US2589356A - Match box with safety stop - Google Patents

Description

March 18, 1952 J FALv MATCHBOX WITH SAFETY STOP Filed June 9, 1949 Inventor Barney 1.; Fa/

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATCH BOX WITH SAFETY s'ror Barney .LFal, Monessen, Pa.

Application June 9, 1949, Serial No. 98,027

2 Claims. 1

The presentinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in :pocket-type boxes for safety matches and has more particular reference to a box characterized by a one-Way opening cover which requires the box to be fully closed in order to properly strike and ignite a match taken from the box.

More specifically stated, the invention has to do with added structural features carried by the match containing tray. However, in carrying out my aims, I utilize a conventional pockettype box made up of the usual tray and an open ended sleeve forming a sheath or cover for the tray.

The primary object of the invention is to provide novel stop means afi'ixed to and carried by one end of the tray and abrasive means carried by the remaining or opposite end of the tray.

A further object of the invention has to do with the mode of packing or inserting the safety matches in the tray and this objective is achieved by confining the headed ends of the matches to that end of the tray which is equipped with the aforementioned cover stop means.

Then, too, it is an object of the invention to utilize a simple L-shaped metal clip as a stop means and to attach the long limb to the coacting end of the tray in such a way that the remaining or shorter limb underlies the bottom of the tray in spaced parallelism and functions as a clasp for frictionally contacting and holding the coacting end of the cover so that it is locked, as it were, in closed position.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pocket-type box for safety matches constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is likewise a perspective view of the same box but observing the opposite or right hand end abrasive feature.

Figure 3 is an enlarged central longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. t

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail perspective of the safety stop or clip.

Referring now to the drawing by distinguish.- ing reference numerals, the usual cardboard or equivalent tray section is denoted by the numeral 6 and embodies a flat bottom wall 1, longitudinal side walls 8 and transverse end walls 9 and I0 respectively. The open ended sleeve, which'constitutes the sheath or cover, is denoted by the numeral H and includes top and bottom walls l2 and I3 and longitudinal side walls [4 and 15. Thus, the tray and cover are of 'conventiona form.

In carrying out the present invention, I provide novel stop means which takes the form of a substantially L-shaped metal clip I6 as shown in Figure 4 and which includes a vertical long limb I7 and a complemental short limb Ila. The limb I! has tongues It struck out therefrom and said tongues are pointed or V-shaped and constitute anchoring spurs and are passed through the end 9 of the tray as shown in Figure 3 to thus fasten said limb I! to said end 9. The clip is mounted in such a way that the shorter limb Ila underlies the bottom I of the tray in spaced relation. The lower projecting end portion of limb l1 constitutes a stop for the adjacent abutting end of the cover, the end of wall [3, and said end slides into the space between the limb Ila and the bottom 1 of the tray so that said limb Ila functions as a friction keeper or clasp. On the opposite end wall It of the tray I provide any suitable abrasive means l9 and thus the abrasive surface is restricted to the end l0 alone.

The matches are denoted by the numeral 20 and it will be noted in Figure 3 that the heads 21 all face the same way, that is, toward the left. Or, to be more specific, the heads of the matches are located or situated at the end of the tray which is provided with the described stop means. It will be seen, therefore, that in order to expose and remove a match it is necessary to slide the cover from left to right in Fig. 3 since its sliding movement in the opposite direction is prevented by the stop or clip means. Then, as the cover is slid to open position to take out a match, the abrasive agent or means 19 telescopes into the cover as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Therefore, to bring the abrasive means back to proper position for use, the cover has to be returned to closed position. This means therefore that the likelihood of the matches in the box catching on fire from flying sparks is limited to a minimum possibility.

It will be seen from the description that there are three essential phases or features to be stressed; namely, the stop clip or means l6 fastened to one end of the tray, the abrasive means accessible only from the opposite end of the tray and not accessible unless the box is closed, and the idea of packaging the matches so that the head ends are next to the end of the tray which carries the stop means.

Many and varied attempts in the art have been made to promote safety and to safeguard injury from an accidentally ignited package or box of matches and the approach hereindisclosed, it is believed, constitutes an apt and suitable construction and arrangement which solves the problem.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty suflicient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A one-way opening box for safety matches wherein the box must be fully closed to enable the 'user to properly strike and ignite a match comprising an open ended imperforate cover sleeve, a sliding tray fitted telescopically in said sleeve, exteriorly disposed abrasive means on one end only of said tray, rigid stop means on the opposite end of said tray, said stop means embodying a friction detent releasably engageable with the adjacent end of said sleeve and rendering said box of the stated one-way opening type, and a batch of safety matches in said tray, the heads of all matches being confined in that end of the tray which carries said stop means.

2. A one-way opening box for safety matches wherein the box must be fully closed to enable the user to properly strike and ignite a match comprising an open ended imperforate cover sleeve, a sliding tray fitted telescopically in said sleeve, exteriorly disposed abrasive means on one end only of said tray, rigid stop means on the opposite end of said tray, said stop means being in the form of an L-shaped clip embodying a long limb secured exteriorly to said opposite end of said tray and a short limb underlying the bottom wall of the cooperating end portion of said sleeve.

BARNEY J. FAL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 890,008 Yawman June 9, 1908 1,212,219 Hescheles Jan. 16, 1917 1,243,907 Waugh Oct. 23, 1917 1,481,446 Welsh Jan. 22, 1924 1,828,962 Drew Oct. 27, 1931 1,882,890 Porter Oct. 18, 1932 2,112,477 Brownfield Mar. 29, 1938

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