IMPROVE- MENTS IN AFFIXING THE HANDLE TO SHOVELS AND SPADES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Oscar Communay, of No. 1.14, Rue de la
Pepinière, Paris, France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AFFIXING THE HANDLE TO SHOVELS AND SPADES."-Partly a com-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Oscar Communay,
at the Office of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th October 1864.
I, JEAN OSCAR COMMUNAY, of No. 114, Rue de la Pepinière, Paris, France,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AFFIXING THE HANDLE TO SHOVELS AND SPADES," that tlie
Invention is partly a communication made to me by Antoine Garaboux, a
person residing at No. 58, Rue de Levis, Paris, France, a Blacksmith, and
partly an Invention and discovery made by me, to be as follows:-.
The Invention relates to an improved mode of affixing the handle or stick
to shovels or spades.
Hitherto the handle or stick of shovels or spades was fixed thereto between
two tongues, one of which forming part of the blade of the shovel or spade;
by my improved méthod the handle is inserted and fixed in the tubular - párt
of a malleable cast-iron socket, rivettéd or otherwise securely fixed to the

page_text: blade of the shovel or spade by means of three arms, whilst part of the back
of the blade is inserted by means of a corresponding curvilinear opening in a
recess or furrow arranged for that purpose round part of the base of the
socket.
In the annexed Drawings, Fig. 1 shows a front or plan view of the upper
surface of a shovel blade A, connecting-socket-B, and-handle-C; Fig. 2 is a
side view of the same parts; and Fig. 3, a separate side view of the socket B.
In the Figs. 1 and 2, part of the blade and handle are represented as cut away,
and in the three, Figures the same letters refer to corresponding parts.
61, 62, 63, are the three arms of the socket B, rivetted thereto from underneath;
bis the recess or furrow in which is inserted and duly fits part of the back D
of the blade A. The handle C is slightly curved in C¹ and fits into the
tubular part B of the socket B. The upper end of the part B' is slightly
tapered in B2, and in fixing the handle this tapered end B is by means of a
blow of a hammer caused to enter partly in the wood of the handle. d¹, d², d³,
the holes for the rivate
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Oscar Communay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
OSCAR COMMUNAY, of No. 114, Rue de la Pepiniere, Paris, France, send
greeting.
3.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year, of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto,
me, the said Jean Oscar Communay, Her special licence that I, the said
Jean Oscar, Communay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Jean Oscar Communay, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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
United King
'
1.1
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
1:1.
14
11..
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AFFIXING THE HANDLE TO SHOVELS AND,
SPADES," partly a communication made to me by Antoine, Garaboux, a person
residing at No. 58, Rue de Levis, at Paris, France, a Blacksmith, and partly

page_text: an Invention and discovery made by me, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Jean Oscar Communay, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Jean Oscar Communay, 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 :-
The Invention relates to an improved mode of affixing the handle.or stick
to shovels or spades.
Hitherto the handle or stick of shovels or spades was fixed thereto between
two tongues brazed or soldered to the blade of the shovel or spade; by my
improved method the handle is inserted and fixed in the tubular part of a
malleable cast-iron socket rivetted or otherwise securely fixed to the blade of
the shovel or spade by means of three arms, part of the back edge of the
blade being inserted by means of a corresponding curvilinear opening. in a
recess or furrow provided for that purpose round part of the base or lower
part of the socket.
In order to make the Invention and its various modifications morė easily
understood, I will now give a full description thereof, referring thereby to the
annexed Drawings, in the various Figures of which the same letters relate to
corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 represents a top or plan view, Fig. 2 à side view, and 'Fig. 3 a
longitudinal section over the line X, X', of Fig. 1, of 'the socket B above
referred to. This latter consists of a tubular part B₁ for the lower or curved.
end C¹ of the handle or stick C to be fixed in, and of three arms b; 62, 63, the
one 6 of which is much longer than those 6 and 63. These arms are to be
rivetted from underneath to the blade A of the shovel or spade, which blade
is provided at the back edge with a curvilinear opening, the curvature of
which corresponds with that of a furrow or groove b provided round the front'
part at the base or lower part of the socket B. The opening of the blade A
having been inserted in the said furrow b, the blade is fixed to the arms 6',
62, 63, by means of the rivets e¹, e², e³, inserted in the perforations.d¹, d², d³,
provided for that purpose in the arms 61, 62, 63, the overhanging or projecting"
part 6 effectually preventing the blade A from shifting position, or this pro-

page_text: jecting part might be prolonged so as to form an arm 6; as shown by red,
lines in Figs. 2 & 3, and which may also be rivetted to the blade A...
Fig. 4 shows a top or plan view, Fig. 5 a longitudinal side view, and Fig. 6.
a longitudinal sectional view, over the line Y, Y', of Fig. 4, of a modification,
of the above described arrangement of the socket B, in which modification the
furrow or groove b, instead of being situated above the arms b₁, b², b³, is
situated underneath these latter. In this arrangement the blade A is rivetted.
from underneath against the said arms, and, if wished, the projecting part b³,
which in this modification is situated underneath the arm b, may be prolonged
20
so to form an arm 66, as represented by the red lines in Fig. 5, which
is to be rivetted, to the blade A.
arm
Another modification consists in having the arm 6' situated underneath, the
furrow.b, and those 62, 63, form part of the projecting part 65, and be situated
above the said furrow, or the arm & may be situated above the furrow b, and.
those 3, 63; underneath this latter.
Fig. 7 shows a top or plan view, Fig. 8. a longitudinal side view,, and.
Fig. 9.a longitudinal sectional view, over the line Z, Z', of Fig. 7, of another
modification of 'the socket B, in which modification the projecting part b
extends so far as to be of the same length and have the same shape as the
arm.6', whilst the arms 62, 63, are dispensed with. For fixing the blade A to
the socket B, the same is inserted between the two arms band 6%, the
opening encircling that part of the socket situated between the said arms
and being inserted partly in a slit d provided in the further end of the
furrow b; after which the arms b₁ and 65 are secured to the blade A; by means
of the rivets e¹ and e.
Fig. 10 shows a plan view of the blade A of a gravel shovel provided with
the opening ; the Figs. 11 and 12 respectively show a plau and a side view
of what is commonly called a ballast shovel; the Figs. 13 and 14 show
similar views of a gravel shovel; and Figs. 17 and 18 of a spade arranged
according to the last described modification. As may be observed from these
Figures a suitably curved shape is given to the part C¹ of the handle or
.stick C, and after the lower end of the handle has been inserted in the tubular
part B of the socket, the upper end B2 of which part is tapered into a point.
This point B is by means of a smart blow with a hammer partially driven
into the wood of the handle, besides which, a wedge e may be driven from
underneath.in the said handle or stick, or this latter be fixed in the socket. B
by any other suitable means.
Fig. 15 shows a plan view, and Fig. 16 a longitudinal side view of a coal
or furnace shovel, the tubular part B₁ of the socket B of which is of a conical

page_text: shape and is made much longer and set more inclined than the said parts in
the sockets above described. With this socket a straight handle may be used,
the tapered end of which is inserted in the conical tubular part of this socket,
and fixed therein by rivets or any other suitable means.
I finally wish to observe that though I prefer the above described sockets
to be made of malleable cast iron, the same may be made of wrought iron,
steel, or any other suitable metal presenting the required strength for the
purpose, and be obtained by casting, punching, embossing, or any other
suitable means.
In the annexed Drawings, the Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, are repre-
sented at about one-half, Fig. 10 at about one-third, and the remainder of the
Figs. at about one-fourth of working scale.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
Invention, and the various modes in which the same is or may be carried
into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to restrict or
restrain myself to the precise details of the above described Invention, as
many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the main
principles or essential character of the same; but what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, affixing the handle or stick to
the blade of shovels or spades by means of a socket arranged in the manner
as has been described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Oscar Communay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
A. G. BRADE.
J. O. COMMUNAY. (L.S.)