IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF ORNANENTAL CHAINS AND BANDS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lancelott, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Jeweler, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ORNANENTAL CHAINS AND BANDS."
Sealed the 26th November 1867, and dated the 31st May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lancelott, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st May 1867.
I, JAMES LANCELOTT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Jeweler,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL CHAINS AND BANDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to chains and bands made from sheet metal without
the use of solder.
I will firstly describe my improvements in relation to chains.
I take a blank which I cut in the form of a cluster of loops, leaving pro-
jecting bars within the perforations of the loops; I then bend the loops
upward, forming the blank into a cup shape, the bars of the perforations
remaining horizontal; I then prepare another blank in the same manner, and
place it within the first made blank, so that the bars of this superposed blank
are presented to the perforations of the blank beneath it; I then press the
top of the loops of the lower blank upward until they become vertical and
hang on the bars; I then superpose other similar blanks, and so on indefinitely.

page_text: To obtain additional security and also to give a different appearance to the
chain instead of simply bringing my loops to a vertical position I press them
further inward over the bars, which are thus more securely retained in position,
and in some cases I also bend upward over the exterior of the upper loops
the then projecting ends of the bars.
In the manufacture of bands the blanks are cut with two rows of per-
forations, forming loops running opposite each other in the length of the
blank, and having (as for the chains) bars within all or some of the per-
forations of the loops; having bent the loops of a blank upward so that the
blank assumes a U-shape throughout its length, the bars remaining horizontal,
I place another blank bent in a similar manner within the first-mentioned
blank, so that the horizontal bars of the superposed blank are presented to
the perforations of the loops of the lower one, I then bend the loops inward
or over, and the bars upward, as previously described for chains.
This Invention is applicable also to chains made with an inside and an
outside blank in the following manner :-The arms of the inside blank being
passed into the loops of the outside blank the loops of the outer blank are
bent inward on to the centre of the inner one, and the ends of the arms of
the inner are bent up over the exterior of the outer blank, thus securely
linking the chain without the use of solder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Lancelott in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LANCELOTT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Jeweler, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Lancelott, Her special licence that I, the said James Lancelott,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Lancelott, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL CHAINS AND BANDS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Lancelott, 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 James Lancelott, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawing hereunto
annexed and forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and
letters of reference placed thereon, similar letters of reference denoting
similar parts in each of the Figures respectively:-
This Invention relates to chains and bands made from sheet metal without
the use of solder.
I will first describe my improvements in relation to chains made without
an inner blank as illustrated, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawing.
I take a blank which I cut in the form of a cluster of four loops, as shewn
in plan at Figure 1 of the Drawing, or with two, three, or any number
of loops required for any particular pattern, but always so as to leave within
the perforations of each loop a, or of two or more of the perforations, if there
are many loops, a projecting bar b; I then bend the loops upward, as shewn
in edge view at Figure 2, giving the blank a cup shape, the bars b remaining
horizontal; I then prepare another blank in the same manner, and place it
within the first made blank in such a manner that the bars 6 of this super-
posed blank are presented to the perforations of the blank beneath it; I
then press the tops of the loops a of the lower blank upward and inward
until they become vertical and hang on the bars 6 of the superposed blank, I
then superpose other similar blanks, and so on indefinitely, thus forming a
chain as illustrated from 1 to 2 of Figure 3.
To obtain additional security, and also to give a different appearance to the
chain, instead of simply bringing the loops a to a vertical position, as from 1
to 2, Figure 3, I press them still further inward over the bars, as shewn in
section 2 to 3 of Figure 3, and in top plan view at Figure 4, and in some
cases I also bend upward over the exterior of the upper loops the hitherto
projecting ends of the bars, as shewn also in section 3 to 4 of Figure 3.

page_text: I punch and pierce my blanks in the ordinary manner, bending up the
loops to bring the blank to a cup shape by drawing the blank through a hole
in a die or otherwise; I use a small steel point to bend the loops of the lower
blank over the projecting bars of the upper one, and when desirable bend
these latter up over the outside of the loops by means of the same instrument,
or by afterwards drawing the chain through a draw plate of the section of
the finished pattern, but I do not confine myself to the use of any particular
tool or apparatus, using any that I may find suitable for my purpose, and
this applies equally to the manufacture of the bands and chains herein-after
described.
I will now proceed to describe my improvements in the manufacture of
bands, as illustrated Figures 5, 6, and 7 of the Drawing.
The blanks are cut with two rows of perforations, forming loops a, a,
running opposite each other in the length of the blank, and having (as for
the chains) bars 6 within all or some of the perforations, as shewn in plan
Figure 5; having bent the loops of a blank upward so that the blank
assumes a U-shape throughout its length with the bars projecting, as in the
edge view Figure 6, I place another blank bent in a similar manner within
the first formed blank, so that the horizontal bars of the superposed blank
are presented to the perforations of the loops of the lower one; I then band
the loops inward or over leaving the bars horizontal, or bending them
upward as previously described for chains, and thus form a band linked as
shewn in the side view of a piece of band at Figure 7. It will be at once
apparent that the blanks forming the band are linked on precisely the same
principle as that previously described for the chains.
My improved method of linking sheet metal blanks without solder applies
also to chains made with an inside and an outside blank, as illustrated
Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawing.
At Figure 8 the arms of the inside blank (drawn in red, the outside blank
being the same as at Fig. 1) are shewn passed into the perforations of the
loops of the outside blank upon which it is placed, and also through the loops
of the outside blank immediately beneath this latter; and at Figure 9 the arms
of the inner blank are shewn passed through the top of the loops of an
outside blank, these loops being bent up on the exterior and between the
loops of an intermediate outside blank. In both these Figures the loops of
the outer blank are bent inward towards the centre of the inner one, and in
Figure 9 the ends of the arms of the inner are bent up over the exterior
of the outer blank, as previously described for chains made without an inner
blank, and chains with an arrangement of loop and bar similar to that shewn,

page_text: Figure 9, may be made without the use of an inner blank by hanging the
loop of the lower blauk upon projecting bars left between the loops of the
superposed blank on its exterior instead of within the loop, as at Figure 1.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and means by
which it may be carried into practical effect, I desire it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to any precise dimensions of blank loop or bar,
or to any particular number of loops, neither is it necessary that the number
of loops and bars should correspond, so that enough bars be formed to secure
the proper linking of the chain, and modifications may be made in the shape
and size of every part of these blanks in order to obtain variety of pattern
without any departure from the method of linking herein set forth and
described, and I claim,-
Firstly, the exclusive use of blanks formed with two or more loops having
projecting bars within all or some of their perforations, substantially as
illustrated, Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6 of the annexed Drawing.
Secondly, the method of securely linking the blanks and making chains
and bands without the use of solder, by passing the projecting bars of au
upper blank through the perforations of a lower blank, and bending the loops
of the lower blank upward and inward till they clip over and hang on the
bars, whether the bars be left horizontal or be turned up over the exterior of
the bent loop, and whether the projecting bars be on the inside of the loop
or between the loops, substantially as described and illustrated Figures 3, 4,
and 7 of the Drawing.
Thirdly, the method of linking by bending the loops of the outer blank
inward on to the inner one, and the arms of the inner upward over the
exterior of the outer blank, substantially as shewn, Figures 8 or 9, and herein-
before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lancelott, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES LANCELOTT. (L.S.)