New or Improved Means or Method of Attaching or Fixing Pieces or Tablets of Soap to the Backs of Bath or other Brushes or similar Articles or Holders.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 189C-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1840
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Means or Method of Attaching or Fixing Pieces
or Tablets of Soap to the Backs of Bath or other Brushes or
similar Articles or Holders.
I, DONALD NOBLE, formerly of Elmwood House, Leeds, in the County of York,
but now residing at the Old Wheat Sheaf Hotel, High Street, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Hitherto in using pieces or tablets of soap for bathing and cleaning purposes great
difficulty has been experienced in preventing the soap from slipping out of the hands
when wet, and also by the hands requiring to be rinsed after holding the soap before
handling other articles.
Now the object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and to provide
means whereby a piece or tablet of soap may in the course of manufacture (or after-
wards) be easily and readily attached to (or detached from) the back of a brush or
any other suitable holder in such a manner that the soap may be worn or used to a
very thin layer without injury to the user or the liability of breaking into pieces as
at present.
According to this invention a thin piece or layer of wood or other hard and water-
proof material is (in the course of the manufacture of the soap or afterwards) inserted,
bedded in, or attached to one of the surfaces,-preferably though not necessarily so a
flat surface of the tablet or piece. The piece of wood or other suitable material,
hereafter termed the attaching piece, is preferably made slightly smaller, (with or
without tapering edges) than the surface of the soap to which it is attached or applied
in order that it may be imbedded therein and edged therewith. In the centre of
the attaching piece may be formed or cut one or more rectangular, oval, or other
shaped holes; and round or about the central hole or holes may be cut or formed any
desired number of small conical, or other shaped tapering or straight holes through
which the soap is run, passed, or forced for the purpose of holding or fastening the
attaching piece in position.
To the back of a brush or any other suitable holder may be fixed a flat spring, or
other catch piece, or a book and spring catch combined, in such a manner that one
or both ends thereof may enter one (or more) of the central hole (or holes) for fixing
the tablet or piece of soap to the back of the brush or other holder, and retaining it
there until the soap has been used down to a thin layer when the attaching piece
may be readily removed and a new piece or tablet fixed in position.
By imbedding the attaching piece in the soap its edges are prevented from injuring
the user when the piece or tablet has been used to a very thin layer.
Dated this Thirty-first day of December 1889.
DONALD NUBLE.
By W. Fairburn-Hart.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Means or Method of Attaching or Fixing Pieces
or Tablets of Soap to the Backs of Bath or other Brushes or
similar Articles or Holders.
I, DONALD NOBLE, formerly of Elmwood House. Leeds, in the County of York,
but now residing at the Wheat Shea Hotel, High Street Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, 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:-
Hitherto in using pieces or tablets of soap for bathing and cleaning purposes great

page_text: difficulty has been experienced in preventing the soap from slipping out of the hands
when wet, and also by the hands requiring to be rinsed after holding the soap before
handling other articles.
Now the object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties, and to provide
means whereby a piece or tablet of soap may in the course of manufacture (or after-
wards) be easily and readily attached to (or detached from) the back of a brush or
any other suitable holder in such a manner that the soap may be worn or used to a
very thin layer without injury to the user or the liability to it breaking into pieces as
at present.
In the drawings :-
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a sectional elevation and a plan of attaching
piece.
Fig. 3 a sectional elevation showing the attaching piece fixed in position in a tablet
or other piece of soap.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are respectively a part sectional elevation, a plan, an elevation,
and an end elevation showing a piece of soap attached to the back of a brush.
Fig. 8 an elevation of a shaving brush with a piece of soap attached to its end.
Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively an elevation and a plan of a piece of soap suitable
for attaching to a shaving brush.
Fig. 11 a sectional elevation of a soap dish with a tablet of soap fixed to its tray.
Fig. 12 an elevation of a piece of soap with an attaching piece fixed thereto.
Figs. 13, 14, 15, and 16 are respectively a sectional elevation, an end elevation, an
elevation, and a plan of suitable catches (all drawn on an enlarged scale) for retaining
the pieces of soap to the back of a brush or other holder.
Like parts in all the views are marked with similar letters of reference.
A is the attaching piece which may be made of wood, metal, or other hard and
waterproof material, such as for instance vulcanite, ebonite, celluloid, and gutta-
percha. When metal, say brass or zinc, is used it will be necessary to round off all
the sharp edges in order to prevent injury to the user as the soap wears away. The
attaching piece may be made in any suitable shape (such as for instance circular,
oval, square, or polygon) and thickness. For say an oval tablet of soap about
three inches at its greatest length, by two and a quarter inches in width, and one
inch in thickness I have found if the attaching piece A is made about one inch and
seven-eighths of an inch in length by one and a quarter inches in width and about
three thirty seconds of an inch in thickness at its thinnest part it will answer well in
practice. In the centre of the attaching piece is cut or formed a rectangular or other
shaped hole a. In the drawings a rectangular hole is shown about say three fourths
of an inch in length by about three sixteenths of an inch in width. Around this hole
the attaching piece may be strengthened and increased in thickness, if desired, as
shown by means of a projecting flange a' (with straight or angular sides or both) say
about one eighth of an inch in thickness and width to form a protection for the
retaining catch to be hereafter described. The portions a² a³ of the flange a¹ and
piece A adjacent to the hole a are tapered in opposite directions to enable the retaining
catch to obtain a better grip on the attaching piece. In the thinner portion of the
attaching piece and around the flange a¹ may also be formed or provided any desired
number of conical or other suitably shaped holes or slits at a preferably though not
necessarily so, made to slightly taper as shown to the outer surface as of the attaching
piece. These holes or slits may when desired be shaped in the form of letters as
shown in the drawings at Fig. 2, and thus be used for advertising as well as retaining
purposes. In this manner a soap maker's or retailer's name, or other name, brand, or
quality of the soap may be readily shown by the means that is employed for retaining
the attaching piece in position. Or in place of the letters any desired number of
straight. curved, circular, elliptical, angular, or other shaped holes or slits may be
used. The edges a of the attaching piece may be either bevilled as shown at Fig. 1
or straight as shown at Fig. 12. In practice I prefer making the attaching piece A
smaller than the piece or tablet of soap to which it is to be applied in order that it
may have an edging of soap all round thereby permitting of the soap being used to a

page_text: smaller layer. But when it is desired it may be made the same size as the piece of
soap to which it is to be attached, as shown at Fig. 12.
The attaching piece A may be placed in the mould in which the tablet D or other
piece of soap is formed so that it will be level with its outer surface, or slightly within
it as shown at Fig. 3, and the soap may then be run or otherwise placed therein and
made to surround the piece as well as pass through the retaining holes at. By this
means the attaching piece A is securely fixed in position in or to the tablet D by the
edges a and the plugs of soap which are made to pass through the holes a without
the aid of any other fastening device thereby reducing the danger of injury to the
user to a minimum.
Although I have described and shown a single attaching piece A inserted in a
tablet D, yet I would have it understood that two or more attaching pieces may when
desired be arranged in a bar of soap in order that the user may divide it into pieces
as required and attach them to a brush or other holder. Further, the attaching
pieces may also be forced or pressed by any suitable means into a piece of soap after
it has been manufactured, when this is done, the holes a* and edges a as well as the
outer edges of the flange a¹ may be straight or tapered in an opposite direction to that
shown in the drawings. The outer surface as of the attaching piece instead of being
made flat as shown, may when desired be curved or otherwise shaped to fit the back
of the brush or other holder to which it is to be attached.
The tablet D or other piece of soap may be fixed longitudinally as at Figs. 4 and 6,
or transversely as at Fig. 5 to the back of a brush C by a flat spring, or by a hook
and spring catch, or any other suitable catch or retaining piece. The form of
retaining catch I prefer to employ is constructed as shown at Figs. 13 to 16 but
I distinctly wish it to be understood I do not confine myself to these constructions
of catches.
At Figs. 13 and 14 the retaining catches B B¹ are mounted in a cylindrical or
other shaped casing 6, the outer ends of which are slightly turned over to prevent the
catches B B being forced out of the casing by a helical spring b¹ which is interposed
between them for pressing them outwards. Each of the catches is provided with a
cuniform end to enable it to obtain a better hold upon the tapered portions a² a³, as
well as to enable the attaching piece A to be more readily attached to or detached
from the back of the brush or holder. To the casing bis fixed a screw b³ for securing
the retaining catch to the back of a brush or other holder or place. But in some
instances the outer casing b may be dispensed with and a retaining catch constructed
as shown at Figs. 15 and 16 employed. In this arrangement the catch B' is fixed by
means of screws 63 passing into the back of brush C, whilst catch B is made to slide
on the back of the brush by means of a screw 64 passing through the slot hole 6 in
its flange. The bevilled portion 66 of the catches B B may be made to correspond
with the tapered portions a² a³ of the attaching piece A; and the catches are kept
apart by a helical spring b. When it is required to attach a piece of soap with this
form of catch the tapered portion a² of the attaching piece A is passed over catch B
and it is then pressed in the direction of arrow thereby compressing the spring bl
until the tapered portion a³ of piece A can be passed over catch B' when spring
allowed to expand and thus forces the catches B, B1 tightly against the tapered
portions a² a for holding the soap in position. But in the case of the telescopic
catch shown at Figs. 4, 6, 13, and 14 when the piece of soap is pressed on to or pulled
from the back of the brush the catches are arranged to compress the spring b' by
closing inwards until their cuniform ends 62 are clear of the hole a.
is
It will readily be understood that the width of the retaining catch or catches must
in all cases be such as will freely pass within the hole a.
The pieces of soap may be made in any convenient shape such as oval, as shown at
Figs. 4 and 5, rectangular as shown at Figs. 6 and 12, conical as shown at Figs. 9
and 10, triangular or other irregular shape as shown (by dotted lines) at Fig. 7.
At Fig. 8 the soap is shown attached to a shaving brush C, and at Fig. 11 to the
tray e of a soap dish E in which case the retaining catch may be fixed by screws or
rivets to the tray; the ordinary draining holes e¹ being utilized for the insertion of

page_text: the screws or rivets. Or the ordinary draining holes e¹ may be employed in place of
the holes a¹ for fixing the soap directly to the tray e without the aid of an attaching
piece and retaining catch.
Pieces or tablets of soap may also by means of the herein described attaching
pieces and retaining catches applied as set forth be easily and readily fixed to the side
or top of a bath, wash stand or basin, bucket, or any other desired holder so that it
may be used without handling, as well as preventing it from wasting in the water.
I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to any of the dimensions
herein given as they may be increased or diminished as circumstances require.
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 I
claim is :-
:-
1. The means or method such as herein described and illustrated for attaching or
fixing pieces or tablets of soap to the backs of bath or other brushes, or similar
articles, or holders whereby increased facility and security in attachment is obtained,
substantially as herein set forth.
2. In the attachment of a piece or tablet of soap to the back of a brush or other
holder, the use of an attaching piece such as A constructed, applied, and retained in
position in or to the soap substantially as herein described and illustrated.
3. In the attachment of a piece or tablet of soap to the back of a brush or other
holder, the combination of an attaching piece A, retaining catch or catches, brush or
other holder with a piece or tablet of soap, all constructed, and arranged substantially
as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Second day of October 1890.
DONALD NOBLE.
By W. Fairburn Hart,
A gent.