CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPERTAINING TO MATCH BOXES, AND IN THE FITTING, STOP- PERING, AND COVERING OF TUBES AND OTHER VESSELS OF GLASS, PORCELAIN, AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Southwood Stocker, of Hall Street, City
Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS APPERTAINING TO MATCH BOXES, AND IN THE FITTING, STOP-
PERING, AND COVERING OF TUBES AND OTHER VESSELS OF GLASS, PORCELAIN,
AND OTHER MATERIALS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by Alexander Southwood Stocker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 4th July 1854, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
SOUTHWOOD STOCKER, of Hall Street, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
APPERTAINING TO MATCH BOXES, AND IN THE FITTING, STOPPERING, AND COVERING
OF TUBES AND OTHER VESSELS OF GLASS, PORCELAIN, AND OTHER MATERIALS," and
have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
declaration that I verily believe myself to be the true and first Inventor
thereof:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Southwood Stocker, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertaines the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say) :-

page_text: The first part of my Invention consists in the application of cylindrical tubes
of glass, porcelain, or such like materials, to the manufacture of vesta or other
match boxes, in combination with peculiarly manufactured metal tops and
bottoms applied to such tubes; one being the lid or cover, to hold or receive
the end of the wax vesta match when lighted and in use, as also to secure the
matches in the box, tube, or receptacle, and protect them from the action of
the atmosphere, damp, &c.; and the other, the bottom, finely grooved or
roughened on the under side, which may be used for rubbing the match point
upon to light it.
In using glass tubes I prefer that they should be blown in a cylinder mould;
that end of the tube on which the lid or cover is to be fitted should be blown
downward and thinner at that part, so that when it is cut or ground off it will
produce a serviceable tube or receptacle of the form required.
I prefer that the mould should have a ring or projection at its lower end, so
that the tube should have a shoulder, whereon the cap or cover may rest or fit
against; and when the tube is so produced it will be of an uniform diameter
and form, ensuring the correct and economical fitting of the cap or cover, which
is also produced in a mould of a suitable size..
The bottom of the tube should be ground or cut off, so as to leave the tube
of a proper length, and in a condition to receive the bottom, which may be
secured thereto by cement, or in any other suitable manner.
The second part of my Invention relates to the making of the covers and
bottoms, or caps and bases, for the tubes or match boxes.
I cut out discs or blanks of ductile metal of a suitable dianieter and thick-
ness to produce the cap or base piece required, and by a process of gradually
turning up the edges and reducing the diameter of such discs or blanks by
drawing or pressing through dies, and when necessary, as after repeating
this process several times, annealing or softening the metal in a furnace, &c., I
thus produce a "cupped use" or hollow cap or capsule ready to be finished by
the next process.
The cap produced, so far as above described, being of a smaller capacity and
only approaching the form of the finished article required, I finally insert it
in a suitable mould or bolster, known as a three part mould or segment die,
generally consisting of three parts, joined or secured by a ring; this mould
is of the exact shape or configuration, and suitably engraved, embossed, or
enriched, according to the design required. The metal cap having been first
filled with a soft and fusible metal is inserted in the die or mould, and upon
receiving the blow or pressure from the punch or mandril of a suitable press,

page_text: the soft or fusible metal expands, and forces the external metal of the cap or
other object into the crevices or under cuttings of the mould or die, producing
upon the external surface of such cap, cover, or other object the enrichment or
ornamentation required.
I next remove, by heat or otherwise, the fusible metal or other material
from the interior of the article produced, and dip and lacker, or plate, gild,
enamel, japan, or otherwise protect or coat the surface of the metal article
produced.
I should remark, that for giving an enlarged or curved top or dome to the
cap or cover for a tube or bottle, I use a cupped bolster and a plug of vulcanized
india-rubber; the india-rubber being driven into the head of the cap causes it
to expand and fill up a suitable enlargement in the dic.
In the state previously described, the base piece or bottom for a match box
may be fitted to the tube or receptacle, and fastened by cementing or otherwise;
but for the cap or cover of a match box, as also for bottles, jars, vases, &c., I
prefer that such covers should be lined and padded, as hereafter explained; or
the cover for a match box may be lined only, having a disc of thin metal, card,
or other material above the lining as a false top or cover.
The third part of my Invention relates to the lining and fitting of caps or
covers of match boxes, tubes, and other similar receptacles or vessels for
containing solid or liquid materials or fluids.
With a view to prevent the injury to vesta and other matches from the
effects of exposure to damp, as well as to securely prevent the escape of the
phosphorescent fumes or effluvia arising from matches confined in such tubes
or receptacles, I take a disc of cork, vulcanized or mineralized india-rubber,
or other suitable material, which is punched or cut to a proper diameter, and
place it in the cap or cover, and, if necessary, attach it thereto by cement or
otherwise.
I next take a strip of cork or other clastic material of a proper length, width,
and thickness to fit the exterior of the tube or mouth of any vessel, and place
the same as a ring around the inside of the cap, hollow stopper, or cover, and
fasten it thereto by cement or otherwise; thus the cap or cover, when on to or
over the end, mouth, or opening of the tube or other receptacle, will render the
same air-tight, as the cork ring or other lining will fit around the tube or neck,
and when there is a shoulder to such tube, receptacle, or vessel, it should also
fit thereupon; moreover the disc or pad fitted into the top of such cap or cover
should be in contact with and press upon the end of the tube or neck of such
receptacle or vessel. When thus fitted, it will be seen that three separate

page_text: surfaces of contact are effected, thereby ensuring greater safety and security
than any other form of cover or stopper.
Figs. 11 and
13* are an
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a match box, full
size. a, the tube of glass or porcelain; b, the bottom or base; c, the cap or
cover. Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1. d, the cork or outher lining; e, the india-
rubber, card, or other disc; f, the shoulder, upon which the cap or cover fits;
g, a small opening into which the end of the match is inserted. Fig. 3 is an
inverted plan view of the bottom b. Fig. 4 is a plan of b, shewing the interior.
Fig. 5 is a section of b. Fig. 6 is a plan view of cap or cover c, shewing the
small opening for holding the match. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan of Fig. 6,
shewing the cork or other lining. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of cap or cover c,
shewing the lining d, the disc or pad c, and the opening g, for holding the
match. Fig. 9 is an elevation of a similar match box or tube, fitted with a
base or bottom piece, similar to b, Fig. 1, but the cap or cover is domed and
of a plainer form than c, Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a section of Fig. 9.
12, plan and section of cap or cover for Fig. 9. Figures 13' and
inverted plan and plan of base. Fig. 14 is an inverted plan of cap. Fig. 15 is
a view of a jar or wide-mouthed bottle, fitted with a metallic cap or cover,
somewhat similar to the cover of match box, Fig. 9. Fig. 16 is another
similar jar, fitted with a metallic cap or cover, a variation of that shewn as
fitted to jar at Fig. 15, the cap or cover being shewn in section, as also the
lining d, and disc or pad c. To this cap a flanched ring i of the section L is
fitted on tightly, and protects the cork or other lining d. Figs. 17, 18, and 19,
are views of the cap or cover of Fig. 15. Fig. 20 is an elevation of a fancy
glass bottle, fitted with an ornamental metallic cap or cover.
view of a cap similar to cap of Fig. 20, bnt plain or unornamented.
is a view or a cap similar to Fig. 20, being a finished cap or cover.
a section of Fig. 22, shewing the lining d, and the disc or pad e.
plan of Figs. 22 and 23. Fig. 25 is an inverted plan of Figs. 22, 23, and 24.
Fig. 26 is a plan of the plain domed cap or cover, Fig. 21. Fig. 27 is a sectional
clevation of an arrangement of tools, shewing the segment or three part dies,
ring, bolster, punch, &c., for finishing and ornamenting the caps or covers of the
match boxes. The die or matrix is composed of several parts, according to the
shape of the article to be produced; the mould and design shewn is that belong-
ing to the cap or cover c, Fig. 1, and of Figs. 6, 7, and 8. Fig. 28 is an eleva-
tion of Fig. 27. Fig. 29 is a plan of Figs. 27 and 28. Fig. 30 is a plan of
segment of a three part die k. Fig. 31 is a sectional elevation of a segment
die k, two of the three pieces being removal, and a view of the entire bottom-
Fig. 21 is a
Fig. 22
Fig. 23 is
Fig. 24 is a

page_text: cupped bolster piece 7, with a bottle cap or stopper m, shewn after having been
pressed or struck up. Fig. 32 is a sectional elevation of the whole arrange-
ment, of which Fig. 31 forms a part. k, the segment die; 7, the bottom-
cupped bolster piece in the cap which has been struck up; n, the fusible metal
therein; o, the ring or hoop to confine or secure the three parts or segment of
dies; p, the base block of press.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed the parts
referred to by the letters of reference in each Figure correspond, and the
Figures numbered 1 to 32 inclusive refer to the three parts of my Invention ns
described and set forth herein.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Southwood Stocker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
ALA S. STOCKER.
(L.S.)