Improvements in Artificial Flowers and in Receptacles for Holding the same.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1898-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Artificial Flowers and in Receptacles for Holding
the same.
We, ANDREW MILROY, of Shieldhall, near Govan, Lanarkshire, Manufacturing
Chemist, JAMES MILROY Shieldhall, near Govan, Lanarkshire, Clerk, Jous
GEORGE ALEXANDER, of 25, Elderpark Street, Govan, Lanarkshire, Clerk, and
WILLIAM ALEXANDER KIRKWOOD, of 40, Princes Street, Pollokshields, Lanark-
shire, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of artificial flowers, and it has for its
object to so construct these as to render them specially adapted for use in sick
rooms and the like.
"
To that end we place in solid form within the bud or petals of the flower or
within the stem at the junction of the leaves and stem or other part of the flower
or flowers or within the receptacle in which the flowers are stored a disinfectant
such as napthaline or its compounds or carbolic acid or other disinfectant form-
ing an essential part of said flower or flowers and this disinfectant may be per-
fumed in order to exhale the odour of any known flower.
Artificial flowers constructed as above are of especial value in sick rooms and the
like as germicides.
Improvements in Artificial Flowers and in Receptacles for Holding
the same.
We, ANDREW MILROY, of Shieldhall, near Govan, Lanarkshire, Manufacturing
Chemist, JAMES MILROY, of Shieldhall, near Govan, Lanarkshire, Clerk, JOHN
GEORGE ALEXANDER, 25, Elderpark Street, Govan, Lanarkshire, Clerk, WILLIAM
ALEXANDER KIRKWOOD, of 28, Melville Street, Pollokshields, Lanarkshire, late
of 40, Princes Street, Pollokshields, Lanarkshire, Clerk, 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:
This invention relates to the manufacture and adaptation of artificial flowers,
leaves, or fruit, also to the manufacture and adaptation of the receptacles, whether
of glass metal, wickerwork or other substances for real or artificial flowers, and has
CD Q77

page_text: for its object to so construct these, or so to make use of them as to render them
especially valuable in sickrooms and the like.
To that end we place in solid form, or in liquid form, within the fruit, or within
the bud or petal of the flower, or, within the stem at the junction of the leaves and
stem, or within any other part or parts of the flower or fruit, a disinfectant such
as beta naphthal" naphthalene, or other disinfectant, forming an essential part
of said flower or fruit, and this disinfectant may be perfumed in order to exhale
the odour of any known flower.
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Or, we may place within any receptacle for artificial flowers, or for real flowers,
a disinfectant such as that we have already mentioned, and which also may be
perfumed in order to exhale the odour of any known flower.
As an example of how solid disinfectant may be used in the manufacture of
artificial flowers, we fuse a disinfectant such as naphthalene to the end of the stem
at which the petals representing the artificial flowers are fixed The solid
naphthalene is then made to represent the pistil or ovary in the construction of the
flower. Or, the solid disinfectant such as naphthalene may be fused in a particular
shape to a stem, and coloured, and so made use of to represent a particular fruit.
As an example of how a liquid disinfectant may be made use of, we construct
artificial flowers with tubular stems, the which we fill with the necessary dis-
infectant.
The tubular stems may be closed at one end and inverted. The narrowness of
the bore of the tube prevents a free admittance of air, and thus the fluid disin-
fectant is retained for a considerable time before it is completely volatilised.
When the disinfectant is exhausted the stems may be again filled.
Or, in the construction of the artificial flower, we make use of a tiny vessel of
caoutchouc, or other suitable substance, to represent the pistil or ovary of the
flower, the which we fill with the necessary fluid disinfectant.
Naphthalene is volatile though solid and we make use of it to retain small
quantities of liquid disinfectant, such as eucalyptus oil, creasote, or carbolic acid.
We make use of receptacles for artificial flowers to retain and conceal, solid
disinfectant in the following manner:-Naphthalene is melted and poured into
a receptacle suitable for its retention and while still molten the stems of artificial
flowers are imbedded in it, the disinfectant in solidifying retains the artificial
flowers in their place. The disinfectant may be screened from observation by
a coating of artificial moss. We make use of receptacles for artificial flowers to
retain and conceal fluid disinfectant in the following manner:-
A vessel of glass or other suitable substance provided with a cover containing
several small holes or apertures is filled with the liquid disinfectant. Worsted threads
or cords of suchlike material the ends of which lie steeped in the liquid within
the aforementioned vessel, are thoroughly soaked with the disinfectant and led
through the apertures; the other ends of these threads or cords are then exposed
to as much surface as possible of a packing of cotton wool, in which the vessel
containing the disinfectant is enclosed and concealed. The cotton wool is coloured
green or coated with artificial moss, or artificial grass, and placed within a suitable
receptacle. The cotton wool slowly absorbs the disinfectant from the threads
or cords, the which by capillary attraction feed themselves with the liquor, and
thus the odour of the disinfectant is slowly disseminated.
Artificial flowers constructed as above are of especial value in sickrooms and the
like as germicides, and if the receptacles for flowers are made use of for retain-
ing a disinfectant it tends partly to relieve or minimise the pungency of the
odour and partly to conceal the presence of the disinfectant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1st. Disinfectant, solid or liquid in the construction of artificial flowers, leaves
or fruit substantially as described

page_text: 2nd. Artificial flowers, leaves or fruit for the concealment or retention of dis-
infectant, solid or liquid, substantially as described.
3rd. Recepticles, glass, metal or wickerwork, or other substances for artificial
or real flowers for the concealment or retention of disinfectant solid or liquid, sub-
stantially as set forth.
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