provements in the Construction of Letters for Signs, Type Blocks for Printing Purposes, and the like
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May 1895
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar 1896-4ccepted, 11th Ar 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in the Construction of Letters for Signs, Type Blocks
for Printing Purposes, and the like
I, HERBERT DRAKE WHITELEY of 522 Gt Cheetham Street, Higher
Broughton, Manchester, Pattern Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows
-
My invention relates to the construction of letters for signs, name plates, etc, for
general advertising and other purposes, and refers chiefly to that class of letter made
singly and attachable to a board or frame, and my invention has for its object to facili
tate and cheapen the construction of such letters and enable them to be more readily
put together in the construction of words or signs My invention, also relates to
type blocks as used for printing bill posters and the like, which are usually all made
of wood with the type engraved thereon, and my invention has for its object to
construct type blocks with rubber or similar flexible type, which will yield an
impression more or less equal to wood type, and which by the means hereinafter
described may be readily attached to a wooden or other backing and so form a type
block of type height without the labor and cost hitherto incuired
In accordance with my invention and is applied to the construction of letters for
signs, etc, I employ india-rubber, gutta-percha, zinc or imilar and suitable mouldable
material, and I also employ one, two or more perforated and spiked metal plate
with small points or projections on the spiked face and I so ari inge this plate (or
plates, in a mould corresponding to the shape and thickness of the entire letter
required (or part or section of such letter) that as the india-rubber aforesaid is run
into such mould it surrounds and encloses the plate (or plates), but with the spikes
protruding from the rear face of the letter
If only a section of the letter is thu moulded, the other sections when put together
make up the complete letter and thus it will be seen that by making the letter or
sections thereof of india-rubber or the like and moulding the spiked plates therein
aforesaid with the spikes protruding, facility is afforded for readily making up
words or signs and attaching them to doors, floors, sign boards, shop fronts and other
wooden objects required to carry them
a
Punctuation and other mirks, figures or devices, direction hands and lines may
also be formed in accordance with my invention
By varying the moulds the letters may be variously shaped and ornamented
Said letters may also be painted on gilded and variously got up to produce
attractive effect
Instead of single letters or figures an entire word may be moulded and provided
with a spiked metal plate (or plates) and I may combine such words or letters with
an enameled or similar plate having holes in corre ponding to the spikes of the
or letters and through which such spikes may pass and thus serve for
attaching the entire sign or on bung clenched or rivetted over on the back of
the plate simply serve to fix the words or letters to such plate
word
In accordance with the second part of my invention and as applied to type blocks
as used for printing purposes I mould the type in india rubber o other mouldable
and suitable substance and in the moulding of such type I introduce the aforesaid
perforated spiked metal plate (or plates) as in the case of the letters etc, with the
spikes protruding on the rear face thereof On applying this rubber and spiked

page_text: type to a backing of wood I produce type block of type height without the
expensive labor of carving out the type each time a letter is required and with the
type sufficiently rigid to give a sharp impression
In lieu of spikes the plates may be provided with screws or other suitable forms
of fastenings
Dated this 3rd day of May 1895
Improvements in the Construction of Letters for Signs, Type Blocks
for Printing Purposes, and the like
I
HERBERT DRAKE WHITELEY of 522 Gt Cheetham Street, Higher
Broughton, Manchester, Pattern Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manuer the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement
for
My invention relates to the construction of letters for signs, name plates, etc,
general advertising and other purposes, and refers thiefly to that class of letter
made singly and attachable to a boaid or frame, and my invention has for its object
to facilitate and cheapen the construction of such letters and enable them to be more
readily put together in the construction of words, or signs My invention also relates
to type blocks as used for printing bill posters and the like, which are usually all
made of wood with the type engraved thereon, and my invention has for its object
to construct such blocks with rubber or similar flexible type, which shall yield an
impression more or less equal to wood type, and which, when applied by the means
hereinafter described to wooden or other back, will produce a type block of type
height without the labor and expense hitherto incurred
In accordance with my invention I employ india-rubber, gutta-percha, zinc or
similar and suitable mouldable material, and I also employ one, two or more
perforated and spiked metal plates with small points or projections on the spiked
face, and I so arrange this plate (or plates) in a mould corresponding to the shape
and thickness of the entire letter required (or part or section of such letter) that as
the india-rubber aforesaid is run into such mould it surrounds and encloses the
plate (or plates), but with the spikes protruding from the rear face of the
letter
And in order that my said invention shall be the more readily understood and
cared into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings and I
will now proceed to describe the sanie with the assistance of the various figures
and letters of reference marked thereon
Fig 1 is a front view, and Fig 2 a side or edge view of the letter "E" made
in accordance with my invention, and which differs in no material respect from all
other letters or figures made according to my invention
Figs 3 and 4 illustrate the imbedded plate or frame of the improved letter,
separately
F igs 5 and 6 illustrate in plan and transverse section the method of moulding
the improved letters Figs 7 & 8 illustrate the application of such letters to a
metal plate, and Figs 9 and 10 illustrate my invention as applied for type blocks
for printing purposes
'
As will be seen more clearly in Fig 6, the spiked metal plate (A) 1> formed
with "paps
or bosses (B) so that when the plate is placed in the mould such
bosses bold the plate away from the bottom of the mould, and consequently as the
andi-rubber or other material of which the letter is made is run into the mould, it

page_text: gets under and surrounds the plate, and when cool is firmly attached thereto, with
the spikes (C) projecting from the rear side of the letter, since in moulding the
same the spikes are caused to take into tapered holes (D) in the mould, and thus
be removed from the rubber For removing the letter after moulding the upper
half (E, is taken away
For the more complete attachment of the india-rubber to the plate, openings (F)
are formed in such plate (see Fig 2), through which the india-rubber runs, and so
inter-moulds itself with plate
The application of my invention to type blocks is precisely similar to that of the
sign letters, as shewn in Figs 9 and 10, the type face (G) being formed with a
spiked plate in it and the spikes protruding, which are driven into the required
wooden backing (H) to complete the block
For large sizes the improved letters, and type block facia may be moulded in
sections, or for small sizes entire words may be moulded instead of single letters,
with a continuous plate or a separate plate for each, and connected together by
the moulded substance
Punctuation and other marks, figures or devices, direction bands and lines, may
also be formed in accordance with my invention
By varying the moulds the
letters may be variously shaped and ornamented
I may combine the said letters with an enamelled or similar plate (c) (see Fig 7)
having holes formed in it corresponding to the spikes of the words or letters, and
through which such spikes may pass, and thus serve for attaching the entire sign,
or on being clenched or rivetted over on the back of the plate simply serve to fix
the words or letters on such plate
In lieu of spikes the plates may be provided with screws, or other suitable forms
of fastenings
Having thus 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 I claim
and desire to secure by Letters Patent is
1st Sign letters and the like moulded with spiked metal plate (or plates) in
them, and spikes protruding from rear face thereof as and for the purposes
set forth
2nd Type facia for type blocks for printing purposes, moulded with spiked
metal plate (or plates) in them & with the spikes thereof serving to secure the
same to a wooden backing, as set forth
Dated this 6th day of March 1896
HERBERT DRAKE WHITELEY,
By John G Wilson & Co,
Agents