IMPROVE- MENTS IN COLOUR TOPS."
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Beverley Fenby, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COLOUR TOPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by, the said Joseph Beverley Fenby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th October 1872.
I, JOSEPH BEVERLEY FENBY, of Birmingham, in the County of
5 Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COLOUR TOPS," to be as follows :-
In constructing colour tops according to my Invention I make the
body and axis of the top. in the ordinary way; that is, I make, the body
of a disc of metal loaded at its periphery, and the axis of a tube closed
and pointed at bottom and open at top.

page_text: The other parts of the instrument I make as follows:-Thc colour
disc consists of a card on which a symmetrical design is painted, by
preference in the three primary colours, yellow, red, and blue. The
colour disk has a central perforation through which, when the said disk
is dropped on the rotating top, the upper part of the axis of the top
passes. A second disk or mask is dropped upon the colour disk, but is
prevented from lodging upon it by a shoulder on the axis of the top,
on which shoulder the said mask is supported. The said mask consists
of a blackened disk of the same size as the colour disk, and similarly
provided with a central perforation. On opposite sides of the centre of the
mask openings are cut, the said openings extending from near the centre
to near the periphery. Each portion cut away is by preference a portion
enclosed between two radii, making with each other an angle of about
thirty degrees. On the upper side of the mask and symmetrically
disposed are two small vanes or flyers consisting of small planes fixed
at right angles to the plane of the mask.
In using the colour top the top is set spinning in the ordinary way.
The colour disk is first dropped upon the top, and afterwards the mask,
the upper part of the axis of the top passing through the central
openings in the colour disk and mask respectively. The colour disk
takes the motion of the top, but the mask in consequence of the resistance
of the air against the vanes or flyers never acquires the same velocity
as the colour disk. The consequence is that the different portions of
the colour disk are brought in slow succession under the openings in
the mask, and the rotating top presents the appearance of a disk in
which a series of colours melt into one another by insensible gradations,
producing vivid chromatic effects unattainable in colour tops of the
ordinary construction.
Although I prefer two openings in the mask, yet one or more than
two openings may be employed, care being taken to keep the mask
accurately balanced about its centre. The same or nearly the same
effect may be produced by retarding the colour disk instead of retarding
the mask. The retardation of the said colour disk being effected by
vanes on its under side the colour disk in this case being supported
above the top by a shoulder on the axis of the top. When the colour
disk has vanes or flyers the mask is without them. In this arrangement

page_text: the colours succeed each other in an order the inverse of that in which
they succeed each other in the first described arrangement.
The chromatic phenomena produced may be varied to any extent by
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Beverley Fenby in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BEVERLEY FENBY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Joseph Beverley Fenby, Her special licence
that I, the said Joseph Beverley Fenby, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Beverley Fenby, 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
COLOUR TOPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph
Beverley Fenby, 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 months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Beverley Tenby, 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

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
In constructing colour tops according to my Invention I make the
body and axis of the top in the ordinary way, that is to say, the
body is a disc or wheel of metal or other suitable material loaded at its
periphery, the axis is a tube closed-and pointed at its lower end and
open at its upper end.
The other parts of the instrument I make as follows:-The colour
disc is formed of card, stiff paper, or other suitable substance, and has
a symmetrical design painted on it by preference in the three primary
colours, yellow, red, and blue. At its centre the said disc has a hole
or perforation through which when it is dropped on the rotating top
the upper part of the axis of the top passes. A second disc, which I term
a mask, is dropped over the colour disc, but the contact of the mask with
the said colour disc is prevented by a shoulder on the axis of the top, on
which shoulder the mask is supported. The said mask has a blackened
surface; it is of the same size as the colour disc, and is similarly provided
with a central perforation. On opposite sides of the centre of the mask
openings are cut, extending from near the centre to near the periphery.
Each portion cut away is by preference a portion enclosed between two
radii, making with each other, an angle of about thirty degrees. On
the upper side of the mask and symmetrically disposed are two small
vanes or flyers consisting of small projections standing at a right angle
to the plane of the mask.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn one of my improved
colour tops, constructed. in what I have found to be the most advan-
tageous manner for carrying the said Invention into practice.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the said top, showing one of the colour
discs and the mask in place thereon; Figure 2 is a plan of the said colour
disc; Figure 3 is a plan of the mask. Like letters indicate the samo
parts throughout the Drawing.
The body of the top as shewn in this Drawing is a wheel with light
arms or spokes a and a heavy rim a' of iron, brass, type metal, or other
suitable material. The axis or spindle is a light metal tube bin whose
lower end the steel pointed plug b' is firmly fixed. The said tube is
made fast in the hub or boss a³ of the wheel; c is the colour disc, and d

page_text: the mask; a³ is the shoulder projecting above the colour disc, and d' is
a collar on the mask and which rests on the said shoulder; this collar may
be formed of hard india-rubber or other light substance. By thus sup-
porting the mask above the colour 'disc and on a small bearing surface
it is made capable of receiving an independent motion on the axis b,
and by causing it to revolve faster or slower than the colour disc c I
obtain the peculiar effect which is the object of my Invention. e, e, are
the openings in the said mask, and f,f, the small vanes or flyers on the
upper side of the same.
In using the said colour top it is set spinning in the ordinary way,
preferably in a small saucer. The colour disc is first dropped upon
the top and afterwards the mask, the upper part of the axis of the
top passing through the central openings in the colour disc and mask
respectively. The colour disc takes the motion of the top, but the mask
in consequence of the resistance of the air against the vanes or flyers
does not acquire the same velocity as the colour disc until the top has
materially slackened its speed. The consequence is that so long as the
colour disc and mask run at different velocitics the different portions of
the colour disc are brought in slow succession under the openings in
the mask, and the rotating top presents the appearance of a disc in
which a series of colours melt into one another by insensible gradations,
producing vivid chromatic effects unattainable in colour tops of the
ordinary construction.
Although I prefer two openings in the mask, yet it may have only
one, or it may have more than two openings if desired, care being taken
to keep the mask accurately balanced about its centre. The same or
nearly the same effect may be produced by retarding the colour disc
instead of retarding the mask. The rotardation of the said colour disc
is effected by vanes on its under side, the colour disc in this case being
supported above the top by a shoulder on the axis of the top. When
the colour disc has these vanes or flyers the mask is without them. In
this last described arrangement the colours succeed each other in an
order the reverse of that in which they succeed each other in the first

page_text: Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim, the improve-
ments in colour tops herein specified carried into effect by the com-
bination of the top, the colour disc, and mask, in such a manner, that
the said colour disc and mask run automatically at different speeds as
hercin set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Beverley Fenby, have hıcrc-
this Fifteenth day of in
in the
JOSEPH BEVERLEY FENBY. (L.S.)