IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR THE CONNECTION OF HANDLES TO THE BLADES OF TABLE AND OTHER KNIVES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN CONNECTING HANDLES TO VARIOUS SURGICAL AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Mayer, of the Firm of Mayer and Meltzer, of
No. 71, Great Portland Street, in the County of Middlesex, Surgical Instrument
Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR THE CONNECTION
OF HANDLES TO THE BLADES OF TABLE AND OTHER KNIVES, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN CONNECTING HANDLES TO VARIOUS
SURGICAL AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 19th September 1879, and dated the 24th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Mayer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1879.
JOSEPH MAYER, of the Firm of Mayer and Meltzer, of No. 71, Great Portland
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Surgical Instrument Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS FOR THE CONNECTION OF HANDLES TO THE BLADES OF TABLE AND
OTHER KNIVES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN CON-
NECTING HANDLES TO VARIOUS SURGICAL AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS."
. In the case of table knives it is well known that when the handles thereof are
formed of ivory or of pearl, the ivory or pearl is very liable to become injured in
appearance by immersion in water or other cleansing liquid, and by such immersion
such and other handles often become loosened from their blades and otherwise
injuriously affected. Considerable difficulty is also experienced in sufficiently
cleansing the parts between the blade and the handle of the juices collected in use.
The object of one part of my Invention is to remedy these evils, and also to obtain
other advantages.
For this purpose, according to this part of my improvements, I form the parts so
that the handle of each knife may be readily separated from and reconnected to its
blade when required for the more complete and safe cleansing of either or both, or
for change of handle to the blade, if desired, from a handle of a commoner or less
costly material to one of different class or more costly material, or the same handles
may be capable of being used with blades of a different material or character.
For this purpose the stem of the blade is formed to be received into a suitable
socket formed for it in the handle, and to be for the time held there securely by a
spring or other catch.

page_text: According to one arrangement the end of the stem next the blade, and by prefer-
ence on the upper side thereof, is slightly recessed to receive as a catch a corre-
spondingly formed part at that end of the interior of the handle, and the stem of the
blade is formed as or with a spring, with a tendency to retain the parts together,
whilst they are capable of being readily released by slight pressure on the back of
the blade, with a pull on each in the direction of one from the other.
According to another arrangement the connection of the parts may be effected by
a stud carried by the handle, and capable of rotation in a recess formed for it in the
stem of the blade, but which stud is cut away or flattened on one side to admit of
separation of the parts when the stud is so turned.
The connection of the parts may also be effected with capability of ready release
of them by a stud applied to a ring or ferule capable of partial rotation on the
handle, so that the end of the stud being moved into or out of a notch formed for
it in the stem of the blade, holds or releases the handle.
These parts may however be varied.
It will be evident that such means of connection of the handles to blades is also
applicable in the connection of handles to various surgical and other instruments, so
that one handle may be adapted to several of a series of instruments, to effect a
saving of room, in a case containing them or otherwise.
The improvements also relate to means for more securely connecting together the
handle and the blade of table and such like knives, the respective parts of which are
not desired in use to be separable.
For this purpose, in place of the ordinary "tang" for connection of the blade
with the handle, I form the blade with a short tang or part to pass into a recess for
it in the inner end of the handle, and this piece is split so as to be capable of a
slight yielding or bending outwards of its parts, so that they may assume a wedge
form when the parts are separated by a wedge piece passed in between them. The
opening in the inner end of the handle to receive these parts is of a corresponding
wedge form, the broadest part being at the inner end thereof.
In applying a handle to a blade the wedge or other suitable piece is caused to
enter the split parts of the short tang piece to effect the desired separation of them
into a wedge form in the act of their connection, and thus the parts are held securely
and permanently together.
By these means, not only is a more secure connection of the parts obtained, but
by the shortness of such means the handle, when of ivory or other material capable
of being discolored, is preserved in better condition, and splitting of the handle is
also avoided.
The part of the handle cut to receive this short split or wedge formed tang is
covered and held securely during the application by the ferule, by which splitting
of the part of the handle during the operation of connection is avoided, and the
connecting parts may be entirely covered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Mayer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
September 1879.
JOSEPH MAYER, of the Firm of Mayer and Meltzer, of No. 71; Great Portland
5 Street, in the County of Middlesex, Surgical Instrument Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS FOR THE CONNECTION OF HANDLES TO THE BLADES OF TABLE AND
OTHER KNIVES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN CON-
NECTING HANDLES TO VARIOUS SURGICAL AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS."
In the case of table knives it is well known that when the handles thereof are
formed of ivory or of pearl, the ivory or pearl is very liable to become injured in
appearance by immersion in water or other cleansing liquid, and by such immersion
such and other handles often become loosened from their blades and otherwise
injuriously affected. Considerable difficulty is also experienced in sufficiently
cleansing the parts between the blade and the handle of the juices collected
in use.
The object of one part of my Invention is to remedy these evils, and also to
obtain other advantages.
For this purpose, according to this part of my improvements, I form the parts so
that the handle of each knife may be readily separated from and reconnected to its
blade, when required, for the more complete and safe cleansing of either or both, or
for change of handle to the blade, if desired, from a handle of a commoner or less
costly material to one of different class or more costly material, or the same handles
may be capable of being used with blades of a different material or character.
For this purpose the stem of the blade is formed to be received into a suitable
socket formed for it in the handle, and to be for the time held there securely by ä
spring or other catch.
According to one arrangement the end of the stem next the blade, and by
preference on the upper side thereof, is slightly recessed to receive as a catch a
correspondingly formed part at that end of the interior of the handle, and the stem
of the blade is formed as or with a spring, with a tendency to retain the parts
together, whilst they are capable of being readily released by slight pressure on the
back of the blade with a pull on each in the direction of one from the other.
.
According to another arrangement the connection of the parts may be effected by
a stud carried by the handle, and capable of rotation in a recess formed for it in the
stem of the blade, but which stud is cut away or flattened on one side to admit of
separation of the parts when the stud is so turned.
The connection of the parts may also be effected with capability of ready release
of them by a stud applied to a ring or ferule capable of partial rotation on the
handle, so that the end of the stud being moved into or out of a notch formed for
it in the stem of the blade, holds or releases the handle.
These parts may however be varied.
It will be evident that such means of connection of the handles to blades' is also
applicable in the connection of handles to various surgical and other instruments,
so that one handle may be adapted to several of a series of instruments, to effect a
saving of room in a case containing them or otherwise:
The improvements relate, secondly, to means for more securely connecting together
the handle and the blade of table and such like knives, the respective parts of which
are not desired in use to be separable.
For this purpose, in place of the ordinary "tang" for connection of the' blade
with the handle; I form the blade with a short tang or part to pass into a recess
for it, in the inner side of the handle, and' this piece is split so as to be capable of a
slight yielding or bending outwards of its parts, so that they may assuine'a' wedge"
form when the parts are separated by a wedge piece passed in between them. The
•

page_text: Figure 1 shows an external side view of a table knife; and Figure 2, a sectional
side view of the same; and Figures 3 and 4 show parts separately.
In all the Figures the same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they
occur.
a is the blade of the knife, and a¹ the stem or tang, or that part of it which is
passed into the handle b. The stem a¹ is formed somewhat elastic, or it may have
a spring applied to or it to act upon it, adapted to cause the upper or back part of the
stem a to bear against the upper or back part of the handle at that part of the
handle nearest the blade where the stem a' is formed with a notch a² to receive the
small projection b' from the hole in the handle b, by which the blade and handle
are held together. The blade and handle are connected by simply passing the stem
a¹ of the blade into the hole 62 in the handle until the notch a³ is caught by the
projection b¹.
When it is desired to separate the blade from the handle, this may be readily
effected by the application of slight pressure on the back of the blade, so as to
cause it to assume a position in relation to the handle somewhat as indicated by the
dotted lines a³ in Figure 2; the blade may then be readily withdrawn from the
handle. For replacement the handle and blade have simply to be pressed one.
into the other, as already stated.
Figure 5 shows by side view a slight modification of the improvements, in which
the handle is held to the stem by a stud c capable of rotation in the notch in the
stem of the handle b, and which stud is flattened or otherwise formed on one side
to admit of the free passage of the stem a¹ to or from the handle b. When this
side is turned next the stem of the blade a¹, the blade may be readily separated
from the handle. When the enlarged part is next the stem a', it is received into
the recess a formed in that stem, and holds the parts together.
Figures 6 and 7 show parts separately. c¹ shows an ornamental lever for turning
the stud c, as well as for indicating the relative position of it.
.
Figures 8 and 8* show another modification, and Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13
show parts separately.
In this case the stem a' is formed with a notch & at one angle of it to receive a
projection e from the inside of the ferule f, which is supported to make a limited
partial rotary motion between collars 64, 6, on the stem of the handle b.
Figures 11 and 12 show end views of the handle, with the projection e in two
different positions. As indicated by Figure 11, the stem a¹ would be free to pass
in or out, without being held. As indicated by Figure 12, the stud e is in position

page_text: for holding the stem a' by passing into the notch d. Figure 13 shows the ring or
ferule f separately.
Figure 14 shows an external side view of a knife, with its handle arranged
according to the second part of the Invention.
Figure 15 shows the same partly in section.
Figures 16, 17, and 18 show parts separately.
In this case the stem of the blade a is formed with a pair of short stems a³, a³,
which by the application of a wedge or other suitably shaped piece g between them,
may be separated at their outer ends into a wedge or such like shape, and the handle
b has a piece cut out of it of a wedge shape at i; g is a wedge shape piece, such as
if applied to the end of the opening between the parts a, when the blade and handle
are brought together, and the end of the blade is forced into the opening in the
handle, the effect will be for the piece g to cause the expansion of the ends of the
parts as to cause them to fill up the space i, and thereby to complete a secure connec-
tion between the blade and the handle. In thus applying the parts together a
strong metallic ferule will be first applied on the part i cut away to prevent splitting
of the handle by the act of connection.
If desired, the wedge d may be obtained by the form of the part left in the part i,
otherwise cut away in the handle, as indicated by Figure 19.
Having thus described my Invention, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details as shown and described, as the same may be
varied without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what I
do claim is,―
Firstly. The arranging or combining parts of blades of knives and their handles.
that the one may be readily connected to and separated from the other when desired,
substantially as described under the first head of the Invention.
Secondly. I claim the arrauging and combining parts of blades of knives and their
handles, so that they may be securely connected together, substantially as described
under the second head of the Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Mayer, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight.hundred and seventy nine.
JOSEPH MAYER.
(L.S.)