Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th Aug., 1887.
I, ANTHONY BURGON of the Atlas Box Works, No. 75, Sackville Street, Manchester.
Box Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say:-
It relates to boxes which are formed of thin flexible lamina such as card board, chip,
or other suitable material which I shall hereafter call sheet. Firstly, in relation to the
joints of the box itself, both as to the flat or surface joints, and the angle or
corner joints; and, secondly, in relation to the machinery and apparatus employed
in forming the same.
In carrying out my invention and taking a hat box as illustrative of its application,
I take a broad strip of sheet, of suitable dimensions, to form a part or the whole of the
circumference of the box; I then bring the ends of the strip or strips and place them
butt to butt so as to make a flush joint: 1 next take a piece of tin or other suitable
material to form what I shall hereafter call the clasp : The breadth sufficient to cover
the ends of the sheet and maintain a good hold, and a length about equal (a little
more or less) to the width of the sheet, one or both ends may be made to project
beyond the sheet so as to allow of bending over the edge of the said sheet and entirely
cover the end of the joint. This clasp is so shaped as to have a series of tongues or
thongs along its edges which are bent at a right angle, or thereabouts, with the
surface of the clasp and of sufficient length to penetrate the sheet to be joined and
project beyond so as to allow of their being bent down on to the surface of the sheet
and so clasp the sheet ends and hold them firmly butts together as aforesaid. The
angle or corner joints I form by flanging or bending the edge of one of the sheets so
as to present a sufficiently wide parallel surface for glueing, and forming a strong
joint. In the case of using sheet so thick that it will not readily bend, I prefer to
nick or score it, in the usual way, preparatory to bending, and, in some cases, to split
off from the edge to the depth nicked, the extra thickness, so as to render the part
flanged neat and more easily worked, as well as to allow of the nicked edge of the
sheet, which is exposed after flanging, to be utilised as a glueing surface by

page_text: the flange being bent back until the surface of the flange becomes flush with the edge,
and finally shew a perfectly close joint without gap of any kind. Thus is formed the
joints of the body of the box. The lid is similarly treated.
The apparatus or machinery to be employed in the performance or manufacture of
the boxes as above described will be as follows:-
On a suitable table I have a fixed centre on which a mould or recepticle, the inside
of which is of the size and shape of the box to be made. In this mould I place,
circumferentially, the sheet or sheets which are intended to form the band or body of
the box, such sheet or sheets first having been glued on the inside near the bottom
edge suitably for receiving the flanged bottom. The mould has a slit down one side
so as to leave a portion of the ends of the sheet exposed and free to be manipulated in
making the joint. The mould itself is slightly flexible so as to spring and open
the slit more or less for a purpose to be hereafter described. The sheet is hold in the
mould temporarily by clips which keep the sheet in the proper position until the
bottom is inserted, the joint of the sheet as well as the joint of the mould being
slightly open. Thus, the mould is swung round to a suitable position for receiving
the bottom, and directly under, what I shall call, the flanging die.
The upper
portion of this die is of the form and size of the sheet which is intended to form the
bottom of the box. This sheet in its flat condition rests on a round nosed ledge
formed round the lower part of the die and of a width about equal to that of the flange
to be formed. Above the die is a ram or plunger of the size and shape externally,
equal to the size and shape of the box internally. The plunger is then caused to
descend and force the sheet, resting in the flanging die, through, and so form the
flange. The plunger continuing its motion carries the flanged sheet to the bottom of
the mould and presses it tightly to the table. During the descent of the plunger the
mould is caused to gradually contract so that the closing of the side joint is nearly
simultaneous with the pressing of the bottom upon the table. The glued strip on the
body sheet is thus squeezed tightly on to the flanged bottom and held so while the
clasp is secured and the side joint completed, in the following manner. An auxilliary
apparatus, which I shall call the jointing appliance, is situated in close proximity to
the side or body joint and has a vertical shaft neur its centre on which cams or
eccentrics are fixed to procure the several motions. Firstly, a motion actuating the
squeezing levers for tightening the mould as before described; and, secondly, motions
for actuating the jointing or clasping parts, thus -The ends of the body sheet being
brought close up butt to butt as before described, two perforating blades, set parallel
and at a distance apart equal to the width of the clasp, which is held between them,
advance and perforate the body sheet suitably for receiving the tongues of the clasp.
The perforation complete, the blades immediately retire, and, at the same time, a
presser, working between the perforators, advances and pushes the tongues of the
clasp through the perforations until the clasp is right home. Then the tongues are
bent over and clenched tightly between the plunger on the inside of the box and the
presser without. The plunger, like the mould, is not made perfectly rigid, but slightly
Hexible circumferentially with a slit opposite the joint. The edges of this slit are
wide enough apart to clear the perforators, but, so soon as the tongues of the clasp
are pushed through the body sheet by the presser, the plunger is caused to contract
and the slit to close, and in closing to clench the tongues of the clasp. Thus it will
be seen that the plunger at the same time that it clenches the clasp loosens itself within
the box and is quite free to ascend without taking the box with it. The jointing
complete, the squeezing levers ease off and with them the mould, which is then swung
round carrying the box with it sliding on the table, until, coming over a cavity in the
table, the box fulls clear of this portion of the apparatus which is then ready for a
repetition of the above process. A similar apparatus is employed for forming
tho lid.
Another portion of this apparatus is devoted to glueing. The first part to glueing
the flanging joint, and the second part to glueing the covering paper, or cloth, as the
case may be; and also to putting the covering on the box and lid. In a certain portion
of the table I place a roller, the axis being below the surface and the circumference

page_text: just above. Below the roller I place a tank or other vessel containing glue or other
suitable mucilage, kept warm by steam or gas flame, and into which the roller dips
and in revolving carries up a portion of the glue. The quantity of glue carried up
may be regulated by an adjustable scraper or other roller, or the glueing roller may
be quite free of the bath of mucilage and have the said mucilage communicated to it
by a secondary roller dipping in the bath. The surface of the table is fitted with an
adjustable guard or fence, similar to that on a circular saw bench, arranged so as to
regulate the position of the sheet and the width and position of the line of glue on the
surface of the sheet. There will also be one or more pairs of feedingr ollers, arranged
to carry the sheet along over the glucing roller. It will further be seen that a clearing
groove or slit will have to be formed in that portion of the table immediately under
the glued surface, to prevent it being rubbed off. This glueing arrangement may be
modified so as to manipulate a sheet in any position.
The other portion of the glueing apparatus is devoted to the covering of the boxes
and is somewhat similar to that already described; but in this the glueing rollers
are wide enough to take the whole width of the covering sheet, and the sheet is caused
to run over several rollers to ensure being properly covered with mucilage. There
will also be an arrangement of nippers and strings or tapes somewhat similar to that
employed in a printing machine, first for drawing the sheet on to the glueing rollers,
and, secondly, for pulling it off the rollers and passing it on to the box to be covered.
The box to be covered is placed on a revolving mandril in front of the glueing
rollers and, receiving the end of the covering from the relieving nippers or tapes,
winds the coverings on. At the same time a revolving roller brush lightly presses the
covering on the box and other revolving brushes turn over the edges of the covering,
on the one hand over the bottom corner, and on the other hand over the top edge so as
to lap partly inside the box.
The above description has been confined to the application of my invention to the
manufacture of that particular kind of box suitable for holding hats, bonnets, and
such like articles, and to the machinery necessary for that particular class of work;
but it is equally applicable to many other forms.
Dated this 91st do of A100

page_text: J, ANTHONY BURGON of the Atlas Box Works, No. 75, Sackville Street, Manchester,
Box 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 :-
-
It relates to boxes which are formed of thin flexible lamina such as card-board, chip 5
or other suitable material which I shall hereafter call sheet. Firstly, in relation to
the joints of the box itself, both as to the flat or surface joints, and the angle or
corner joints; and, secondly, in relation to the Machinery and apparatus employed in
forming the same.
In carrying out my invention, and taking a hat box as illustrative of its application,
I take a broad strip of sheet of suitable dimensions, to form a part or the whole of
the circumference of the box; I then bring the ends of the strip or strips and place
them butt to butt so as to make a flush joint. I noxt take a piece of tin or other
suitable material to form what I shall hereafter call the clasp. The breadth sufficient
to cover the ends of the sheet and maintain a good hold, and a length about equal
(a little more or less) to the width of the sheet, one or both ends may be made to
project beyond the sheet so as to allow of bending over the edge of the said sheet and
entirely cover the end of the joint. This clasp is so shaped as to have a series of
tongues or thongs along its edges which are bent at a right angle, or thereabouts, with
the surface of the clasp and of sufficient length to penetrate the sheet to be joined and
project beyond, so as to allow of their being bent down on to the surface of the sheet
and so clasp the sheet ends and hold them firmly butted together as aforesaid. The
angle or corner joints I form by flanging or bending the edge of one of the sheets so
as to present a sufficiently wide parallel surface for glueing, and forming a strong
joint. In the case of using sheet so thick that it will not readily bend, I prefer to
nick or score it, in the usual way, preparatory to bending, and, in some cases, to split
off from the edge to the depth nicked the extra thickness, so as to render the part
flanged neat and more easily worked, as well as to allow of the nicked edge of the
sheet, which is exposod after flanging, to be utilised as a glueing surface by the flange
being bent back until the surface of the flange becomes flush with the edge, and finally
shew a perfectly close joint without gap of any kind. Thus is formed the joints of
the body of the box. The lid is similarly treated.
The apparatus or Machinery to be employed in the performance or manufacture of
the boxes, as above described, will be as follows, and as shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
On a suitable Table T. Sheet 1 figs. 1 & 2, I have a fixed centre C. on which a
mould or moulds M. revolve, the inside of the said mould or moulds being of a size
and shape similar to the box required. In this mould I place, circumferentially, the
sheet or sheets which are intended to form the band or body of the box, such sheet or
sheets first having been glued on the inside near the bottom edge suitably for receiving

page_text: the flanged bottom. The moulds are open, or in other words, have a slit down one
side so as to leave a portion of the ends of the sheet exposed and free to be manipulated
in making the joint. The moulds when free are rather larger than the required box
and are slightly flexible to allow of the easy introduction of the sheets to form the
bottoms and the closing of the bands or bodies respectively. The bands or bodies
are held in the moulds temporarily by clips or needle points projecting on the inside
of the moulds and which keep the band sheets or bodies in the proper position until
the bottom sheets are inserted, the joints of the bands being slightly open.
Thus prepared, the mould is swung round to a suitable position for receiving the
bottom sheet and directly under, what I shall call, the flanging die D. The upper
portion of this die is of the form and size of the sheet which is intended to form the
box bottom. This sheet in its flat condition rests upon a round nosed ledge formed
round the lower part of the die of a width about equal to that of the flange to be
formed. Above this die is a ram or plunger P. of siinilar size and shape to that of the
inside of the required box. By the descent of this plunger and its forcing the bottom
sheet through the die the flange is formed on the said bottom sheet and the whole
continues descending inside the mould until it reaches the table. During this descent
the mould is caused to gradually contract so that the closing of the band or body
joint is nearly simultaneous, but a little later, than the pressing of the bottom and
plunger upon the table. The strip of glued surface round the inside bottom edge of
the body sheet is thus squeezed tightly on to the flange and held so while the clasp is
secured and the side or body joint completed, as will be now described. An auxiliary
apparatus J., which I shall call the jointing appliance, is worked by a vertical shaft V.
on this shaft are suitable cams for obtaining the several motions.
Firstly cams for actuating the squeezing levers S. for tightening the mould and
closing the body joint as above described; and, Secondly, cams for actuating the
jointing or clasping parts p. f. and p. r. the perforator and presser respectively, and
which work as follows, thus: The ends of the body sheet being brought close up butt
to butt, as before described, by the action of the said squeezing levers upon projecting
parts on the outside of the mould, two perforating blades with suitable projections,
set parallel, and at a distance apart equal to the width of the clasp, which is held
between them, advance and perforate the body sheet suitably for receiving the tongues
or thongs of the clasp. The perforation complete, the blades immediately retire, and,
at the same time, the presser, working between the perforators, advances and pushes
the tongues of the clasp through the perforations until the clasp is pressed right home.
This done, the tongues or thongs are bent over and clenched tightly between the
plunger on the inside of the box and the presser without the box. This clenching is
done by a peculiar feature in the plunger, which, like the mould, is made flexible (see
the large scale drawing Sheet 2, Figs. 3, 4, & 5.). The working and central part of
the plunger is permanent and consists mainly of two parts E & F capable of being
secured together in various degrees of expansion and contraction so as to be suitable
for many different sizes of boxes, while the only special part for any particular size of
box is the plain sheet iron band B forming the circumference and body of the plunger.
In the front portion of the permanent part is the clasping apparatus consisting of the
two clasping jaws K, K. to which the ends of the sheet iron body are secured, and
which, together, form the slit opposite the joint, before described in my Provisional
Specification. This slit is zig-zag forming a he and she joint between the two jaws
with open cavities to clear the perforator points and the thongs or tongues of the
clasp but, so soon as the tongues of the clasp are pushed fully through the body
sheet by the presser the jaws are caused to contract, and in so doing to bend over and
clench the tongues of the clasp ; at the same time, the body of the plunger contracts
and becomes easy within the box. The timing of the several actions is such that,
though the presser p. r. pushes the clasp through the body sheet of the box great
pressure is not brought on until the clenching jaws have contracted, but immediately
this has taken place a final nip is brought on by the presser cam so as to tighten the
clasp by pressing the tongues well down, and leave a smooth and clean joint. At the
completion of this final nip every motion is retiring from the box which is then

page_text: completely formed. It will be seen that the clenching jaws do double service, for, at
the same time that they clench the thongs or tongues of the clasp they also contract
the body of the plunger and leave it free and easy of ascent. The motion of these
jaws may be brought about by their being supported on the two horizontal pins a. a.
on which they may slide freely in a horizontal direction, while behind the jaws is a
plate, L, free to slide up and down. On this plate are suitable projections b. 1. and b. 2.
the former coming between the jaws and the latter outside the jaws, these projections
have incline planes and work against other incline planes on the jaws themselves in
such a way that when the plate rises the incline planes cause the jaws to close, and
when the plate descends to cause the jaws to open or vicê versa; pins and bowls may
be substituted for the projections on the sliding plate if found to work better. The
actuating of the plate is brought about by an ordinary lever arrangement, as shown on
the drawing. The box complete, the plunger is caused to ascend and the squeezing
and clasping parts to retire free of the mould, which is then swung round dragging
the box with it along the table until over a bay or hole through which the box drops
clear of this portion of the apparatus which is then ready for a repetition of the process.
The machine as shown in the drawings is arranged for a double process so that while
one box is being made, another is being put into a second mould. The apparatus may
be arranged for any number of moulds the same plunger and die serving for all.
A similar apparatus, modified to suit the narrower band, is arranged for making the
lid of the box, or for shallow boxes.
Another portion of this apparatus is devoted to glueing. The first part to glueing
the inside bottom edge of the body sheet for reception of the flange of the bottom
sheet, and the second part to glueing the covering paper or cloth, as the caso may
be, and also to putting it (the covering) on the box and lid. In a certain portion of
the table, or on a separate table, I arrange the first mentioned glueing apparatus by
placing a roller so that its circumference comes just above the surface level, the axis
and main body being all below; and below this roller I place a tank or vessel
containing glue or other suitable mucilage, kept warm by steam or gas flame, and into
which the roller dips and in revolving carries up a portion of the glue which sticks to
the sheet carried on the roller itself either by its own weight or by the pressure
brought on by a nipping roller above. The quantity of glue carried up may be
regulated by an adjustable scraper or other rollers, or, the glueing roller may be quite
free from the bath of mucilage and have the said mucilage communicated to it by a
secondary roller dipping in the bath. The surface of the table is fitted with an
adjustable fence, arranged so as to guide and regulate the position of the sheet and
the width and position of the line of glue on the under surface of the sheet, a groove
or slit being formed in the surface of the table immediately under the glued portion
in order that the glue may not be wiped off as it goes along. This apparatus may be
modified so as to manipulato a sheet in any position.
The other portion of the glueing apparatus is devoted to the glueing and covoring
of the boxes after being formed as before described. This apparatus may be similarly
described and constructed as in the case of the other glueing apparatus just cited, in
so far as the position of the rollers with the bath is concerned; but in this case the
glueing rollers are a little wider than the covering sheet to be glued, and thero are
several rollers for the sheet to run on one after another, so as to ensure a perfect
covering of the sheet with the mucilage, there is also an arrangement of nippers and
strings or tapes somewhat similar to that employed in a printing Machine, the first
for drawing the sheet on to the glucing rollers and taking it off again, and the second
for passing it on from roller to roller towards the box to be covered. The box is
placed on a revolving mandril in front of the last glueing roller and receives the ond
of the glued sheet from the relieving nippers, then the mandril is caused to revolve
so as to wind the covering sheet on. At the same time that the mandril is caused to
revolve a roller brush is made to lightly press and smooth the covering on the box so
as to lay it down securely, and yet other two brushes are caused to revolve, one on
either edge of the covering sheet, so as to turn the edge inside the box on the one
hand, and lay it over the bottom corner on the other hand. The mandril is fixed on a

page_text: pivoted frame so that when the mandril, which of course is the same shape and size as
the inside of the box circumferentially, but longer cylindrically, is pressed upon a
wheel or roller fixed on the same shaft with the last glueing roller, it (the mandril)
also revolves keeping that side of the mandril which is receiving the sheet at a
constant distance from the glueing roller, the axis of the mandril being fixed on the
pivoted frame it is free to oscillate and accommodate itself to any form of box. The
brushes are caused to revolve by any suitable bevil or cord gear at a comparatively
high speed.
The above description has been confined to the application of my invention to the
manufacture of that particular kind of box suitable for holding hats, bonnets, and
such like articles, and to the machinery necessary for that particular class of work ;
but it is equally applicable to many other forms."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1st. The metal thonged or tongued clasp covering a butt to butt joint in the body
of the box.
2nd. The flanged bottom jointing in conjunction with the simultaneous closing and
jointing of the body joint.
3rd. The simple flexible mould body of sheet metal with the projections for and in
conjunction with the squeezing lovers.
4th. The flexible plunger with the simple removable sheet shell or body in con-
junction with the permanent clenching jaws serving the double purpose of clenching
the clasp at the same time that it contracts the plunger so that it is free to ascend or
retire from the box without trouble.
5th. The before mentioned clenching apparatus in the plunger in conjunction with
the jointing apparatus outside the box.
6th. The jointing apparatus with the double perforating blades and presser between
serving the combined purposes of holding the clasp, perforating the body joint,
pressing the clasp in its place, holding it while the thongs are clenched, and giving
the final nip for finishing the joint.
7th. The combination of plunger, flanging die and gradually closing mould.
8th. The edge glueing apparatus in conjunction with the foregoing.
9th. The covering apparatus with the oscillating frame in conjunction with the
laying down brushes and the edge laying over brushes.
All substantially as hereinbefore described.