IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COLLARS, CUPPS, AND WRISTBANDS."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Joseph Smith, of Brookland's Cottage,
Sale, in the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF COLLARS, CUPPS, AND WRISTBANDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Joseph Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th December 1862.
I, WILLIAM JOSEPH SMITH, of Brookland's Cottage, Sale, in the County of
Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE-OF COLLARS, CUPPS, OR WRISTBANDS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of making collars and cuffs or wristbands of india-
rubber, by preference of vulcanized india-rubber. Such collars, cuffs, or wrist-
bands are intended to take the place of the ordinary collars, cuffs, or wristbands
now made of cotton or linen, or such like fabrics. They are made of a suitable
thickness of rubber, sufficiently pliable or elastic, and white, or of any color.
The color may be either introduced into the rubber during its manufacture, or
it may be colored afterwards. Suitable patterns may also be printed or
painted on the collars, cuffs, or wristbands, or the collars, cuffs, or wristbands
may be perforated to any design, either before they are cut from the sheet or
afterwards; or they may be made from sheets of embossed rubber, either

page_text: plain, white, colored, printed, or perforated, as before stated. Or collars, cuffs,
or wristbands may be cut from a sheet of plain rubber, and afterwards
embossed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Joseph Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOSEPH SMITH, of Brookland's Cottage, Sale, in the County of Chester, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Joseph Smith, Her special licence, that I, the said
William Joseph Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Joseph Smith, 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, exercise, 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 COLLARS, CUFFS, AND WRISTBANDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Joseph Smith, 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 per-
formed, 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 Joseph Smith, 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:-
My Invention consists of making collars and cuffs, or wristbands of india-
rubber, by preference of vulcanized india-rubber. Such collars, cuffs, or
wristbands are intended to take the place of the ordinary collars, cuffs, or
wristbands now made of cotton or linen, or such like fabrics. They are

page_text: made of a suitable thickness of rubber, sufficiently pliable or elastic,. and
white, or of any color.. The color: may be either introduced into the rubber
during its manufacture, or it may be colored afterwards. Suitable patterns
may also be printed or painted on the collars,. cuffs, or wristbands, or the
collars, cuffs, or wristbands may be perforated to any design either before they
are cut from the sheet, or afterwards; or they may be made from sheets of
embossed rubber, either plain, white, colored, printed, or perforated, as before
stated. Or collars,, cuffs, or wristbands may be cut from a sheet of plain
rubber, and afterwards embossed.
The following is the manner in which I prefer to proceed:-I take a thin
fabric, by preference a cotton fabric, and spread upon it a compound of india-
rubber and sulphur. This compound is rendered white by grinding with it
flake white, or other white pigment may be employed, but not, I believe, so
advantageously; or if it be desired that the compound should be colored, the
white is replaced by other suitable pigments. Other materials commonly
employed by manufacturers of india-rubber fabrics may also be added to the
india-rubber if desired. The compound when spread on the fabric is vulcanized
in the usual manner.
Having thus produced vulcanized india-rubber fabrics, I proceed to cement
two such fabrics together with ordinary india-rubber cement, the coated
surfaces being outermost. In place of producing a double fabric in this
manner, a woven fabric may be covered on both sides with vulcanized india-
rubber, but this is not so convenient.
Or
From the india-rubber fabric I proceed to cut the collars, cuffs, or wrist-
bands according to any desired pattern, and when these are required to fold
over, I put in with a sewing machine, or otherwise, a line or lines of stitches;
it will be found that the fabric will readily fold along the line of stitches.
when a fold is required, I make the collar, cuff, or wristband in two separate
pieces, and cement these together along the line where the fold is required.
I usually along the edge of collars, cuffs, and wristbands produce the
appearance of stitches by puncturing the india-rubber fabric with needle
points. Button-holes are produced by punching openings or slits in the
fabric, and these may be ornamented with imitation stitching if desired. The
collars, cuffs, and wristbands may, if desired, be ornamented by perforations
produced by means of punches.
If it be wished that the articles should be ornamented with a printed
pattern, the pattern is applied by blocks, or otherwise, to the coated sheet
before it is vulcanized, a suitable preparation of color being employed, as is
well understood by manufacturers of india-rubber fabrics.

page_text: If an embossed pattern be required, it can be obtained by vulcanizing the
fabric whilst it is pressed in contact with a suitably figured plate; or if the
india-rubber has been largely mixed with other substances, it may be embossed
by stamping, either before or after the collar, cuff, or wristband has been
cut to form.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Joseph Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM JOSEPH SMITH. (L.S.)