A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES FOR HOLDING CIGARS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HOLLINGSWORTH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Cigar Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of October, in the ninth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Hollingsworth, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Hollingsworth, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Hollings-
worth, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASES
FOR HOLDING CIGARS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that
I, the said Thomas Hollingworth, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Hollingsworth, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had unto the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of a method or methods of constructing cigar cases,
whereby the cigars contained in the said cases are prevented from shaking or
moving therein, the said shaking or moving of the cigars being prevented by
the introduction of elastic diaphragms or other yielding surfaces near the
bottoms or tops, or near the bottoms and tops of the said cases, the pressure
of the said elastic diaphragms or other yielding surfaces on the ends of the
cigars preventing the motion thereof.
Figure 1 represents, in section, one of my improved cigar cases. a is a
diaphragm of india-rubber or other suitable elastic substance, fixed near the
bottom of the inner case marked ; c, c, c; c; c, c, are cigars placed in the said
case, the ends of the said cigars rest on the elastic diaphragm a. When the outer
case marked d is placed upon the inner case b, as represented in the Drawing,
the top of the said outer case d presses the lower ends of the cigars on the elastic
diaphragın, and the pressure thus exerted at the two ends of the cigar holds
it firmly. It is evident that the clastic diaphragm. must be placed at such a
distance from the bottom of the inner case b, that when the outer case dis
put on the said inner case b, the distance between the said diaphragm and the
top of the outer case d must be less than the length of the cigars to be kept
in the case, and it is also evident that the distance between the diaphragm a
and the bottom of the inner case b must be such that when the outer case d
is placed on the inner case b, the diaphragm a will not be depressed so far as
to come into contact with the bottom of the inner case b, otherwise there is
danger of breaking the ends of the cigars. The manner of constructing the
diaphragm a is represented in section in Figure 1, and in plan in Figure 2.
The diaphragm of india-rubber or elastic material is stretched over an ellipti-
cal ring (shewn in Figure 2 in dotted lines), and another elliptical ring e is
placed thereon and rivetted thereto. The elastic material is thus stretched by
the two rings, and the said rings and diaphragm are introduced into the
lower part of the inner case b, and fastened there in any convenient manner:
Instead of placing the elastic diaphragm in the lower part of the inner case b,
it is evident that it may be placed with equal effect in the upper part of the
outer case d, and it is also evident that by placing an elastic diaphragm both
in the upper part of the outer case d and also in the lower part of the inner

page_text: case b, the lengths of the cigars which will be held. tightly in the said case
may be more dissimilar than the lengths of those which would be held
securely in a case having only one elastic diaphragm, as shewn in the Draw-
ing. Although I have described the method of carrying my Invention into
effect which I prefer, I do not limit myself to that method, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; for example,
any elastic or yielding padding or stuffing, either at top or bottom of the
cigar case, would have the effect of holding securely the cigars placed in the
said case, or a moveable diaphragm of an inelastic material may be supported
near the bottom or top of the case on a spring, the elasticity of which would
cause the said diaphragm to yield and adjust itself to the lengths of the
cigars placed therein, and by pressure on the ends of the said cigars would
hold them firmly.
There are various other methods of carrying my Invention into effect, but
as I have described that method which I prefer, I do not think it necessary to
describe or enumerate the various methods by which my Invention may be
carried into effect.
I claim as my Invention the construction of cigar cases, in which the cigars
placed therein are held firmly or prevented from moving by pressure exerted
against one or both ends of the said cigars, whether the said pressure be pro-
duced by the methods herein-before described or by any other method, and
whatever be the construction of the said cigar cases in other respects.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hollingsworth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand night hundred and