape may be. In the apparatus herein described the sheets of wood
are mechanically bent or wrapped around a hollow mandrel of a shape
corresponding to the form it is desired to give to the boxes to be manufactured.
These sheets of wood are each of a length which is a multiple of that of the
hoxes to be made. The sheet which is placed upon the mandrel is on
one side coated with glue by means of a small preferably bronze or equivalent
wheel or a brush. When so rolled upon the mandrel the wood becomes glued
upon itself and the glued part is pressed sufficiently to hold the glue until it
becomes dry. Each sheet of wood so taken pushes the preceding and so on.
hollow metallic mandrel is internally heated by steam hot water or otherwise. The
mandrel is of a length sufficient for the bent or folded box which moist at first
and then glued leaves the mandrel at the opposite end dry and hard and of a
practically mathematically exact form. At this juncture if desired the paper can be
pasted on the wooden box and the box being dry and the paper moist the shrinking
of the paper during its drying will produce a smooth and regular surface and no
wrinkle. The box being solidly joined the additional paper covering only acts as an
accessory which can be dispensed with as the wooden box is already formed glued
and set or rigid without the aid of the paper. The wooden sheets each of a
multiple length of the boxes to be manufactured are arranged in sheatlı or tubular
form and when upon a suitable mandrel are cut to the length of the boxes or parts
thereof. The apparatus can be used for making the exterior casing of the boxes as
well as for making the frame of inner parts or drawers of the boxes and moreover
permits of the manufacture of boxes without paper which in certain cases would
prove of considerable economy.

page_text: Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings represent our machine respectively
in front elevation, in side elevation and a plan at the scale of one-fifth of the real
size. In the apparatus constructed according to this invention is provided a
receptacle a (Figs. 1 and 3) for containing the wooden sheets piled one on the
other and each of which is in length a multiple of that of each of the boxes to be
manufactured. The lifting or feeding bar c or base of the receptacle a has a
reciprocating motion and serves to take the wooden sheets one by one to a horizontal
table placed in a convenient position. The movement of the feeding bare is effected
by an oscillating lever d pivoted at e. The sheet is afterwards coated with glue by
means of a disc or brush which dips at one part of its periphery into a suitable
vessel or box g placed under the table. The quantity of the glue contained in the
vessel can be regulated at will. The glue disc or brush fis secured upon the same
shaft as the pulley h and receives its motion from a wheel i which brings the wooden
sheet forward on to the hollow metallic mandrelj situated in the vertical axis of the
folders k. These folders are connected to the frame 1, are moved upwards by
springs m and downwards by means of cams n upon the driving shaft o or other
suitable shaft. When the sheet after having been glued arrives near the folders ka
bar p will press those parts of the sheet destined to form the small sides of the
box against the upper part of the hollow mandrelj then the folders k placed on each
side will fold down the two lateral sides of the sheet and thereby form the two
larger sides of the box. A suitable cam q upon the shaft engages a folders to
fold in horizontally the lateral unglued edge of the sheet under the inferior or
lower part of the mandrel and immediately after another folder t will operate on the
other lateral glued edge of the sheet to press it tightly against the first named edge
whereby the two edges joined together form the second side of the rectangular case
or sheath. The case or sheath being complete the folders disengage to allow the
sheet which has now the shape of the mandrel to be taken from the latter firstly by the
action of the feeding bare pushing another sheet into its place and afterwards by the
action of the travelling band a which is operated by the pulley at a speed adapted
to allow the sheet to dry before it reaches the end of the hollow mandrel j which as
before described is heated at its interior by means of hot water, steam or otherwise.
Each of the different sheets in the receptacle a undergoes in proper succession the
sarne process which transforins them into cases or sheaths. The accompanying
drawing represents a machine arranged in triplicate form to make three cases or
sheaths at the same time but the mechanism may be arranged in single, double or
other form to suit requirements.
Whether the machine be single or multiple it will in either case comprise a driving
shaft o adapted to transmit its motion to the shafts o and by means of the shaft A
and the helical wheels fixed upon the same.
Besides the frame the shaft o also engages the oscillating lever d by means of the
connecting rod d¹. The remaining movable parts of the machine are connected with
the shafts o and by the driving bands shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accom-
panying drawings or in other suitable manner.
When the drying of the sheaths upon the hollow mandrel j is complete the sheaths
are passed on to a solid mandrel a as shown in Figure 4 which is also drawn at one-
fifth of the real size, and is identical in its dimensions with the hollow mandrel j. The
solid mandrel a is moved forwards or backwards by a large quadrant y to which it is
connected by two steel or other suitable bands ZZ. One end of the band Z is
attached at the end y' of the quadranty and passing from left to right as in Figure 4
over the quadrant is connected to the mandrel at the point 2 The band Z' is
connected at a¹ to the mandrele and passing from left to right as in Figure 4 is
connected at its opposite end to the quadrant y at the end y2 thereof.
When the
quadrant y is moved to its farthest inward direction the spring B will hold the catch
in the first recess formed in a sector C. The mandrel will now have assumed the
position 11ª and the sheath is placed over the inner end of the mandrel. Upon the
quadrant being turned until the catch rests in the second recess the mandrel will have
assumed the position 22" and the sheath having been acted upon by the printing

page_text: apparatus a is carried forward to the cutters ẞ. Upon the quadrant being turned
still further till the catch rests in the last recess the mandrel will have assumed the
position 33 and the sheath which has been cut into sections by the cutters being
deprived of their support fall into any suitable receptacle. The mandrel x is
then at liberty to return to its normal position, and receive another sheath and
this operation is performed by turning the quadrant in the opposite direction.
Upon the same apparatus can be applied dies
a a or any other mechanical
contrivance either heated or cold for marking upon the boxes the names, addresses,
trade marks and the like of the manufacturer. This apparatus allows of the
manufacture of wooden boxes without the application of paper or of boxes of
cardboard or paper only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A machine for making boxes in the form of sheaths or tubes of various
length in which a lifting or feeding bar takes wooden or cardboard sheets or blanks
one by one from a receptacle and passes the same over a glue disc or brush to
folders which successively bend each sheet round a hollow internally heated mandrel,
and places the two lateral edges of the sheet above each other, glue the same
together, the boxes so formed being dried upon the said hollow mandrel during
their periodical forward motion upon the latter caused by combined action of the
lifting or feeding bar and the drawing off band substantially as herein described.
2. An apparatus in which sheaths made of wood cardboard and the like shaped in
the machine claimed in the preceding claiming clause and covered or not with
paper are cut up by means of cutting discs in sections corresponding in length to
that of the boxes to be manufactured, and in which afterwards if necessary the
said sheaths are printed on by any suitable process (cold or hot) the sheaths of wood
cardboard or the like being placed during the printing and cutting operation upon a
solid mandrel connected to a quadrant by two steel bands the latter causing the
former to move forward intermittently.
3. In apparatus for manufacturing wooden and other boxes the combination and
arrangement of parts constituting the machine substantially as described and
illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In apparatus for manufacturing wooden and other boxes the combination and
arrangement of parts constituting the machine substantially as described and
illustrated in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of August 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BUULT,
Agents for the Applicant.