Improvements in Spool-holders.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spool-holders.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Josiah Newport Hornblower of the City, County
and State of New York, United States of America), do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Heretofore before my invention spool-cotton and other spooled goods have been
displayed and packed in boxes having divisioned partitions in them to keep the
goods in regular order, so that they may be readily selected and taken out.
The nature of this my invention relates to the arrangement of shelves to receive
the spools; and it consists in providing them with a flexible projection or edge to
retain the spool on the shelf in any position of the shelf and the various arrange-
ments and combinations hereinafter specified and claimed.
Figure 1 is a face view.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on a line X X, of Figure 4, with the spools
removed.
Figure 3 is a vertical section showing the spools in position.
Figure 4 is a horizontal cross section.
Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section of a modification.
Figure 6 is a horizontal cross section of a modification.
igure
Fi
7 is a horizontal cross section of still another modification.
Figure 8 is a vertical section of a modification.
Figure 9 is a vertical section of another modification.
Figure 10 is a cover or case applied to the holder.
My spool-holder I ordinarily make in the form of a triangle or wedge, the shelves
being continuous on all sides, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. The central portion
consists of a block or box, on each side whereof there is a series of shelves a, b, c,
d, e, and f. The space between each shelf is provided with a flexible projection g
from the edge of one of the shelves, so as to retain the spools upon the shelf upon
which they are placed until they are forcibly removed therefrom.
In Figure 2 the upper shelf or top a has a projection downward only and the
lower shelf or bottom has a projection upward only, while the intermediate
shelves have projections both upwardly and downwardly, whereby the space
between each of the shelves is provided with a projection or flange at the top and
The shelves are
bottom, so as to retain the spools s in position on the shelf.
ordinarily made only sufficiently wide to accommodate one row of spools. They
may be, however, made wider without departing from the nature of my invention.
The triangular or wedge shape form I have generally used, as it more readily packs
without wasting room in the packing box. I may, however, make my holder
square, six sided, polygonal, or round, as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7.
The box or block at the centre of the shelves may be used for the storage of
spool-cotton or any other article, and such arrangement is shewn on Figure 2,
where k is the cover of that central box. I generally provide a cover or case as
shown in Figure 10, which encloses the entire spool-holder, excludes dust, and
retains the spools in position against the jars of packing, shipping, and travel.
The mode of operation is as follows: The spools are placed on the shelves and a
strip of stiff paper, cloth, rubber, or other flexible material g is fastened to the edge
of a shelf, so as to form the projections specified to retain the spools, or the strips
may be applied and the spools introduced afterward, as desired, the strips being
sufficiently flexible and elastic to permit the spools to be thus introduced on the
shelves. To remove any particular spool, it is only necessary to pull the spool out

page_text: between the flexible projections, which should be so made as to readily yield. It is
manifest that the spools may be moved along the shelf, so as to make one or more
faces of the holder present an unbroken appearance. Thus the sides toward the
customer may be kept full and make a good display, while the other sides are not
full New spools may be introduced at any time and the holder kept full, so as to
avoid presenting an untidy appearance. I may vary the construction by making
one of the projections or flanges rigid instead of flexible and depend upon the
flexibility of the other projection for the introduction and removal of the spools.
Such construction is shown in Figure 8, where the parts h are rigid and the parts g
are flexible, thus giving one flexible projection between each shelf. I may make
still further modifications in the construction by making the shelves as shown in
section in Figure 9, wherein the top shelf has a downwardly projecting flexible
flange g while the shelf next below it has no flange at or near its edge the shelves
being so near to one another that a spool placed between them would be within the
line of the flexible projection on the upper shelf. The shelf next below is
provided with a flexible projection both on its upper and lower side so as to retain
the spools placed above it or below it. In this form only one projecting flange is
provided for each row of spools, and it is immaterial whether that be on the upper
or lower shelf, it will still retain the spools on the shelf until they are forcibly
removed therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
1. In a spool-holder, the combination of a block or box with two or more
shelves one of which is provided with a flexible projection toward the contiguous
shelf, as specified.
2. In a spool-holder, the combination of a block or box with two or more shelves
provided with a projection toward the contiguous shelf, as specified.
3. In a spool-holder, the combination of a block or box with two or more
continuous shelves around the same, one of which is provided with a flexible
projection towards its adjacent contiguous shelf, as specified.
4. In a spool-holder, the combination of a block or box with two or more
continuous shelves around the same each provided with a flexible projection toward
the contiguous shelf, as specified.
5. In a spool-holder, the combination of a block or box with two or more
continuous shelves provided with flexible projections, and a cover or case, substan-
tially as specified.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1893.
SYDNEY PITT.