IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGLE OR COMPOUND TELESCOPIC CROTCHET CROOKS AND HANDLES, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO TOOTHPICKS. PIPE PROBES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES.
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Coggins and George Baxter, Trading in Co-partner-
ship as Stampers and Piercers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
and Thomas William Greaves, Jeweller, of Birmingham, afed., for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGLE OR COMPOUND TELESCOPIC CROTCHET
CROOKS AND HANDLES, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO
TOOTHPICKS. PIPE PROBES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Coggins, George
Baxter, ard Thomas William Greaves at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 4th March 1876.
JAMES COGGINS and GEORGE BAXTER, Trading in Co-partnership as Stampers and
Piercers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and THOMAS WILLIAM GREAVES,
Jeweller, of Birmingham, afed, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGLE OR COMPOUND TELESCOPIC
CROTCHET CROOKS AND HANDLES, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO TOOTHPICKS, PIPE PROBES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
Our improvements in crotchet hooks and handles are twofold (that is tosay),
adapting one or two crooks to the same handle, the crooks being of different sizes;
but we will describe our Invention first as addapted for one crook.
We take a short length of tube and close it at the bottom end with a concentric
hole for the needle to pass through, and we dome the other end of the tube, or
apply a terminal ornament thereto, and from this end we form a longitudinal slot
about two-thirds of the lengthway of the tube, and at the end of the slot we form
a rectangular recess for a thumb bit to fall in, which thumb bit is attached to the
internal end of the crook, so that between the rectangular recess and the lower end
of the tube a spiral spring is placed round the shank of the needle, which spring is
collapsed when the crook is extended; but by moving the thumb bit out of the
rectangular recess, the expanding force of the spring will shoot in or retire the
crook within the handle to be again expanded when required. And this same
arrangement may be adapted for two crotchet hooks to one handle, by having a
hook to extend each end of the handle, in which case two slots would be formed
(by preference) on the same tube, or the tube may be flattened and both hooks
adapted for extending and retiring at one end; and the same arrangement applies
for the construction of toothpicks or other like articles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Coggins, George Baxter, and Thomas William Greaves in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th September 1876.
JAMES COGGINS and GEORGE BAXTER, Trading in Co-partnership as Stampers and
Piercers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and THOMAS WILLIAM GREAVES,
Jeweller, of Birmingham, aforesaid. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGLE OR COMPOUND
TELESCOPIC CROTCHET CROOKS AND HANDLES, AND WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO
APPLICABLE FOR TOOTHPICKS, PIPE PROBES, AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Our improvements in crotchet hooks and handles are twofold, that is to say,
adapting one or two hooks to the same handle, the hooks being of different sizes;
but we will describe our Invention first as adapted for one hook.
We take a short length of tube and close it at the bottom end with a concentric
hole for the needle to pass through, and we dome the other end of the tube or
apply a terminal ornament thereto, and from this end we form a longitudinal slot
about two-thirds of the lengthway of the tube, and at the end of the slot we form
a rectangular recess for a thumb bit to fall in, which thumb bit is attachet to the
internal end of the wire forming the hook, so that between the rectangular recess
and the lower end of the tube a spiral spring is placed round the shank of the
hook, which spring is collaped when the hook is extended; but by moving the
thumb bit out of the rectangular recess the expanding force of the spring will
shoot in or retire the hook within the handle to be again advanced or pushed out
when required. This same arrangement may be adapted for two crotchet hooks to
one handle by having a hook to extend each end of the handle, in which case two
slots would be formed (by preference) on the same tube, or the tube may be
flattened and both hooks adapted for extending and retiring at one end; and the
same arrangement apply for the construction of toothpicks or other like articles.
But in order that we may be well and technically understood as to the nature of
our Invention we will proceed to describe the same, aided by the Drawings hereunto
annexed, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon, the said
Drawings being made to an enlarged scale.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a flat piece of metal cut out in the irregular shape, here shown, by
suitable press tools; the parts marked a, a, forming the taper end of a case through
which the crotchet hook passes, and the vandyked parts marked b, b, and b, b,
formes the domed end of the case when bent up into shape. The vacant parts c, c,
formes a slot for the thumb bit or pusher to work through, and d the recess for
holding the pusher when the hook is extended.
Fig. 2 is a simple spiral spring for retiring the hook within the case when the
pusher is relieved, which pusher is shown in the flat at Fig. 5; but in use the parts
e, e, are brought together in order that the shanks f, f, may pass through a slot at
the inner end of the hook, as shown at Fig. 3, the shanks being spread out and
flattened down as shown in a back view at Fig. 4. The hook being thus united
with the pusher, and the case, Figure 1, being bent into a tubular shape the spring,
Figure 2, is placed over the shaft of the hook, and the hook with the spring placed
in the partially formed case, when by means of suitable dies and tools with external
pressure, the case is put into the form exhibited at Fig. 6, with the top end
domed over, as exhibited in end view at Fig. 8.
The position of the pusher g, Figure 6, is maintened by the expanding force of
the spring within abutting against the neck of the pusher, and the contracted part
at h, h; but when the hook is required for use it is advanced or pushed out by the
thumb of the user pressing against the pusher g, as shown in Fig. 7; and when the
hook is fully advanced the pusher, as before stated, is pressed into the angular
recess d, where the pusher will remain and the hook extended untill relieved from the

page_text: [recess d, when the force of the compressed spring will shoot the hook back into tho
case, carrying with it the pusher to the upper end of the slot, as at Figure 6.
When two hooks are required in one handle or case the case must be either of
an oval shape or of sufficient size to hold two springs, and be provided with two
slotways and two pushers, the conical end being also divided for allowing the
shanks of the hooks to work through, in which case the hooks may be of different
sizes to permit of coarse or fine work being done with them, and this combined
double arrangement of hooks we have exhibited at Fig. 9. The case being repre-
sented in section, and by preference of an oval shape in its transverse section,
longitudinal slots being formed on each of the flat sides, of which one only can be
seen in this view marked k and k¹, partly obscured by the retired hook marked 1, l.
At the end of the slot marked k an angular recess is formed for the pusher to fall
in to hold the hook in a state of extension, but which hook is retired within the
case, as here shown, when the pusher is relieved by the contracting force of a
simple elastic or india-rubber endless band held in position by a deflected tongue cut
from the case, as at m, whilst the other part of the elastic band is passed around
the contracted neck of the pusher, so that by pressing the pusher along the slot
to the small hook will be advanced and held by the pusher, falling into the
angular recess k¹, thus assuming the position of the large hook n, n. The pusher b
is in position as if it had been pushed along the slot, the half of the handle removed
from this view. The india-rubber band r, r, and r, r, being in a state of tension,
whilst the band 8, 8, is in a state of rest, and although we have introduced india-
rubber springs in this arrangement, nevertheless spiral springs, as at Figure 2, may
be used if preferred. t, t, simply represents the transverse sectional form of the
case or handle, and as a matter of convenience the case may be made in two halves
and held together by a short length of thin tubing passed over the case at each end
of the slot or slots, or the handle may be made both ends alike, and the steel wire
of which the hooks are formed may be reduced at one end, so as to have a hook
at each end of different size, and midway in the wire of the double hooks a slot
may be formed for receiving a pusher as at Figure 3 and 4. The slot for the
pusher to work in having an angular recess at each end for the pusher to fall in,
and by means of two elastic bands the hook may be projected out or retired from
either end, thus adapting the hooks to coarse or fine work as required; and this
reversible double hook we have exhibited at Fig. 10, the case being in section marked
u, u, and the double hook v, v, is held in the position shown by the contracting forco
of two elastic bands of the same size and strength, the one fastened to a deflected
tongue a, but both elastic bands pass round the neck of the pusher at y; tho
divided shanks of which pass through a central slot of the wire forming the hooks
before referred to.
If the strong hook is needed to be extended the pusher is passed along the slot,
and by lateral pressure is placed in the angular recess z, when the india-rubber
spring band a¹ will be in a state of tension, whilst the india-rubber spring band b
will be in a state of quiescence; but the moment the pusher is relieved from the
angular recess z the contracting force of the spring a¹ will retire the hook as hero
shown, so by using the springs alternate by means of the pusher and angular
detents, either of the hooks, fine or coarse, will be brought into use.
In applying our Invention to toothpicks, pipe probes, or pointers, wo prefor
constructing them as described in Figures 6 and 7, proportioning the size to the
requirements.
Having thus described our Invention and the manner in which the same may
be carried into effect, by artisans accustomed to what is technically called
press work and the manufacture of such kind of small ware, we desire it to bo
understood that we do not purpose limiting ourselves to the exact details as herein
described and set forth, as the same may be varied without departing from the
general object and purpose of our Invention, but we claim under these our in part
recited Letters Patent, the general adaptation and arrangement of the parts as
exhibited and described, or their equivalent, that is to say, a hollow handle with

page_text: the means of extending crotchet hooks, toothpicks, probes, or pointers, and retiring
them when externally relieved by means of the contracting force of an internal
spring or springs, whether composed of metalic wire, india-rubber, or other suitable
material.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Coggins, George Baxter, and Thomas
William Greaves, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
JAMES COGGINS.
GEORGE BAXTER.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE F. A. GRIFFIN,
Clerk to Mr. J. S. Cockings,
17, Ann Street,
Birmingham.
THOMAS WILLIAM GREAVES. (L.S.)