AN IMPROVED PORTABLE BATH
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Jones, of Portland Place, in the Parish of
Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PORTABLE BATH."
Sealed the 9th April 1867, and dated the 11th October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October 1866.
I, HARRY JONES, of Portland Place, in the Parish of Marylebone, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED PORTABLE BATH," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of a portable bath suitable
for tourists and travellers where a bath cannot be obtained. My portable bath
is constructed by preference of the textile waterproof fabric known by the
name of "Mackintosh," but any other waterproof fabric that will answer the
purpose may be used, as for instance, indian-rubber or tarpaulin. It is cut
circular or of any other desired form, and the edge being gathered in and
stiffened with ribs forms a bath. The sides may however be made in a plain
separate piece and joined to the bottom. To give it the necessary stiffness, I.
insert pieces of whalebone, sheet iron, cane, or by preference thin steel ribs
which may keep the bottom flat by meeting in the centre, while other pieces
are placed up the sides-as-above stated, strips of the waterproof fabric being

page_text: secured over them and rendered water-tight. By cutting two circular or other
shaped pieces of waterproof fabric and placing the ribs between them, and
then cementing them together, a more complete and durable bath is con-
structed. In this way the bath after being used can be folded up into a very
small compass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Harry Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
JONES, of Duchess Street, Portland Place, in the Parish of Marylebone, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Harry Jones, Her special licence that I, the said Harry Jones, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Harry Jones, 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. "AN IMPROVED PORTABLE BATH," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Harry Jones, 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 Harry Jones, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
•
This Invention has for its object the construction of a portable bath suitable
for tourists and travellers. My portable bath is constructed by preference of
the textile waterproof fabric known by the name of "Macintosh," but any

page_text: other waterproof fabric that will answer the purpose may be used, as for
instance, indian-rubber, oiled silk, tarpaulin, or any other waterproof material.
It is cut circular; or of any other desired form, slits are then cut for a short
distance in the line of the diameter, and the edges thereof are then gathered up
and made to overlap, and secured so as to make the joints water-tight, or the
edges may be gathered up without slits being made. The edges being
gathered up, as aforesaid, the sides of the bath are made by stiffening the
portion, down which the slits are cut, or the gathers made with ribs of tin,
zinc, sheet iron, steel, ebonite, vulcanised rubber, leather, wood, wire, cane,
whalebone, or any other similar material. These are secured by slips of
waterproof material laid over them and cemented down. The sides may,
however be made in a plain separate piece and joined to the bottom. To give
the bottom additional stiffness I sometimes insert thin ribs of cane, steel,
sheet iron, or by preference whalebone, which serve to keep the bottom flat
by meeting in the centre or reaching some way towards the centre, while
other pieces are placed up the sides as above stated, strips of waterproof fabric
being secured over them and rendered water-tight. By cutting two circular
or other shaped pieces of waterproof fabric and placing the ribs between them
and then cementing them together, a more complete and durable bath may
be constructed. The bath may also be strengthened by attaching a circular
piece of sheet indian-rubber to the bottom, rising an inch or two up the sides;
this indian-rubber bottom may have a circular piece cut out of its centre for
convenience in folding. The bath may be made with or without ribs in the
bottom, or with or without a piece of sheet indian-rubber affixed to the
bottom. It may be supplied with strings or cords fastened to the edges
which can be used as handles, it may also be provided with a flexible syphon
for the purpose of emptying it. In this way the bath after being used can be
folded up into a very small compass.
Having explained the nature and object of my said Invention, I shall now
refer to the accompanying Drawings, which illustrate means whereby the same
is carried into practice.
.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the bath as in use, and Fig. 2 is a plan of
the same.
The lines marked a, a, &c., denote the position of the stiffening
ribs, and the portions b, b, &c., show the slits and the edges thereof overlapped
and cemented as heretofore explained. In Fig. 2 the portions marked c, c, &c.,
denote the ribs for stiffening the bottom which extend towards the centre as
shown, but do not meet for the purpose of greater convenience in folding;
but this is not essential, and any number may be used; d, d, &c., denote the
thin slips of material cemented over these to secure them. These thin strips

page_text: are also sometimes used in the case of the side ribs a, a, &c., but they are not
shewn in the Figures referred to.
I have now described the nature and object of my said Invention, and
illustrated the same, and I wish it to be understood that I have only shown
in the Drawings one way of carrying out my Invention, the details of which
can be greatly varied, as the kind of material of the bath, the size and number
of ribs, mode of cementing and securing the same, method of gathering in the
edges, whether by slits or merely doubling them over or otherwise. And what
I claim as my Invention is the general construction of a portable bath in
the manner or manners herein-before substantially described, referred to, or
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Jones, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
C.'S: BAKER,
General Patent Co., Limited,
71, Fleet Street, London,
Agents.
H. JONES. (L.S.)