IMPROVEMENTS IN METAL CANS, CASES, AND BOXES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Widgery, of Plumstead, in the County of
Kent, Tin Plate Worker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METAL CANS, CASES, AND BOXES."
Sealed the 7th May 1872, and dated the 21st November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Widgery at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st November 1871.
I, JOHN WIDGERY, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent, Tin Plate
Worker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN METAL CANS, CASES, AND BOXES," to be as follows:-
The object of the said Invention is the production of a metal can,
case, or box which when hermetically sealed or closed may be opened
without the use of a knife or other instrument.
1
1
11
C. 11

page_text: aperture for the reception of the substances to be preserved or packed
therein. When the can or case has been filled a cover is placed over the
said aperture, and is made perfectly tight by soldering it all around or
on all sides of the cover and aperture; but upon one side the cover is
formed with a projection or lap outside of the soldered joint, this pro-
jection or lap being left unsoldered, that is to say, the cover rests upon
the surface of the metal surrounding the aperture, and is soldered tightly
to the same all around the said aperture, but at one side the cover is
elongated or extended so that a portion thereof projects beyond the
soldered portion, forming a loose or unsoldered lap. This unsoldered
portion is provided with a ring or loop whereby it can be pulled open,
and when the edge or side of the cover has been opened the remainder
of the soldered portions separate with very little force applied to the
ring, and the cover may be thereby completely removed from the case
or box.
In applying my Invention to square or rectangular cases or boxes,
such as sardine boxes, I attach a wire ring or loop to one corner of the
cover by turning the corner over the ring and soldering it. I then take
a small extra piece of tin and solder the same upon this portion of the
cover, that is to say, under the part to which the ring is attached, in
such a manner that the ring and the part to which it is attached project
beyond the soldered joint, leaving an unsoldered lap as above described,
with the ring at the outer edge of the same.
When the box or case has
been filled, the cover thus formed of two pieces is soldered over the
aperture, closing and making the same tight all round in the usual
manner. When it is desired to open the said box or case a slight force
applied to the ring will pull the edge of the main portion of the cover
away from the aforesaid extra piece, which being soldered on the box
remains on the same. The cover having one side or edge thus released,
may then without difficulty be pulled completely off of the box, the
soldered portions readily separating as above described.
I may apply my Invention in the same manner to the ends of round
or cylindrical cans or cases, but in some instances I modify my Inven-
tion for these vessels as follows:-I apply to the end of the can either a
plain disc or a cover with a rim, such as is commonly used for similar
vessels. Then instead of the extra piece above described I fit a narrow
metal strip or band around the periphery of the top of the vessel and the
edge or rim of the cover, and solder the same all round, thereby securing

page_text: the cover upon the vessel. The object of my Invention in this case is
accomplished by leaving one end of the metal band projecting over the
other end, this projecting portion or lap being unsoldered and provided
with a loop or ring of cord or other suitable flexible material, whereby
the end of the band may be pulled up when it is desired to open the
When this end is thus pulled away from the can or case
the metal band may be pulled completely off, and the cover will
be detached.
can or case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Widgery in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WIDGERY, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent, Tin Plate Worker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Widgery, Her special licence
that I, the said John Widgery, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Widgery, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METAL CANS, CASES, AND BOXES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Widgery, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Widgery, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
forming a part of this Specification :―
The object of the said Invention is the production of a metal can,
case, or box, which when hermetically sealed or closed may be opened
without being cut by a knife or other instrument.
This object is accomplished in the following manner :-) The can, case,
or box is made of tin or other suitablo metal, and the parts are soldered
together according to the usual practice in tin plate and similar work.
When the can or case has been filled with the meat, fish, fruit, or other
substance to be preserved, the cover is placed upon it, and is made
perfectly tight by soldering it all round the top of the case. But
although I form with the solder a perfectly tight joint all round the
cover, as in ordinary hermetically sealed tin cases or cans, I leave beyond
the soldered joint on one or more parts of the cover a projecting piece
or lap, which is unsoldered. The effect of this contrivance is that the
unsoldered portion or lap when pulled up or away from the box opens
the adjacent part of the soldered joint, and by a slight exertion of force
the opening may be increased till the cover is entirely detached. This
unsoldered portion may be provided with a ring or loop whereby it can
be pulled open, or in some instances I insert any suitably formed instru-
ment under the loose piece or lap, thereby forcing the same up so that
it may be grasped by the fingers, and by pulling it up the cover may
be entirely removed. When the joint has once been "started," the
remainder of the soldered portions separate with very little force.
My Invention may be carried into practice with numerous modi-
fications in the shape and arrangement of the cover.
And I will now
proceed by the aid of the Drawing to more fully describe some of the
most useful of its applications.
Figures 1 and 2 show a sardine box or case. This box is made of tin
or other suitable metal, and the various parts are united by soldering
them together in the manner in which such work is usually accom-
plished.
The top of the box a has an inside rim or flange a¹, upon which the
cover rests; the soldered joint is indicated by the dotted lines a*, and it

page_text: will be seen that the cover at the part 6' projects beyond the soldered
joint, this projecting portion forming the unsoldered lap, which never-
theless lies flat, and therefore offers no obstruction to the packing of the
boxes. In making these boxes the corner a³ may be formed in one piece
with the rim a¹, or it may be first soldered on the cover to form a portion
thereof, and then soldered with the cover on the said rim. When this
piece a³ is thus first attached to the cover, the bottom of the box is first
soldered on the same, leaving the aperture at the top open for the intro-
duction of the sardines. When the box or case has been filled, the
cover 6 is placed over the said aperture, and is made perfectly tight by
soldering it all round upon the rim or flange a¹, the piece a² being also
soldered and made tight thereon, as indicated by the continuation of the
lines a from 1 to 2. It must be understood that in soldering this
piece a² on the cover b, the latter has the aforesaid unsoldered portion 6¹
left as a lap outside the soldered joint 1, 2, which unites the parts b
and a. This unsoldered portion or lap of the part 6 is provided with a
ring or loop c, and by pulling this ring the soldered joint 1, 2, can be
broken and the cover 6 detached from the piece a', which remains on the
box. When the edge or side of the cover has been thus opened, the
remainder of the soldered portions a* separate with very little force
applied to the ring, and the cover may be pulled back, as shown in
Figure 2, and completely removed from the case or box.
If the piece a³ is made in one piece with the other part of the rim a¹,
the cover will be soldered on the box before the bottom of the box is put
on, in order to allow the joint at 1, 2, to be properly made. Then the
box is filled, and the bottom soldered thereon in the usual manner.
When the box is to be opened, the lap 61, with the adjacent soldered
joint 1, 2, is first pulled back, and the cover is then removed as above
described.
I attach the wire ring c or loop to one corner of the cover 6 by
turning the corner over the ring, and securing the turned down portion
by solder. And when the small separate piece is used, I solder it upon
this portion of the cover in such a manner that the ring and the part to
which it is attached project beyond the soldered joint, leaving the
unsoldered lap 6 as above described with the ring at the outer edge of
the same.
Figure 3 shows a sardine box or case whose cover 6 is soldered in a
nearly similar manner to that shown in Figure 1 by the dotted line *

page_text: I sometimes modify my Invention, particularly for circular vessels, as
shown in Figures 13 and 14, that is to say, I apply to the end of the
can e either a plain disc or a cover b, with a rim 6' such as is commonly
used for similar vessels. Then I fit a narrow metal strip or band f
around the periphery of the top of the vessel and the edge or rim of the
cover, and solder the same all round the top 3 of the box and the rim b',
thereby securing the cover 6 upon the vessel e, as shown in Figure 13.
The object of my Invention in this modification is accomplished by
leaving one end of the metal band f projecting at f¹ over the other end,
this projecting portion or lap being unsoldered as above described, and
provided with a loop or ring c of cord or other suitable flexible material,
by pulling which the soldered joint may be broken and the end ƒ¹ of the
band pulled away from the other part. When this end is thus pulled
away from the can or case the metal band ƒ may be pulled completely
off, and the cover will be detached.
I
may in like manner apply a metal band with one end overlapping
the other to a box or case, similar to that shown in Figure 1. Also to
boxes or cases which have a loose cover fitted within the hermetically
sealed cover, and I may otherwise modify my Invention in detail
while retaining the essential principle thereof. And I may apply my
Invention to cases or boxes of any size, shape, or construction to be
used for containing food or other perishable substances, powder, cart-
ridges, and the like for military purposes, and any other substance
or articles which it is desirable or necessary should be packed in
hermetically sealed cases for storage or transport. I prefer to turn the
edge of the cylindrical parts of these cans inward to form a seat for the
ends, as shown in Figure 15, instead of turning the ends over the
cylindrical part according to the ordinary method of constructing these
vessels.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. A metal box, can, or other vessel with its cover soldered thereon
in the manner herein set forth, so that the said cover may be pulled up
by the hand and opened or removed without the use of any implement.
Second. The modifications herein described in the manner of forming
the cover and soldered joint, whereby the said cover is so secured on the
box, can, or other vessel that the said joint may be first broken by a

page_text: blunt instrument or wrench, and the cover then opened or removed
without being cut.
Third. The modifications herein described in the manner of forming
the cover and soldered joint, wherein a band or other small piece of
metal attached to the cover has to be first pulled off, and the cover then 5
opened or removed as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Widgery, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
WM. ROBT. LAKE.
JOHN WIDGERY. (L.S.)