Improvements in Holdalls.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Holdalls.
We, JOHN WILLIAM FORRESTER, and JOHN HERBERT FORRESTER, both of 16,
Long Lane, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, Manufacturers of Waterproof
and Leather Travelling Requisites, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to that class of container intended more particularly for
personal luggage known as "holdalls" the essential characteristic of which is
their expansibility so that one of them is capable of making a larger package
and containing a considerable bulk of goods, or when empty or nearly so, closing
on itself or rolling up so as to occupy but little space and be at once light and
neat.
Such holdalls as hitherto made have commonly been more or less unsightly
or untidy, generally on account of the difficulty of making satisfactory provision
for closing the ends of a package subject to wide variations of dimensions.
Now our invention is intended to provide a holdall which while capable of such
expansion and contraction shall perfectly cover the ends whether it is fully ex-
panded or otherwise absolutely preventing the access of rain and in such manner
that it shall be of presentable appearance and with convenient arrangements
for holding small articles or the like.
According to our invention we provide a piece of material such as leather,
leather cloth, waterproof cloth, tweeds, or the like of length of say about three to
four times the maximum diameter of the intended package and of width equal
to the length of the same, to this are attached shaped end pieces, two to form
each end, these being sewn or joined thereto along the curved edges in such wise
that when the main piece is rolled round, or filled with the goods to be packed
the free edges of the two half ends meet and overlap each other, in which position
they may be secured by straps or the like.
Straps are provided for encircling the whole and for securing the ends, and the
front edges, and the two encircling straps may be secured in position by a cross
strap the centre of which is made to form a handle, and such cross strap we prefer
to attach to a rigid bar or lath which serves to keep the package from dragging
out of shape and keeps and supports the whole if the contents happen to consist
of goods having little cohesion among themselves.
For the purpose of containing small or loose articles we find it convenient to
provide a deep pocket or pockets, preferably two or more, with or without covering
Haps and buttons or tie ups, within the holdall, so placed as may be convenient,
and we may also make one or more pockets on the outside for containing articles
to which ready access is likely to be required while travelling.
Our improved holdalls when moderately full are of much better shape, more
neat and form a far more elegant package as part of a traveller's luggage than do
the holdalls hitherto in use, and whether they are well filled or not their contents
are entirely concealed from view at the ends or otherwise, and when empty they

page_text: form a roll of only a few inches in diameter without anything unsightly or pro-
jecting about the ends.
Dated the 5th day of January 1898.
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Applicants.
improvements in Holdans.
'
We, JOHN WILLIAM FORRESTER, and JOHN HERBERT FORRESTER, both of 16,
Long Lane, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, Manufacturers of Waterproof
and Leather Travelling Requisites, 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:-
"
Our invention relates to that class of container intended more particularly for
personal luggage known as "holdalls the essential characteristic of which is
their expansibility so that one of them is capable of making a larger package
and containing a considerable bulk of goods, or when empty or nearly so, closing
on itself or rolling up so as to occupy but little space and be at once light and
neat.
Such holdalls as hitherto made have commonly been more or less unsightly
or untidy, generally on account of the difficulty of making satisfactory provision
for closing the ends of a package subject to wide variations of dimensions.
Now our invention is intended to provide a holdall which while capable of such
expansion and contraction shall perfectly cover the ends whether it is fully ex-
tended or otherwise absolutely preventing the access of rain and in such manner
that it shall be of presentable appearance and with convenient arrangements
for holding small articles or the like.
According to our invention we provide a piece of material such as leather,
leather cloth, waterproof cloth, tweeds, or the like of length of say about three to
four times the maximum diameter of the intended package and of width equal
to the length of the same, to this are attached D shaped end pieces, two to form
each end, these being sewn or joined thereto along the curved edges in such wise
that when the main piece is rolled round, or filled with the goods to be packed
the free edges of the two half ends meet and overlap each other, in which position
they may be secured by straps or the like.
Straps are provided for encircling the whole and securing the ends, and the
front edges, and the two encircling straps may be secured in position by a cross
strap the centre of which is made to form a handle, and such cross strap we prefer
to attach to a rigid bar or lath which serves to keep the package from dragging
out of shape and keeps and supports the whole if the contents happen to consist
of goods having little cohesion among themselves.
For the purpose of containing small or loose articles we find it convenient to
provide a deep pocket or pockets, preferably two or more, with or without covering
flans and buttons or tie ups, within the holdall, so placed as may be convenient,
and we may also make one or more pockets on the outside for containing articles
to which ready access is likely to be required while travelling.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings Fig. 1, is a perspective representation
of one of our improved holdalls when full and closed; Fig. 2, represents the same
partly opened; Fig. 3, represents it empty and rolled up into the smallest dimen-
sions and Fig. 4, represents it open and ready to be filled.
The same letters indicate the same parts in all the figures:-

page_text: a is a piece of preferably waterproof material. b, b, b, b, are end pieces pre-
ferably of the same material so sewn to the piece a that the straight edges b₁ of
the upper and lower pieces may overlap each other as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4,
and so as to draw the piece a into a nearly a cylindrical form when supported by
sufficient contents. c is a handle formed of the central portion of a strap the end
portions c c of which are fixed, preferably by rivets, to a rigid lath, preferably of
wood or metal placed under the fabric a.
d d are straps encircling the whole and e e are other straps for more perfectly
securing the central portion and the ends.
Pockets ff are arranged inside and may be provided with appropriate flaps,
strings, straps, buttons or the like for closing them and g is a pocket on the
outside intended to contain articles to which access may probably be required
on the journey.
Our improved holdall when moderately full as shown in Fig. 1 are of much
better shape, more neat, and form a far more elegant package as part of a
traveller's luggage than do the holdalls hitherto in use, and whether they are
well filled or not their contents are entirely concealed from view at the ends
or otherwise, and as only the rigid part in them is the lath under the strap c c¹
and as the ends are entirely flexible, the holdall when empty will form a roll
of only a few inches in diameter without, as shown in Fig. 3, anything unsightly
or projecting about the ends.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The improvements in holdalls hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
2. Holdalls embodying the improvements herein before described having no
rigid parts except the lath under the handle strap and having flexible end pieces
permanently attached to the main fabric and the whole being capable of being
rolled up as shown in Fig. 3, substantially as described.
3. In a holdall the combination of a rigid lath under the handle strap c c¹
with the flexible fabric a, flexible end pieces b substantially as described and shown
in the drawings.
Dated the Wighth day of February 1898.
JOHN WILLIAM FORRESTER,
JOHN HERBERT FORRESTER.