IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEARS AND SCISSORS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rolla Badger, of Sawbridgeworth, in the County
of Hertford, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHEARS AND SCISSORS."
Sealed the 3rd September 1869, and dated the 6th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rolla Badger at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th March 1869.
I, ROLLA BADGER, of Sawbridgeworth, in the County of Hertford,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEARS AND Scissors," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the construction of scissors and shears
to be used by pressing downwards against the surface on which the
fabric to be cut is laid. For this purpose I place above the blades a
handle, which upon being pressed down closes the blades, and the same
can be opened (when the downward pressure is relieved) by a spring

page_text: acting between the blades. The handle should be so arranged that it
may be attached to the upper blade and be connected to the shank of
the other blade. In order to cause the blades to cut more effectually
and to open freely I make their joint with a certain freedom so as to
admit of the blades being brought closely together laterally, and I so
construct the handle and its connection to the blades that I can by the
pressure of the hand, when tightly grasping the handle, cause the blades
to bear firmly against each other and so give the cut, while by relaxing
the grasp of the handle this side pressure is relieved and the blades are
free to open in obedience to the spring.
The object of my Invention may be effected in various ways, for
example, the handle may be made of two side parts, kept apart by a
spring or by their own elasticity, but capable of being pressed together
by the grasp of the hand; both these parts being attached to the upper
blade, while only one of them is connected to the shank of the other
blade. The pressure exerted by the hand grasp in closing them together
causes the surfaces of the blades to bear against each other laterally.
On relieving this pressure the elasticity of the parts of the handle or of
the spring between them causes these parts to separate, and thus to
relieve the side pressure of the blades.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rolla Badger in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROLLA
BADGER, of Sawbridgeworth, in the County of Hertford, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Rolla Badger, Her special licence that I, the
said Rolla Badger, my executors, administrators, and assigns; or such
others as I, the said Rolla Badger, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to

page_text: 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 SHEARS AND
SCISSORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Rolla
Badger, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under his, 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 Rolla Badger, 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:-
My Invention has for its object the construction of scissors and shears
to be used by pressing downwards against the surface on which the
fabric to be cut is laid. For this purpose I place above the blades a
handle, which upon being pressed down closes the blades, and the same
can be opened by a spring (when the downward pressure is released).
The handle should be so arranged that it may be attached to the upper
blade, and be connected to the shank of the other blade. In order to
cause the blades to cut more effectually and to open freely I make their
joint so as to admit of the blades being brought closely together laterally,
and I so construct the handle and its connection to the blades that I
can by the pressure of the hand when grasping the handle cause the
blades to bear firmly against each other and so give the cut, while by
relaxing the grasp of the handle this side pressure is relieved, and the
blades are free to open in obedience to the spring.
The object of my Invention may be effected in various ways, for
example, the handle may be made of two side parts, kept apart by a
spring or by their own elacticity, but capable of being pressed together
by the grasp of the hand. The pressure exerted by the hand grasp in
closing them together causes the surfaces of the blades to bear against
each other laterally. On relieving this pressure the elasticity of the
parts of the handle or of the spring between them causes these parts to
separate, and thus to relieve the side pressure of the blades.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a side view of a pair of shears or scissors con-
structed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3
an end view.
a is the upper blade to which a handle b, which may be of wood, is
attached by a rigid piece of metal a', which I prefer to make in one
piece with the blade; a³ is the tail of the upper blade a, which I make
of curved outline, so that when the shears are used it has a rolling
movement on the table or surface on which the fabric to be cut is laid.
I also prefer to make this rolling surface of considerable breadth to give
steadiness, and I do this by forming it with a projection at one side, which
serves at the same time for the, attachment of a spring c. d is the lower
blade, of which the tail d' projects beyond the pivot or centre e. This
tail is acted on by the spring c so as to open the blades apart when the
downward pressure of the hand on the handle b is relieved. f is a flat
clastic bar or plate, which is firmly secured at one end to the piece a¹, and
which is loosely fitted into a hollow or groove in the handle b, having a
piece of wood g attached to it; this piece of wood g projects beyond the
general outline of the handle b, so that when the handle is grasped by
the hand, the part 9 can be pressed inwards into the hollow or groove.
f¹ is the tail part of the bar f, and this tail part is made to bear against
the tail d' of the lower blade. Thus when the hand is applied at 6 with
downward pressure the blades are caused to approach each other so as to
cut the fabric placed between them at the same time by the hand grasping
the handle and pressing the part 9 inwards. The tail f¹ is made to bear
against d', and thus the front part of the blade d is made to bear
laterally against the blade a, and so render the cutting action of the
blades more certain. When the downward pressure has been applied
till the points of the blades close together the farther closing of the
shears is prevented by the end of the tail d¹ bearing against the end
of a². On releasing the handle 6 from the grasp and downward pressure
the spring frees the tail f¹ from its lateral strain against d', and the
spring c causes the blades to reopen. A projection is formed at f*,
which acts as a stop to prevent the blades from opening too widely
apart. For securing the blades together. when the shears are not in use
I attach a flat ring / to the tail of the one blade and loop it over into a

page_text: notch in the tail of the other. In shaping the edges of the blades I
prefer to make their outlines of such curvature that they cross each
other at the same angle in all parts of their stroke.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I
would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the details, or
proportions, or positions represented in the Drawings, as these may be
varied to suit different dimensions of instruments or different materials
subjected to their action, nor do I claim such details or proportions,
except when adopted and used substantially in manner herein described,
what I do claim being the improvements in shears and scissors, which are
herein described and exemplarily illustrated by the said Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rolla Badger, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
ROLLA BADGER. (L.S.)
Witness,
ALEX. P. WRIGHT,
Secretary to the Inventors' Patent Right
Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross, London, S.W.,
Patentee's Agents.