Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 3rd June, 1887.
I, WILLIAM LEGGOTT, of 70 Park Road, Bradford, in the County of York, Brass
Founder and Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is the construction of apparatus whereby the gummed
side of labels, postage stamps, and such like may be damped previous to applying
them to the articles to which they are to be adhered without having to damp them
with the tongue or a sponge as is now the common practise.
I accomplish my object in the following manner: I form a hollow cistern one side
of which is perforated and covered with porous material such as felt, and fill the
cistern with water which percolates the porous material so that when the label or
stamp is applied thereto the gum is sufficiently damped that it will adhere to the
article to which it is applied without damping the table or desk as is the case when a
sponge is used.
The hollow cistern may be supplied with water from a small reservoir above the
same, and the labels or stamps damped by placing them on the porous material and
applying pressure by a movable plate placed above.
1990
JOHN WAUGH,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Damping
Gummed Labels.
I, WILLIAM LEGGOTT, of 70 Park Road, Bradford, in the County of York, Brass
Founder and Finisher, 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 :-
The object of this invention is the construction of an apparatus whereby the
gummed side of Labels, Postage Stamps, and such like may be damped previous to
applying them to the articles to which they are to be adhered without having to damp
them with the tongue or a sponge as is now the common practice; and consists in
forming a roservoir to one end of which is fixed a perforated plate covered with
porous material such as felt cloth, the other end being fitted with a valve which when
operated, admits air to the interior of the reservoir, thereby allowing the water to
flow through the perforated plate and percolate the porous material, so that on
applying the label or stamp, it may be sufficiently damped without damping the table
or desk, as is the case when a sponge or the like is used.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will further describe the
same by making reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents a view of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same.
Fig. 3 a view of one made on a smaller scale, Fig. 4 a vertical section of the same,
and Fig. 5 a view shewing the perforated plate used by both arrangements, the
porous material being removed in order to shew the perforations; in all the figures
similar letters indicate similar parts where they appear.
According to the arrangement illustrated by Figs. 1, and 2, the cistern or reservoir
is in two parts, each indicated by the letter A and connected by the pipe A¹; one end
of the reservoir is fitted with a plate B, having several small perforations therein
which I cover with porous material such as felt cloth C; and to the opposite end or
upper portion of the said reservoir I mount a valve E, which can be removed for
filling the reservoir by unscrewing the casing G containing the said valve.
The cap F slides in the casing, and is attached to the spindle of valve E, so that on
applying pressure to the top of the cap the valve is opened, thus admitting air to
the upper portion of the reservoir, thereby allowing a proportionate quantity of water
to flow through the perforated plate B, for saturating the porous material C, so that
when the label or stamp is applied, the gum is sufficiently damped that it will adhere
to the article to which it is applied.

page_text: On the release of the pressure on the cap F, the valve E, is forced back to its
normal position by the spiral spring H, which is compressed between the bottom of
the stopper casing G, and the interior of the cap F; thus closing the valve and
retaining the air and water in the reservoir until the valve is again operated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :—
The combination of the valve E with the spiral spring H, reservoir A, perforated
plate B and porous material C, all arranged substantially and operated in the manner
and for the purpose as hereinbefore described.
The herein before described apparatus for damping labels, the essential novelty in
such apparatus consisting in the exclusion of air at atmosphere pressure by the
valve E from the reservoir A substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 29th day of April 1887.
JOHN WAUGH,
Agent.
JOHN WAUGH,
Agent.