IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTMANTEAUS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, to William Charles Day, of the Strand, in the County
of Middlesex,, Military Equipage Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTMANTEAUS."
Sealed the 29th May 1857, and, dated the 10th March 1857.
!
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said William Charles Day at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th March 1857.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES DAY, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Military Equipage Manufacturer, do hereby declaro tho nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTMANTEAUS," to bo as follows:--
I construct portmanteaus with a narrow rigid frame of metal or other
suitable material, which frame forms the only rigid part, this portmanteau
having no rigid body, as usual. To afford capacity for containing clothes or
other articles, I form on the top a collapsible part, somewhat similar to the
ordinary collapsible. tops: with which portmanteaus are made. On the under
side of the frame. I also apply a collapsible part similar to the collapsible top;
thus, either one or both of these collapsible parts. may be distended and filled
to a greater or less extent,. or when empty, or nearly'so, may be both collapsed
and brought close. to the frame, thereby presenting a very, small bulk and
appearance. In packing these collapsible parts, I distend them by small wood

page_text: struts, placed inside, and jointed so that they may be laid parallel with the
frame when not in use, or strutted against it for the purpose of distending.
Another improvement in portmanteaus consists in so fitting the lock thereto
that the key is inserted directly through from the circumference of the metal
frame. The handle to carry this portmanteau is riveted to the frame, and may
be placed immediately over the lock.
My improvements in the interior of portmanteaus consist, first, in the shirt
case, which is attached to the door, separating the halves of portmanteaus; I
form this case of four stiff flaps, each attached at the edge of the door by a
kind of gusset, which allows them to rise more or less from the door, to afford
more or less room for the shirts, according to the number contained. These
flaps all fold down toward the centre, forming a rigid covering for the shirts,
and prevent them being crumpled.
Another of my improvements in the interior of portmanteaus consists in
securing the door or partition dividing the two parts or halves of portmanteaus
by means of elastic webs or other suitable material, furnished with strong
metal hooks and eyes, instead' of the straps and buckles usually employed
for that purpose. Instead of the hook and eye, the junction may consist of
a metal plate and knob with a neck, which knob is passed through a hole in
another plate, and the neck received. into a slot; I also apply this description
of fastening to close the shirt casé, and to pockets or parts to be closed in
portmanteaus, in lieu of buttons or straps and buckles usually employed for
that purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Charles Day in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHARLES DAY, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Military Equipage
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Charles Day, Her special licence that I, the said William Charles Day, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Charles Day, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 PORTMANTEAUS,"
upon. the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Charles Day,
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.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Charles Day, do hereby declaro
the nature of.my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
I construct portmanteaus with a narrow rigid framework of metal or other
suitable material for the top and bottom, which framework forms the only rigid
part, the rest of the portmanteau collapsing or distending at pleasure. To
afford capacity for containing clothes or other articles, I form the top of a
collapsible part, somewhat similar to the ordinary collapsible tops with which
portmanteaus are made. To the under side of the framework I also apply a
collapsible part, similar to the collapsible top; thus, either one or both of these
collapsible parts may be distended and filled to a greater or less extent, or when
empty, or nearly so, may be both collapsed and brought close to the framework,
thereby presenting a very small bulk and appearance. In packing theso
collapsible parts, I distend them by small wood struts, placed inside, and jointed
so that they may be laid parallel with the frame when not in use, or strutted
against it for the purpose of distending.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an external view of my improved portmanteau when
collapsed, with little or nothing within it; Fig. 2 represents the same packed
full, and consequently expanded to the utmost; Fig. 3 represents a front view
of the portmanteau opened, but empty; and Fig. 4, a similar view in perspec-
tive; while Figs. 5 and 6 represent separate views of the framework of the
portmanteau, Fig. 5 being a plan of the framework, and Fig. 6 a sectional
side view of the same. a, a, is a thin. flat bar of iron, of about one iuch or
one inch and a half in width, which.I.bend and form of the size required, and
:
:

page_text: extending round three sides of the portmanteau, or it may extend around the
four sides and form a rectangular frame; but I prefer that the side piece b
should be separate, and connected with the other three sides only at the joint,
as best seen in Fig. 6, and by the leather or material of the portmanteau. c, c,
is another part of the frame formed of small half-round iron, secured by bracket
pieces 1, 1, rivetted to a, a, or otherwise; d, d, is another part of the metal
frame, hinged to c, c, at e, c, and by which the one half of the portinantenu is
secured to the other half, and to which the staple of the lock is affixed, the
.
lock gitself being fixed to the band or rim piece a. It will be observed that
the part c, c, is received and fixed within the band or rim a, and that the
part d is also received within the part a when the portmanteau is closed.
Instead of forming the parts a, b, and c in separate pieces and uniting them
together, the whole may be made of one piece of angle iron or other light
fron, of a form to afford the requisito strength; but I prefer the arrangement
before described, as it affords better opportunity for sewing or stitching and
securing the leather of the portmanteau thereto (the whole of such parts being
covered with the leather or other material of the portmanteau), and at the
same time imparts the requisite strength and rigidity with a small weight of
metal: h, h, and i, i, are two surfaces of leather or other suitable stiff material
to form the top and bottom of the portmanteau; these are connected by gusset
pieces k, k, k, k, entirely round the metal framework hercin-before described;
which gusset pieces occupy and form the entire sides and ends of the port-
manteau, with the exception of the breadth of the frame a, and permit the top
and bottom hand i to approach close to such frame, as seen in Fig. 1, or to
be extended more or less, as required, as will be readily understood by reference
to Fig. 2.
The portmanteau opens and closes on the joints e, e, the leather of the back
part acting as a joint. In addition to the joints e, e, which may be either
made in the solid iron of the frame, or brass joints may be rivetted thereto:
These parts, as well as the sewing and making up of the portmanteau, being
well understood, expanding tops having been used heretofore, will not require
any further description.
'
To facilitate packing this portmanteau, I place two or more struts within
each compartment, as seen-dotted in Fig. 2. These struts 1, 1, I make of
small pieces of wood covered with the cloth lining of the portmanteau, and
attach them to the portmanteau by such cloth covering, or other suitable pliant
material, so that they may be placed in position to keep the compartment
extended, as at Fig. 2, or folded down parallel with the framework, to permit
the whole. to collapse, as at Fig. 1. These struts of course keep the com

page_text: partments of the portmanteau extended when it is opened, as well as in the
closed position shewn at Fig. 2. m, m, are straps, with buckles encircling
the portmanteau of sufficient length to bind it when extended, and also to
answer the same purpose when collapsed, being furnished with suitable runners,
through which to thread or lace the extended end of the strap, and keep the
whole compact.
p is the handle rivetted to the framework, by which the whole is carried;
9, the lock, as before mentioned, the key 9, to which is introduced through the
frame a, as represented, in which manner it is easily entered; r is the ordinary
door of the portmanteau, separating the compartments, best seen in Fig. 4, in
which also the other internal fittings are exhibited, which need not receive any
special mention.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same may be performed, I would have it understood that I do not claim the
application of collapsible parts to portmanteaus generally, as I am aware
collapsible tops have been used heretofore; and I declare that what I do claim
as my Invention intended to be secured by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, forming both the upper and lower parts of portmanteaus to
collapse and expand, whereby the whole, or nearly the whole capacity of the
portmanteau may be expanded or collapsed as required, as herein-before
described.
I also claim the application of the struts 1, 1, for the purpose of keeping the
compartments distended, as described.
In witness whereof, I, Charles William Day, hayo hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.
W. C. DAY. (L.S.)