AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF PERMANENT ADVERTISEMENT.
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM
OF PERMANENT ADVERTISEMENT. "A communication from abroad by Basile
Victor Larsonneau, of the Faubourg Saint Martin, Paris, France.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Edward Gedgeatthe
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 28th October 1863, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM
OF PERMANENT ADVERTISEMENT," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto
me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn declaration that the same is a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Basile Victor Larsonneau, of the Faubourg Saint
Martin, Paris, France.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I,the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, that is to say -
This new means of advertizing, which I term hand publicity, lies, firstly,
in annexing or joining covers or bindings, backs of bindings, or in lieu of the
blank leaves used to preserve bindings, others printed with advertisements,
to pocket books, to the cover of the paper provided within them, to port-
folios, to memorandum and note books, cigarette paper, books, card cases, cigar
cases, purses, pocket tablets, and other similar articles carried in the pocket,
in the hand, or under the arm.
Secondly, in the application of a sheet of paper printed with advertisements,
firstly, to the backs of calendars or almanacs, the calendar being in such case
on one face of the cardboard and the advertisement sheet on the other, and
should the calendar be printed on both sides the cardboard, in printing
advertisements around each part of such description of calendar; secondly,
on the back of cards used for playing games.
Thirdly, in the use of printed sheets of advertisements to line fans and
hand screens.
Fourthly, in placing printed advertisements on the backs of maps or plans
of towns. The materials on which will be printed the advertisements will be
paper, leather, oiled cloth, or other stuffs with or without preparation or any
other product fit to receive the impression and which may adapt itself to the
uses of this Invention. These materials may be of different colors and the
impressions in black or other colors, and even metallic or in relief, and
illustrations may be added. The sheets of paper or the other products intended
to receive the printed advertisements will be cut according to the shape and
size of the articles to which they are to be adapted or joined, and each of the
sheets will be printed on one or both faces, according to their destined appli-
cation; they will be divided by lines into compartments or squares of equal
size, and each of these compartments or squares will contain a printed adver-
tisement; nevertheless several compartments or squares may be given to
one advertisement by suppressing the dividing lines.
This method of hand publicity of collective printed advertisements is
intended to be applied :-
Firstly, to pocket books of all sizes, either by binding or covering them
with paper, leather, cloth, or other products bearing printed advertisements,
by pasting or glueing on the inside of the cover a sheet of paper leather
cloth or other product bearing printed advertisements by using for the cover

page_text: of the white paper usually placed inside a pocket book a sheet or double
piece bearing printed advertisements; or if this second cover is of silk or other
material by pasting or otherwise fixing on the inside a sheet or double piece
bearing printed advertisements on one face only; or in placing as preserv-
ing cover or guard a sheet of paper bearing printed advertisements which
will embrace or surround the note paper contained in the pocket book; or,
finally, in employing simultaneously all or several of these applications, and
in doubling or tripling the cover or guard of the note paper, so that, instead
of four pages of printed advertisements which this cover would contain if
single, the number of pages printed with advertisements joined to the note
paper may be doubled, tripled, or multiplied at will according to the
requirements of commercial men or manufacturers.
Secondly, to calendars (and) memorandum books of any dimensions either
by covering or binding them with paper leather cloth or other product bear-
ing printed advertisements; or by pasting inside on the cover and the
pocket a sheet or piece carrying printed advertisements; or by replacing at
the beginning and the end the white or colored blank leaves by sheets of
paper printed with advertisements; or by adding at the end of these calen-
dars and memorandum books one or more sheets of paper carrying printed
advertisements; or,lastly, by employing all or several of these applications.
Thirdly, to almanacs of all sizes used in the study, either by covering
them with paper, leather, cloth, or other products bearing printed adver-
tisements; or by pasting on the inside of the cover at the beginning and
the end a sheet bearing printed advertisements; or by replacing the blank
pages at the beginning and end by pages bearing printed advertisements;
or by adding at the end of these almanacs or calendars one or more pages
of paper bearing printed advertisements; or, lastly, by employing simul-
taneously all or several of these applications.
Fourthly, to cigarette paper books of all sizes in covering or binding them
with a sheet of paper, or a piece of prepared cloth, or other product bearing
printed advertisements, or by placing in lieu of the first or last blank leaf or
leaves a leaf or leaves bearing printed advertisements,and either of the size of
the cigarette papers or folded like a map. To give greater size to the covers
of books containing cigarette paper the book may be divided into two halves,
which would be pasted separately on the two sides of the cover; it would thus
turn back double between the two half books, so as to envelope each separately
but without dividing the cover, which would further more or less overlap.
Fifthly, to card cases and pocket tablets of any size by furnishing them

page_text: with sheets or pieces bearing printed advertisements as described for pocket
books (application No. 1).
Sixthly, to cigar cases and purses of any size by giving them for covers
sheets or pieces of paper, leather, oiled or prepared cloth, or other products
bearing printed advertisements, and lining them interiorly and on the
divisions or compartments with sheets or pieces of any such material bearing
printed advertisements, or using all or several of these applications.
Seventhly, to the calendars called office almanacks by placing on the
reverse side a sheet of paper bearing printed advertisements, or in printing
advertisements around the calendar as above indicated (application No. 2).
Eighthly, to playing cards, such as are used for the game of loto or goose,
by pasting on to the reverse side of the cardboard a sheet of paper bearing
one or more printed advertisements.
Ninthly, to fans and hand screens of all sizes covering them with sheets
of paper, or pieces of cloth, or other material cut into the various shapes
given to these objects, and bearing advertisements and illustrations printed
in black or in colors.
tions.
Tenthly, generally to all objects or articles serving for the same purposes
or approximately as those above indicated, or having an analogous desti-
nation, and I desire it to be understood that I expressly reserve the exclusive
right to all the applications above set forth and all other analogous applica-
The method above described is distinguished from all other known
and employed means of collective or special publicity in that it unites for
the first time three essential qualities which are wanting in the means
actually in use, as by this(new)means a real,permanent, and durable publicity
is obtained. Real, in the sense that the majority of the objects to which these
means are applicable will be distributed gratis to the public either in the
public ways or in shops specially given to this distribution; the books of
cigarette papers, the calendars, fans, hand-screens, and several cardboards of
games, will be thus distributed; the fans, amongst others, will be distributed
at the entrance of theatres, concerts, public promenades, and other places of
assemblage. As to the other articles, they will be presented to the consumers
at a third orat most half their actual price, and this moderate price will result
in a multiplied and much more considerable sale than it has hitherto been pos
sible to effect. Permanent, in the sense that, always placed under the eye and
hand of the consumer, it will solicit attention which will be given even involun-
tarily, and will inevitably lead to following the indication of theseadvertisements
in making purchases. Durable, inasmuch as being attached to and forming partof

page_text: an article in dailyuse, it is constantly under the eye or in the hand of theowner.
until worn out or used, and that all the articles to which this means is applied
last for one or several years, with the exception of the booksof cigarettepaper,
which are consumed in a few weeks. It may therefore be reasonably
sustained that this new system of publicity is much preferable to the other
means now in use, notably to the ephemeral publicity of newspapers, the
advertisements in which are not read, of prospectuses which are scarcely
glanced at, and of posters which are scarcely visible, which are rendered
illegible by the inclemencies of the weather, and in a few days covered by
others, the means of publicity hitherto used have nothing about them to
solicit and attract the glance of the consumer; whereas the means herein
described impose the advertisement on the consumer and as it were forcibly
guide him in his purchases, and in this sense it is of incontestable use to
him as direction always at hand.
Another advantage of this system of publicity is its cheapness, inasmuch
that being permanently under the eye or in the hand the advertisement does
not require to be constantly reproduced or to be multiplied tothe sameextent
from which results an enormous saving in thecost of publicity, above all when
compared with that of newspapers. Such are some of the results which it is
proposed to obtain by this Invention. The shape of the articles to which this
new system of publicity is applied being well and generally known I have not
deemed any Drawings requisite to render this description intelligible; but
amongst the articles analogous to those already cited I will here mention
lamp and candle shades of any shape or dimensions, and of paper, parchment,
muslin, or other material bearing on their exterior advertisements, with or
without illustrations, printed in black or in colors, bags for holding tobacco
composed of one piece of paper with advertisements printed on the exterior,
prospectuses by collecting them and distributing them thus collected in a
pamphlet numbered with title, index, and cover. The shades may be devoted
to one or more advertisements, as may be desired, and they may be delivered
gratis to the consumer and the paper bags to the tobacconist. Photographic
albums may be furnished with sheets of paper or other material bearing
printed advertisements, the ones pasted on the cover printed on one side
and the others placed as other covers or guards in lieu of blank pages at
the beginning and end of each album printed on one or both sides. The
number of printed advertisement leaves substituted for the blank leaves or
guards is not limited, that is to say, according to commercial or manu-
facturing requirements several leaves will be added at the beginning and the
end of the albums, printing advertisementson the reverse of the cards used to

page_text: frame photographs, or printing advertisements on the part forming frame of
the photograph and inserting between the cards sheets of paper or other
material bearing printed advertisements; or allorseveral of these applications
used simultaneously. I would here observe that each leaf and reverseor back
of the card serving to frame a photograph for album may be devoted to one
advertisement, if desired; all these advertisements may be illustrated with
engravings or lithographed in ink or in colors. Pocket articles used by ladies,
such as needle and toilet cases, may carry printed advertisements outside and
inside the covers, and I also add, in lieu of blank sheets or guards, sheets of
paper or pieces of cloth or other material bearing printed advertisements as
previously described. In reference to purses,children's playthings known as
"spiraliferes" covering the top and bottom of the wings with paper bearing
printed advertisements, and to the playthings known as the game of patience
by pasting on the reverse of these playthings a sheet of paper bearing printed
advertisements, and which will be cut with the toy. These latter applications
present the same differences, results, and advantages, compared with exist-
ing methods of publicity, as these previously described. And I would have
it understood that I claim these several applications and other analogous
ones without prejudice to those first mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.s.)