AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WHIP SOCKETS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Edward Knibbs, of No. 29, Clarence
Road, Bow, in the County of Middlesex, for thic Invention of "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WHIP SOCKETS."
Scaled the 13th May 1875, and dated the 21st November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Edward Knibbs
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st November 1874.
I, FRANCIS EDWARD KNIBBS, of No. 29, Clarence Road, Bow, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WHIP SOCKETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of whip sockets, in
which by a depression of a cup at the lower part a pair of jaws at the
upper part can be caused to open by a circular movement for the
reception of the whip stem, and to close upon the stem to hold it firmly
therein.
In carrying my Invention into practice I attach a cup piece to the
lower end of a vertical rod, and provide the upper end of the rod with a

page_text: double set of teeth, these being caused to gear into segments of wheels
on the ends of spindles of separate jaws or half jaws, so that by forcing
down the rod the jaws can turn about their centres, such as when the
cup is depressed. The rod is embraced by a spring to return it and
the jaws to their first position when the pressure upon the cup is
removed. The vertical rod and sping are enclosed in a casing, some
portion of which is fitted with clips or other appliances by which the
socket can be secured to the dash board or other part of a vehicle. I
provide a spring or other paul for locking the vertical rod, and thereby
preventing the jaws being opened when desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Edward Knibbs in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
EDWARD KNIBBS, of No. 29, Clarence Road, Bow, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Edward Knibbs,
Her special licence that I, the said Francis Edward Knibbs, my
executors, administrators and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Franois Edward Knibbs, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WHIP SOCKETS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Edward
Knibbs, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describo 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

page_text: 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 Francis Edward Knibbs, 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 thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to an improved construction of whip sockets, in
which by a depression of a cup at the lower part a pair of jaws at the
upper part can be caused to open by a circular movement for the
reception of the whip stem, and to close upon the stem to hold it firmly
therein.
In carrying my Invention into practice I attach a cup piece to the
lower end of a vertical rod, and provide the upper end of the rod with a
double set of teeth, these being caused to gear into segments of wheels
on the ends of spindles of separate jaws or half jaws, so that by forcing.
down the rod or spindle the jaws can turn about their centres when the
cup is depressed. The rod is embraced by a spring to return it and the
jaws to their first position when the pressure upon the cup is removed.
The vertical rod and spring are enclosed in a casing, some portion of
which is fitted with clips or other appliances, by which the socket can be
secured to, the dashboard or other part of a vehicle. I provide a spring
or other paul for locking the vertical rod, and thereby preventing the
jaws from being opened when desired.
My Invention will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of the whip socket with
the front portion of the case removed; Figure 2, a view of the socket
with the jaws lowered; and Figure 3, a view of the socket with a whip
handle shown in dotted lines embraced therein.
Figure 4 is a separate view of one of the jaws; and Figure 5 is a
separate view of the key by which the spring paul locking the apparatus
is released.
The socket consists of a case a provided with clips or lugs b, b, by
means of which it can be firmly attached to the splashboard or other
convenient part of the vehicle in which the whip may be used. Within
the case is a spindle c attached at its lower end to a cup d, and sur-
rounded at its lower part just above the cup with a spiral spring e, which

page_text: tends to force it upwards. The top of the spindle c is free, and formed
for a short distance with rack teeth gearing into segments g, g, of
toothed wheels. Attached to these segments outside the case are two
jaws h, h, which may have an elastic material in the grooves g¹ of their
gripping edges if desired secured upon the segments' spindles i, so as to
be capable of a slight upwards and downwards motion below the centre
upon which they are secured. The spindle c some distance beneath the
rack teeth f is formed on one side with another set of teeth j, into which
a. spring paul takes, the spring of the paul tending constantly to keep
the latter engaged in the teeth, and thus lock the spindle so as to 1
prevent its vertical movement. Upon the whip handle being placed in
the cup d, and pressed downwards, the pressure exerted by the butt of
the whip forces the cup downwards, and draws with it the spindle,
which turning the segments opens the jaws h, h, as in Figure 2, for the
reception of the whip stem, and closes upon it to hold it firmly therein,
so that the whip cannot be withdrawn until the aws are released. This
release is effected by means of the key shown at Figure 5, which is
passed through a slit in the case at x just beneath the spring paul, and
being pressed upwards against the latter disengages it from the teeth j.
The spindle is then free to be moved downwards, and the jaws are thus:
released, permitting the removal of the whip. The axes of the claws /
are preferably arranged at a slight angle to each other, as shown in
Figure 6, which represents a plan view of the top of the socket. .
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner, the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
improved construction of whip socket for so securing whips in vehicles
that they cannot be taken away without the will of the driver, as hercin-
before described and as shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Edward Knibbs, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, One
thousand-cight hundred and seventy-five.