A NEW AUTOMATON VASE OR DEPOT FOR HOLDING COALS OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Absalom Evans at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th April
1870.
I, ABSALOM EVANS, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Foreman of Tinplate Workers at Messicurs Henry Fearncombe and
Company's Phoenix Japan Works, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW AUTOMATON VASE
OR DEPOT FOR HOLDING COALS OR OTHER SUBSTANCES,” to be as follows (that is
to say):
This Invention consists in constructing vases or depots for coals and
other substances that on removing a hand scoop, used for withdrawing
the charge from its pocket, the lid or door, or lids or doors, of the vase
or depot open automatically, and on replacing the scoop into its sheath
the lid or door, or lids or doors, also automatically close.
This Invention may be applied to (say) a coal vase, the lid of which
opens upwards, and the scoop pocket of which is in rear by means of
a piston and rod surrounded by a helical spring enclosed in a cylinder
extending from the scoop pocket towards the lid or flap of the vase.

page_text: The piston rod on the rear end is fitted with an antifriction roller,
which is acted upon by the back or bottom of the hand scoop, the sides
of which are bevelled off to act as a wedge, which has its thrust against
the back of the pocket for forcing forward the piston, and its rod
depressing the spring. To the outer end of the piston rod is jointed a 6
flat metal hook resembling that of a pastor's crook, in or on the end of
which is mounted an antifriction roller, which travels on a plain on
the under side of the lid. On the lower side of the cylinder there is a
projection or shelf which extends a short distance beyond the front of the
cylinder cover. By this arrangement it is evident that if the scoop is 1
withdrawn from its pocket, the spring acting against the piston carries
back the rod; the hook jointed to the outer end is turned up by coming
in contact with and being drawn on to the fixed projection extending
from the under side of the front of the cylinder. The point of the hook
through its antifriction roller acting on the plain on the under side 1
of the lid throws it back and retains it (the lid) open until the scoop
is returned to its pocket, the act of which forces forward the piston rod,
and this piston depressing the spring pushing the hook off the shelf
allows it to fall down and the lid of the vase to close.
In place of using the piston, piston rod, and the hook jointed thereto,
and so forth, as herein-before described, the same object may be
accomplished in several other ways; as, for instance, attaching to the lid
of the vase a rigid arm, which extends beyond the joint, and to which is
attached an horizontal rod surrounded by an helical spring, which
collapses and draws open the lid when the rear and outer end of the
rod is released from the pressure applied thereto when the hand scoop is
in its pocket, the outer end of the rod being fitted with an antifriction
roller in the same way as the piston rod described. Or the spring may
be entirely dispensed with by using a weight to open the lid. The
weight may be attached directly to the lid, or be connected thereto by a
lever or a system of levers acted upon by the scoop when placed in its
pocket. When a balance weight is used which is rigidly attached to
the lid and extends beyond the joint, it can be connected by a jointed
rod to a pendulous flap piece jointed to one side of the interior of the
scoop pocket. Or in place of the connecting rod the back of the
pendulous flap may be formed with a quadrant arm, which clevates
the counterweight of the lid upon being thrown forward by the insertion
of the wedge-shaped hand scoop into its pocket. Or the woights,

page_text: levers, rods, springs, and so forth may be arranged on the side or sides
of the vessel, the walls thereof being formed double or chambered to
receive them.
It will be readily seen that this improvement is equally applicable to
double lided vases and other like depóts, and it will be obvious to all
acquainted with the art that india-rubber springs may be substituted for
the helical springs described, that a screw motion or other mechanical
equivalent may be substituted for the arrangements herein-before
described, they being simply obvious modifications, the Invention con-
sisting in the constructing vases or depóts for containing coals and other
substances, the lids or covers of which opened and closed automatically
by the act of inserting or withdrawing from a pocket attached thereto a
hand scoop.