In- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DAMPING AND GUMMING LABELS, STAMPS, ENVELOPES, AND SHEETS OF PAPER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Benn, of Goat, near Cockermouth, in the
County of Cumberland, Mechanic, and George Oswald Luckman,
of the City of Manchester, Merchant, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DAMPING AND GUMMING LABELS, STAMPS,
ENVELOPES, AND SHEETS OF PAPER."
Sealed the 12th June 1866, and dated the 27th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Benn and George
Oswald Luckman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th December 1865.
We, JOSEPH BENN, of Goat, near Cockermouth, in the County of
Cumberland, Mechanic, and GEORGE OSWALD LUCKMAN, of the City of
Manchester, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DAMPING AND GUMMING LABELS, STAMPS,
ENVELOPES, AND SHEETS OF PAPER," to be as follows:→
Our improved apparatus consists of a reservoir to contain a supply of
water or adhesive solution. This reservoir is in communication with a
chamber by means of a slide or other valve; the upper part of this
chamber is a perforated plate, under which is secured a sponge or other
porous substance. When the apparatus is ready for use a portion of the
water or adhesive solution is allowed to flow through the valve into the
chamber to saturate the sponge or other porous substee, and-minute

page_text: portions of the water or adhesive solution penetrate through the perforated
plate, consequently on sliding the label or stamp over the perforated plate
sufficient moisture is imparted to it to damp the gum if the back of the
said label or stamp is adhesive, or sufficient adhesive solution may in like
manner be applied to the stamp or label if the back is plain. In making
envelopes the apparatus may be used for applying the adhesive substance,
and it may also be used to damp the adhesive substance previous to closing
them. In damping paper for copying letters or other purposes it is neces-
sary to allow the paper to remain on the perforated plate for a short time,
or until the moisture has penetrated through the sheets of paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Benn and George Oswald Luckman in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 26th June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
BENN, of Goat, near Cockermouth, in the County of Cumberland, Me-
chanic, and GEORGE OSWALD LUCKMAN, of the City of Manchester,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Joseph Benn and George Oswald Luckman, Her
special license that we, the said Joseph Benn and George Oswald Luck-
man, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Joseph Benn and George Oswald Luckman, our executors, admi-
nistrators 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 APPARATUS
FOR DAMPING AND GUMMING LABELS, STAMPS, ENVELOPES, AND SHEETS OF PAPER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Josep Benn and
George Oswald Luckman, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: 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 we, the said Joseph Benn and George Oswald
Luckman, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be. performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
--
I
Our improved apparatus consists of a reservoir to contain a supply of
water or adhesive solution. This reservoir is in communication with.a
chamber by means of a slide or other valve; the upper part of this
chamber is a perforated plate, under which is secured a sponge or other
porous substance. When the apparatus is ready for use a portion of the
water or adhesive solution is allowed to flow through the valve into the
chamber to saturate the sponge or other porous substance, and minute
portions of the water. or adhesive solution penetrate through the perforated
plate, consequently on sliding the label or stamp over the perforated plate
sufficient moisture is imparted to it to damp the gum if the back of the
said label or stamp is adhesive, or sufficient adhesive solution may in like
manner be applied to the stamp or label if the back is plain. In making
envelopes the apparatus may be used for applying the adhesive substance,
and it may also be used to damp the adhesive substance previous to closing
them. In damping paper for copying letters or other purposes it is neces
sary to allow the paper to remain on the perforated plate for a short time,
or until the moisture has penetrated through the sheets of paper.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation; Figure 2, a transverse section; and Figure 3,
a plan of an apparatus suitable for damping and gumming labels or stamps,
constructed according to our improvements. a is the reservoir containing
a supply of water or adhesive solution, which is poured in through the
orifice b, provided with a screw plug c. This reservoir is in communi-
cation with the chamber d by means of the flat or other valve e, which is
kept closed by the spring f acting against the upper end of the valve
lever g. The upper part of the chamber d is formed by the finely per-
forated plate / connected. by end partitions to the lower perforated plate i ;
the space between these two plates is-filled up by sponge-or-other-suitable
porous substance. When the apparatus is ready for use the operator by

page_text: pressing on the upper end of the lever g overcomes the spring fand opens
the valve e to allow a portion of the water or adhesive solution in the
reservoir a to flow through the valve e into the chamber d. The quantity
of water or adhesive solution thus admitted must be sufficient to saturate
the sponge or other porous substance under the plate h, and to penetrate
through the perforations in the said plate; consequently on sliding the
label or stamp over the plate sufficient moisture is imparted to it to damp
the gum if the back of the label or stamp is adhesive, or sufficient adhe-
sive solution is in like manner applied to the label or stamp if the back
thereof is plain. The above apparatus may also be used to damp the
adhesive substance on envelopes previous. to closing them. In making
envelopes a similar apparatus may be used, but of larger dimensions and
with perforations in the plate / in the particular positions required for only
applying the adhesive substance in the parts where it is wanted for
securing the folds together and for closing them. In damping paper for
copying letters or other purposes the apparatus must be made to suit the
size of the sheets of paper to be damped; and it is necessary to allow the
paper to. remain on the perforated plate -until-the moisture has penetrated
through the sheets of paper. The apparatus may be made of sheet metal,
porcelain, glass, or other suitable material, and it is evident that in all cases
the size of the apparatus and particularly that of the perforated plate
must be made in proportion to the size of the stamp, label, or sheet of
paper to be damped or gummed.
-
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described a con-
venient mode of performing the same, we declare that we claim the
apparatus described, consisting of a reservoir connected by a valve to a
damping chamber provided with a perforated plate, or any combination of
similar parts answering the same purpose and for effecting the same
objects.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Oswald Luckman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.