IM. PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER BALLS AND OTHER ELASTIC RECIPIENTS, AND IN THE VALVES APPLIED TO THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER BALLS AND OTHER ELASTIC
RECIPIENTS, AND IN THE VALVES APPLIED TO THE SAME."-A communication
from abroad by Alexandre Marie Quinet, Photographic Chemist, and
Achille Baudouin, Manufacturer, both of 29, Boulevart St. Martin,
Paris.
Sealed the 24th January 1865, and dated the 9th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
August 1864.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER BALLS AND OTHER
ELASTIC RECIPIENTS, AND IN THE VALVES APPLIED TO THE SAME," to be as
follows:-
In the construction of india-rubber balls it has been hitherto impossible to
close them so as to admit of their being readily inflated and emptied at will
for example, small metallic appendages have been employed, similar to those
for filling and emptying air cushions. But besides the difficulty of obtaining
a solid air-tight fit by uniting substances of such different natures, these means
are difficult to manage and uncertain in their action. After many trials

page_text: I have found that the most convenient and certain method of closing balls and
other recipients is by adapting said closure to the internal face of the
recipient.
Now this Invention consists, first, in the application of the above principle
for closing balls or other elastic recipients independently of the means employed
for realizing said application, and further in the peculiar arrangements for
producing in an efficacious, convenient, and economical manner the automatic
closure of said balls from the inside, which arrangements form part of the
present Invention, as also the various applications of the same. The following
is the method of operation for vulcanized india-rubber balls:-I first prepare
valves composed of asmall piece of india-rubber ofsuitable thickness furnished
with a perforation, on one side of which is adapted another piece of the same
substance of suitable form and thickness. The latter piece, intended to form
the valve, only adheres at one portion of its edge to the perforated piece above
mentioned, which it covers, the remainder of its surface being free. One of
these valves is fixed by means of an india-rubber or other solution at the
opposite side to that carrying the valve to one of the pieces of india-rubber,
which when united form the ball; the vulcanization of the ball is afterwards
effected in the ordinary way. The vulcanization itself when the ball is taken
out of the mould causes the valve to unite with the inner face of the ball, it
being only necessary to make in the external surface of the latter a hole
exactly corresponding with the one in the valve, care being taken not to
injure the elastic tongue forming the valve; the ball will thus be in condition
to be inflated or emptied at will, without the aid of any external appendage.
The ball being so disposed, if by means of a small hole made in the exterior
it be insufflated with air, this by its clasticity will act on the free part of the
india-rubber tongue, causing it to become inflected, and so allow air to enter
from without. When insufflation ceases the india-rubber tongue, by reason
of its elasticity, and also by the pressure of the compressed air in the interior
of the ball, will be again brought in contact with the perforated piece, and in
adhering as it were thereto cut off all communication with the exterior.
When it is wished to empty the ball it is only necessary to open the flexible
tongue of the valve in any suitable manner, to afford an exit for the air
contained, and by pressing the ball inwards all the air will be quickly ejected.
The insufflation of the air into the ball in order to expand it, and also its
expulsion, may be readily effected by the ordinary means; but in order to
facilitate the operations, I make use of the following methods :-
1st, I take a small stem, hollow throughout its length, having at its lower
end a small mouthpiece of wood, bone, or other material suitable for placing

page_text: in the mouth, or to be adapted to the insufflating instrument.
In order to
use this instrument for inflating the ball, I introduce the hollow stem into the
hole before mentioned (a flange or collar being applied to prevent its going
too far in), when by blowing through the mouthpiece the inflation is effected;
when this is complete the stem is quickly withdrawn, the interior pressure
keeping the valve closed. In order to empty the ball, the same instrument is
employed, but instead of inflating it with air, it is pressed against the valve,
so as to enable the air to make its escape. It is unnecessary to add that this
insufflator may be made of a single piece.
2ndly, instead of a small hollow stem with mouthpiece, as described,
Iemploy, by preference, the following arrangement, which is alike simple and
convenient for use. I take a small india-rubber ball, and furnish it with a
small interior valve similar to the one before described. This small ball is
further furnished with a short tube of diameter adapted to that of the hole in
the ball to be inflated; the end of this tube fits a short distance in said hole,
so that by compressing the small ball several times with the one hand, and
holding the one to be inflated firmly in the other, a certain quantity of air will
be injected each time, and so produce the degree of tension required.
I also employ a means of opening the inner valve, so as to discharge the air
from the ball without the aid of a stem before mentioned or other apparatus.
For this purpose it is sufficient to simply press the finger on a certain point of
the surface of the ball, near the insufflating hole, which indicates a non-
adhering portion of the valve piece. By depressing this a deformation of the
ball takes place, having for result to open the valve and afford exit for the
air, which may be entirely expelled by compressing the ball. This constitutes
one of the chief features of the improved method of producing the self-acting
closure of elastic recipients.
It will be evident that without departing from the principle of this Inven-
tion, namely, the application to balls and other receptacles of interior self-
acting means for closing same, the means employed may be greatly varied;
thus, instead of the valve being entirely of india-rubber, as above described,
and vulcanized at the same time as the ball itself, which is also an important
and novel feature, I may use valves composed of other substances, and self-
acting, as before described. Thus, without varying the principle of the Inven-
tion, instead of having a valve composed with an india-rubber base perforated
with a hole, and covered with a tongue of the same material, I may dispense
with the base piece, and adapt the tongue direct to the inner surface of the
ball at the point where the hole to be covered is placed, whether this hole be
made previously or after the vulcanization of the ball. It is also evident that

page_text: what has been stated with regard to vulcanized india-rubber balls is also
applicable to all kinds of elastic recipients to which these improved methods
of closing may be applied, such as air cushions and mattresses, pessaries,
clyster pumps, utensils, and other purposes, all of which applications I claim,
as also the substitution of these improved self-acting valves instead of those
ordinarily employed in other circumstances.
I should further mention an improvement in the detail of manufacture of
these balls having interior self-acting valves. This improvement consists in
utilizing the vulcanization of said balls or recipients to produce on their
external surface, in a different color to that of the ball, suitable inscriptions or
designs, or geographical maps, without said designs being engraved in the
vulcanizing moulds. Thus, for example, if I wish to produce a map of the
world on the surface of the ball, I previously dispose moulds or portions of
same, made of copper, silver, or other metal which by the action of a sulphuret
will produce a color in contrast to that of the india-rubber, and on the inner
face of these moulds, which are previously tinned, I produce, by the ordinary
means, and with much greater facility from its being a thin and easily
manageable surface, an engraving either sunk or in relief, as desired. I may
also produce the design by stamping or embossing. If the design be sunk, it
will be produced by the removal of the tinned surface with the graver; while
if in relief, I remove the tinning from the relief surfaces by suitable friction.
These cases or moulds, or portions of same, are then placed in the vulcanizing
moulds, in which they form an intermediate lining between said moulds and
the balls therein contained. By the vulcanizing action the balls on becoming
inflated are forced into the engraved parts, which being deprived of the tin, and
thus attackable by the sulphur, produce hollows and reliefs in black on
the ball.
If only a stamp or mark is required, it is sufficient to introduce a small
plate of thin metal into the mould, which plate is embossed or prepared in the
mannor previously described, in order to obtain a black impression either sunk
or in relief of the marks or design on the plate.
Instead of employing plates entirely of metal, and prepared as above, similar
results may be obtained by the introduction into the moulds of sheets of paper
or other inert substance, coated with a thin layer of metal, attackable by the
sulphur at certain parts for producing the required designs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, 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 William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Clark, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER BALLS AND OTHER
ELASTIC RECIPIENTS, AND IN THE VALVES APPLIED TO THE SAME," a com". to me
from abroad by Alexandre Marie Quinet, Photographic Chemist, and Achille
Baudouin, Manufacturer, both of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors
or administrators, 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 William Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) -
In the construction of india-rubber balls it has been hitherto impossible to
close them so as to admit of their being readily inflated and emptied at will;
for example, small metallic appendages have been employed similar to those
for filling and emptying air cushions used in travelling. But besides the
difficulty of obtaining a solid air-tight fit by uniting substances of such
different natures, these means are difficult to manage and uncertain in their

page_text: action. After many trials I have found that the most convenient and certain
method of closing balls and other recipients is by adapting said closure to the
internal face of the recipient.
This Invention consists, first, in the application of the above principle for
closing balls and other elastic recipients independently of the means employed
for realizing said application, and further in the peculiar arrangements for pro-
ducing in an efficacious, convenient, and economical manner the automatic
closure of the said balls from the inside, which arrangements form part of the
present Invention, as also the various applications of the same. The following
is the method of operation for vulcanized india-rubber balls -I first prepare
valves composed of a small piece of india-rubber of suitable thickness, and
furnished with a perforation, on one side of which is adapted another piece of
tlie same substance of suitable form and thickness. This latter piece, intended
to form the valve, only adheres at one portion of its edge to the perforated
piece above mentioned, which it covers, the remainder of its surface being
free. One of these valves is fixed by means of an india-rubber or other
solution at the opposite side to that carrying the valve to one of the pieces of
india-rubber, which when united form the ball; the vulcanization of the ballis
afterwards effected in the ordinary way. These tongues may be of any suitable
form, as, for instance, of a lozenge shape, square with a plain or hollowed
edges, triangular, round, oval, or of other form according to circumstances,
and as represented in the Drawing annexed. The shaded parts represent the
part of the valve adhering to the ball, while the blanks represent the space
for the admission of air, gases, or liquids into the recipient. The valve or
tongue piece 1 is used in cases where a very free exit is required, while on
the contrary the valve 5 admits air freely but renders its issue more difficult.
The tongue may be of the same form as the valve itself or otherwise, it being
understood that the latter only is perforated. The vulcanization itself, when the
ball is taken out of the mould, causes the valve to unite with the inner face of
the ball, it being only necessary to make in the external surface of the latter
a hole exactly corresponding with the one in the valve, care being taken not
to injure the elastic tongue forming the valve; the ball will thus be in condition
to be inflated or emptied at will, without the aid of any external appendage.
As there may be some difficulty in making a hole in the ball, after its
vulcanization and exit from the mould, to correspond perfectly with the one in
the valve without interfering with the elastic tongue piece covering the same,
I obviate this by the adoption of the following arrangement:-I cause one of
the parts of the valve to adhere to one of the segments of india-rubber of
which the ball is to be composed, and punch a small hole in the centre of said

page_text: valve piece as well as right through the ball itself, after which I apply the
india-rubber tongue intended to form the valve, causing it to adhere in such
manner as to allow the greater portion of its surface to remain free; and when
the various parts of the ball are united I apply a small thin disc over the
hole so made, without however allowing it to adhere too firmly to the india-
rubber which is to be removed after the ball comes out of the mould. This
small disc when removed leaves a circular depression, indicating clearly the
position of the hole in the valve. The ball being so disposed, if by means of a
small hole made in its exterior it be insufflated with air, this by its elasticity
will act on the free part of the india-rubber tongue, causing it to become
deflected and so allow air to enter from without. When insufflation ceases
the india-rubber tongue, by reason of its elasticity and also by the pressure
of the compressed air in the interior of the ball, will be again brought in con-
tact with the perforated piece, and in adhering as it were thereto cut off all
communication with the exterior. When it is wished to empty the ball, it is
only necessary to open the flexible tongue of the valve in any suitable manner
to afford an exit for the air contained, and by pressing the ball inwards all the
air will be quickly ejected.
The insufflation of air into the ball in order to expand it, and also its expul-
sion, may be readily effected by ordinary means, but in order to facilitate
these operations I make use of the following methods:--1st, I take a small tube
A, see Fig. 8, having at its lower end b a small lateral opening c, and fitting
into a small mouthpiece D, of wood, bone, or other material suitable for
placing in the mouth or to be adapted to the insufflating instrument. In
order to use this instrument for insufflating the ball, I introduce the hollow
tube into the hole e before mentioned, (a flange or collar being applied to
prevent its going too far in,) when by blowing through the mouthpiece the
inflation is effected. When this is complete the stem is quickly withdrawn,
the interior pressure keeping the valve closed. In order to empty the ball
the same instrument is employed, which is simply introduced at orifice e, and
pressed against the valve so as to enable the air to make its escape. It is
unnecessary to add that this insufflator may be made of a single piece.
Supposing it to be inconvenient for a person to inflate the ball with the
breath, I may, instead of using the small tube with mouthpiece, as described,
employ the following arrangement, which is alike simple and convenient for
ase-I take a small india-rubber ball and furnish it with an interior valve
similar to the one before described. This small ball is further furnished with
short tube similar to b, Fig. 8, of diameter adapted to that of the hole in
he ball to be inflated; the end of this tube fits a short distance in said hole,

page_text: so that by compressing the small ball several times with one hand, and
holding the one to be inflated firmly in the other, a certain quantity of air will
be injected each time, and so produce the degree of tension desired.
With regard to discharging the air from the ball, the same arrangement of
inner valve serves, the two parts of which are only fixed at their opposite
ends, without the aid of the tube before described or other apparatus; for
this purpose it is sufficient to simply press the finger on a certain point of the
surface of the ball near the insufflating hole, which indicates a non-adherent
portion of the valve piece. By depressing this a deformation of the ball
takes place, having for result to open the valve and afford exit for the air,
which may be entirely expelled by compressing the ball.
In those balls where the tongue pieces have none of their angles de-
tached, the air may be more readily discharged by the aid of the small tube
serving for the inflation of the ball. The facility with which these balls and
other elastic recipients may be inflated and emptied by the use of these valves
made entirely of india-rubber, and consequently unsusceptible of injurious
action during the vulcanizing process, but on the contrary acquiring the
necessary elasticity for their properaction, constitutes one of the chief features
of the improved method of producing the self-acting closure of elastic
recipients.
It will be evident that without departing from the principle of this.
Invention, namely, the application to balls and other recipients of interior
self-acting means for closing same, the means employed may be greatly
varied; thus, instead of the valve being entirely of india-rubber, as above
described, and vulcanized at the same time as the ball itself, which is also an
important and novel feature, I may use valves composed of other substances
and self-acting, as before described. Thus, without varying the principle of
the Invention, instead of having a valve composed with an india-rubber base
perforated and covered with a tongue of the same material, I may dispense
with the base piece, and adapt the tongue direct to the inner surface of the
ball at the point where the hole to be covered is placed, whether this hole be
made previously or after the vulcanization of the ball. It is also applicable
to all kinds of elastic recipients to which these improved methods of closing
may be applied, such as air cushions and mattresses, pessaries, clyster
pumps, utensils, and other purposes, all of which applications I claim; as
also the substitution of these improved self-acting valves, instead of those
ordinarily employed in other circumstances. I also specially reserve the
application of this method of closure to pessaries, which would have the
advantage of entirely dispensing with the tubes and copper fittings with which

page_text: they are usually furnished; further, by the use of the small air injector before
described, the apparatus may be inflated at will, without trouble or shifting
its position.
I should further mention an improvement in the manufacture of these
balls, having interior self-acting valves. This improvement consists in
utilizing the vulcanization of said balls or recipients to produce on their
external surface; in a different color to that of the ball, suitable inscriptions
or designs, or geographical maps, either sunk or in relief, without said
designs being engraved in the vulcanizing moulds. Thus, for example, if I
wish to produce a map of the world on the surface of a ball, I previously dis-
pose moulds or portions of same made of copper, silver, or other metal which,
by the action of a sulphuret, will produce a color in opposition to that of the
india-rubber, and on the inner face of the moulds, which are previously
tinned, I produce by the ordinary means, and with much greater facility, from
its being a thin and easily manageable surface) an engraving, either sunk
or in relief, as desired. I may also produce the design by stamping or
embossing, in which case I remove the tinned surface of the raised part with
a file or emery paper, which then shows of a different color, and produces
the design. These cases or moulds, or portions of same, are then placed in the
vulcanizing moulds, in which they form an intermediate lining between said
moulds and the balls therein contained. When by the vulcanizing action the
balls in becoming inflated are forced into the engraved parts, which being
deprived of the tin and thus attackable by the sulphur, produce hollows and
reliefs in black on the ball. If only a stamp or mark is required, it is
sufficient to introduce a small plate of thin metal into the mould, which
plate is embossed or prepared in the manner previously described. In order
to obtain a black impression, either sunk or in relief, of the marks or designs
on the plate, instead of employing plates entirely of metal, and prepared as
above, similar results may be obtained by the introduction into the moulds of
sheets of paper or other inert substance, coated with a thin layer of metal,
attackable by the sulphur at certain parts for producing the required designs.
Lastly, these improved india-rubber valves, as employed for thin india-
rubber balls, may be applied, 1st, to air or gas balls or balloons capable of
being readily inflated or emptied at will; 2ndly, to toy balls, the handles of
which are perforated throughout their length, and closed at the end entering
the ball by a small india-rubber valve placed across the opening for the
purpose of preventing the exit of air from the ball after it has been inflated,
as also to permit of its being again expanded if desired; 3rdly, to a species
of toy, whistle, or bagpipe, the peculiarity in this case being that the india-

page_text: rubber valve only partially closes the internal orifice, which is made funnel-
shaped, in such manner that the air on entering as well as in escaping comes
in contact with one or both edges of the india-rubber tongue, and causes a.
rapid vibratory motion producing sounds, which may be varied by making
holes in the handle similar to a flute.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the improvements in the
manufacture of india-rubber balls and other elastic recipients to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the application to balls or other recipients of india-rubber of self-
acting internal means for closing the same, enabling them to be filled and
emptied by one and the same opening; the perfection of the closure being
determined by the pressure of the fluid contained, and increasing with the
force with which it tends to escape.
Secondly, the arrangements for closing the balls, and more especially in
the employment of india-rubber valves composed of a base of such material
of greater or less thickness perforated at the centre, and furnished with a
tongue piece, also of india-rubber, which is caused to adhere to the internal
face of said base piece for a portion only of its surface, the remaining part
forming a valve, closing the orifice before mentioned. This valve also has the
advantage of being vulcanized at the same time as the recipient to which it
may have been previously applied, and so unites the whole together. The
valve may further, in certain cases, and particularly with balls, consist of a
single tongue, applied in the manner described on the inside of the hole in
the ball.
Thirdly, the application of these elastic valves, either vulcanized or not, to
all kinds of recipients, in lieu of the ordinary valves, in a great number of
cases, as, for instance, to receivers for containing acids, alcohol, and all liquids
generally not liable to dissolve the india-rubber, whereby to ensure simplicity,
economy, security, and duration of the valves.
Fourthly, the means employed in combination with the improved valves
herein described, applied to balls or other elastic recipients for readily
effecting their inflation or discharging the air contained, more especially by
means of a small hollow mouth tube, with ball and valve for injecting air, all
as herein described.
Fifthly, the utilization of the vulcanizing process, together with the
coloring obtained by the action of sulphur on certain metallic surfaces for the
production of inscriptions or designs on the vulcanized india-rubber recipients,
which are obtained not by engraving the moulds themselves, but by the

page_text: introduction of intermediate linings into said moulds having the designs
formed on their concave surface, either hollow or in relief, the designs being
produced by the action of the sulphurets ou the vulcanized india-rubber to
which they are applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
(L.S.)