matthewleechen/300YearsOfBritishPatents huggingface dataset:
AN IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Vincent Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
February 1864.-A communication from abroad by George Gardnier
White, of New York City, and Charles Alden, of Newburgh, both in the
State of New York, United States of America.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHY," to be
as follows:-
It is well known that a photographic picture taken in the ordinary manner
on white paper can be reproduced by the photographic process, because the
parts of the picture which are white or light in the original will be the same
on the copy, and the dark portions of the original naturally will also be dark on
the copy. If, however, the picture is taken on paper tinted yellow, or with some
color or colors which absorb the chemical rays of light, or fail to transmit or
reflect such rays, or if the picture is produced in the ordinary manner on
white paper and afterwards tinted with such color or colors, all its parts would
be dark on a photographic copy, and consequently the copy would be a
complete failure. To make the reproduction of the picture entirely impracti-
cable it is necessary that the tint applied to the paper either before or after
the picture is taken shall be less fugitive than the picture itself, for if a tint
should be applied which could be removed without destroying the picture,
that picture might be easily reproduced after the tint had been removed, and
the copy might again be tinted in imitation of the original. In order there-

page_text: fore to prevent the reproduction of photographic pictures it is proposed to
apply to paper such colors as picric acid, which by proper mordants can be
combined with the fibres of the paper in a manner that will prevent their
removal without destroying the texture of the paper, and any picture which
may have been produced on the same either before or after it had been tinted.
The yellow color of the picric acid absorbs the chemical rays of light or fails
to transmit or reflect the same, and a picture produced on paper tinted or
dyed with such color either before or after the picture is taken cannot be
reproduced. By the application of such a picture to a bank bill or other
paper of value, the reproduction by photographic process or the counterfeiting
of such paper is effectually prevented.
It should be remarked that the Invention is not confined to the use of
the picric acid, as other tints or dyes possessing the like chemical qualities
may serve for the same purpose.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR CULTIVATING LAND
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Hensman at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
February 1864.
I, WILLIAN HENSMAN, of Woburn, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
** IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR CULTIVATING LAND," to be as follows:-
In agricultural implements for tilling land, more especially those working
by steam, a number of instruments acting on the land are usually mounted in
a framework, parts of which can be raised for lifting the instruments from or
lowering them into the ground, and are usually in duplicate sets, one set for
acting in a contrary direction to that of the other, and my Invention relates to
the apparatus for lifting and sustaining the implements from the ground; for
this purpose I employ a wheel and pinion to actuate a barrel or shaft (one for
each set of instruments) on which the chain or connection lifting the plough
frame is wound. On this chain barrel is mounted a disc or drum, on the
periphery of which a strap encircling it exerts a sufficient amount of friction
to sustain the chain barrel with the weight of the implements in any position.
The disc or drum is mounted loosely on the axis, and there is adjoining it a
ratchet wheel fixed to the axis; a pawl mounted on the disc takes into this
ratchet wheel, which carries the disc with it when turned in the one direction,
and causes it to slip in the brake strap, this it does when lowering the imple-
ments; while on the other hand when raising the implements the ratchet teeth
traverse pass the pawl, and so obviate any friction of the brake surfaces which

page_text: remain stationary during this time; thus it is simply necessary to turn the
winch handle by which the gearing is actuated in the one direction or the
other. The implements remain stationary at any point without fixing. The
strap of the brake I apply with a spring and a screw bearing on it, so that it
may be tightened at pleasure in case of wear,
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SHAKING, RIDDLING, EGG WHISKING, AND MIXING, AND IN MORTAR MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Bradford at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th February
1864.
I, THOMAS BRADFORD, of Cathedral Steps, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, and 63, Fleet Street, London, in the County of Middlesex,
Washing Machine Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MECHANISM FOR SHAKING,
RIDDLING, EGG WHISKING, AND MIXING, AND IN MORTAR MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to all descriptions of apparatus wherein a peculiar
horizontal vibratory or oscillating motion is combined with a rotatory movement,
such as in shaking or riddling cinders, grain, minerals, and other articles,
whisking eggs or cream, mixing colors or liquids, or for triturating, as in using
a pestle within a mortar.
The improvement consists in the peculiar adaptation and use of a "ball;
and-socket joint," as the centre of universal motion, from which the shaking,
riddling, whisking, or other motion is centred and governed.
When the Invention is to be applied to riddling or shifting the perforated
receptacle or riddle containing the materials to be shifted is loosely con-
nected to a lever, about the centre of which is the ball, which bears in the
socket formed in a cross bar on the outer case or trough or in the lid ;. by
giving a lateral rotatory motion to the part of the lever, above the ball the

page_text: materials will be spread and distributed very equally over the surface of the
riddle, and be efficiently separated.
When the Invention is to be applied to whisking or mixing, an ordinary
whisk is to be attached to the lower end of the ball centred lever, and the
required increase of momentum or power may be obtained by placing a
counter-balancing ball to the handle part of the lever. For triturating or
reducing materials to powder, a pestle is to be attached to the lower end of
the said lever to operate within a bowl or cavity of corresponding form to the
radius of the lever.
IMPROVE- MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND UNLOADING WAGONS USED ON RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE ALSO TO OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hugh Greaves at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th March
1864.
I, HUGH GREAVES, of Abingdon Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND UNLOADING WAGONS USED ON RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS,
PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE ALSO TO OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to the construction of wagons used on railways
and tramways, and relates principally to such as are employed for the con-
veyance of coals and other like articles, and consists in hinging the body of
the wagon to the under carriage at each side, so that by withdrawing the pins
of the hinges at one side of the body of the wagon, that side of it may be
capable of being raised so as to throw the bottom into an inclined position,
and thereby enable the coals or other articles to be shot out at the opposite
side on to a suitable trough or shoot placed to receive them. The respective
sides of the wagon are hinged at their lower edges to the under carriage, as
commonly practised, and when the shoot is to be used the corresponding side
of the wagon is to be turned down upon its hinges, so as to guide the coals or
other articles on to it. In order to lift one side of the wagon body as described
1 make use of travelling or overhead cranes, which may either be constructed
to move to various points along the line, or may be fixed in suitable positions
thereon, and the wagons moved to them, or otherwise of suitable lifting or
raising apparatus, carried with or capable of being attached to the wagons, by

page_text: either of which arrangements I am enabled to discharge the wagons upon
or from embankments, viaducts, and other positions without being under the
necessity of conveying them to a depot specially formed for the purpose. I am
aware that contractors' wagons have previously been constructed with a central
hinge or joint, which enabled the body to be tilted towards either side, but in
these cases the joint has been situated at a considerable height above the
framing or under carriage, and it has hence been necessary in loading to lift
to a higher level than it would have been with wagons hinged according to my
Invention, the centre of gravity being moreover thrown too high for steady
travelling.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BRUSHING THE HAIR
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Ostler at the Office of
the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th September
1864.
I, EDWARD OSTLER, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR BRUSHING THE HAIR," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in fitting a circular brush in a frame suspended
from or connected to the ceiling, wall, or other convenient part by means of
an elastic or other band passing over a roller or pulley attached to the
ceiling, wall, or other part, and over another roller or pulley attached to the
frame; or the frame or brush may be otherwise suspended or connected.
The frame is not made to revolve, but is free to be moved as required in order
to aid in applying the brush to all parts of the head. The brush is connected
to a forked holder, the forks of which are connected by a rod passing longi-.
tudinally through the brush, while the handle of the fork is in connection.
with the framing, and is intended to be taken hold of by one hand of the
operator; or the brush may be held by a handle on each side, with or without.
the forked holder. Rotary motion is imparted to the brush either directly or
through the intermediation of gearing to increase the speed of rotation by.
another handle connected with the rod, which passes through the brush or
otherwise.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLERS, AND IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel Vaile at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th October
1864.
I, SAMUEL VAILE, of Basinghall Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROPELLERS, AND IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:
My Invention consists in constructing propellers as hereafter set forth, and
in propelling by the combination of frictional and float surfaces.
My propellers consist of one or more wheels or discs having floats, as here-
after described, radiating from the centre to the outer circumference. The
outer part of each propeller consists of a disc, by preference thick or wide at
the axle, and tapered to a thin edge; I hinge floats to this disc, and make
the hinges project so as to allow the water to pass clear between the disc and
the floats. The floats are made to feather by means of arms projecting from
the upper part of the floats, working in a grooved guide in conjunction with a
movement attached to the shaft. I sometimes use fixed floats, and make
them narrow. In order to take the way off the ship, I as it were split a
portion of the disc and hinge it so as to open out, or I apply a hinged flap or
flaps, to which I attach chains or rods, whereby to open out the flap and close
it as required.
AN IMPROVED WATERPROOF ADHESIVE COMPOUND, APPLICABLE TO UNITING THE SURFACES OF LEATHER, WOOD, PAPER, AND OTHER FABRICS OR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Henry Twilley and
Armand Lainé at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 12th January 1864.
We, FREDERICK HENRY TWILLEY and ARMAND LAINÉ, both of Dean Street,
Soho, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED WATERPROOF ADHESIVE COMPOUND, APPLICABLE
TO UNITING THE SURFACES OF LEATHER, WOOD, PAPER, AND OTHER FABRICS OR
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved waterproof adhesive material or
compound, which is applicable to the purpose of uniting the surfaces of
various substances and fabrics, such as leather, wood, paper, cotton, or canvas.
The compound is especially applicable to joining leather driving bands for
machinery by skiving or cutting the two ends so as to form a lap or splice and
spreading the composition thereon two or three times, leaving each coat to
dry, then heating the two parts by a fire, when by pressing the two
extremities of the band together and hammering them a perfect cohesion will
ensue, and the band will be stronger at that part than any other. The
operation is rendered more sure by previously rasping or roughening the
surfaces of the leather.
The base of the solution or compound is gutta percha, which is to be
dissolved in bisulphuret of carbon, with or without the addition or mixture of
any of the materials hereafter mentioned. The bisulphuret of carbon must be
perfectly purified and freed from sulphur after evaporation. The gutta percha
must be of the best quality, pink, and not white, and easily broken.

page_text: The proportions are according to the quality of the gutta percha, of which
there is much difference, but one part by weight of gutta percha and ten
parts by weight of bisulphuret of carbon is the best proportion. The gutta
percha is cut into small pieces and put into the bisulphuret of carbon in air-
tight vessels to avoid evaporation, and is agitated so as to facilitate the solution.
When it is perfectly dissolved it is to be poured through a strainer or cloth
or it can be left to settle and drawn off clear.
If desired, any of the following ingredients may be mixed with the gutta
percha in different proportions, viz., caoutchouc, resin, gum lac in powder,
colophony, arcanson, pitch, tar, or wax, benzoine, turpentine, chloroform,
and ether.
A NEW MODE OF ORNA- MENTING PAPIER MACHÉE WHILE IT IS IN A SOFT AND PLIABLE STATE, OR ANY OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCE WHILE IT IS OR CAN BE BROUGHT INTO THAT STATE
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Smith at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th September
1864.
I, ANDREW SMITH, of Mauchline, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW MODE OF ORNA-
MENTING PAPIER MACHÉE WHILE IT IS IN A SOFT AND PLIABLE STATE, OR ANY OTHER
SIMILAR SUBSTANCE WHILE IT IS OR CAN BE BROUGHT INTO THAT STATE," to be as
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates more especially to the decorating of articles, either
of utility or fancy, with that peculiar kind of ornamentation known as plaid or
tartan paper, which being ornamented with lines in water colours requires to
be treated in a particular manner to prevent its being injured by the pressure
necessary to force or form the articles into their various shapes and forms.
The paper having been previously ornamented, receives one or more coats of
varnish above the work, and when this is dry it is secured, first, to a single fly
of paper by means of any varnishing soluble in water; it is then pasted or
glued or otherwise secured upon the papier machée or similar substance
while the same is in a soft state, and being placed in a matrix and a corre-
sponding mould placed over it, it is then placed under a press and forced up to
the form required. One of the new points in this contrivance is the orna-
menting of the various articles, either with plaid or other ornamented paper
previous to the articles being cut out and formed into the different shapes.
required. And, secondly, the securing of the same first to a fly of paper by

page_text: means of an insolublo varnish, which prevents the mixture of the damp
papier machéo or similar substance being forced upwards and injuring the
water color ornament. 3rdly, after the articles are ornamented and formed as
above described, and have received all or any number of the coats of varnish
wherewith thoy are finished, they may bo again subjected to a powerful pres-
sure upon polished metal or very hard wooden moulds, which greatly reduces
the labour necessary in the ordinary mode of polishing the varnish by hand.
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BRUSHING THE HAIR
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Langford Oliver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th October 1864.
J, CHARLES LANGFORD OLIVER, of Child-Okeford, near Blandford, in the
County of Dorset, do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BRUSHING THE HAIR," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to apparatus for brushing the hair by means of
cylindrical revolving brushes, and consists, firstly, of an arrangement for
rendering such brushes automatic or self-acting by means of spring
mechanism. In carrying out this part of my Invention I mount a hollow
cylindrical brush in a suitable frame having one or more handles. Through
the centre of this brush passes a spindle, to which are attached two or more
coiled springs, and in connection therewith are a series of spur wheels for
increasing the speed and imparting the motion caused by the uncoiling of
the springs (when wound up) to the cylindrical brush. The person using
the brush has merely to wind up the springs by means of a key, and upon
releasing a catch the brush will continue to revolve as long as there is any
power left in the springs..
The second part of my Invention relates to a means of rendering such
brushes available for brushing ladies' hair. In carrying out this part of my
Invention I make the cylindrical brush of a much larger diameter than those
hitherto used, so that the circumference of the brush shall be greater than
the length of the longest hair, and I protect all but the cylinder by means of

page_text: guards, so as to prevent the hair from becoming entangled in any of the
mechanism, or wound round the spindle. This brush I support in a suitable
frame or carriage provided with wheels; and mounted upon a curved railway
running round the back and sides of a chair in which the person is to be
seated. The railway is provided with a rack or other equivalent apparatus,
by means of which it can be raised or lowered as required.
The brush may be caused to revolve by means of any of the ordinary
mechanism, but I prefer to drive it by means of the spring arrangement above
described.
IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR PINS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Archibald Brooman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition, on the 29th
August 1864. A communication from abroad by Joseph Charles.
Howells, of New York, United States of America.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR PINS," to be as follows:-
twisted being, so to
This Invention consists in forming one or each of the legs of hair pins with
a spiral twist, whereby the pin more effectually retains its position in the hair
of the wearer, the spiral where each leg of the pin is
speak, around a common central line, as seen at Fig. 1. Where one leg only
of the pin is twisted the long straight leg should be enclosed within and
project beyond the spiral leg, as seen at Fig. 2. The short straight leg of the
improved hair pin is not required to project within the spiral leg, see Fig. 3.
The spiral twist can be imparted to the pin by band labor or by any suitable
machinery. The short-legged spiral pin enters the hair with but slight
pressure, revolving while it enters, the short leg serving as a head or hook to
prevent its entering too far. The long straight leg acts as a pivot around
which the spiral leg that encloses it seems to revolve when the pin is pressed
gently into the hair. When each leg of the pin is spiral it enters the hair
more quickly and freely under pressure, acting like a double-threaded screw.
In either case the single or double spiralled hair pin acts like a screw, firmly

page_text: securing the hair of the wearer, and, by virtue of its spiral character, it cannot
be so readily removed as the ordinary pin from the hair, unless by giving a
movement to the spiral pin the reverse to that given to it upon its entering
the hair.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING DISTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by David McCallum at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st July
1864.
I, DAVID MCCALLUM, of the Octagon Warehouse, Union Road, Plymouth,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR ASCERTAINING DISTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for ascertaining
distances. For this purpose I employ a strip of metal or other material of
such a width as to enter freely into the barrel of a musket, and it has lugs on
its sides and intermediate of its length which stop it when it has entered so
far as to bring the lugs in contact with the muzzle. Near each end of the
strip are rectangular openings of suitable size, and near the centre of the strip
there is attached a tape graduated to yards of distance. In order to ascertain
the distance of a man on foot (whose height with his hat will be about six
feet) the strip is placed in the muzzle of the musket, which for short distances
is held in the left hand; the tape is held with the right hand against the
cheek bone, and the eye is brought into such a position that the man may be
seen through the opening in the upper end of the strip which projects out of
the muzzle; the eye is then approached to or withdrawn from the muzzle
until the height of the man exactly covers the distance between the top and
bottom of the slit; the figures on the tape when it is held against the cheek
Where
bone are then read off, and give the distance of the man observed.
the distance is long the muzzle of the musket will require to be held further

page_text: from the eye than the hand can place it, and for this purpose the strip is made
with a hole near the centre, which is tapped to receive the screw of the ram-
rod, so that in ascertaining long distances the ramrod is screwed to the strip,
and the musket is steadied by holding the ramrod in place of by holding the
muzzle direct. If the man to be observed is on horseback the strip is turned
over, and its other end put into the muzzle; the slit at the other end of the
strip is then used in the manner already described, and the difference of the
size of this slit will compensate for the greater height of the mounted man.
IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKWORK
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th December 1864.-A communication from abroad by Emile Marie
Girard, of 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France, Clockmaker.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CLOCKWORK," (a communication to me from abroad by Emile Marie Girard,
of 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France, Clockmaker,) to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in the entire suppression of the pivots of the escape-
ment axle or arbor in clockwork having a long and heavy pendulum, and of
the escapement arbor itself as well as the fork. These pivots indispensable
hitherto, are replaced by two spring blades, precisely similar to those used to
suspend the long and heavy pendulum in ordinary clocks, but which have not.
hitherto been used without the escapement arbor and its pivots. This
Invention not only suppresses the pivots, arbors, and forks, but it also prevents
all the frictions they produce, dispenses with the use of oils in this part of a
clock, and consequently the wear and tear of these same parts is done away
with.
MENTS IN HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Malcolm Sinclair McCallum at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th January 1864.
I, MALCOLM SINCLAIR MCCALLUM, of the Firm of Virtue, McCallum, and
Ramsay, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Hat Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD," to be as follows, that is to
say:-
This Invention has for object the manufacturing of hats and other head
coverings so as to secure an easy and comfortable adaptation to the head with
ventilation in a simple and economical manner, and in practically carrying out
the Invention, the external shell of the hat or head covering being made in the
ordinary way, there is attached inside it to the bottom edge an intermediate
band of more or less stiffened cloth or canvas folded to form two plies, the free
edges thereof being downwards. It is the outer edge of the intermediate
folded band that is attached to the outer shell, whilst the inner edge of the
intermediate folded band has attached to it the usual leather band. The
intermediate folded band forms a more or less elastic connection between the
flexible leather band, which applies itself immediately to the head and the
outer rigid shell. By suitably proportioning the parts more or less space can
be left between the leather band and the shell, and this space may be left open
all round, or cement or other attachment may be applied at one or more points
with the view of steadying the outer shell. To provide for ventilation, openings
may be formed in the upper part of the intermediate folded band, or this band

page_text: may be made of open canvas, net, or other permeable material, when air will
have access between the leather band and the shell and through the inter-
mediate band into the interior of the hat, whilst an opening or openings may
be formed in the crown or upper part of the hat for the egress of the air, as
commonly practised.
IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING BENZOLE OR ITS PRINCIPAL COMPOSING HYDROCARBONS, SUCH AS BENZINE, TOLUENE, OR XYLÉNE, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE TREATMENT OF OTHER HYDRO- CARBONS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jean Joseph Moutié at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th November
1864.
I, JEAN JOSEPH MOUTIÉ, of Paris, France, Manufacturing Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING BENZOLE OR ITS PRINCIPAL COMPOSING HYDROCARBONS, SUCH AS BENZINE,
TOLUENE, OR XYLÉNE, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE TREATMENT OF OTHER HYDRO-
CARBONS," to be as follows:-
These improvements in treating benzole or its principal composing hydro-
carbons, such as benzine, toluene, or xylène, relate to improved modes of
combining the said products with nitric acid. By the name of benzole I
understand the crude benzole or coal naphtha of commerce obtained by the
distillation of coal tar, whereas by the names of benzine, toluene, and xylène,
I understand those hydrocarbons resulting from the distillation of benzole,
having their boiling points respectively at from 80° to 83° centigrades for
benzine, from 110° to 112° for toluene, and from 138° to 140° for xylène.
Hitherto for combining, on a manufacturing scale, the said hydrocarbons
with nitric acid in order to obtain nitro-benzine, nitro-toluene, and nitro-xylène,
the nitric acid and the hydrocarbon (whether benzole, benzine, toluene, or
zylène), were brought together whilst in the cold state. My Invention consists
in combining them whilst in the heated state, viz., either the acid or the bydro-
carbon, or both, being heated to the required degree, and the process taking

page_text: place either at the ordinary atmospheric pressure or under an increased
pressure, viz., in a closed vessel.
I intend to apply the Invention also for combining with nitric acid other
hydrocarbons than those above.
My process allows of obtaining the above-mentioned chemical combinations &
by means of nitric acid of a specific gravity of from 1870 to 1440, whilst
the acid becoming more and more diluted at each successive operation, the
same may be reconcentrated, and thus made serviceable again."
AN IMPROVED MEMO- RANDUM BOOK OR DIARY
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Hibberd at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
February 1864.
I, CHARLES HIBBERD, of Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, Stationer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MEMO-
RANDUM BOOK OR DIARY," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing memorandum books or diaries in
manner hereafter explained, that is to say, for a memorandum book for a
week, for instance, I make use of a case or cover folded so as to form a long
and a short leaf; I then insert within this cover sheets of paper or other
material to write upon, every sheet or series of sheets being gradually shorter
than that or those preceding it, until the last sheet or series of sheets is
reduced in length to about the same length as that of the short leaf of
I print or otherwise mark on the longest sheet or series of
sheets the first day of the week, the second day on the next longest sheet or
series of sheets, and so on down to the shortest. For a diary for the months
I proceed in a similar manner; and for a diary for various events, as, for
instance, horse races, I substitute the name of the race for the days of
the week.
AN IMPROVEMENT IN BUTT-PIECES FOR SEGAR HOLDERS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Adolph Oberdoerffer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
November 1864.
I, ADOLPH ОBERDOERFFER, Merchand, of 54, Regent Street Quadrant, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN BUTT-PIECES FOR SEGAR HOLDERS," to be as
follows:-
I make the butt-pieces for segar holders of india-rubber or any other elastic
stuff in the same shapes and forms as those used hitherto, but which have been
made of non-elastics.
The objects of this Invention are, firstly, to make the butt-piece join
firmly on to the segar holder without injuring the latter; secondly, to make
such segars which are not of a perfect cylindrical form to fit hermetically tight
on to the butt-piece, which latter owing to its elasticity will adopt the form of
the segars.
IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STREET AND OTHER LAMPS OR LANTERNS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Browning at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th January
1864.
I, JAMES BROWNING, of Grosvenor Road, Pimlico, in the County of
Middlesex, White Lead Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STREET AND OTHER LAMPS OR
LANTERNS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "Improvements applicable to Street and other Lamps or
Lanterns" relates to an improved mode of utilizing those rays of light which
radiate upwards from the burner, and thereby become lost. This object is
effected by adapting to the lamp or lantern a reflector or reflecting surfaces
arranged in such a manner above the burner that all or a greater portion of
those rays of light which radiate upwards are made to fall upon the reflecting
surface, and are thereby thrown downwards or in a horizontal or nearly
horizontal direction, so that the rays of light may be dispersed in the direction
where they will be required. Attempts have been made to effect this object
by placing concave or other reflectors inside street or other lamps or lanterns
immediately above the light. This arrangement, however, gives rise to many
inconveniences, and does not, in fact, effect the desired object, which is to
arrest the progress of such rays of light (as would otherwise escape uselessly)
and throw them towards the ground, but at a very acute angle thereto. A
simple concave or plano reflecting surface placed so that the rays of light are
made to strike at right angles would of course throw the light downwards in

page_text: the immediate vicinity of the lamp, where they will not be required; but if
the reflecting surface be placed above, and at an angle of say 45 degrees to
the horizon, then the rays which fall thereon from the burner will be projected
These reflecting surfaces I propose, by preference,
horizontally or nearly so.
to place outside the street lamp or lantern, so that they may be easily removed
for cleaning.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING GRAIN
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th March
1864. A communication from abroad by William Henry Sutton, of
the Town of Brantford, County of Brant, in the Province of Canada,
Machinist.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING GRAIN," a communication to me
from abroad by William Henry Sutton, of the Town of Brantford, in the
County of Brant, in the Province of Canada, Machinist, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of:
apparatus for drying grain, and consists in the employment of a peculiar
self-acting mechanical contrivance for propelling the grain along its drying
surface. The grain to be dried is fed in at one end of a long shallow trough
provided with a perforated bottom, through which hot air ascends from a kiln
below. In some cases a fan blast may be employed to assist. the ascending
current of hot air. Along the sides of this trough are laid rails, upon which
run the supporting wheels of a carriage or travelling frame of about half the
length of the trough itself. This carriage is provided with rows of stirrers,
consisting of thin metal blades or pallets made to feather or turn on their
axes individually by the aid of bell-crank levers acted upon by fixed stops
during the to-and-fro motion of the carriage. This motion is imparted to
the carriage by any well-known reversing gear, such, for example, as that

page_text: employed in planing machines, a rack being fitted to the carriage to receive
the motion from a pinion or the reversing shaft. By causing the blades or
pallets to present themselves alternately with their faces and edges to the
grain during the to-and-fro motion of the carriage along the trough, the grain
is drawn along the entire surface of the perforated bottom, and is thus kept!
constantly stirred during the drying process.
A HYGIENIC AND INODOROUS APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE CRADLES OR COTS OF CHILDREN AND TO THE BEDS OF ADULT INVALIDS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
February 1864.-A communication from abroad by Geofroy-Gomez, of
No. 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France, Surgeon-Dentist.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A HYGIENIC
AND INODOROUS APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE CRADLES OR COTS OF CHILDREN AND
TO THE BEDS OF ADULT INVALIDS," (a communication to me from abroad by
Paul Geofroy-Gomez, of No. 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France,
Surgeon Dentist,) to be as follows:-
The child's cradle or cot may be of any form, and at one of its sides
will be made an opening intended to receive a drawer. On this cot will be
placed a spring mattrass, in the centre of which an opening will be formed
corresponding with the above-mentioned drawer which enters beneath the said
mattrass. Corresponding with this drawer is a funnel-shaped basin, provided
at its lower end with a valve intended to intercept the air and the gases
produced by the fecal matters which fall into the drawer; on the spring
mattrass is placed a woollen one, having in ist centre an opening similar to
that of the spring mattrass; on this woollen mattrass is a linen sheet pierced
like the mattrasses; lastly, on this orifice is placed a cushion of round and
convex form, made of caoutchouc or gutta percha, and having a tube of the
same material intended to inflate it with air. At about two inches from the
circumference of the opening of the cushion is glued a band of caoutchouc or

page_text: gutta percha, furnished with buttons and button-holes, and so shaped that the
child being laid on the cushion, this band folded over its thighs and buttocks
envelops it in the same manner as if it wore bathing drawers. This caout-
chouc or gutta percha band rises only half way up the child's belly, and covers
only half the width of its buttocks. The result of this combination is that
when the child evacuates, the urine and the fecal matters fall into the basin,
and by their weight open the valve at the bottom, which having allowed
them to fall into the drawer beneath, shuts immediately.
This Invention is intended to be applied not only to children's cradles or
cots, but also to the beds of invalid and infirm adults, and persons suffering
from fractures or wounds. Caoutchouc or (gutta percha) is used for the
drawer, pan, and valve as being an impermeable body not easily broken, but
any suitable material may be substituted.
AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BLOWING CUPOLAS, BLAST FURNACES, REFINERIES, SMITHS' FURNACES, REFINERS' SMITHS' FIRES, AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Martin Stanley and Jabez
Stanley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 7th November 1864.
We, JOHN MARTIN STANLEY and JABEZ STANLEY, of the Midland Works,
Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BLOWING CUPOLAS, BLAST FURNACES,
REFINERIES, SMITHS' FURNACES, REFINERS' SMITHS' FIRES, AND OTHER FURNACES,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode blowing cupolas, blast fur-
naces, refineries, smith fires, and other furnaces, and consists in passing a
jet or jets of high-pressure superheated steam into the twyre pipes, the latter
being formed with open ends for that purpose, and a current of air being
thereby induced. By this improvement we dispense with the ordinary
blowing apparatus.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS COMBINED WITH RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO ENABLE THE PASSENGERS TO SIGNAL TO THE GUARD OF A TRAIN
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter Thomas Whitmore Jones
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd August 1864.
I, WALTER THOMAS WHITMORE JONES, of 16, South Audley Street, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS COMBINED WITH RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO ENABLE
THE PASSENGERS TO SIGNAL TO THE GUARD OF A TRAIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus combined with
railway carriages to enable the passengers to signal to the guard of a train.
For this purpose I combine with each compartment of a carriage a pull
similar to a bell pull or it may be a trigger, which when acted on liberates a
disc or other visible signal on the top of the carriage, and allows it by its own
weight or by a spring to assume a position in which the guard will readily see
it on looking from his window along the carriages, and at the same time the
pull or trigger acts to free a hammer or weight, and allows it to fall on a
percussion cap or similar instrument containing a fulminating material, or it
acts on an apparatus similar to the friction tubes used for firing cannon, and
thereby produces an explosion sufficiently loud to call the attention of the
guard. Gunpowder or other explosive material may be used to increase the
report, if required. In place of producing the audible signal by means of
the report of an explosion, it may be obtained by means of a whistle in con-
nection with a reservoir of compressed air, there being such a reservoir and
whistle in connection with each carriage, and the pulls or triggers in the

page_text: compartments act to cause the escape of the air from the reservoir to the
whistle. This arrangement is used, as will be understood, in combination
with a visible signal, as before mentioned. The carriages should be so
arranged that the guard may pass from end to end of the train whilst in
motion, so that when signalled to he can ascertain what is required, and
communicate with the engine driver, if necessary. It will be seen that by
these arrangements no special couplings or connections between the carriages
are required, but that each carriage carries complete in itself combined signal
apparatus calling attention both by sight and sound.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND EVAPORATING LIQUIDS AND FLUIDS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro
Cochrane at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th December 1864.
I, ARTHUR AUCKLAND LEOPOLD PEDRO COCHRANE, of Portsmouth, in the
County of Hampshire, Captain in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING
AND EVAPORATING LIQUIDS AND FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
My Invention for heating and evaporating liquids and fluids has more
immediate reference to boilers for heating and evaporating water, though
applicable for heating air and other fluids, and consists in the adaptation of a
furnace having no ash-pit, and in which furnace the fuel may be of any
vertical height the crown of the furnace will suitably admit of. The fuel rests
upon a solid or close bottom (as in a cupola,) both of which are in immediate
contact with the water spaces of the boiler or the sides of the furnace, which
may be lined with fire-brick, clay, or other similar suitable material. Air is
supplied for the combustion of the fuel by mechanical means, as a blower,
pump, or steam jet, through suitable channels or apertures in the sides of
the furnace. I am enabled by the foregoing arrangements to effect a given
amount of evaporation with boilers of less size than those heretofore used.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Bingham Alliott at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th April 1864.
I, JAMES BINGHAM ALLIOTT, of the Town of Nottingham, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the employment of a disc revolving freely on an
axle fastened to the framework of the plough. This disc takes the place of
the breast of the plough, and is fixed at a suitable angle to the beam so as to
force the earth to the required distance, and turn it over, and as the disc revolves
in passing through the earth the power required to work the plough is con-
siderably reduced. Also, in the use of a disc (or discs) revolving freely on
an axle fastened to the frame of the plough on the opposite side to the first-
mentioned disc. These improvements may be applied to ploughs worked by
steam, horse, or other power.
AN IMPROVED PHOTO- GRAPHIC PROCESS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Fox at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd November
1864.
I, THOMAS Fox, of Alloa, in the County of Clackmannan, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PHOTO-
GRAPHIC PROCESS," to bo as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved photographic process in which
bichromate of potash is brought into contact with logwood; and in practising
the Invention paper is sensitised by floating it upon or steeping it in a solution
of bichromate of potash and sulphate of copper. The paper having been dried
in the dark is exposed to the action of light in a printing frame or in the
camera, and is afterwards floated upon a decoction of logwood, which is by
preference warm, and in half a minute to a minute thereafter the print is
carefully removed and dipped in hot water, which carries off the superfluous.
logwood. The result is a very distinct print with the original lights of the
picture or transparency printed from, or of the object before the camera
reproduced as lights, and with the shades of a deep black tone. The print is
completed by drying and varnishing. A good sensitising solution is made by
taking one part by weight of bichromate of potash to two parts of sulphate of
copper; whilst the tone of the print may be greatly varied by varying the
The print may be
strengths of the sensitising and logwood solutions.

page_text: transferred to paper, cloth, or similar substances by passing it through a press
with the printed side in contact therewith; and it may be transferred in a
similar way to wood, stone, and the like, if a coating of albumen is first
applied thereto.