IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN FASTENING BAG, PORTMANTEAU AND OTHER LIKE FRAMES
Year: 1884

page_text: We, JOHN HOLT of New Road Willenhall, in the County of Stafford Manufacturer,
and JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN FASTENING BAG, PORTMANTEAU AND OTHER LIKE FRAMES,”
to be as follows :-
Bag and other like frames are ordinarily constructed by connecting together the
top and side metal strips constituting a half frame, by separate pieces of metal,
which are rivetted to the respective sides of the said half frame; The intervening
spaces or gaps left constitute openings, through which thread passes in connecting
the frame to a bag or other like article.
Our invention has reference principally to what are commonly known as covered
frames of bags, portmanteaus and other like articles; or frames which are connected
to the material composing the bag or other like article, by sewing the covering
thereto The frame consists of two jointed balves which are also connected together
by a fastening hereinafter described, by which great simplicity of construction of
the frame and efficiency in fastening is secured.
We will describe our improvements as applied to the frame of a bag.
The two halves of the frame of the bag consists each of an angle strip of thin
sheet steel or other metal, formed by the bending or shaping of a single strip of
thin sheet metal, into the figure of a right angle in cross section; the two sides of
the frame being connected together by metal left between longitudinal openings
running along the side of the frame and near the angle thereof; the half frame is
therefore made in one piece, with intervening longitudinal spaces for its attachment
to the bag; that is, the top and side of the angular half frame is made from one
piece of metal united by web or solid metal left between longitudinal openings or
piercings on the sides of the frame through which thread passes in attaching the
frame to a bag, and when two such frames are jointed at their ends in the usual
manner, they close one within the other and constitute a bag frame, the two
halves of which are fastened together by a gapped rotating plate or disc on the
one part or half of the frame, engaging with a staple loop or eye on the other part;
CD

page_text: that is, a rotating plate or disc having a rectangular opening or notch on its lower
side turns and is supported by a bracket or base plate attached to the top of the
outside frame, while the hooked staple plate is attached to the inside frame and
is disposed at right angles to the side of the said frame; so that on bringing the
two halves of the frame of the bag together for fastening, the hooked end of the
staple plate passes into the rectangular opening or gap in the circular plate or disc
which turns upon a central axis working within a bracket or base plate on the
outside frame, so that by rotating a knob or presser tooth, the solid metal of the
circular disc or plate moves into the opening and crosses the staple plate, and
thereby fastens or connects the two halves of the frame together. Stop or stops
on both sides of the periphery or rim of the fastening plate limits the motion of
the plate on opening and closing the said fastening.
To again open or unfasten the bag, it is only necessary to rotate the fastening
plate so as to bring its rectangular opening and the staple plate coincident, when
the two halves of the bag frame can be opened or separated.

page_text: We, JOHN HOLT of New Road, Willenhall, in the County of Stafford Manufacturer ·
and JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS of Great Charles Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN FASTENING BAG, PORTMANTEAU AND OTHER LIKE FRAMES,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention has reference principally to what are commonly known as covered
frames of Bags, Portmanteaus and other like articles; or frames which are connected
to the material composing the bag or other like article, by, sewing the covering
thereto The frame consists of two jointed halves which are also connected together
by a joint and fastening hereinafter described, by which great simplicity of
construction of the frame and efficiency in fastening is secured.
We will describe our improvements as applied to the frame of a bag.
The two halves of the frame of the bag consist each of an angle strip of thin
sheet steel or other metal, formed by the bending or shaping of a single strip of
thin sheet metal, into somewhat the figure of a right angle in cross section; the
sides of the frame being slightly bent or cranked inwards from the top edge; that
is, the top and side of the angular half frame is made from one piece of metal united
by web or solid metal left between longitudinal openings or piercings on the sides of
the frame through which thread passes in attaching the frame to a bag, and when
two such frames are jointed at their ends, they close one within the other and
constitute a bag frame, the two halves of which are fastened together by a gapped
rotating plate.or disc on the one part or half of the frame, engaging with a staple,
loop or eye on the other part; that is, a rotating plate or disc having a rectangular
opening or notch on its lower side turns and is supported by a bracket or base
plate attached to the top of the outside frame, while the hooked staple plate is
attached to the inside frame and is disposed at right angles to the side of the said
frame; so that on bringing the two halves of the frame of the bag together for
fastening, the hooked end of the staple plate passes into the rectangular opening
or gap in the circular plate or disc which turns upon a central axis working
within a bracket or base plate on the outside frame, so that by rotating a knob or
presser tooth, the solid metal of the circular disc or plate moves into the opening
and crosses the staple plate, and thereby fastens or connects the two halves of the
frame together-Stop or stops on both sides of the periphery or rim of the fastening
plate limit the motion of the plate on opening and closing the said fastening.
To again open or unfasten the bag, it is, only necessary to rotate the fastening
plate so as to bring its rectangular opening and the staple plate coincident, when
the two halves of the bag frame can be opened or separated.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, a bag frame constructed according to our
invention. Figure 2 is a plan of the frame or frames open, so as to better exhibit

page_text: some of the parts; the joint of the left hand side of the frame being in section,
while the left hand side is in elevation. Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section
on the dotted lines A B figure 1. Figure 4 is a transverse section on the dotted
lines CD figure 2, to show that the two sides of one half of the bag frame is made
solid or from one piece of metal. The section also shows the cranking or bending
inwards of the vertical side or front of the frame; so that the material of the
covering shall lie flush with the frame. Figure 5 is a cross section on the line Ẹ F
figure 2:
the
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of
accompanying Drawings.
a a are the two halves of the frame, the top and side of each half frame being
made from a single strip of thin sheet metal, bent somewhat to the figure of a right
angle in cross section, as best seen in figure 4; the vertical sides of the bag are
cranked or bent inwards as at a², for the purpose of allowing the covering material
to lie perfectly flush with the frame; and further, to prevent the raw edges of the
said covering material to be exposed, as is common with bags of the ordinary
construction-b are slots or longitudinal piercings in the sides of the frame, for
attaching by sewing the material of the bag or other like article-c c are hollow
strengthening ribs situated at the terminal ends of the half frames and at the
joints dd thereof-The ribbed formation, being shaped out of the metal of the
frame, gives great tranverse rigidity and lateral yielding to the joint part; the
result is that the frame of the bag opens with a stiff joint, which allows the mouth
of the bag to remain open in whatever position it may have been placed.
Figure 6 represents upon an enlarged scale a bag fastener, constructed according
to our invention for fastening the bag frame figure 1; the said fastener is
represented in elevation, with some of the parts in section and the frame broken
away for the purpose of exhibiting the more important features of this part of our
invention the bag frame being unfastened-Figure 7 is the same, fastened-
Figure 8 is a plan of figure 6-Figure 9 is a back view of figure 7, and figure 10
is a transverse section of figure 6, showing the end of the hooked staple on the
one half of the bag frame, about to pass through the gap in the wheel-likė
fastener Figure 11 is the same section as figure 10, with the parts fastened, effected
by the end of the staple, lying at the back of the solid part of the wheel like
fastener.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in figures 6. 7. 8. 9. 10
and 11 of the accompanying Drawings.
e is a rotating plate or disc having a rectangular opening or gap e² on its under-
side, the wheel like fastener e is supported by a bracket or base plate fattached to
the top of the outside frame a, while the hooked staple g is attached to the inside
frame a The fastener e as described, turns upon a pin or fulcrum e³, and is
provided with stops e, ea and also a thumb piece or rotator e by which the
fastener is turned.
To fasten the frame of a bag figure 1, the two half frames a a¹ are brought
together, when the fastener is in the position as represented in figure 6, with the
gap of the rotating plate coming in front of the hook of the staple, as shewn best
in section figure 10; so that on the halves of the frame being brought together
when in this position, the hooked end g² of the staple g passes through the gap e²;
and when the fastener e is rotated by the short arm or stud es, the gap is removed
to a position from before the hooked end of the staple and the ungapped or solid
part turned in its place, as represented in figures 7, 9 and 11, which effectually
prevents the withdrawal of the staple, which now lies behind the metal of the
fastener plate, thereby fastening or connecting the two halves of the bag frame
together in a simple and efficient manner.
:
To unfasten the frame to open the bag, rotate the fastener in the reverse
direction; until the stop e abuts against the frame, when the gap in the plate
becomes coincident with the staple, then the bag can be opened.

page_text: The
The fastener e is also provided with a flat spring attached to its side, the free
end of which said spring, presses against the inside face of the upright bracket f
which constitutes the carrying plate between which the fastener moves.
interposition of this spring between the fixed and movable surfaces, always keeps
the fastener in whatever position it may have been placed, whether opened or
closed; and moreover the spring imparts a stiff joint to the fastener on the parts
becoming worn by use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
First Making the half frames of bags (and such like articles) in one piece, or
from a single strip of thin sheet metal, turned up into a right angle, the vertical
side or front of which is cranked or bent inwards, the material of the bag being
attached by sewing to the frame through longitudinal slits or piercings marked b;
also making the terminal ends of the half frames ribbed or corrugated, which give
transverse rigidity and lateral yielding of the metal to the joint part as described
and illustrated in figures 1 to 5 both inclusive of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly A fastener for bags and such like frames, consisting of a gapped
rotating plate pivotted upon a centre, and carried by one half frame, which plate
when fastened, encloses behind its ungapped part, the hooked end of a staple
attached to the other half frame, the fastener being retained either in its open or in
its closed position by a spring; the parts being constructed, combined and acting
in the manner and for the purpose as described and illustrated in figures 6 to 11
both inclusive of the accompanying Drawings.