IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HEADS FOR DOLLS AND FOR OTHER Toys
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HEADS FOR DOLLS AND FOR OTHER
Toys." A communication from abroad by George II. Hawkins, of
the City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 9th February 1869, and dated the 16th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
on the 16th September 1868.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HEADS FOR
DOLLS AND FOR OTHER TOYS," a communication, to be as follows :—
My Invention relates to dolls heads and heads for toy human figures

page_text: or animals. I employ as a stock for the same a textile or felted fabric
or cloth formed by weaving, felting, or other process, which fabric is
moulded when heated in any proper manner, the dies used giving the
proper configuration to the head while the heat dries the cloth so that
it will permanently retain the configuration thus given to it. The head
is moulded in two separate parts by two pairs of dies, and the said
parts are afterwards lapped together, the lapped surfaces being
slightly moistened and united by pressure. By this method I can
produce a very cheap, durable, almost indestructable, and at the same
time neat and elegant doll or other figure head. Two dies are made
of such a form as to give the desired configuration to the front half of
the head, which includes of course the face; two other dies give the
proper configuration to the rear half of the head. I use as a stock or
material for the manufacture of the heads buckram, muslin, or any
cloth produced by weaving, felting, or other process, and saturated or
dressed with starch, size, or other glutinous matter. The said cloth is
moistened when required for use and pressed while damp between the
dies, which being heated will dry the cloth and press it into the required
shape at one operation. The drying of the glutinous matter will cause
the cloth to retain the configuration given by the dios. The two parts
of the head after being thus formed are adjusted together by lapping
one part a short distance over the other, the lapped surface being
properly moistened and then pressed together by means of inner and
outer tools properly heated, one tool being inserted within the head to
form a bearing at the inner surface of the lap, while the other bears
or presses against the exterior surface of the same. Two sets of such
tools are required for each head so as to conform to the configuration on
each side. The pressure of these heated tools on the lapped surfaces
while moist forms a close and tight scam. These heads may be enamelled
and colored as easily as heads manufactured of any other material.
Another advantage obtained by my Invention is that the features may
be brought out sharply and distinctly and will remain so owing to the
nature of the material or stock.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 15th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake,
Her special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HEADS FOR DOLLS
AND FOR OTHER Tors," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates to dolls' heads and heads for toy human figures,
or animals. I employ as a stock for the same a textile or felted fabric
or cloth formed by weaving, felting, or other process, which fabric is
moulded when heated in any proper manner, the dies used giving the

page_text: proper configuration to the head, while the heat dries the cloth so that
it will permanently retain the configuration thus given to it. The head
is moulded in two separate parts by two pairs of dies, and the said parts
are afterwards lapped together, the lapped surfaces being slightly
moistened and united by pressure. By this method I can produce a
very cheap, durable, almost indestructible, and at the same time neat
and elegant doll or other figure bead which is more durable in every
respect than the ordinary papier maché head or heads composed of other
material.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are
vertical sections of the dies and tools employed for moulding the head
or giving to it the desired configuration, and for joining the parts thereof
together; Figure 4 is a view of the head made according to my
Invention. Similar letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in
the several Figures.
A, A, B, B', represent two pairs of dies constructed of any suitable
material. The dies A, A', are made of such a form as to give the
desired configuration to the front half of the head, which includes of
course the face, as shewn in Figure 1. The other dies B, B', give the
proper configuration to the rear half of the head, as shewn in Figure 2.
I use as a stock or material for the manufacture of the heads buckram,
muslin, or any cloth produced by weaving, felting, or other process, and
saturated or dressed with starch, size, or other glutinous matter. The
said cloth is moistened when required for use, and pressed while damp
between the dies, which being heated will dry the cloth and press it
into the required shape at one and the same operation, and the drying
of the glutinous matter will enable the cloth to retain the configuration
given by the dies. The two parts of the head after being thus formed
are adjusted together by lapping one part a short distance over the other,
the lapped surfaces being properly moistened and then pressed together
by means of an inner and outer seaming tool or tools C, C³, properly
heated and so constructed and arranged that one tool may be inserted
within the head to form a bearing at the inner surface of the lap while
the other bears or presses against the exterior surface of the same, there
being two sets of such tools for each head, so as to conform to the con-
figuration on cach side, a set C, C', for one side only being shown in
the Drawings. The pressure of these heated tools on the lapped surfaces
while moist forms a close and tight scam which is designated by b,

page_text: Figures 3 and 4. Doll or other toy figure heads may be very cheaply
constructed in this way and still be strong and durable and almost
indestructible by ordinary usage. They may be enamelled and colored
equally as well as heads manufactured of any other material.
Another advantage this Invention possesses is that the features of the
face may be brought out sharp and distinct, and they will remain so
owing to the nature of the material or stock, as cloth whether woven or
felted has when starched or sized and compressed between heated surfaces
a far greater degree of tenuity and toughness than any other substance
the fibres of which depend alone for cohesion upon starch or size. Such
substances by compression may be made quite dense and hard, but
they are quite brittle, and when made into thin hollow articles, like a
doll or other toy figure head, are very likely to break.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,―
First. A toy figure head when composed of a textile fabric which is
previously stiffened with a glutinous material, then pressed in parts
between heated dies, and afterwards has the edges or seams of such parts
joined by means of heated scaming tools in the manner substantially as
herein described.
Second. The combination of the dies with the seaming tools, substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.