IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOCKETS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gilbert, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Stamper and Piercer, for, the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCKETS."
Sealed the 3rd November 1868, and dated the 23rd July 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gilbert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28rd July 1868..
I, WILLIAM GILBERT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Stamper and Piercer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKETS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing lockets in the following
manner I make the frame carrying the miniature or other article to
be held in the locket turn out of the case of the locket at the side of
the said ease somewhat after the manner in which the blade of a pocket
knife turns out of the handle, instead of making the locket open by a.
lid similar to the lid of a box or cover of a book as usual. I make.
the case of the locket out of one piece of sheet metal folded at its

page_text: middle, the blank having the figure of the two sides of the case joined
together by a narrow strip or band. The doubling of the blank is
effected at the said narrow strip or band. I also make the frame of
the locket of a blank, having the figure of the two sides of the said
frame joined by a band or strip at the middle. When doubled at the
said band or strip the said frame is fixed in the case by means of the
suspending ring, which passes through a hole in the case and frame
opposite or nearly opposite the narrow strips or bands where they are
folded. The frame of the locket turns upon the said suspending ring
as a centre. The folded band of the case constitutes a stop, against
which the folded band of the frame shuts or abuts and by which the
motion of the said frame is limited. The folded part of the frame
also constitutes a catch, by means of which the frame may be drawn
out of its case by the application of the thumb or finger nail..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Gilbert in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GILBERT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Stamper and
Piercer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, 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 Gilbert, Her special licence that I,
the said William Gilbert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Gilbert, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 lawfully 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 LOCKETS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Gilbert,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: 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 Gilbert, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing lockets in the following
manner I make the frame carrying the miniature or other article to
be held in the locket turn out of the case of the locket at the side of
the said case somewhat after the manner in which the blade of a pocket
knife turns out of the handle, instead of making the locket open by a
lid similar to the lid of a box or cover of a book as usual. I make the
case of the locket out of one piece of sheet metal folded at its middle, the
blank having the figure of the two sides of the case joined together by
a narrow strip or band. The doubling of the blank is effected at the
said narrow strip or band. I also make the frame of the locket of a
blank having the figure of the two sides of the said frame joined by a
band or strip at the middle. When doubled at the said band or strip
the said frame is fixed in the case by means of the suspending ring
which passes through a hole in the case and frame opposite or nearly
opposite the narrow strips or bands where they are folded. The frame
of the locket turns upon the said suspending ring as a centre. The
folded band of the case constitutes a stop, against which the folded
band of the frame shuts or abuts, and by which the motion of the
said frame is limited. The folded part of the frame also constitutes
a catch, by means of which the frame may be drawn out of its case by
the application of the thumb or finger nail.
.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front and side elevation a locket made
according to my Invention, the frame of the locket being turned into
its case so as to conceal the miniature or other article held in the frame,
and Figure 2 represents the said locket with the frame turned out of
its case so as to expose the miniature or other article.
The said locket consists of two parts, namely, of a case marked a and

page_text: The frame b
a frame b working between the sides of the said case a.
carries the miniature or other article to be held in the locket. The
said case a and frame 6 are connected together by the suspending ring c
(or its equivalent), which passes through holes at d in the case and
frame. The said ring c also constitutes a centre upon which the
frame 6 may turn, so that the said frame can at pleasure be turned
out of its case a at the side thereof for the purpose of exhibiting
the miniature or article contained in the locket, as illustrated in
Figure 2, or pushed into its case for the purpose of concealing the said
miniature or article, as illustrated in Figure 1. At the bottom of the
frame and nearly opposite the joint at d is a catch e which serves
to draw the said frame out of its case by the application of the thumb
or finger nail, and the bottom of the case a is provided with a stop f
against which the catch e of the frame b abuts, when the latter is
turned into its case and the motion of the said frame thus limited. I
make the case a and frame beach from one piece of sheet metal, in
the following manner:-I cut out from sheet metal by means of tools
worked in a press a blank of the form represented in Figure 3, the said
blank having the figure of the two sides of the case to be made, the said
sides being joined together by the narrow band or strip f. I take the
blank, Figure 3, and if it is to be ornamented I ornament its surface
with any required ornamental design, pattern, inscription, or device by
means of a second pair of dies or otherwise, as illustrated in Figure 4.
I next pierce at the opposite edge of each half of the ornamented blank
a hole g. I next double or fold, by means of dies worked in a press,
the halves of the blank upon one another at the middle or connecting
band in the manner illustrated in Figure 5, and thereby produce a
case similar to the case a, Figures 1 and 2. By the operation of the
dies the halves of the blank are folded parallel or nearly so to one
another, a sufficient space being left between them to receive the frame
of the locket. The halves of the blank thus folded are joined together
by the band f, which is of sufficient length to form the stop f. Figures 1
and 2 in the complete locket. The frame b of the locket is made in
a similar way from a single piece of sheet metal, that is to say, a blank
represented in Figure 6 is cut from sheet metal, the halves of the said
The blank is next
blank being joined together by the band or strip e.
pierced with the central holes h, h, and side piercings i, i, as represented
in Figure 7, and is finally folded or doubled at the connecting band e so
as to form a frame, as represented in Figure 8, similar to that marked b

page_text: in Figures 1 and 2. The connecting band e of the blank is of sufficient
length to form when the blank is folded the catch e, Figures 1 and 2,
of the complete locket. I am aware that the frames of lockets in which
the miniatures or other articles are held are ordinarily made of a doubled
plate of metal, but the said ordinary frames are without the projecting
connecting band or strip which in my improved locket forms the catch
described. The case and frame having been thus made the miniature
or article to be held in the locket is inserted in the frame b, and the
latter is then introduced into the case a, the holes g and i of the said
case and frame being made to coincide. A suspending ring c being
passed through the holes g, i, of the case and frame, the said parts
are joined together, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and the locket is
complete.
Although I have described and represented the case and frame of
the locket as each made from a doubled or folded blank, yet a frame
made from two separate blanks afterwards joined together may be
combined in the manner described and represented with a case made of
a doubled or folded blank. I do not limit myself to the position of
the catch and stop of the locket, nor to the outline or shape of the
case and frame of the said locket, nor to the ornamental design or
pattern with which the case is ornamented, as the said case may be
ornamented with any desired pattern, inscription, or device, or be left
plain.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvements in
lockets herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, making the case of the locket of a doubled or
folded blank or piece of sheet metal, and combining with the said case
a frame made either of a doubled or folded blank or piece of sheet
metal or of two single blanks or pieces of sheet metal, the said case
and frame being joined together by a suspending ring or its equivalent,
which ring also forms a centre upon which the frame may be turned
out of or into the case, substantially as described and illustrated;
also making the case and frame of lockets of the kind described with
projecting connecting bands or strips which when the parts of the

page_text: locket are connected together constitute a stop and catch, substantially
as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gilbert, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM GILBERT. (L.S.)