A New or Improved Device for Use in Killing Flies and other Insects.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 7th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th July, 1888
A New or Improved Device for Use in Killing Flies and
other Insects.
I, EDWIN FREDERIC WELLS of Chrishall near Royston and in the County of Essex,
Agricultural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the killing of flies and other insects and consists in a device
for use in killing such insects whilst flying or otherwise-It is known that in striking
at flying insects with any article the fly is very seldom struck by such article, the
reason being that the air displaced or carried before such article generally causes an
air current to be formed across the face of the article to the sides thereof, this air
current carrying away the fly or other flying insect before it is struck. By my inven-
tion however an article is produced capable of being wielded by the hand and adapted
to allow of the passage of the air currents through the striking face, thus enabling the
face to strike the fly or other insect without loss of power through intervention of a
cushion of air or of the aforesaid side currents. In carrying out my invention I
combine with a handle, a striking face of convenient size, said face being of any material
which allows of substantially free passage of air yet possesses sufficient hardness to
ensure the death of the insect when struck with sufficient force.
Such surface or striking face may consist of a number of parallel slips of cane
connected at one end to a handle and spread so as to lie in a plane or in two or more
parallel planes.
Dated this 9th day of September 1887
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.

page_text: I EDWIN FREDERIC WELLS of Chrishall, near Royston in the County of Essex,
Agricultural Engineer 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 :-
This invention relates to the killing of flies and other insects and consists in a device
for use in killing such insects whilst flying or otherwise. It is known that in striking
at flying insects with any article the fly is very seldom struck by such article, the
reason being that the air displaced or carried before such article generally causes an
air current to be formed across the face of the article to the sides thereof this air
current carrying away the fly or other flying insect before it is struck. By my inven-
tion however an article is produced capable of being wielded by the hand and adapted
to allow of the passage of the air currents through the striking face thus enabling the
face to strike the fly or other insect without loss of power through intervention of a
cushion of air or of the aforesaid side currents. In carrying out my invention I combine
with a handle a striking face of convenient size said face being of any material which
allows of substantially free passage of air yet possesses sufficient hardness to ensure
the death of the insect when struck with sufficient force.
The interstices being sufficiently small to prevent the passage of the fly through the
striking face.
The accompanying drawing illustrates such a device, A being the handle and B
the striking face. The handle A may be a flat piece of wood suitably shaped and
having a grooved ring a into which are inserted and fixed a number of slips of cano
or the like 6 lying in a plane to form the face B. To retain the slips in the plane of
the face a strip or strips care laced over them as shown, the strips may also be
further laced together as at c. To guard the slips 6 from warping or damage when
not in use, a sliding guard C is employed consisting of two cross strips connected at
their end and elsewhere when desirable as at d so that they may be slid along the
slips b.
When not in use the guard is slid towards the points of the slips, when in use it is
slid down to the cross lacing c. A ribbon or the like E may be passed through a hole
in the handle for suspension of the article when not in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. An insect exterminator having a handle and a striking face with interstices
permitting the passage of air but preventing passage of insects.
2. An insect exterminator having a handle A, a face B connected to the handle and
composed of slips b substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of handle A, face B and guard C substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
DL11
7711
T
1000