Improvements in the Manufacture of Sardine and like Boxas, for the Purpose of Facilitating the Opening of the same.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sardine and like Boxas, for the
Purpose of Facilitating the Opening of the same.
I, EMILE RENE PELTIER, of 15 Rue Molitor, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of sardine and like
boxes, the object being to allow of their being easily and cleanly opened without
having to tear away any band or solder.
According to my invention I first cut the body of the box from a single piece
leaving a small tongue upon the side and at the upper part; I then pass it beneath
two wheels which thin the metal at two places throughout the length of the body
of the box extending from the said tongue; these wheels at the same time limit the
width of the band to be torn out in order to open the box. I then doubly fold the
upper edge of the body of the box, the folds being in reverse directions and effected
by means of a suitable machine such as that hereinafter described.
With my method of manufacture no solder is employed either inside or between
the folds and the band to be stripped or torn out is not touched by the solder at
any point whereby the tearing or stripping is facilitated.
A suitable machine for effecting the folding or doubling hereinbefore referred to
comprises a frame having a fixed part between which and a grooved counter plate
fixed to a movable part of the frame the body of the box is placed; the said
movable part of the frame is kept raised by means of a spiral spring which acts
upon a cranked arm actuating an eccentric upon which is jointed a threaded rod
supporting the movable part of the frame.
The height of the outer fold is limited by guides which are adjusted by means of
screws; a treadle fixed to the lower end of a rod is then depressed whereby the
movable part of the frame is lowered as well as the counter plate and the body of
the box is thereby held in place; a plate is then lifted by means of two arms into
a horizontal position and in conjunction with the counter plate effects the double
folding of the body of the box, by pressure at a single stroke.
To open the box the part of the outer fold which forms the strip or band is torn
or stripped out such tearing being commenced by grasping and pulling the small
projecting tongue. The tearing being effected beneath the edge of the cover and
consequently below the level of the top of the box and requiring moreover only
very slight force to be exerted to tear the strip which is not soldered at any point,
there is no fear of a person cutting himself or herself or of spilling the oil or other
liquid contained in the said box.
a
There remains after the band or strip has been torn about two or three millimetres
of the outer fold which adheres to the cover by means of the fold made at the upper
part of the said outer fold which allows, when once the strip has been completely
removed, of covering the box when required while the contents are being consumed;
in order that the cover shall shut down more easily and bermetically I round the
upper part of the body of the box and of the inner fold.
The bottom of the box is applied in the usual manner.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: ;
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sardine and like Boxes, for the
Purpose of Facilitating the Opening of the same.
I, EMILE RENÉ PELTIER, of 15, Rue Molitor, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Manufacturer, 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 invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of sardine and like
boxes, the object being to allow of their being easily and cleanly opened without
having to tear away any previously applied band or any solder.
According to my invention I first cut the body of the box from a single piece
leaving a small tongue upon the side and at the upper part. I then pass it beneath
two wheels which thin the metal at two places throughout the length of the body
of the box extending from the said tongue; these wheels at the same time limit the
width of the band to be torn out in order to open the box. I then doubly fold the
upper edge of the body of the box, the folds being in reverse directions and effected
by means of a suitable machine such as that illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
With my method of manufacture no solder is employed either inside or between
the folds and the band to be stripped or torn out from the substance of the body of
the box is not touched by the solder at any point whereby the tearing or stripping
is facilitated.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will now describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a view of the blank cut out to form the body of the box :
Figure 2 represents in section the body of the box after having been folded and
refolded:
Figure 3 represents by way of example one of the methods of fixing the cover
upon boxes of my manufacture in order to facilitate the opening of the same :
Figure 4 is an elevation of the machine which effects the folding :
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same; and,
Figure 6 is a section on the line 1-2, Figure 4.
a, Figure 1, is a portion of the blank for forming the body or sides of the box,
which blank is submitted to the action of two wheels which serve to thin the metal
on two parallel lines to weaken the same to enable the strip of metal between the said
lines to be readily torn out. The blank having been thinned as described is doubly
folded as shewa at b and c, Figure 2, below the thinned portion.
The thinuing is effected at the top of the body-blank about one or two millimetres
from the part where the folding is to take place and this position of the thinning is
very important from the point of view of the manufacture of these easily opened
boxes and allows of producing an advantageous and practical result which could not
be obtained if the folding were effected upon one of the thin lines as in the latter
case rents or apertures, which would destroy the hermetic closing of the box and
- occasion great loss in manufacture, might be produced.
To effect the folding or doubling herein before referred to it is only necessary to
place the body of the box a between the fixed part A of the frame of the machine
and the grooved counter plate d fixed to the movable part B of the frame which is
kept raised by means of a spiral spring r which acts upon the cranked arm s actuating
the eccentrict upon which is jointed at a the threaded rod u' supporting the movable
part B of the frame.
The height of the outer fold is limited by guides which are adjusted by meaus
of screws ; a treadle fixed to the lower end of the rod is then depressed whereby
the movable part B of the frame is lowered as well as the counter plate d and the

page_text: body of the box is thereby held in place; the plate e is then lifted by means of the
two arms into a horizontal position and in conjunction with the counter plate d
effects the double folding of the body of the box, by pressure at a single stroke.
g is the part of the outer fold c which forms the strip or band to be torn or
stripped out and which has been previously limited and thinned by wheels, or
otherwise, along the dotted lines 3 and 4 extending from the small tongue f, by
grasping and pulling which the tearing is commenced. This tearing being effected
beneath the edge of the cover and consequently below the level of the top of the
box and requiring moreover only a very slight force to be exerted to tear the strip
which is not soldered at any point, there is no fear of a person cutting himself or
herself or of spilling the oil or other liquid contained in the said box.
As shewn in Figure 3 of the drawings, there remains at the point c¹, after the
band or strip f' has been torn, about two or three millimetres of the outer fold c
which adheres to the inward crimp c¹ on the cover m by means of the outward
crimp or fold c¹ made at the upper part of the said outer fold c and which allows,
when once the strip has been completely removed, of covering the box when
required while the contents are being consumed.
The downward or first bend of the body presents a rounded or smooth edge when
the box shall have been opened by the tearing away of the thinned strip from the
body of the box.
To facilitate the application of the cover (after having removed it) if it is desired
to again close the box to prevent the contents from deteriorating after the removal
of the strip, or even to make use of it for other purposes when it is empty, the upper
part of the body of the box a and of the fold bis slightly bulged outwards so that
when it is desired to replace the cover it is necessary to somewhat force it down
which causes it to be held down in place even when turning the box upside down
and consequently closes it hermetically.
The bottom of the box is applied in the usual manner.
In the said Figure 3 the folds are shewn projecting for the sake of clearness but
in practice they are embedded in the body of the box which to this end is slightly
bent inwards.
It will now be seen that in making the box I make no cut or actual incision
around its body tending to weaken it; that the upper portion of such body beneath
the strip and from which it is to be torn away is actually stronger than other parts;
consisting in fact of two thicknesses of the metal, and which remain even after the
outer fold has been severed at the upper line of the strip, leaving the upper part of
such fold held tightly by the now removable cover, and serving as a cylindrical -
rim for the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manuer the same is to he performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of sardine and like metal boxes forming the body of the
box from a blank having a small tongue projecting therefrom, thinning the metal
blank along two parallel lines extending from the said tongue and then doubly
folding the blank below the thinned portion, substantially as, and for the purpose,
hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. A sardine or like metal box, the body of which has its upper part doubly
folded or retroverted, its outer bed having a projecting tongue integral therewith
and adapted to form the flange of the cover, and having also two parallel lines
thinned or reduced in such outer fold and extended from such tongue and whereby
upon opening the can the said flange is reduced in its width, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A metal box having its upper portion doubled downward and then doubled
upward to project its outer fold beyond the first band or double, the upper edge of
such outer fold having an outward crimp or curve engaging with an inward curve
or crimp on a disc or cover plate, the body of the box being provided with a tongue

page_text: for tearing away a strip from the outer fold and leaving the metal which was above
the said strip as a rim crimped on the cover, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. A metal box having the double fold on its top closed together without
soldering, and having the described thinned lines and the projecting tongue in the
outer fold, such outer fold projecting above these thinned lines and outwardly
bulged or crimped and serving to engage with a cap piece or cover also outwardly
bulged or crimped, the downward or first bend of the body presenting a rounded or
smooth edge when the box shall have been opened by the tearing away of the
thinned strip from the body of the box.
5. A sardine or like box having the tongue, the thinned parallel lines and the
double folding beneath the same as shewn and described, and having a cover
clinging by means of a fold to the upper part of the outer fold of the box, and
whereby when the thinned part is torn away a portion of the body of the box
remains connected to and forms a rim for the cover.
6. The machine for doubly folding the bodies of sardine and like metal boxes at
a single stroke, such machine comprising a plate e and grooved counter plate d,
arms for bringing the edge of the plate e into engagement with the groove in the
plate d and an arrangement of spring and eccentric for keeping the plate d raised
and treadle for lowering the said plate, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of April 1895
G. E. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.