Improvements in or connected with Collapsible or Folding Boxes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Collapsible or Folding Boxes.
I, CUTHBERT MCCALLUM, of No. 23, St. Mary Axe, in the City of London,
Merchant, 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:-
My said invention relates to improvements in or connected with collapsible or
folding boxes, and has for its object to obtain a wooden box which is light in
character, capable of being easily put together and taken apart, is not liable to
warp or twist out of shape, but, at the same time, possesses considerable strength,
and according to one arrangement is capable of being made practically air-tight.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I will now proceed to
describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1. is a plan or outside view of a folding box in its collapsed form.
Figure 2. is an end edge view thereof.
Figure 3. is a side edge view of part thereof illustrating the method of inserting
the lining at the joint.
Figure 4. is a sectional view showing the box made up into shape for use, but
with the lid partly open in readiness to be closed down and held by the clamping
devices.
Figure 5. is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1. of Figure 4, and,
Figure 6. represents a portion of Figure 5.
Figure 7. is an underside view of one of the clamping devices, and,
Figure 8. is a side view thereof.
In the several figures, in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference, Figures 4. and 5. are drawn to an increased scale with respect to
Figures 1 and 2, Figures 7. and 8. are drawn to an increased scale with respect
to Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, and Figures 3. and 6. are drawn to a still further
increased scale.
a. represents the sides of the box, a' represents the top and bottom thereof
and b. represent the clamping devices.
"
The material comprising the body, that is to say, the sides, ends, top and bottom,
of the box a. a' consists of "built up' veneer composed of two or more thicknesses
of the veneer of any suitable wood arranged with the grain of the outside veneer
running from top to bottom of the box and with the inside veneers running in other
directions and securely united by means of any suitable cement, preferably a
waterproof cement or glue, in the manner now well understood in other manu-
factures and as shown more particularly at Figures 3. and 6. and the effect of
which is to afford very great strength combined with comparative lightness, the
arrangement of the veneers with regard to the grain thereof effectually preventing
the splitting or warping of the wood.
The side walls a. of the box are formed bevelled at their meeting edges so that
they may he folded into the form of a rectangular tube as represented at Figure 5,
but previous to being folded and whilst in their collapsed position as represented
at Figure 1, the meeting edges in that position are securely connected together by
means of clamps or fastenings, for instance, such as those shown at b. provided
with spikes as represented more particularly at Figures 7. and 8, which spikes
are driven into the outside surface of the wood.

page_text: The top and bottom a', which are shouldered or rabbetted or otherwise suitably
formed and rest upon the end of the tubular body, are clamped to the sides in a
similar manner by means of clamps as shown in Figure 1 and the remaining
sides are provided with clamps 6' driven into the top and bottom edges thereof in
order to completely clamp the ends a' in position as hereinafter described, and the
side edge a of one of the extreme side pieces a. is similarly provided with
clamps for a like purpose.
The blank formed in this manner is then folded into the tubular form represented
at Figure 5, the clamping devices b. which are formed of comparatively soft
metal readily bending into the form of angle pieces as represented more particularly
at Figures 5 and 6, after which the clamps 5 are bent round the meeting edges a
and the spikes 6' are forced into the wood, thus completing the tubular body, as
shown at Figure 5.
One of the ends a¹ is next folded downward upon the tubular body a. and
securely clamped in position in the same manner as represented at Figure 4, the
other one of the ends, for example, the top, being left open, as shown in that
figure, until the goods have been placed within the box, after which the lid is
closed and the clamps 62 are folded down thereon in the manner hereinbefore
described, the spikes & may be as far as possible, that is to say, in the case of the
sides and one end, clenched on the inside of the box for the sake of security.
When a box or case has been emptied of its contents and it is desired to collapse
the same for storage or transport, it is merely necessary to remove the clamps
from the top and bottom and the clamps from one of the meeting edges and
flatten out the box into the blank form represented at Figures 1 and 2 when the
collapsed box will occupy very little space and a large number of blanks may thus
be packed in a comparatively small area for the purpose of storage or transport or
the whole of the clamps might be removed or cut through with the same
object.
In some cases, and more especially for tea-chests, it is desirable to line the boxes
with tea-lead or paper or with other material, and for this purpose a sheet of lining
material is laid upon the collapsible box or blank shown in Figure 1, but upon the
inside thereof, the material being creased or folded at the junction of the various
parts so as to enter between the joints as shown in Figure 3, so that when the
sides a. are folded into a rectangular tube, as represented at Figure 5, the folded
portions of the lining material will be securely nipped between the meeting
bevelled edges thereof, as represented more particularly at Figure 6, and thus
form an immoveable lining c. to the box or case, and which at the same time
constitutes a packing between the joints of the box and thus renders the same
practically air-tight at those parts whilst the top and bottoni of the lead or other
lining may be soldered or otherwise cemented to the other part thereof.
It will be obvious, that any suitable lining material c. may be employed
according to the purpose for which the box is intended to be used.;
When the lining c. is not required, the meeting edges of the sides need not
necessarily be bevelled but may be rabbetted, squared or rounded.
By the means herein before described, a box of extreme lightness and unusual
strength is obtained which owing to the substance of the material could not be
satisfactorily fastened together with ordinary nails, and which, at the same time,
is capable of being readily collapsed so as to occupy a small space for storage or
transport.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A collapsible box each side of which is composed of a compound sheet of
wood made up of two or more thicknesses of veneer, cemented together, with the
grain of the wood in different directions, the several parts being united by metal

page_text: spiked clamping devices sp that the entire box may be collapsed into an approxi-
mately flat sheet for transport or storage, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2. A collapsible box composed of a number of sheets of wood, the meeting edges
of some or all of which are bevelled, the several parts being united by metal spiked
clamping devices so that the entire box may be collapsed into an approximately flat
sheet for transport or storage and a lining of lead, paper or other suitable material
folded to enter between the meeting edges of the parts and thus effectually pack
the joints of the box or some of them, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 7th day of February 1896.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.