IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLES FOR SURGICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN CASES OR BOXES FOR HOLDING NEEDLES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Fletcher, of Redditch, in the County of Worcester,
Needle Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLES FOR
SURGICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN CASES OR BOXES FOR HOLDING
NEEDLES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
Sealed the 31st July 1877, and dated the 16th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th February 1877.
THOMAS FLETCHER, of Redditch, in the County of Worcester, Needle Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLES FOR SURGICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN CASES
OR BOXES FOR HOLDING NEEDLES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
My Invention consists, first, of the following improvement in needles, which said
needles are especially applicable for surgical purposes where silver or metallic wire
is used:
Instead of making the stems or bodies of the needles solid, as usual, I make the
said stems or bodies hollow or tubular, and by preference of steel or silver, but
other metals or alloys may be used.. I make the said needles by a drawing process,
the said needles being made either of open-jointed, or close-jointed tubes. One end
of the tubular needle is drawn to a point and one side of the point is cut away so
as to make an opening at the point into the tubular body or stem. Immediately
below the bottom of the eye there is an opening into the tubular body for the
purpose of introducing the wire or thread passed through the eye down the said
tubular body to the point end thereof. The tubular stem or body of the needle
serves as a guide for the wire or thread, the said wire or thread, after the needle
has been passed through the parts to be sewn together, being pulled through the
tubular body instead of through the parts themselves, as in the use of ordinary
needles. The needles may either be straight or curved.
I prefer to use with the tubular or hollow stem or body of the needle an eye
having an inclined slit in one side of it, through which alit the thread is passed into
the eye, whereby the threading of the eye is facilitated.
My Invention consists further of the following improvements in cases or boxes
for holding needles and other like articles, such, for example, as pins and matches,

page_text: whereby the needles, pins, or matches may be removed one at a time from the case
or box.
I will describe my improvements as applied to a needle case. I make the case
cylindrical and closed at one end. Along the side of the case a longitudinal hollow
rib, groove, or depression is made of a size proper to hold a single needle. The said
hollow rib or groove is open at the lid or cover end, but is closed at the opposite
end. The lid or cover consists of a cap having a slot in it near the rib or groove, so
that it may have a limited motion on the end of the case, the hollow rib or groove
serving as a stop, On the said cap and near one end of the slot in it is a lip or
projection of a shape proper to cover the open end of the rib or groove in the case.
By turning the cap or cover in one direction the lip on it may be made to cover
the end of the rib or groove, and by turning the cap or cover in the other direction
the said lip is removed from off the end of the hollow rib so as to uncover the end
of the said rib.
In using the case it is held with the hollow rib or groove downwards, so that a
single needle from the store or bulk in the case falls into and fills the said rib or
groove. By partly rotating the lid or cover so as to uncover the end of the rib or
groove and inclining the case the needle in the said rib or groove falls from the
case. In this way the needles may be removed one at a time from the store of
needles in the case.
Instead of the single case described a double case may be made by dividing the
cylindrical case into two compartments, each compartment being provided with a
hollow rib or groove, and each end of the case being provided with a rotating cap
or cover, one cap or cover serving for the removal of the needles from one of the
compartments, and the other cap or cover from the other compartment. Or a
series of the single or double cases may be arranged side by side so as to form a
compound case.
.
Boxes or cases constructed as described may be used for holding hand-used needles
and sewing machine needles and other like articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Thomas Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th August 1877.
THOMAS FLETCHER, of Redditch, in the County of Worcester, Needle Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLES FOR SURGICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN CASES
OR BOXES FOR HOLDING NEEDLES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
•
My Invention consists, first, of the following improvement in needles for surgical
and other purposes, which improved needles are especially applicable for use where
silver or metallic wire is employed, but may also be used for other purposes:-
Instead of making the stems or bodies of the needles solid, as usual, I make the
said stems or bodies hollow or tubular, and by preference of steel or silver, but
other metals or alloys may be used. I make the said needles by a drawing process,
the said needles being made either of open-jointed or close-jointed tubes. One side
of the point is cut away so as to make an opening at the point into the tubular
body or stem. Immediately below the bottom of the eye there is an opening into
the tubular body for the purpose of introducing the wire or thread passed through
the eye down the said tubular body to the point end thereof. The tubular stem or
body of the needle serves as a guide for the wire or thread, the said wire or thread
after the needle has been partly passed through the parts to be sewn together being
pulled with the needle through the said parts to be sewn, as in the use of ordinary
needles. The needles may be either straight or curved.
I prefer to use with the tubular or hollow stem or body of the needle an eye
having an inclined slit in one side of it, through which slit the thread is passed
into the eye, whereby the threading of the needle is facilitated.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation and plan a surgical or other needle drawn to

page_text: a large scale made according to my Invention, and Figure 2 is a section of the stem
or body of the same.
a is the hollow or tubular stem or body of the needle made as herein-before
explained. One end of the tubular stem a is drawn to a point b, which said point
opens into the tubular stem a. The head or eye end c of the needle opens into the
tubular stem a by the passages at d. One side of the eye c is furnished with an
inclined slit c³, through which slit the wire or thread is passed into the eye, and the
threading of the needle thereby facilitated.
In using this needle it is passed partly through the parts to be sewn together,
after the manner of an ordinary needle, the needle with the wire or thread within
it is then pulled through the parts to be sewn, the tubular body a serving as a
guide for the wire or thread.
My Invention consists further of the following improvements in cases or boxes
for holding needles and other like articles, such, for example, as pins and matches,
whereby the needles, pins, or matches may be removed one at a time from the case
or box
I make
I will describe my improvements principally as applied to a needle case.
the case cylindrical and closed at one end. Along the side of the case a longi-
tudinal hollow rib, groove, or depression is made of a size proper for holding a
single needle. The said hollow rib or groove is open at the lid or cover end, but is
closed at the opposite end. The lid or cover consists of a cap having a slot in it
near the rib or groove, so that it may have a limited motion on the end of the
case, the hollow rib or groove serving as a stop. On the said cap and near one end
of the slot in it is a lip or projection of a shape proper to cover the open end of the
rib or groove in the case. By turning the cap or cover in one direction the lip on
it may be made to cover the end of the rib or groove, and by turning the cap or
cover in the other direction the said lip is removed from off the end of the hollow
rib so as to uncover the end of the said rib.
In using the case it is held with the hollow rib or groove downwards, so that a
single needle from the store or bulk of needles in the case falls into and fills the said
rib or groove. By partly rotating the lid or cover so as to uncover the end of the
rib or groove and inclining the case the needle in the said rib or groove falls from
the case. In this way the needles may be removed one at a time from the store of
needles in the case.
Instead of the single case described a double case may be made by dividing the
cylindrical case into two compartments, each compartment being provided with a
hollow rib or groove, and each end of the case being provided with a rotating cap
or cover, one cap or cover serving for the removal of the needles from one of the
compartments, and the other cap or cover from the other compartment. Or a series
of single or double cases may be arranged side by side so as to form a com-
pound case.
Boxes or cases constructed as described may be used for holding hand-used needles
and sewing machine needles and other like articles.
Figure 3 represents in side elevation and back elevation and cross section a needle
case or box constructed according to my Invention, and Figure 4 is a plan of.the
same closed, and Figure 5 is a plan of the same open for the removal of a needle;
Figure 6 represents the lid, cap, or cover of the needle case detached; Figures 3 to 8
are drawn double the full size.
c is the cylindrical body of the needle case, made by preference of metal closed at
one end by the fixed cap f, and at the other end by the rotating cap or cover g;
h is the longitudinal hollow rib, groove, or depression made along the side of the
case e, the said rib, groove, or depression being of a size proper for holding a single
needle. The groove or hollow rib h is closed at bottom, but is open at the lid or
cover end
the said lid or cover being capable of a partial rotation on the said end
of the case.
At the back of the cap or cover g and near the groove or hollow rib h
is a slot g². This slot permits the cap or cover-g-to have-a-limited motion on the
end of the case, the hollow rib h serving as a stop to the said cap or cover. On

page_text: the said cap or cover g is a nearly circular lip or projection i for covering and
uncovering the top of the hollow rib or groove h. On turning the cap or cover g in
one direction the lip or projection i is made to cover the end of the rib or groove h,
as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, and by turning the said cap or cover g in the
other direction the said lip i is removed from off the end of the hollow rib h so as
to uncover the end of said rib, as illustrated in Figure 5. The lid or cover g
capable of being wholly removed from the end of the case for storing the said case
with needles.
In order to remove a needle from the case e, the said case, closed by preference
as in Figures 3 and 4, is held with the hollow rib or groove h downwards or at the
lower part of the case, a needle from the bulk of the needles in the case thereby
falls into the said rib or groove h. The lid or cover g is now partly rotated so as
to uncover the end of the rib or groove h, as illustrated in Figure 5, and by inclining
the case the needle in the groove passes from the said case through the open end of
the hollow rib or groove. The needles are thus removed one at a time from the
store of needles in the case.
Figure 7 represents in side elevation and Figure 8 in cross section a double case
for holding two sizes of needles constructed according to my Invention.
In this arrangement the cylindrical body of the case is divided by the longi-
tudinal partition k into two compartments marked respectively land m, each
compartment being provided with a hollow rib or groove closed at one end, marked
respectively 12, m². Each end of the case has a rotating cap or cover of the con-
struction herein-before described, the said caps or covers being marked p and q, and
the lips of the said covers p², q³. The cap p serves to remove the needles one at a
time from the compartment of the case, and the other cap q serves to remove the
needles one at a time from the other compartment m, the said caps p, q, opening
and closing the hollow ribs 12, m², and the case being held for the removal of the
needles in the manner herein-before described with respect to the single case
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6.
The single and double cases described and represented in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8 may be grouped or arranged side by side to form compound cases.
Figure 9 represents in side elevation and Figure 10 in plan open, Figure 11 in
plan closed, another case or box constructed according to my Invention, the said
case or box being specially suited for holding matches; Figure 12 represents a
section of the lid or cover of the box or case detached.
In this modification the body of the case or box r is made elliptical in cross
section, instead of circular, and the lid or cover 8 is in consequence incapable of
rotating on the end of the said case or box, but for the purpose of opening and
closing the open top of the rib r² of the box or case the lid or cover 8 is furnished
with a slide t, which can be made to cover or uncover the top of the rib r² at
pleasure. When the slide t is in the withdrawn position, Figures 9 and 10, the
hollow rib is open and a single match may be removed from the store in the box
or case, in the manner described with respect to the needle cases.
Instead of giving the match box, Figures 9, 10, and 11, an elliptical figure in
cross section other sectional figures may be employed.
The box or case, Figures 9, 10, and 11, may be used for holding needles. In this
case the hollow rib 2 is made smaller, but for holding needles I prefer the arrange-
ments of parts herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 3 to 8..
Although I have only described my improvements with reference to boxes or
cases for holding needles and matches, yet my said improvements are equally appli-
cable to cases or boxes for holding pins or other like articles.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,-
First. The improvement in needles for surgical and other purposes, herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the stems or bodies of the said needles hollow or tubular, for the
purpose and substantially as described and illustrated.

page_text: Secondly. The improvements in cases or boxes for holding needles, matches, and
other like articles, herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 3 to 12, both
inclusive, of the accompanying Drawing, whereby the said needles, matches, or
other like articles may be removed one at a time from the cases or boxes, that is to
say, making the body of the case or box either circular, elliptical, or of other figure
in cross section, and providing the said body with a longitudinal hollow rib, groove,
or depression of a size proper for holding a single needle, match, or other like
article, and the combination with the said ribbed or grooved case or box of a
rotating lid, cover, or cap provided with a slot and covering lip, as described, or a
slide in a fixed lid or cover for covering and uncovering the open top of the
hollow rib, groove, or depression, for the purpose and substantially as described and
illustrated.
.
Also, the double or compound arrangements of the said cases or boxes, described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fletcher, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
THOMAS FLETCHER. (L.S.)