IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOW TABLETS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brownlie, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Show Tablet Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOW TABLETS"
Sealed the 17th January 1871, and dated the 1st August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brownlie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st August 1870.
I, WILLIAM BROWNLIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Show Tablet Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOW TABLETS,"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in the manufacture of
show tablets whereby they may be produced at a lower cost than hitherto,
consists in lithographing the desired design of show tablet upon paper,
after which a coating of either colourless or tinted varnish is spread over
the side of the paper whereon the design is lithographed, that is to say,
a coating of varnish is spread over the design itself, as well as over the.

page_text: blank surfaces of the paper on which no design has been produced; the
sheet of paper is then placed on a sheet of glass whilst the varnish is
moist, the varnished side of the paper being of course next to the glass,
and in the process of drying the varnished sheet of paper adheres firmly
to the glass. The ground portions, that is, the spaces or blanks between
the lettering or other device upon the show tablet, may be produced in
any desired colour by oil painting the back of the sheet of paper at the
required positions after the sheet has adhered to the glass. The paper
used is of such a quality or nature that the oil painting renders it invisible,
the colour of the paint appearing instead and thus giving the show tablet
the appearance of having been produced in the ordinary way, that is,
by producing the design or device upon the glass itself.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Brownlie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BROWNLIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the 34th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Brownlie, Her special licence that
I, the said William Brownlie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Brownlie, my executors, administrators,
or 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF SHOW TABLETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Brownlie, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: 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 William Brownlie, 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, that is to say:-
:-.
My said Invention, which relates to improvements in the manufacture
of show tablets whereby they may be produced at a lower cost than
hitherto, consists in lithographing or printing the desired design of show
tablet upon paper, after which a coating of either colourless or tinted
varnish is spread over that side of the paper whereon the design is
lithographed or printed, that is to say, a coating of varnish is spread over
the design itself, as well as over the blank portions of the surface of the
paper. The effect of coating the paper with varnish is to render the
same transparent. The sheet of paper whilst the varnish is still moist
is then laid and rubbed down upon a sheet of glass, the varnished side
of the paper being next to the glass, so that when the varnish is dry the
sheet of paper adheres firmly to the glass. The ground portions,' that is
to say, the spaces or blanks between the lettering, shades, or ornaments
upon the show tablet, may be produced in any desired colour, either by
lithographing or printing the design of the tablet upon coloured paper,
or, as it is preferred, by painting the back of the sheet of paper with oil
paint after it has been rendered transparent by the varnish and has
adhered to the glass; or in lieu of using paint, varnish tinted with any
desired colour may be laid over the back of the tablet, and in either case
the paint or coloured varnish appears through the transparent portions
of the tablet.
In place of employing varnish for rendering the paper transparent any
other fluid having the properties of adhesion and of rendering paper
transparent may be adopted.
When the design is lithographed upon paper tinted or coloured
according to the colour intended for the ground of the tablet then it is
unnecessary to render it transparent by varnish or other fluid, as in that
case it requires only to be affixed to the glass by any suitable colourless
adhesive material, but in order to protect the back of the paper after it
has adhered to the glass it is preferred to coat that side with paint or
varnish.

page_text: The tablets manufactured in the manner herein-before set forth have
a similar appearance to the tablets at present produced by painting the
design upon the glass itself.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be used
or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that
what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, con-
structing show tablets in the manner herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brownlie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, One-
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.