IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR FUNNELS OR SUGAR MOULDS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Dixon, of the Firm of Rabone, Brothers, and
Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchants, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR FUNNELS OR SUGAR MOULDS."
-A communication from abroad by Manuel Bea, of Matanzas, Island of
Cuba.
Sealed the 16th December 1864, and dated the 26th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Dixon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th July 1864.
I, THOMAS DIXON, of the Firm of Rabone, Brothers, and Company, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchants, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR FUNNELS OR SUGAR
MOULDS," to be as follows:-
Sugar funnels or sugar moulds consist of hollow cones of sheet iron open at
both ends, and the said Invention consists in strengthening the wide open end
in the manner herein-after explained. The edge of that portion of the sheet
iron which in the finished sugar funnel or mould constitutes the wide end of
the sugar funnel, is folded or doubled, so as to give two thicknesses of metal at
that part. The said wide end of the sugar funnel is further strengthened by
a metallic hoop rivetted thereon. The said hoop is conical both within and
without, excepting at the extremity of its widest part, at which part is a
strong beading of a nearly cylindrical figure in cross section. The said ring.

page_text: beading has on its inner side a shoulder which slightly overhangs and covers the
edge of the sugar mould, thus protecting the said edge from injury. Sugar
funnels or sugar moulds made according to the said Invention are exceedingly
strong, and the edge of the wider end which in use is most exposed to injury
is effectually protected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DIXON, of the Firm of Rabone, Brothers, and Company, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Merchants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Dixon, Her special licence that I, the said
Thomas Dixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Dixon, my executors, administrators, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR FUNNELS OR SUGAR MOULDS," a communication to me
from abroad by Manuel Bea, of Matanzas, Island of Cuba, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Dixon, 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 Thomas Dixon, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
Sugar funnels or sugar moulds consist of hollow cones of sheet iron open at
both ends, and the said Invention consists in strengthening the wide open end

page_text: in the manner herein-after explained. The edge of that portion of the sheet
iron which in the finished sugar funnel or mould constitutes the wide end of
the sugar funnel is folded or doubled so as to give two thicknesses of metal at
that part. The said wide end of the sugar funnel is further strengthened by
a metallic hoop rivetted thereon. The said hoop is conical both within and
without excepting at the extremity of its widest part, at which part is a
strong beading of a nearly cylindrical figure in cross section. The said ring
beading has on its inner side a shoulder which slightly overhangs and covers
the edge of the sugar mould, thus protecting the said edge from injury.
Sugar funnels or sugar moulds made according to the said Invention are
exceedingly strong, and the edge of the wider end which in use is most
exposed to injury is effectually protected.
Having explained the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which
the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a sugar funnel or sugar mould, the wide open
end of which is strengthened according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a plan
of the under side of the same; Figure 3 is a section of a portion of the same;
Figure 4 represents partly in section and partly in elevation the funnel or
mould without the strengthening metallic hoop; and Figure 5 is a vertical
section of the metallic hoop separately.
a is the hollow cone of sheet iron forming the body of the funnel or mould,
the said hollow cone being bent from sheet iron and rivetted in the usual
way; 6 is the metallic hoop rivetted to the wide end of the said hollow cone a.
The metal at the wide end of the funnel or mould a is folded or doubled at c,
so as to give two thicknesses of metal at that part, as illustrated in Figures 3
and 4. The metallic hoop 6 by which the doubled or folded end c of the
mould is further strengthened, is conical both within and without (see
Figures 3 and 5), excepting at the extremity of its widest part, at which part
is a strong beading d of a nearly cylindrical figure in cross section. The
beading d has on its inner side a shoulder e, upon which the doubled or folded
edge c of the funnel or mould a rests, and by which it is protected from
injury, see Figure 3. The lower edge of the mould having been folded or
doubled in the manner represented, the metallic hoop 6 is sprung or placed
thereon, the bottom edge of the part c being made to rest on the shoulder e of
the said hoop. The metallic hoop 6 and doubled edge c are then rivetted
together in the usual way. The narrow end or top of the funnel or mould a
may be protected and strengthened where great strength is required in the
manner described with respect to the wide end. The metallic hoop 6 used in

page_text: carrying the Invention into effect may be made by casting or by rolling, but
it is preferred to make the said hoop by rolling. When the metallic hoop is
made by casting, it is made of malleable cast iron or brass, or other hard
metal or alloy, the casting process being conducted in the usual way. When
the metallic hoop is made by rolling bars, of hoop or wrought iron are rolled
of the section represented in Figure 5, and cut into the required lengths.
They are then bent into hoops and the ends joined by welding. The holes for
rivetting may be drilled or otherwise made before or after the bars have been
bent into hoops.
.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of the said
Invention; but I claim as the said Invention the improvements in sugar
funnels or sugar moulds, herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, that is to say, strengthening the wide open end of the said
sugar funnels or sugar moulds by first folding or doubling the metal at the
said end, and afterwards rivetting thereto a metallic hoop or ring of the kind
herein-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Dixon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS DIXON. (L.B.)