Improvements in Cases or Boxes for Holding Cigarettes or other Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cases or Boxes for Holding Cigarettes or other
Articles.
I, CHARLES BUTLER of the Firm of Lambert and Butler of 141 and 142
Drury Lane in the County of London, Tobacco Manufacturers, 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:—
This invention has reference to cases or boxes of the kind that are made in
halves which are more or less like each other and are connected together by a
spring hinge, and the improvements relate to the means of holding articles in the
required position in the case or box in such manner that they can be removed
therefrom singly or otherwise as required. The improved cases or boxes are more
particularly intended to hold cigarettes, but they may also be employed to hold
other articles.
According to my invention I fit to each half of the case a spring flap close to
and parallel with the hinge and extending across the case so as to press upon all
the cigarettes or other articles in the corresponding half, the ends of the cigarettes
being placed under the said flaps. And in order that the flaps may not be pressed
too forcibly upon the cigarettes so as to dent or cut them I provide suitable stops
to prevent the flaps being pressed beyond a given limit.
The accompanying drawings represent on a somewhat enlarged scale a cigarette
case made in accordance with my invention.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the case opened out flat.
Figure 2 is a section on the line -x of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 a section on the line y-y of Figure 1, but showing the case closed.
a bare the halves of the case hinged together upon a pin c, the hinge being fitted
with a spring d (in a well-known manner) which tends to open the case wide.
There is a catch e which may be of any suitable form to keep the case closed.
f and g are the two spring flaps, one in each half a, and 6 close to the hinge and
extending across the case. These flaps and g are hinged to the pin c by gudgeons
or loops and ii respectively and they are kept in their normal position by the
ends or parts k k of the spring d, these ends themselves acting as the springs of the
flaps. are stops, two for each flap, to prevent the flaps being pressed beyond a
given limit. These stops are made by simply denting the outside of the case so as
to produce slight protuberances inside. When it is desired to insert cigarettes into
the case it is only necessary to open the case and then to slightly lift and hold up
one of the flaps as indicated by dotted lines f¹ g¹ in Figure 2. The cigarettes may
then be inserted under this flap, which when again freed will be returned to its
normal position by the corresponding spring k. When it is desired to take out a
cigarette it can be easily withdrawn by the finger and thumb, the flap slightly
yielding as this is done.
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 1
claim in respect of cases or boxes of the kind herein referred to is:―
1. A spring flap extending across each half of the case or box close to and
parallel with the hinge so as to press upon all the cigarettes or other articles in the.
corresponding half, the said articles being inserted endwise under the flap,
substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
drawings.

page_text: 2. A spring flap extending across each half of the case or box close to and
parallel with the hinge for the purpose set forth, in combination with stops to
prevent the flap being pressed beyond a given limit, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of December 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.