Improvements in Needle Oases.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
Improvements in Needle Oases.
EDGAR ROBERT SMITH BARTLEET Abbey Mills, Redditch Worcestershire,
Needle and Fish Hook Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention may be applied to any needle case of suitable form and material,
but in the following description I shall take for an example one of the ordinary needle
cases composed of three folds of cardboard, decorated and lined in the usual
manner; nevertheless my said invention is not limited to this or any fixed number
of folds.
Taking then a needle case of three folds, upon the middle fold, which usually
forms or contains the chief receptacle for the needles, I attach by means of glue,
or any ordinary adhesive material, two " elevators each constructed in the
following manner.
"
I take a strip of cardboard about two inches long and of about one inch in
width, and this "score," or cut half way through its substance across the width
of the strip in three places, at equal distances from each other so as to divide the
whole length of the strip into four equal portions, these four portions I fold over
till the two opposite ends of the strip meet, and the whole forms a hollow square,
each side of which will measure about half an inch in height while the length of
the square tube thus formed will be about one inch. I then join the two ends of
the strip together by glueing partly over each a strip of linen or other woven fabric,
and this being done the four angles of the square become equivalent to four hinges,
which may be strengthened, if desirable, by an inner lining of some woven material
affixed by some ordinary adhesive material.
Now the four angles of the square or elevator, acting as hinges it is evident that
this will under light compression lie flat; or when this compression is removed can
be restored to its square form by a means to be described later on.
Taking two of these elevators I proceed to glue them respectively by one side,
to the middle fold of the needle case, at a distance of about one quarter of an inch
from its left-hand side, and at about the same distance respectively from the top
and the bottom edges of the fold, and upon the upper portion of the elevators when
in square I glue the pocket for containing the needles, the said pocket being long
enough to cover the elevators and bridge over the space from one to the other.
To the underside of this pocket I then attach by one end a strip of tape, or
Darrow ribbon, about three inches in length, its opposite end being likewise affixed
to the left hand fold of the needle case at the distance of about tinch from its
right hand side, thus leaving a portion of the tape or ribbon unattached in the
middle.
The pocket just mentioned being furnished with needles, it is evident that the
compression caused by folding up the needle case will oblige the elevators to lie
flat on the middle fold and the piece of tape or ribbon to lie loose in its unattached
portion and that the act of opening the case will not only remove the compression,
but by tightening the piece of tape or ribbon, cause the elevators to rise and
recover their square form, and that this will raise the pocket containing the needles
to at least half an inch above their former position, which is an improvement
inasmuch as the needles can be selected more easily than when lying flat on the fold,

page_text: and a further improvement gained by my invention is that the needles generally are
less liable to become rusty from accidental contact with the fingers.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of February 1894.
EDGAR ROBERT SMITH BARTLEET Abbey Mills Redditch Worcestershire
Needle Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this 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 may be applied to any needle case of suitable form and material,
but in the following description I shall take for an example one of the ordinary
needle cases composed of three folds of cardboard, decorated and lined in the
usual manner; nevertheless my said invention is not limited to this or any fixed
number of folds.
Taking then a needle case of three folds, upon the middle fold, which usually
forms or contains the chief receptacle for the needles, I attach by means of glue,
or any ordinary adhesive material, two "elevators" each constructed in the
following manner.
"
I take a strip of cardboard about two inches long and of about one inch in
width, and this I " score or cut half way through its substance across the width
of the strip in three places at equal distances from each other so as to divide the
whole length of the strip into four equal portions, these four portions I fold over
till the two opposite ends of the strip meet, and the whole forms a hollow square,
each side of which will measure about half an inch in height while the length of the
square tube thus formed will be about one inch. I then join the two ends of the strip
together by glueing partly over each a strip of linen or other woven fabric, and
this being done the four angles of the square become equivalent to four hinges,
which may be strengthened if desirable by an inner lining of some woven material
affixed by some ordinary adhesive material.
Now the four angles of the square, or elevator, acting as hinges it is evident that
this will under light compression lie flat; or when this compression is removed can
be restored to its square form by a means to be described later on.
Taking two of these elevators I proceed to glue them respectively by one side,
to the middle fold of the needle case, at a distance of about one quarter of an inch
'from its' left-hand side, and at about the same distance respectively from the top and
the bottom edges of the fold, and upon the upper portion of the elevators when in
square I glue the pocket for containing the needles, the said pocket having a card-
board base long enough to cover the elevators and bridge over the space from one
to the other.
To the underside of this pocket I then attach by one end. a strip of tape, or
narrow ribbon, about three inches in length, its opposite end being likewise affixed
to the left hand fold of the needle case at the distance of about inch from its right
hand side thus leaving a portion of the tape or ribbon unattached in the middle.
The pocket just mentioned being furnished with needles, it is evident that the
compression caused by folding up the needle case will oblige the elevators to lie flat
on the middle fold and the piece of tape or ribbon to lie loose in its unattached
portion; and that the act of opening the case will not only remove the compression,.
but by tightening the piece of tape or ribbon cause the elevators to rise and recover
their square form, and that this will raise the pocket containing the needles to at
least half an inch above their former position, which is an improvement inasmuch
as the needles can be selected more easily than when lying flat on the fold, and a

page_text: further improvement gained by my invention is that the needles generally are less
liable to become rusty from accidental contact with the fingers.
And the foregoing description will be fully understood by reference to the
drawing annexed hereunto.
Fig. 1 is a perspective drawing of the parts of the needle case to which my
invention is here applied and shows the effect of the action of the appliances
described above when the case is opened flat for use. In this fig. A A A A denotes
an inner fold of the case. B B B B an outer fold or flap. C. C. being the hinges.
D. D. denote respectively the elevators, herein raised by the tension of the
tape E. which is the case when the fold or flap B B B B is laid flat. F. denotes
the cardboard base of the pocket for containing the needles to which base the
tape E is attached underneath as shewn by the dotted extremity, while at G it is
attached to the flap B B B B.
The pocket itself which is attached to this cardboard base being shown above
at H as furnished with one of the "quarters" of needles denoted by K.
Fig. 2 shews the flat position which the elevators D D assume when the tension
of the tape E is relaxed by raising the flap B. B. B. B. to close the case and in this
figure the same various parts are denoted by the same letters of reference used in
describing Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
The above described method of raising the pocket containing the needles to
a sufficient height above the bed of the case (to facilitate their being taken out the
more readily for use) by means of elevators of the kind mentioned above and acted
upon by a piece of tape or ribbon attached as described, these elevators being raised
or lowered by the simple action of opening or shutting the case.
Dated this 26th day of November 1894.
EDGAR ROBERT SMITH BARTLEET.