Improvements in or connected with Artificial Fruits.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVIDIUNAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or connected with Artificial Fruits.
I, CAROLINE HYDE of Stonington, in the County of New London and State
of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention' consists in a novel construction of artificial fruit and in a special
construction of the saine whereby it may be utilized either as a pincushion or
sachet or both.
While the invention is not restricted to any one kind of artificial fruit, it will
here be described as an imitation of the apple which will serve as well as any
other for the purpose of explanation, but the pear and many other kinds of fruit
having an attached protruding stem would answer equally as well.
The article is constituted by an outer covering of cloth, silk, satin, or other
suitable material or fabric (designed to correspond to the skin or rind of the piece
of fruit and which will admit of being painted on the outside to give it the
different shades and lines of the natural fruit) a soft filling and a stem-like projec-
tion. For the covering I take a substantially straight piece of cloth or its equivalent,
and pucker or ruffle it along its two opposite edges, uniting the ruffles by a thread
along either edge. The one of these threads is then drawn and caught to gather
and nearly close the one ruffled edge of the cloth so as to form the bottom or outer
end of the artificial apple and the ends of the cloth are then united to form a bag
into which any suitable absorbent and penetrable, préferably flocculent, material is
inserted as a filling. A wire thread or cord which may be doubled over upon
itself is then united with the gathered end and run up through the filling and
connected at its opposite end with a wire that projects out through the other or
stem end of the imitation apple and that, after the ruffled edge formning the top
edge of the bag has been gathered together, is twisted and made to draw the two
ends inwards so as to compact the filling within the cloth wrapper or covering and
hold the whole firmly together and give a natural finished shape to the artificial
apple. The wire that projects through the gathered end virtually forms the stem
of the fruit and its continuation or cord corresponds to the core thereof. A covering
which may be a simple piece of rubber or other tubing, is applied to the protruding
end portion of the wire and may be inserted within the gathered end to give said
portion of the wire a closer reseniblance to the stem of the natural fruit. This
stem portion forms a handle by which to hold or manipulate the piece of artificial
fruit which, made as described; will closely resemble the natural fruit and may be
used as a pincushion or by applying perfume to the absorbent and penetrable filling
may be utilized as a sachet or as both a pincushion and sachet.
Dated this 24th day of November 1841.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Artificial Fruits.
I, CAROLINE HYDE, of Stonington, in the County of New London, and State
of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention consists in a novel construction of artificial fruit, which may be
utilized as pin-cushion or sachet, or both, substantially as hereinafter described
and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
While the invention is not restricted to any one kind of artificial fruit, it will
here be shown and described as an imitation of the apple, which will serve as well
as any other for the purpose of explanation, but the pear and many other kinds
of fruit having an attached protruding stem would answer equally as well.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of an artificial apple, embodying my
invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; and
Figure 3 is a sectional perspective view, upon a larger scale, of said piece of fruit
in part, mainly illustrating the stem portion thereof.
A indicates a piece of cloth, silk, satin, or other suitable material or fabric,
designed to correspond to the skin or rind of the piece of fruit and which will
admit of being painted on the outside to give it the different shades and hues of
the natural fruit. Thus I take a substantially straight piece of cloth A or its
equivalent and pucker or ruffle it along its two opposite edges, uniting the ruffles
by a thread along either edge. The one of these threads is then drawn and
caught to gather and nearly close the one ruffled edge of the cloth so as to form the
bottom or outer end of the artificial apple and the ends of the cloth are then
united to form a bag, into which any suitable absorbent and penetrable, preferably
flocculent, material B is inserted as a filling. A wire thread or cord d, which may
be doubled over upon itself, is then united with the gathered end and run up
through the filling B and connected at its opposite end with a wire e that projects
out through the other or stem end of the imitation apple and that after the ruffled
edge forming the top edge of the bag has been gathered together is twisted and
made to draw the two ends c c inward so as to compact the filling B within the
cloth wrapper or covering and hold the whole firmly together and give a natural
finished shape to the artificial apple. The wire e that projects through the gathered
end e virtually forms the stem of the fruit, and its continuation or cord d corre-
sponds to the core thereof. A covering which may be a simple piece of rubber
or other tubing is applied to the protruding end portion of the wire e and may be
inserted within the gathered end e, to give said portion of the wire a closer
resemblance to the stem of the natural fruit. This stem portion forms a handle
by which to hold or manipulate the piece of artificial fruit, which, made as described,
will closely resemble the natural fruit and may be used as a pin-cushion, or, by
applying perfume to the absorbent and penetrable filling B, may be utilized as a
sachet, or as both a pincushion and sachet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Artificial fruit, comprising an outer covering or wrapper of cloth or its
equivalent made to resemble the skin or rind of the natural fruit, a soft filling
within said covering, and a stem-like projection on one side or end of the piece of

page_text: artificial fruit, said stem-like projection extending through the fruit and secured
to the opposite side or end thereof and serving to give form to the fruit and bind
the whole together, substantially as specified.
2. A piece of artificial fruit, constructed, substantially as herein described, of a
piece of cloth or its equivalent, made to form a wrapper or covering corresponding
to the skin or rind of the natural fruit and gathered together on its edges on
opposite sides of the piece of fruit, in combination with an absorbent filling within
said covering and a central connection between the gathered sides of the covering,
said connection projecting from one side, and the whole corresponding to the core
and stem of the piece of fruit, as set forth.
1000
C. HYDE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.