IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REELS FOR REELING OF COTTON, LINEN, THREAD, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Pretty Clarke, of Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Cotton Winder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF REELS FOR REELING OF COTTON, LINEN, THREAD, SILK, OR
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
Sealed the 31st October 1854, and dated the 18th August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Pretty Clarke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th August 1854.
I, JOHN PRETTY CLARKE, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Cotton
Winder, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REELS FOR REELING OF COTTON, LINEN, THREAD, SILK,
OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of manufacturing reels or ends of reels of wood,
bonc, hoof, horn, ivory, pearl, papier maché, pasteboard, gutta percha, leather,
china, and glass, in such manner that the contents of the reels may be
seen through one or both ends, and thus insure to the purchaser the proper
measure of cotton or thread, &c. Heretofore in the manufacture of reels of
the materials above mentioned they have been solid, and not capable of being.
seen through; hence the barrels have been often made of large dimensions,
and the reels have contained short measure, and the purchaser has had no
means of ascertaining that fact till the cotton or thread has been unwound.
Now, the improvements consist of making the reels and ends of reels,

page_text: when of the materials above mentioned, with holes or openings through (in
various styles), so that the extent to which the interior of a reel is wound
may be seen through the end or ends of the reel, by which fraud will be
prevented.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Pretty Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PRETTY CLARKE, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Cotton Winder, send
grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Pretty Clarke, Her special licence that I, the said John Pretty Clarke,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Pretty Clarke, 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF REELS FOR REELING OF COTTON, LINEN, THREAD, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIAL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Pretty
Clarke, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should parti-
cularly 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 John Pretty Clarke, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of manufacturing reels or ends of reels of wood,
bone, hoof, horn, ivory, pearl, papier maché, pasteboard, gutta percha, leather,
china, and glass, in such manner that the contents of the reels may be
seen through one or both ends, and thus insure to the purchaser the proper
measure of cotton or thread. Heretofore in the manufacture of reels of the

page_text: materials above mentioned they have been solid, and not capable of being seen
through; hence the barrels have been often made of large dimensions, and the
reels have contained short measure, and the purchaser has had no means of
ascertaining that fact till the cotton or thread has been unwound. Now, the
improvements consist of making the reels and ends of reels, when of the
materials above mentioned, with holes or openings through (in various styles),
so that the extent to which the interior of a reel is wound may be seen through
the end or ends of the reel, by which fraud will be prevented.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
Heretofore, when manufacturing the ends of reels (for cotton and linen
thread) of wood, bone, hoof, horn, ivory, pearle, papier maché, pasteboard,
leather, china, and glass, it has been usual so to form the ends solid, that they
cannot be seen through; consequently, when a reel is full of thread a person
cannot ascertain the diameter or thickness of the barrel on which the thread is
wound, and consequently cannot form a judgment as to the quantity of thread
wound on a reel, and frauds have often been practised by having the barrel of
reels of comparatively large diameter and the quantity of thread wound thereon
comparatively small; and my improvements have for their object the making
the ends of reels, when of the materials above mentioned, with slots, holes,
or passages through them, so that the extent or diameters of the barrels and
of the thread wound thereon may be seen through the holes, slots, or passages
formed through such ends. These passages may be radial from the centre
towards the outer circumference of the ends, and of equal width throughout;
or they may vary in width, and be formed in other than radial directions, and
be made more or less ornamental. In other respects I make the reels as
heretofore, when using like materials. By such means reels will at once shew
to the purchaser the extent to which reels are wound with thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Pretty Clarke, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
ALFRED BLAXTER,
JOHN PRETTY CLARKE. (L.S.)
32, Queen Street, Leicester.

page_text: vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REELS FOR REELING
OF COTTON, LINEN, THREAD, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL," bearing
date the Eighteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be
entered by the said John Pretty Clarke, as such Patentee as aforesaid,
pursuant to the Statutes in that case made and provided.
WHEREAS since the granting of the said Letters Patent that part of the
Invention which consists in the making of wood reels with holes or openings
through the ends thereof in such manner as to shew the extent to which such
reels are wound with thread, has come into very general use and is now a very
extensive manufacture, but those parts of the Invention which relate to the
making of reels from the other materials mentioned in the Specification by
reason of the greater cost of such materials and of manufacturing reels there-
from have not come into general use and have proved to be of comparatively
little value, for which reasons I wish to disclaim, and I do hereby disclaim the
following parts of my said Specification; videlicet, the words "bone, hoof, horn,
ivory, pearl, papier maché, paste-board, gutta percha, leather, china, and glass,"

page_text: "
which occur in the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth lines, page 2, of the printed copy
of my Specification issued by the Commissioners of Patents. Also the words
the materials above-mentioned" which occur in the thirty-seventh line, page 2,
and in the first line page 3, and again in the fifth and sixth lines page 3 of the
printed copy of my said Specification. Also the words "bone, hoof, horn,
ivory, pearl, papier maché, paste-board, leather, china, and glass," which occur
in the twelfth and thirteenth lines, page 3, of the printed copy of my said
Specification. Also the words "the materials above-mentioned" which occur
in the twentieth line, page 3, of such printed Specification. And also the
words "like materials" which occur in the twenty-seventh line, page 3, of the
printed copy of my said Specification. And in order to make the parts of the
Specification so disclaimed as aforesaid read correctly, I introduce the word
wood in the first, sixth, twentieth, and twenty-seventh lines of the said printed
Specification in place of the words so struck out and disclaimed as aforesaid,
and which Specification, when so disclaimed and altered as aforesaid, will stand
as follows:-
This Invention consists of manufacturing reels or ends of reels of wood, in
such manner that the contents of the reels may be seen through one or both
ends, and thus insure to the purchaser the proper measure of cotton or thread.
Heretofore in the manufacture of reels of wood they have been solid and not
capable of being seen through, hence the barrels have been often made of
large dimensions and the reels have contained short measure, and the purchaser
has had no means of ascertaining that fact till the cotton or thread has been
unwound. Now the improvements consist of making the reels and ends of
reels, when of wood, with holes or openings through (in various styles) so that
the extent to which the interior of a reel is wound may be seen through the
end or ends of the reel, by which fraud will be prevented.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
.
Heretofore when manufacturing the ends of reels (for cotton and linen
thread) of wood it has been usual so to form the ends solid that they cannot be
seen through, consequently when a reel is full of thread a person cannot ascertain
the diameter or thickness of the barrel on which the thread is wound, and
consequently cannot form a judgment as to the quantity of thread wound on
a reel, and frauds have often been practised by having the barrel of reels of
comparatively large diameter, and the quantity of thread wound thereon
comparatively small, and my improvements bave for their object the making
the ends of reels, when of wood, with slots, holes, or passages through them
so that the extent or diameters of the barrels and of the thread wound thereon

page_text: may be seen through the holes, slots, or passages formed through such ends.
These passages may be radial from the centre towards the outer circumference
of the ends, and of equal width throughout, or they may vary in width and be
formed in other than radial directions and be made more or less ornamental.
In other respects I make the reels as heretofore when using wood. By such
means reels will at once shew to the purchaser the extent to which reels aro
wound with thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Pretty Clarke, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
J. P. CLARKE. (L.B.)
To the Commissioners of Patents for Inventions.
I hereby grant my fiat giving leave to the above-mentioned John Pretty
Clarke to file in the Great Seal Patent Office with the Specification to which
the same relates, the above written Disclaimer and Memorandum of
Alteration.
Lincoln's Inn,
March 30th 1860.
RICHARD BETHELL, A. G.