Improvements in Babies' Waterproof Napkins.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1815-Accepted, 16th Nov.,
1895
Improvements in Babies' Waterproof Napkins.
We, KENT PORTEOUS SUMBY of 21 Bishop Road, Anfield, Liverpool, in the .
County of Lancaster General Dealer, and JOHN ERNEST HUGHES, of St. Georges
Crescent, Liverpool aforesaid, Rubber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a baby's napkin, which will be more like a
combination drawers, and yet at the same time will lie practically flat when not
in use..
A piece of waterproof cloth is cut out, first somewhat the shape of a heart, bat
with a nearly straight top, and a slightly swallowtail bottom. Up the centre a cut
is made for about five inches and a triangular or slightly lozenge shaped piece is
inserted. On each side of the main piece, there are three bottom holes, and on
each lower side of the triangular portion formed of the original swallowtail and
the triangle or lozenge shaped piece, there are three buttons, one at the point, two
at the side, and two halfway between. These buttons fit the button holes at the
sides of the main piece. The lozenge shaped piece is folded over the legs of the
child, the three button holes fit on to the buttons and it becomes at once a sort of
drawers without legs.
It is obvious that buttons could take the place of button holes, and vice versa,
that other fastenings could be used, and that the relative shape of the main piece
and the flap that is bent over, could be altered, thus large triangular portions could
be cut off the upper corners of the main body, and added to the flap, and the
buttons and button holes placed accordingly and varied in number.
The mode described is however the nicest arrangement of carrying out the
invention known to us.
The 16th don of November 1891
Improvements in Babies' Waterproo Napkins,
We, KENT PORTEUS SUMBY, late of 21 Bishop Road, Anfield, but now of
22 Kent Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Traveller, and JOHN
ERNEST HUGHES of 5 St. Georges' Crescent Liverpool aforesaid, Rubber
Merchant, 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 to make a waterproof napkin that will be adapted
to be easily and quickly fastened over an ordinary napkin on a child and that will
be practically flat when not in use.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a napkin according to this invention :
Fig. 1. showing it folded and buttoned, and Figs. 2 and 3. representing separately
the two pieces of waterproof material of which it is made.

page_text: ABCDEFG (Figs. 1 and 2) is a piece of waterproof sheet material the upper
portion ABCG of which has, parallel, or nearly parallel, sides AG and BC,
and a bottom portion CDEFG of which has a slightly swallowtail shape. Up
the centre a cut E H is made, for about five inches and a somewhat triangular or
slightly lozenge shaped piece I JKL (Fig. 3) of waterproof sheet material is
inserted by attaching the right and the left hand edges formed by the cut E H to
the edges I J and J K respectively, this attachment being preferably effected by
sewing and subsequently covering each of the seams thus formed with a strip of
waterproof material, which is solutioned in place.
On each side of the main piece A B C G there are, in the example shown, three
button holes M; and on each lower side of this portion DEKLIEF (see Fig. 1.)
formed of the lower portion of the original swallowtail bottom C D E F G and the
triangular or lozenge shaped piece I J K L, there are three buttons N, one at each
end and one in the middle. The portion A B C G is placed round the body of the
child and the portion I J K L carried up between its legs; the buttons M being
then passed through the holes N, the napkin forms, as may be seen from Fig. 1.
drawers with very short legs.
The parts ABCDEFG and IJKL may consist of any suitable waterproof
material, for example woven material coated with waterproof material or two sheets
of woven material cemented together by waterproofing material inserted between
them.
It is obvious that the buttons and button holes might change places, and be
varied in number, that other fastenings could be used, and that the relative shape
of the main portion ABCDEFG and the flap portion I J K L can be somewhat
altered in shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is-
1. A child's waterproof napkin comprising two pieces of waterproof sheet
material one of which is attached by two of its edges to the two edges of a slit
made centrally in the other of the said pieces and is adapted to be passed up
between the legs of a child and fastened to the other of the said pieces so as to be
readily detachable therefrom, substantially as herein described.
2. A waterproof napkin having its parts formed, combined, and arranged
substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of August 1895.