CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SNUFFERS
Year: 1821

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LEES, the younger, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Snuffer
Manufacturer,. send greeting.
WHEREAS. His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
lis Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster, the
Eighteenth day of October, in the second year of His reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Thomas Lees, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege. and authority, that I, the said Thomas Lees,
my exors, admiors, and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned,
should, and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SNUFFERS," in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Thomas Lees, shall not parti-
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery, within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine,
and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Lees, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in the following description thereof, (that is to say):-
The nature of my said improvement, in the construction of snuffers, consists
in perfectly extinguishing and preventing the re-ignition of the snuffer by
pressure, and the exclusion of atmospheric air independently of the opening
of the blades of the snuffers, and the manner in which the same is performed
is as follows: To the under part of the lower blade of the suffer, (that is the
blade to which the box is usually attached, and which I for the sake of per-
specuity called the stationary blade), I construct a cavity or box (which I call
the receiver), open on the upper side and extending the whole length of the
entting edge of the snuffer. Its extention in the direction across the blade,
and also its depth, may be varied according to the intended capacity of the
snuffer or the taste of the manufacturer. The inside of the said receiver,
which is towards and parallel to the cutting edge, I make of a sloping direction
forming an angle of from thirty-five to fifty-five degrees to the plane of the
upper side or opening of the said receiver, upon which upper side or opening
I attach a cover (which I call the extinguisher) moveable upon pivots or
hinges or the side farthest from the cutlery edge, and which extinguisher is
pressed upon the upper side or opening of the said receiver by a spring. To
the moveable blade of the snuffer above its cutting edge I fix (what I call)
guard, by which the snuff when cut off is supported and introduced to the
extinguisher. The said guard I form of the segment of a cylinder, the
radius of which is equal to the width of the extinguisher from its pivot to its
opposite edge, and the said guard or segment is so fixed upon the said moveable
blade, that when the blades are brought together, the said segment becomes
concentric with the pivot or hinge of the extinguisher; also to the said move-
able blade, and close to the end of the cutting edge I attach a small wedge
which I call the (elevator), the point of which when the blades are extended
is introduced below a pin fixed to and projecting beyond the end of the
extinguisher. As the blades are made to approach each other, the said elevator
is forced forward and thereby raises the extinguisher high enough to receive
the snuff cut off at the same time, and brought by the said guard within the
range of the motion of the said extinguisher. The length of the said wedge
is so adjusted that as the blades are brought close together its head or highest
part passes from under the pin of the extinguisher, which thereby left to the
action of the spring is immediately closed and presses the snuff against the
inclined side and alternately against the bottom of the receiver, at the same
a

page_text: time covering the receiver so as to prevent the re-ignition of the snuff, and
remains shut until the snuffers being again opened, the elevator (which being
attached to the moveable blade by a spring) is drawn back, and rising over
the pin of the extinguisher takes its position preparatory to raising the extin-
guisher, when the blades are again closed.
Be it hereby clearly and distinctly understood, that in the above description
of my said improvements, I do not claim as my Invention the box or receiver,
but I claim as my improvement upon the same the inclined side thereof against
which the snuff is pressed by the extinguisher; nor do I claim the cover of
the said box as my Invention, but I claim as my improvement thereon the
above described methods of opening it by my said elevator, and shutting it by.
the said spring, and also in making it to press the snuff against the inclined
side and bottom of the receiver, and also in remaining shut whilst the blades
of the snuffers are opened; nor do I claim as new the guard fixed on the
moveable blade, but I claim as my improvement thereon the fixing of the
same in accordance with my said extinguisher as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lees, (party hereto) have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-one.