Receptacle for matches.

Application filed August 17,1908. Serial No. 448,868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John H. Evers, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, 5 id the county and State of New York, have . invented a new and Improved Receptacle for Matches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to receptacles for 10 matches, and more particularly to devices of this kind, including casings formed to receive match boxes containing matches, open pockets to receive the matches from the boxes which are opened automatically when 15 inserted into the casings, receivers for waste or burned matches, scratch plates for igniting the matches, and guards adjacent to the scratch plates and serving to prevent parts of the match heads from flying off and setting 20 fire to or otherwise injuring adjacent inflammable material when the matches are struck.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and durable receptacle 25 for matches, which can be hung upon a wall or other supportor can be placed upon a table, a stand or the like, which is so formed that a telescopic box of matches can be inserted into the casing whereby it is opened to 30 allow the matches to drop into an open pocket from which they can be taken one at a time as needed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle for matches, which has a 35 scratch or igniting plate provided with guards so positioned that when a match is struck there is practically no danger that a burning part of the head of the match can fly off to set fire to nearby inflammable 40 material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described in which the scratch plate is removable to permit it to be cleaned or replaced when neces45 sary, in which the receiver for waste or burned matches surrounds the pocket, from which the unburned matches can be taken, and in which the casing, of which the pocket forms a part, can be removed from the 50 receiver to allow the latter to be emptied when necessary.

The invention consists in the combination and construction of parts'to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims. 55

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which— 60

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the same showing it partly filled with matches; Fig.

is an enlarged transverse section; and Fig. 65 4 is an enlarged cross section on the line 4—4 of Fig. 3.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my invention, it should be clearly understood that while the same is 70 particularly useful as a receptacle for matches, it can also be advantageously employed under certain circumstances, for articles other than matches but similar in form to the same, for example as a holder 75 for tooth picks or the like. The device is preferably fashioned from sheet metal but can also be made from any other material suited to the purpose.

Referring more particularly to the draw- 80 ings, 10 represents a casing having a back 11, sides 12, and a front 13, being open at the upper and lower ends. At the upper edge the back 11 is extended and forms an ear 14 provided with an opening 15 there- 85 through by means of which the receptacle can be hung upon a nail or other suitable support. The back 11 is extended at its lower end beyond the front 13, and is laterally disposed to form the bottom 16 of a 90 pocket for the matches. The sides 12 are laterally extended to form the sides 17 of the pocket and are joined by the front 18 of the pocket which may be integral therewith. The front 18 may also be integral with the 95 bottom 16 or may be rigidly secured thereto. The pocket is open at the top to permit the matches A to be taken therefrom as necessary.

The sides 12 at the forward edges are out- 100 wardly extended and bent upon themselves to form flanges 19 which engage the rearwardly disposed edges 21 of guard plates 20 arranged at. the front of the casing. The guard plates or flanges extend toward each 105 other and outwardly from the front edges

911,482 of the casing and at their adjacent edges are spaced. -At the upper and lower edges of the front of the casing are forwardly extending, end guard flanges 22 and 23. respectively, 5 which are substantially triangular in form.

The end guard flange 22 has a slot 24 therethrough which permits the insertion of a scratch or igniting plate 25 into the space between the guard flanges 20 and the front 10 of the casing. The upper end of the scratch plate is bent upon itself to form a fold 26 by means of which it engages at the upper edge, of the’front of the casing so that’it can be held securely in position. The ’end guard 15 flange 23 has a slot 27 therethrough which receives' the lowbr end of tile scratch plate. A Thatch can be' ignited by inserting the mate'll ’in the space between ‘ the adjacent edges of the guard flanges 20 and' rubbing it 20'upon the scratch plate. The guard flanges ‘20, 22 and 23 serve to pre Vent parts of the head of the match from flying off when the ' match is ignited.

A preferably circular receiver 28 for waste 25 dr burned matches, and' having a rim 29, is provided with a cutaway part 30, the op' posit e edges of which are bent to form guide flanges 31 inclined toward each other. The bottom of the casing has the side edges 32 30 outwardly extended 'and shaped to’fit¹ into the guide flanges 31 to. permit tile casing to fie removably mounted at the cutaway part of the receiver,^; so that _ the latter encoin’ passes tile .'pocket. It will be understood 35 that the flanges 32 are'tapered similarly to the guide flanges 31 and this arrangement permits the casing to be’ jammed securely though removably in place.

. At the inner sides, hear'the lower'edges, 40 the pocket and the sides of the 'casing have ribs 33 extending a slight distance into the 'casihg. The receptacle is adapted- particularly, for uSe' with tita t cli boxes comprising b'uter containers B, and inner containers 45 C adapted to telescope within the outer con. tamers. A box of this type can be inserted into the casing from the open upper erid, Uhtil the'edges at bne erid of the 'oilier con.'tffiner engage the fib 33. This limits the 50 insertion of the outer container into the . casing though not preventing the inner container Q from being projected further. The continued movement Of the inner container ' causes the box to open so' that the matches 55 fall from the box into the pocket, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 2.