US2234276A

US2234276A - Match book

Info

Publication number: US2234276A
Application number: US320549A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederick J Redcliffe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-02-24
Filing date: 1940-02-24
Publication date: 1941-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1958-03-11

Description

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED lSTATES PATENT GFFlCE' MATCH BOOK Frederick J. Redcliffe, New York, N. Y. Application February 24, 1940, Serial No. 320,549

.2 Claims.

This invention relates to match books and more particularly to a type so constructed as to possess increased advertising value.

At the present time, 'match books are made and sold, and lin fact often given away gratis, because of the fact :that vthe cost of 'the books is borne by the advertising. carried by the book. The space Ifor advertising on the conventional type of match book is relatively small and the value of match books as an advertising medium is gradually decreasing because lof uniformity in shape, construction and make-up of the conventional type of match book.

The object therefore, of the present invention, is to provide a match .book of novel construction wherein .a unique type of cover is employed which provides .a greatly increased amount of advertising space; which also, by reason of its novel and unique construction, serves to draw the attention of .the .user to the increased advertising space and to the advertising borne thereby, whereby the advertising value of vthe book is materially enhanced. Another object of .the invention is to provide a match book having safety features and other ad- Vantages.

In the .accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown, Fig. 1 is a front elevation ora .match book constmcted in .accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a face view of therear of the book; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic .edge view of the book, .clearly showing how the cover stripv is folded when 'disposed in closed position; Fig. 4 is `a side ,elevation of the book, with thecover strip inopen position; Fig. 5 is a front view of the book with the cover strip in open position; Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the closed book; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the lower or base portion of a match book of modied construction, and Fig. 8 is another modification.

The covering of the match book is made of flexible card-board of the conventional character or of any other suitable sheet material. Said covering includes a base member provided With a short, upturned front retaining flap I provided on its front face with a suitable abrasive substance forming a match-igniting or striking surface 2. The fold 3 integrally connects the retaining flap i with a back retaining flap 4 which has its upper end 6 located a short distance above the heads of the matches in the match comb l that is held in positionbetween the two iiaps l and 4 by means of the staple 5 or other single suitable fastening element.

The cover strip 8 constituting an advertising (Cl. 20S-29) medium, consists of an elongated strip of cardboard, several times the length of the match book proper, said strip 8 having one of its ends permanently anchored between the inner face of the retaining flap l and the front face or the match comb l by means of the staple 5, as clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The cover strip 8 is transversely folded. backward or toward the rear retaining flap 4 as indicated at 9, and at a distance from .said fold, the ycover is transversely folded in a reverse direction as indicated at lil. At a .distance from the fold I il, the strip 8 is Vagain folded forwardly as indicated at ll, the -fo'lds and lthe direction of the same being clearly seen in Fig. 4. All of the folds .are substantially the same distance apart. i

The strip '8 is of such length that it is approximately four times the length of the match comb i; it thus providesgreatly increased advertising space, since its relatively great length, particularly when printed on both sides, 4enables a large amount of advertising to be 'imprinted on the strip, yet .the folded book is no largery in size and bulk t'han a match book of conventional construction.

The folds in the cover strip are so ldisposed that the cover strip almost automatically yinds its way into closed position when it is pushed with the ngers toward the match comb. That is to say, fold 9 causes fold l0 to be inserted between the back of the match comband the face of the flap 4, as clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 6. Fold Il, extending forwardly extends over the top of fold `i! and kdirects the free end l2 of the vcover strip toward the retaining flap l, behind which it `is easily tucked by the ngers'as seen in Fig. v6. When' in closed position, the strip 8 straddles the match comb and has portions of double thickness located at the opposite sides of the comb. It will also be noted that both ends of the folded strip are disposed at the same side of the match comb, or are tucked between the retaining flap and a face of the match comb. The entire strip 8 is easily drawn out to either read the advertising borne by it or to expose the matches 1, which can be pulled from the comb as required and ignited in the conventional manner on the striking strip 2. It will be noted that the body of the lengthy strip 8 is interposed between the matches in the comb and the striking surface so that the strip 8 acts as a shield when a match is being ignited and prevents accidental ignition of the matches in the comb by the flame from that match which is ignited.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the entire covering for the match comb is made of two sections of card-board namely, that which forms the base member composed of the front retaining flap I and back retaining ap 4 and that which constitutes the cover strip 8. There are numerous advantages in making the covering in two parts in this manner, one of which is that the base portion of the covering,

or that composed of the flaps I and 4, may be` made of slightly thicker or heavier card-board than that of which the cover strip is composed. Another advantage is that the printing or lithography of the cover strip 8 may take place apart from and quite independently of the printing or other indicia provided on the base portion.

However, I do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to a covering composed of two independent sections of materiaLsince the entire covering including the elements I and 4 as well as the cover strip 8 may be readily made in a single piece. For example, in Fig. 7 I have shown the retaining strip I doubled downwardly as at I4 and then brought upwardly as at I5 to con- A-tinue into the formation of the cover strip 8.

Wilth this arrangement, the' entire covering may be formed of a single, lengthy section of cardboard.

With a match book of the construction shown, various advantages are secured. The advertising value of the book is multiplied because of the greatly increased advertising space; the safety factor is stressed because of the fact that the A lengthy cover strip forms a shield between an ignited match and the matches in the comb; the lengthy cover strip, having a series of folds dividing it into panels, provides a medium for thereception of several pictures, cartoons or detachable coupons. While the lengthy strip appears, when viewed in the drawing, to be possibly cumbersome and inconvenient when using the book, such is actually not the case, since the several folds formed in the strip cause the strip to almost auto matically fall into folded or closed position when thrust by the fingers toward the base portion. For those nervous types of individual to whom the lengthy cover strip may be found inconvenient to fold into closed position, 'the book is arranged to enable the cover strip to be torn away if necessary, leaving the matchesthen held in the base portion consisting of the front retainingilap I and integrally formed back retaining ap 4.

It will be apparent that the match book disclosed is extremely flexible in its uses, both from the advertising standpoint and from convenience in use to suit the various temperaments of individuals-into whose hands the book may come.

WhileI have, in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusiveshown fold 9a is also reversed from the direction of fold 9. In the structure of Fig. 8 it will be seen that whilethefcover strip straddles the match comb, it has a portion yof triple thickness disposed between one face of the match comb and the front retaining flap I and a portion of single thickness located between the opposite face of the match comb and the back retaining flap 4. This y arrangement of folding may be found convenient under certain circumstances.

4What I claim is:

1. A match book comprising, a match comb, a U-shaped base cover portion comprising an upturned front retaining ap and an upturned back retaining ap, the match comb being disposed between said retaining flaps, a fastening element extending through said iiaps and through the match comb, an advertising cover strip of substantially four times the. length of the match comb, said cover strip having one end held by the fastening element between the match comb and one of said flaps and foldable transversely at spaced points to provide four panels of substantially the length of the match comb, said cover strip when in folded closed position overlying the match comb and having one folded portion disposed between the match comb and one of said aps and the free end thereof disposed between the match comb and the other of said flaps.

2. A match book comprising, a match comb, a U-shaped base cover portion comprising an upturned front retaining flap and an upturned back retaining ap, the match comb being disposed between said retaining flaps, a fastening element extending through said iiaps and through the match comb, an advertising cover strip of substantially four times the length of the match comb, said cover strip having one end held by the fastening element between the match comb and one of said aps and foldable transversely at spaced points to provide four panels of substantially the length of the match comb, said cover strip when in folded closed position providing a two-ply cover overlying the match comb and having one folded portion disposed between the match comb and one of said flaps and the vfree end thereof disposed between the match comb and the other of' said flaps.

FREDERICK J. REDCLIFFE.