AN IMPROVED CINDER SIFTER AND SHOVEL COMBINED
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Mabson, of Norwood, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CINDER SIFTER AND SHOVEL
COMBINED."
Sealed the 26th January 1869, and dated the 29th July 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Mabson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th July 1868..
I, JOHN MABSON, of Norwood, in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CINDER SIFTER
AND SHOVEL COMBINED," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is. to facilitate the separation of cinders
from ashes, and to retain the ashes in a compartment formed in the
back of the shovel.
The Invention consists in constructing a shovel in two parts, one part
forming the scoop for lifting the cinders and ashes and the other forming
a box into which the ashes are free to enter when the front of the
the
shovel is raised and agitated, a grating being fixed across
shovel through which the ashes pass. To the back of the shovel I
hinge a bar, one end of which forms a handle and the other end has
a plate on it which is forced into the back compartment against the

page_text: rails of the grating and retains the ashes in that compartment. When
the plate is down as just mentioned the cinders may be thrown from
the shovel on to the fire or elsewhere. The shovel is fitted with a fixed
handle by which it can be lifted or moved from place to place. When
the shovel is brought into operation to raise the oinders and ashes, it
is tilted and agitated, the ashes pass the grating into the back compart-
ment, the two handles are then brought together, which lowers the plato
against the grating to retain the ashes in the back compartment. The
weight of the hinged handle keens them separated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Mabson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MABSON, of Norwood, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Mabson, Her special licence, that I,
the said John Mabson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Mabson, 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 "AN IMPROVED CINDER SIFTER AND
SHOVEL COMBINED," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Mabson, 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 John Mabson, do hereby declare

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to facilitate the separation of cinders
from ashes and to retain the ashes in a compartment formed in the
shovel.
The Invention consists in constructing a shovel in two parts, one
part forming the scoop for lifting the cinders and ashes and the other
forming a box into which the ashes are free to enter when the front of
the shovel is raised and agitated, a grating being fixed across the shovel
through which the ashes pass. To the back of the shovel I hinge a
bar, one end of which forms a handle and the other end has a plate on
it which is forced into or enters the ash compartment against the rails
of the grating and retains the ashes in that compartment. When the
plate is down as just mentioned the cinders may be thrown from the
shovel on to the fire or elsewhere. The shovel is fitted with a fixed
handle by which it can be lifted or moved from place to place.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a longitudinal section,
Figure 2 a plan or top view, and Figure 3 a side view of a combined
cinder sifter and shovel constructed according to my Invention.
a is a scoop or shovel for lifting the cinders and ashes, and is a box
behind the scoop a; c is a handle to the apparatus; d is a grating fitted
across the shovel and free to be lifted on the point d'; e is a plate
forming the front of the box 4 and free to be lifted and lowered in a
slot between the grating d and the top g of the box b. Guide rods h
are fitted in the box to guide the plate e in its up-and-down movement.
This plate e is carried on the front end of a bar i which is hinged at j
and has a back prolongation or handle k; by pressing down this handle k
the plate e is raised, as seen in Figure 1, and when the handle / is
released the plate e falls, as seen in Figure 3. When a quantity of
cinders and ashes has been lifted in the shovel its front end is raised,
the handle k is depressed to lift the plate e, and the apparatus is agitated
so that the ashes pass through the grating d into the box b while the
cinders remain in the shovel or scoop a in front of the grating. By
then releasing the handle k the plate e falls and closes the front of the
box, so that the ashes are retained therein, and the cinders can then bo
thrown on the fire.

page_text: Figure 4 is a top view, and Figure 5 a side view showing a modified
form of my combined cinder sifter and shovel. In this modification I
substitute for the plate e a flap suspended by pins or pintles which
enter holes in the sides of the box b, so that when the front of the
apparatus is lifted the flap opens backwards to allow the ashes to pass
into the box and again closes when the apparatus is placed horizontally.
m is a guard plate which prevents any cinders getting upon or passing
over the top of the box b. This plate may be hinged, if desired, so as
to lie flat when the shovel is passed under a grate to lift the cinders
and ashes. The lid of the box is hinged so that it can be opened to
remove the ashes therefrom. In the apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 3, the lid of the box may be a fixture, as by lifting the plate e
and grating d the ashes can be emptied out of the box. The charac-
teristic feature of novelty in my Invention is that the ashes are sifted
into the shovel itself.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
combined cinder sifter and shovel, constructed and acting substantially
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Mabson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
J. C. NEWBURN,
Patent Agent,
172, Fleet Street,
London.
JOHN MABSON. (L.S.)