AN IMPROVED HOLDER for RIBBON AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS IN THE ROLL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of AN IMPROVED HOLDER for
RIBBON AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS IN THE ROLL Communicated to him
from abroad by John Mellette of Winamac in the County of Pulaski, and
State of Indiana, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th February 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
" AN
IMPROVED HOLDER FOR RIBBON AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS IN THE ROLL "
[Communicated to him from abroad by John Mellette of Winamac in the County
of Pulaski, and State of Indiana, United States of America]
This Invention relates to a holder for rolls of ribbon consisting of a spring wire
bent U shaped and having its ends terminating in prongs bent toward each other.
The prongs are bent at or near the middle at an acute angle so that the closed end
of the holder will be a less distance from the ends than the length of the prongs
and will thus render the device elastic. If the ribbon is wound on a hollow roll
baving sides of wood, paste board or heavy paper, holes are formed in the centres
of the sides of the roll into which holes the bent ends of the prongs are passed to
hold the ribbon holder on the roll, the crossed piece of the Ŭ shaped wire being
pressed against the ribbon wound on the roll by the spring in the wire. If the
hollow roll is made of thin pasteboard or paper a hole is made in the middle of
each side and on the sides paper or pasteboard discs or plates are pasted, which are
provided with central apertures having eyelets and into the said eyelets the bent
ends of the U shaped wire are passed. The eyelets prevent the edges of the

page_text: hole from being damaged and ensure an easy movement of the ends in the
eyelets.
The wire holds the free end of the ribbon and in unwinding the ribbon the roll
revolves on the bent ends or the holder describes a circle around the roll and when
the ribbon is cut the free end of that part of the ribbon on the roll will be held
in place by the spring wire. The spring wire holds the ribbon equally well
whether there is a great or a small length of ribbon on the roll. The device can
be used for all kinds of ribbons braids, etc, but the length of the cross piece of the
Ushaped wire must be made to suit the width of the roll:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th August 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents. "AN
IMPROVED HOLDER FOR RIBBON AND OTHER SIMILAR FABRICS IN THE ROLL"
A communication to me from abroad by John Mellette, of Winamac, in the County
of Pulaski and State of Indiana, United States of America.
This Invention relates to devices for holding the free ends of a ribbon on
the roll on which the ribbon is wound, and to the construction of the roll
itself.
The Invention consists in the construction of the said device for holding the
end of a ribbon on the roll, and in the peculiar construction of the roll. The
Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. Figure 1, is a perspective
view of a ribbon roll provided with the ribbon holder. Figure 2, is a perspective
view of the ribbon holder showing it detached from the roll. Figure 3, is a cross-
sectional elevation of the roll on the line . ., Figure 1, the ribbon. holder being
held on the roll. Figure 4 is a cross sectional elevation of the ribbon holder,
showing a modified construction of the same. Figures 5, 6 and 7, are detail
perspective views of modifications of the holder. Figure 8 is a perspective view
of the improved ribbon roll. Figure 9 is a plan view of the blank from which the
same is made.
The holder is formed of a spring wire A made U, shaped and having the ends B
of the prongs bent toward each other. The prongs are bent at or near the middle
at an acute angle, so that the cross piece of the holder will be a less distance from
the ends B than the length of the prongs, and will thus obtain a greater elasticity.
If the ribbon C is wound on a hollow roll having sides of wood, paste-board, or
heavy paper, holes are formed in the centres of the sides of the roll, into which
holes the bent ends B of the prongs are passed to hold the ribbon holder on the
j

page_text: roll, the cross piece of the U shaped wire being pressed against the ribbon wound
on the roll by the spring in the wire. If the hollow reel D is made of thin paste-
board or paper, a hole E is made in the middle of each side, and on the sides of
the paper or paste-board, discs F are pasted, which are provided with central
apertures having eyelets G and into the said eyelets the bent ends B of the
U shaped wire A are passed. The eyelets prevent the edges of the holes from
being torn and ripped by the ends B, and insure an easy movement of the ends B
in the holes. The wire A holds the free end of the ribbon, as shown in Figure 1.
If the end of the ribbon is unwound, the roll revolves on the bent ends, B., and
the holder describes a circle around the roll. If the ribbon is cut, the free end
of that part of the ribbon on the roll will be held in place by the spring wire A..
In order to make the ribbon holder adjustable for rolls of different widths,
I have cut the frame A into two prongs, A¹ in figure 4, having the inner ends
bent to adapt them to be passed into the central apertures of the rolls, and the
outer ends are bent so as to adapt them to be passed into the ends of a transverse
tube B', the length of which is the same as the width of the roll, which tube B' is
pressed on the ribbon and holds the end of the same down on the roll. As the
bent ends of the spring prongs A¹ might leave the ends of the tube A¹ the said
ends are bent upward or sidewise, as shown, or are each provided with a head
or catch in any other suitable manner, and the tube B is provided with a cavity
or recess ỗ near each end, into which cavities or recesses the bent ends or heads of
the prongs are passed or snapped, whereby the ends of the said prongs will be held
in the ends of the tube B¹. In place of one cavity b for each prong, one cavity b¹
may be provided at the middle of the tube B', into which cavity the ends of both
prongs are passed. If desired, the bent ends of the prongs A¹ can be passed into
slots in the tube B¹. In this manner the ribbon holder can be adjusted for rolls
of any desired width the variable parts consisting of the tube B¹, the spring
prongs A' always operating the same.
As stated above, the roll can be made of wood, paste-board, thick paper, or any
other suitable material. I prefer to make it of veneer, and to construct it in a
certain manner, whether made of veneer or thick paste-board. A strip A³ (figure 8)
of veneer or any other strip of very thin wood is punched out of a sheet integral
with two circular pieces B³ united with the opposite longitudinal edges of the
strip A at about the middle of the length of the same. The strip A2 is provided
in its longitudinal edges with a series of notches or mortises a' and the circular
pieces B are provided on the edges with tenons, tongues or projections b* fitting
in the notches a² in the edges of the strip A. The circular pieces B' are bent
upward at right angles to the strip A³ and the ends of the strip A² are passed
around the edges of the pieces B³, the projections 6 passing into the notches a³,
and then the strip A is glued to the edges of the pieces B. If desired, the pieces B³
can be cut out independently of the strip A which is then glued to the edges of
the said pieces. If desired, the edges of the pieces B* can be bent over inwardly,
and the strip A is then glued to the said inwardly bent parts. The wooden rolls
made of veneer or very thin sheets or plates of wood are very light, strong, and
durable, and have a very handsome appearance.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is:-
1. The combination with a hollow ribbon roll D, having holes in the sides, of the
disc F pasted on the sides of the rolls and provided with eyelets at the middle, and
of the U shaped wire A having its ends bent toward each other and passed into
the said eyelets, substantially as herein shown and described
2. A. ribbon holder constructed of two wire spring prongs having their outer
bent ends passed into the opposite ends of a tube, substantially as herein shown
and described.
3. In a ribbon holder, the combination with spring prongs A¹ having outer
.

page_text: bent ends, of a tube B¹ into the ends of which the bent ends of the prongs are
passed, which ends of the prongs are held in the tube in such a manner that they
cannot fall out, substantially as herein shown and described.
4. In a ribbon holder, the combination with the spring prongs A¹ having bent
ends, of the tube B¹ having one or more cavities or recesses for receiving the
upturned bent ends or headed ends of the prongs, substantially as herein shown
and described.
5. A ribbon roll made of a strip of thin material passed around the edges of two
circular pieces and punched or cut out integral with the said strip, substantially as
herein shown and described.
6. A ribbon roll made of a strip of thin material punched or cut out integral
with two circular pieces, one on each longitudinal edge of the strip, the edges of
the strip being provided with notches, and the edges of the circular pieces being
provided with projections fitting into the notches in the edges of the strip, sub-
stantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty seventh day of August A.D. 1883.