IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC BANDS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bridges, of Birmingham, in the County of.
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC BANDS."
Sealed the 3rd September 1860, and dated the 5th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bridges at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1860.
I, WILLIAM BRIDGES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC BANDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of elastic
bands. For these purposes oblong endless bands are cut by preference from
vulcanized or cured sheet india-rubber, though like bands may be cut from
other properly prepared vulcanized or cured india-rubber. ⚫ Heretofore in
manufacturing elastic bands it has been usual, when cutting them from sheets
of vulcanized or curèd india-rubber, to cut them by different sizes of circular
cutters, so as to cut circular rings or bands in concentric circular cuts, by
which considerable waste results both in respect to the exterior of the largest
band and the interior of the smallest band. Now, according to my Invention,
when cutting bands from sheet vulcanized or cured india-rubber, the bands

page_text: are cut of an oblong form by preference, with two sides parallel, the ends being
rounded, though they may be of an eliptical or oval form, and I use cutters
shaped accordingly. By these means there need be but a very small quantity
of material cut to waste in the interior of the smallest band, when several are
cut one from within the other, as a straight single cut will in such cases be
sufficient for the making of such band, there being a small portion cut out at
the ends of such straight cut; or in place of cutting oblong bands one within
the other, all the bands made from a sheet may be made in the manner in
which the innermost one above described is cut. Heretofore, when bands
have been cut from a cylindrical tube of vulcanized or cured india-rubber,, the
thickness of the material has been such that it required a considerable length
of the tube or cylinder to be cut off for making an elastic band.
Now, according to another part of my Invention, and in order to produce
oblong flat elastic bands in place of thin cylindrical bands, as heretofore, I
produce a hollow form of vulcanized or cured india-rubber of an oblong
section, and of a thickness of material corresponding with the width of the
intended bands; and in order to produce oblong elastic bands thin slices or
cuttings, as compared with the thickness of the material, will be cut from the
end or ends of the properly prepared hollow form of vulcanized or cured india-
rubber, or the same form may be made solid, and the thin slices cut there-
from be also cut in the centre, as before explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bridges in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRIDGES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bridges, Her special licence that I, the said William Bridges,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Bridges, my executors, administrators, 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, exer-

page_text: cise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC BANDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Bridges, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of 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 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 Bridges, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of elastic
bands. For these purposes oblong endless bands are cut by preference from
vulcanized or cured sheet india-rubber, though like bands may be cut from
other properly prepared vulcanized or cured india-rubber. Heretofore in
manufacturing elastic bands it has been usual, when cutting them from sheets
of vulcanized or cured india-rubber, to cut them by different sizes of circular
cutters, so as to cut circular rings or bands in concentric circular cuts, by
which considerable waste results both in respect to the exterior of the largest
band and the interior of the smallest band. Now, according to my Invention,
when cutting bands from sheet vulcanized or cured india-rubber, the bands are
cut of an oblong form by preference, with two sides parallel, the ends being
rounded, though they may be of an elliptical or oval form, and I use cutters
shaped accordingly. By these means there need be but a very small quantity
of material cut to waste in the interior of the smallest band when' several are
cut one from within the other, as a straight single cut will in such cases bo
sufficient for the making of such band, there being a small portion cut out at
the ends of such straight cut; or in place of cutting oblong bands one within
the other, all the bands made from a sheet may be made in the manner in
which the innermost one above described is cut. Heretofore, when bands have
been cut from a cylindrical tube of vulcanized or cured india-rubber, the
thickness of the material has been such that it required a considerable length
of the tube or cylinder to be cut off for making an elastic band.
Now, according to another part of my Invention, and in order to produce
oblong flat elastic bands in place of thin cylindrical bands, as heretofore, I
produce a hollow form of vulcanized or cured india-rubber of an oblong section,
und of a thickness of material corresponding with the width of the intended

page_text: bands; and in order to produce oblong elastic bands thin slices or cuttings, as
compared with the thickness of the material, will be cut from the end or ends
of the properly prepared hollow form of vulcanized or cured india-rubber, or
the same form may be made solid, and the thin slices cut therefrom be also
cut in the centre, as before explained.
1
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan of one mode of carrying out my Invention, according
to which the sheet of vulcanized or cured india-rubber is cut into elastic
bands, each having two parallel sides and rounded ends; and the peculiarity
of this part of my Invention consists in the mode in which the central clastic
band a is formed by means of a simple longitudinal cut, which is rounded or
enlarged at the two ends b, b. In cases where the elastic bands, according to
my Invention, are not cut out one within the other, as shown at Figure 1, then
in cutting up a sheet of india-rubber the whole of the elastic bands are cut
into the form Figure 2, which is similar in form to that shewn in Figure 1
at b, a, b, the cutter for making the central cut b, a, b, being either combined
with the cutter employed for cutting the external contour or separate there-
from, the cutter for making the cut b, a, b, being a straight cutter, with two
tubular or hollow cutters at the ends; or the enlargements b, b, of the single
central cut may be formed and used separate from the cutter used for the
central single cut a, and the form of such open or enlarged end may be varied.
The peculiarity in respect of this part of my Invention consists in forming
such elastic bands with a single central cut a, with enlargements or open
cuttings b, b.
Figure 3 shows means of making elastic bands of vulcanized or cured
india-rubber by first making a flat tube and then cutting thin slices therefrom,
as indicated in this Figure, the required strength for each band being obtained
by the width of the sides c, c, the width being considerably greater than the
thickness of the slice cut off. I would state that I am aware that tubes of
vulcanized or cured india-rubber have before been made, and elastic bands
cut therefrom, but in such case the length of the piece cut off to form a band
has been considerable as compared with the width or substance of the end.
The peculiarity of this part of my Invention consists in forming elastic bands
when cut from hollow or tubular forms of greater width than the thickness
cut off.
Figure 4 shows another method of making elastic bands according to iny

page_text: Invention. A block of vulcanized or cured india-rubber is first made, and
then slices cut from the end thereof, and such slices are then formed into
endless elastic bands by a cut b, a, b, as above described, thus producing
elastic bands similar to those represented in Figures 1 and 2, although in each
case I have shown the two sides of each elastic band to be parallel, but this is
not essential.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bridges, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM BRIDGES. (L.B.)