FREDERICK WILLIAM COX, my maternal grandfather, could well be called the father of the modern paint tin.

In 1931, while working for Mander Bros of Wolverhampton, he invented a new design for cans with push-on lids.

Prior to the time of his invention, the sides of a paint tin did not have the familiar channel around the top edge. Lids would commonly 'pop' loose if the tins were knocked, with consequent spillage of paint.

My grandfather's innovation actually went beyond the concept of stiffening the top edge of paint tins, and included the design of the machine to form it.

The original text of the patent application (including his original drawings) can be downloaded HERE . The ZIP file contains a PDF.