A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR CUTTING OFF THE ENDS OF BOILED EGGS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hammant, of 32, Bouverie Street, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Managing Clerk, for the Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR CUTTING OFF THE ENDS OF BOILED
EGGS."
Sealed the 25th April 1871, and dated the 1st November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hammant at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st November 1870.
I, WILLIAM HAMMANT, of 32, Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, in the
City of London, Managing Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT FOR CUTTING OFF THE
ENDS OF BOILED EGGS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to produce a metal instrument so
arranged that it takes off the top of an egg at one operation, thus
avoiding the inconvenience and annoyance caused in removing the same
by chipping the shell, or by any of the other means usually employed to
open an egg.

page_text: The small instrument by which I carry out my object, I call a mordova
or egg biter, it is made in two similar pieces, jointed together at about
two-thirds from its base, and is in form up to the said joint a frustum of
a hollow cone when the base is circular, above which joint it is formed
with a sort of V opening or with two small handles. On the rivet which
forms the joint I fix a coil spring, the ends of which press against the
inner sides of the said opening or handles, and which spring causes the
closing of the mouth of the instrument when being used. The lower end
of each piece or side forms the base or mouth of the instrument, and may
be circular or oval in shape; this mouth is provided with two metal
toothed cutters extending round the inner edge of any suitable form, but
the centre tooth I propose to make a little longer than the others.
The mordova is operated as follows:-After the egg has been placed
in its cup the instrument is taken by the handles, which are pressed
together, and thereby open the mouth, when thus open the instrument is
placed upon the end of the egg, the handles are released from the pressure
put upon them, when the spring closes the mouth of the instrument and
thereby cuts the egg as desired. In the case of a very hard shell it
be necessary to assist the spring by pressing the sides or parts of the
mouth together with the fingers. In either case the cut is quite clean,
and the operation performed without staining the fingers.
may
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Hammant in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 1st May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 2
HAMMANT, of 32, Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Managing Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth 3
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Hammant, Her special licence that I,
the said William Hammant, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Hammant, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT
FOR CUTTING OFF THE ENDS OF BOILED EGGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Hammant, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly 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 William Hammant, 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:-
:-
The object of my Invention is to produce an instrument made of metal
or other suitable material, so arranged in its parts as to bite, cut, or take
off the "top" of an egg at one operation, thus avoiding the inconvenience
and annoyance caused in removing the same by chipping the shell or by
any of the other means usually employed to open an egg.
"
The said instrument I call "mordova
a
or egg biter, it is made in
two similar pieces or sections jointed together by a rivet or axle at about
two-thirds of its height from its base or mouth, and when of plain and
simple construction with a circular base up to the said joint it is in form
a frustum of a hollow cone, above which joint it is formed or fitted with
a. kind of V opening or with two small handles projecting in opposite
directions. On the said rivet which forms the joint I fix a coil or other
spring, the free or upper ends of which press against the inner sides of
the said V opening or handles and thereby cause the closing of the base
or mouth of the instrument when being operated. The lower ends of
these two similar pieces or sections when jointed together form the base
or mouth of the instrument, and may when closed be circular or oval in
shape or plan. I however prefer to form them of two equal segments
of a circle of such radius that when open the mouth of the mordova shall
bite the egg more fully and completely and at the same time all around
or thereabouts; each segment of this base or mouth is provided with a

page_text: sharp-edged or toothed or serrated flange or cutter extending along the
inner edge thereof; the said teeth or other points or projections may be
of any
suitable shape or pattern, and the centre projection may be a
little longer than the others.
The mordova is operated as follows:-After the egg has been placed in
a cup the mordova is taken hold of by the handles which are pressed
together and thereby open the mouth, when thus open the mordova is
placed upon the upper part of the egg at the desired distance from the
uppermost end thereof, the handles are released from the pressure put
upon them, when the spring closes the mouth of the instrument and.
thereby cuts the egg as desired. When the shell of the egg is hard it
may be necessary to assist the spring by pressing the two sides or parts
of the mouth towards each other with the fingers. In either case the
cut will be quite clean and regular, and the operation will be performed
without staining the fingers.
In order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood I
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the plain mordova with a circular base as 2
previously described with the mouth closed; Fig. 2 is an ornamental
design for the mordova, deviating somewhat from the conical outline of ·
the lower part of Fig. 1, and is shewn with the mouth or base open
ready to grip the egg; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base or mouth of
Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2, shewing the mouth closed, and
Fig. 5 is the same with the mouth open.
The following reference applies to each Figure where the same index
letters appear.
a, a, are the two sections of the mordova; 6 the rivet or axle which
unites them; c, c, the sides of the V opening or the handles; d shews
the points or teeth of the flanges or cutters. The coil or other spring is
fixed on the rivet or axle 6 with the upper ends thereof pressing against
and tending to force open the handles c and thereby closing the mouth a¹
of the mordova.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be carried out in practice,
I wish it to be understood that what I claim as new and desire to secure

page_text: by the before-mentioned in part recited Letters Patent is, an instrument
formed and for the purpose substantially as herein described and
illustrated in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hammant, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.