IMPROVEMENTS IN BIRD AND OTHER CAGES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Baker, the younger, of the Firm of
George Baker and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Wire Workers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BIRD AND OTHER CAGES."
Sealed the 22nd May 1869, and dated the 25th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Baker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th November 1868.
I, GEORGE BAKER, the younger, of the Firm of George Baker and
Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Wire Workers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BIRD AND OTHER CAGES," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in making the bases or bottoms of
bird and other cages of papier mâché. I make the said bottoms by

page_text: preference of a disk of larger diameter than the cage, the said disk
having a raised concentric ring or rim of somewhat less diameter than
the body of the cage. The body of the cage is dropped around and
secured to the said ring or rim in the following manner :-On one side of
the said rim and at a short distance apart two small metallic tongues
are fixed, and opposite the said tongues is a spring catch fastening. In
attaching the body of the cage to the bottom one side of the metal band
at the bottom of the body is inserted under the said tongues, and the
opposite side of the said band is pressed into the spring catch fastening.
In this way the body of the cage is secured around the rim on the
bottom. In order to liberate the body from the bottom the moveable
part of the spring catch fastening is pulled by the thumb and finger
when the body becomes detached from the bottom. The method of
fastening described may be applied to cages having metallic bottoms, the
said metallic bottoms having the raised rim or ring described with
reference to papier mâché bottoms.
My Invention consists, secondly, in making the cups and the doors of
bird and other cages self-closing, so that when the said cups and doors
have been opened for the introduction of food or water or for other pur-
pose, and are loosed by the hand, they close and thereby prevent the
escape of the bird or animal. I effect this self-closing of the cups and
doors by means of helical or coiled springs attached to the axes upon
which the said cups and doors turn, the said springs being made of
sufficient strength to shut the cups and doors with considerable force, so
as to actuate the snap fastenings by which they are fixed in their closed
positions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Baker in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE 3
BAKER, the younger, of the Firm of George Baker and Company, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Wire Workers, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Baker, Her special
licence that I, the said George Baker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Baker, 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
BIRD AND OTHER CAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Baker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 mouths next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Baker, 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 improvements consist, firstly, in making the bases or bottoms of
bird and other cages of papier mâché. I make the said bottoms by
preference of a disk of a larger diameter than the cage, the said disk
having a raised concentric ring or rim of somewhat less diameter than
the body of the cage. The body of the cage is dropped around and
secured to the said ring or rim in the following manner :-On one side of
the said ring or rim and at a short distance apart one or two small
metallic tongues are fixed, and opposite the said tongues is a spring catch
fastening. In attaching the body of the cage to the bottom one side of
the metal band at the bottom of the body is inserted under the said
tongues, and the opposite side of the said band is passed into the spring
catch fastening. In this way the body of the cage is secured around the
rim of the bottom. In order to liberate the body from the bottom the
moveable part of the spring catch fastening is pulled by the thumb and
finger, when the body becomes detached from the bottom. The method
of fastening described may be applied to cages having bottoms of metal

page_text: or other hard material, the said bottoms having the raised rim or ring
described with reference to papier maché bottoms,
My improvements consist, secondly, in making the cups and the doors
of bird and other cages self-closing, so that when the said cups and doors
have been opened for the introduction of food and water, or for other
purpose, and are loosed by the hand, they close and thereby prevent the
escape of the bird or animal. I effect this self-closing of the cups and
doors by means of helical or coiled springs attached to the axes upon
which the said cups and doors turn, the said springs being made of
sufficient strength to shut the cups and doors with considerable force, so
as to actuate the snap fastenings by which they are fixed in their closed
positions.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in perspective a bird or other cage, the bottom or
base of which is made and the body attached to the said bottom or base
according to my Invention; Figures 2 and 3 represent the fastenings
used for attaching the body to the base, drawn to a larger scale; Figure 4
represents in side clevation a bird or other cage the body of which is
of a different shape from that represented in Figure 1, the bottom or base
to which the body is attached being represented in section; Figure 5
represents an edge view of the bottom or base separately; and Figure 6
represents a plan of a portion of Figure 4. The bird or other cage,
Figure 4, contains self-closing cups and a door made according to my
Invention.
a is the base or bottom of the cage made of papier maché. The said
base or bottom consists of a disk of larger diameter than the cage, the
said disk having a raised concentric ring or rim b of somewhat less
diameter than the cage. The band at the bottom of the cage fits around
the outside of the ring or rim 6 in the manner represented in Figure 1.
The shape of the bottom or base a, b, is best seen in the section, Figure 4.
The part of the base or bottom within the rim b is made by preference
concave, as well as the part without the said rim, as seen in Figure 4.
These parts, however, may be flat. The body of the cage is fastened to
the ring or rim b of the bottom a in the following manner :-On one
side of the said ring or rim band on the flat upper face thereof a small

page_text: metallic tongue c is fixed, and on the opposite side of the bottom or base
and outside the rim b is a spring catch fastening d, e, This fastening
consists of a small bracket or tongue e, and a vertical bolt or catch d
pressed downwards by a spring; or the spring may be dispensed with
and the bolt d raised and lowered by hand. At one side of the metal
band fof the body of the cage and projecting within the cage is a small
metal tongue g, and at the opposite side of the said band fand projecting
outwards is a second tongue or wire h. In attaching the body of the
cage to the bottom or base a, b, the band fis placed around the rim b,
and by lifting the bolt or catch d, and giving to the body a twisting
motion in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, the tongue g
passes under the tongue c, and the tongue or wire at the opposite side
passes under the bracket e of the spring catch fastening; by then
loosing the catch or bolt d it descends into the position represented in
the Drawing, and prevents the tongue or wire escaping from under the
bracket e. The body of the cage is thus secured around the rim b, as
represented in the Drawing. When it is wished to liberate the body of
the cage from the base or bottom a, b, for cleaning the said bottom or
base, or for any other purpose, the spring catch or bolt d is raised by
hand, the cage is then twisted in a direction opposite to that indicated
by the arrow, when the tongues h, g, are respectively withdrawn from
the bracket e and tongue c, and the body is détached from the base or
bottom a, b.
Figures 2 and 3 represent the tongues c, g, and spring catch
fastening d, e, and tongue or wire h on a larger scale, Figure 2 being a
plan, and Figure 3 a plan and elevation. Instead of making the papier
mâché bottom or base with a raised concentric ring or rim, as repre-
sented in the Drawing, the said papier mâché bottom or base may be
made without the said rim. In this case the body is fastened to the
plain papier mâché bottom or base in the ordinary or other convenicnt
way, and instead of making the bottom or base provided with a raised
concentric ring or rim of papier mâché the said bottom or base may be
made of metal or other hard material. The circular cage represented in
Figure 1 is provided with square cups marked w.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to Figures 4 and 6, my
improvements in making the cups and doors of bird and other cages
self-closing. i is the door of the cage, and k; k, are the eyes or knuckles

page_text: of the same, turning on the hinge or joint pin 1; m, m, are helical or
coiled springs by which the closing of the door is effected. One end of
cach of these springs is fixed to the body of the bird cage at n, and the
other end of each of the said springs is attached to one or other of the
knuckles k, k. .p is the snap fastening of the ordinary kind. When the
door i is opened the springs m, m, are coiled on the pin 7, which springs
when the door is loosed, uncoil themselves, and in doing so shut the
door with such force as to cause the snap fastening p to engage with
the wire q, and fasten the said door in its closed position. ",", are the
cups of the cage made self-closing in a similar way to that in which
the door is made self-closing. The said cups turn on the pins or
centres 8, t, at top and bottom. Around the upper pin or centre 8 is a
coiled spring u, the lower end of which is attached to the bottom of the
pin or centre 8, and the upper end to the under side of the top of the
cup r, as represented in the Drawings.
A plan of one of the cups r is shown in Figure 6, and exhibits the
construction of the snap fastening v. When the cups r are turned so as
to bring their open sides outwards the springs are coiled on the pins or
centres 8, 8. On loosing the said cups after the introduction of food
or water the said springs uncoil themselves and close the cups, that
is, bring the closed sides of the cups outwards and cause the snap
fastenings to engage with the wire of the body and secure the cups in
their places..
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and repre-
sented, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention, but I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly. Making the bases or bottoms of bird and other cages of papier
mâché, as herein-before described.
Secondly. Making the basos or bottoms of bird and other cages with
a raised concentric ring or rim around which the body of the cage is
fastened, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The arrangement or combination of parts, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompaning Drawings for
attaching the body to the base or bottom of bird and other cages.

page_text: Lastly. Making the cups and doors of bird and other cages self-closing,
substantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Baker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
GEORGE BAKER, JUN. (L.S.)