US2763368A - Safety book match cover - Google Patents

Description

P 18, 1 5 M. F. MALEK SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER Filed Jan. 7, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY ME'MaZe/a BY jnin. 1

United States Patent SAFETY BOOK MATCH COVER Mitchell IF. Malek, Danielson, Conn.

Application January 7., 1955, Serial No. 480,448

7 3 (ilaim's. (Cl. 206- 29) This invention relates to a'novel cover for book or paperma'tch'es and has for its primary object to provide a safety cover which will reduce to a minimum the risk "of igniting all of the paper matches of a match book accidentally while striking a single match.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a cover which will .most effectively enclose the matches while a match .is being struck on a part of the cover so that sparks from the match being struck cannot contact and ignite the other matches contained within the cover.

A further object of the invention is 'to provide a novel latch structure for retaining the cover in a closed position and which is uniquely mounted by a means which connects the cover to the paper matches.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the-drawing, illustrating a pres- "ently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the cover 'is formed;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing the cover in a closed'position and constituting a part of a match book;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the match book, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the match book, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figures 2 and 3 and on an enlarged scale relative to Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the improved cover for a match book of paper matches and comprising the invention includes a body member 7, a latch 8 and a fastening 9.

The body member 7 is formed from a single blank of cardboard or paper, or may be formed of any other suitable material. The body member 7 is illustrated in its blank form in Figure 1 having a plurality of fold lines 10 on which the body member parts are folded to form the body of the cover 7. The part 11 constitutes the back wall of the cover which is adapted to be disposed against one side of a double or two ply comb or group of paper safety matches 12 which are of conventional construction and which include a two ply base 13 from which the individual match splints 14 extend. Said match splints 14 have conventional igniting heads 15 at their free ends which are disposed remote from the base 13. One end of the blank forming the body member 7 and disposed beyond one end of the rear wall 11 is folded back upon an adjacent portion of said rear wall to form a bottom front wall section 16 of the cover between which and a contiguous portion of the rear wall 11, the base 13 of the matches 12 is disposed. The fastening 9 constitutes a staple the legs of which extend through the parts 16, 13

2,763,368 Patented Sept. 18, 1956 11 and are disposed outwardly of the side edges of the,

group of matches 12, as best seen in Figure 4. The body portion 7 includes wings or flaps 19 which are disposed outwardly of and substantially coextensive with said side walls 18 and which are folded inwardly relative to the side walls 18., as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. Thus, the wings of flaps 19, each of which extends only a short distance inwardly from its side wall 18, relative to the spacing between said side walls, are disposed spaced from and substantially parallel to portions of the rear wall 11. In addition to the side flaps 19, the body 7 includes corresponding end flaps 20 forming extensions of corresponding e'nds of the side walls 18 and which are located remote from the front wall section 16. Said end flaps 20 are likewise folded inwardly relative to the side wall 18 to overlie the match heads 15 of the matches 14 which are located adjacent the side walls 18 or adjacent the side edges of the comb of matches 12. As best seen in Figures 1 and 5, said end flaps 20 taper in width toward their free ends and away from the side walls 18.

The match book cover body '7 includes an opposite end portionforming the other hinged front wall section 21 and which constitutes the top of the front wall and which is substantially greater in length than the lower front wall section 16. Said 'front wall section 21 is connected to. the

other upper end of the rear wall 11 by a narrow transverse portion 22 constituting the upper end or top wall of the cover and which is folded along a transverse line to extend in the same direction from the rear wall 11 as the side walls 18. Said end or top wall 22 overlies and is preferably spaced from the match heads 15 and the end flaps 20, as best seen in Figure 3. The inner or upper end of the front wall section 21 is folded along another transverse fold line 10 so as to extend downwardly from the top wall 22 in overlying relationship to the side flaps 19, as seen in Figures 4 and 5, the free end of said front wall section 21 overlies the upper portion of the bottom front wall section 16, as seen in Figure 3. The front wall section 21 its outer side is provided with a transversely extending igniting or striking strip 23 which is preferably located near the top wall 22, as seen in Figure 2.

The latch 8 comprises an elongated strip of metal having a hook shaped end portion 24 engaging around the bottom end or told 10 of the match book and which constitutes the connecting portion between the lower end of the rear wall 11 and the lower end of the front wall portion 16. Said latch member 8 includes a shank portion which extends upwardly from the hook 24 loosely through the staple or fastening 9 and between an intermediate front portion 26 of said staple and the front wall section 16. Said shank portion 25 at its upper free end has a turned back or folded tenninal part 27. The latch can be displaced downwardly by a downward pressure on the end 27 thereof to cause said end to move downwardly against the staple part 26 which forms a stop to retain the latch 8 in engagement with the staple. The lower free end of the front wall section 21 may then be swung into position overlying the upper portion of the lower front wall section 16, as seen in Figure 3. An upward pressure can then be exerted against the hook portion 24 of the latch for displacing the latch upwardly is v 2,763,368

into its latching position of Figures 2 and 3 with the upper portion of the shank 25 overlying a part of the lower free end of the front wall section 21 and with thehook 24 engaging the bottom fold of the cover, to retain the cover in a closed position. By again pressing downwardly on the shank end 27, the cover part'21 is released so that it can be swung'outwardly and upwardly away from the matches 14 to expose said matches to permit removal of a selected match from the group in a conventional manner. The cover part 21 is then returned to its latched position as previously described and as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 and so that said part 21 and the top wall 22 will then retain the side walls 18, side flaps 19 and end flaps 20 in their previously described positions, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5, for enclosing the matches 14 still contained within the cover. The removed match 14, not shown, can then be struck on the striking surface 23 without risk of a spark therefrom igniting the heads 15 of the remaining matches which are contained within the cover 7.

It will be readily apparent that the cover including the body portion 7, the latch 8 and the fastening 9 may be very inexpensively manufactured and assembled with the matches 12, so that the cover can be disposed of after all of the matches have been used.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a match book a cover including a body member, adapted to be disposed around and secured to a comb of paper safety matches, including a rear wall and a lower front wall section, said lower front wall section and a contiguous portion of the rear wall being adapted to be disposed around and secured to a base portion of the comb of matches, said body member including an upper front wall section having a lower free end overlapping a portion of the lower front wall section in a closed position of the cover and between which and the rear wall the detachable match splints of the comb of matches are adapted to be disposed, said body member including a top wall connected to and extending between complementary edges of the rear wall and said upper front wall section, said body member including side walls integrally joined to and projecting at an angle from the side edges of said rear wall and between which the match splints are adapted to be disposed, and said cover having side flaps extending inwardly from said side walls in underlying relation to side edge portions of the upper front wall section for maintaining said side walls in substantially parallel relation to one another, said body member having end flaps forming extensions of complementary ends of said side walls and extending inwardly from said side walls, relative to one another, said end flaps being disposed between the heads of the match splints and said top wall and combining with said side walls and side flaps and portions of the rear wall, top wall and upper front wall section for shielding the match heads when the cover is in a closed position, a staple extending through said lower front wall section, the base of the match comb and said rear wall for connecting said parts, a latch having a hook shaped end engaging around the connecting portion of said rear wall and said lower front wall section, said latch including a shank extending upwardly from said hook portion loosely through said staple and disposed between the lower section of said front wall and a part of said staple, said latch having an upper free end overlying the lower free end of the upper front wall section for retaining said front section in partially overlapping relation to the lower front wall section in a closed position thereof, said latch being displaceable downwardly out of engagement with said upper front wall section.

2. In a match book as in claim 1, the upper end of said latch being provided with an outwardly turned back portion forming a stop for engaging a part of said staple to limit sliding movement of the latch to a released po sition.

3. In a match book as in claim 2, said upper front wall section having a transversely extending striking surface on the outer side thereof and spaced from its ends.

Wrigley Aug. 11, 1936 Antoski Jan. 5, 1954

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