Improvements in Cases for Containing Needles, Pins, Knitting-pins, Scissors, and other Small Articles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Aug., 1889-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cases for Containing Needles, Pins, Knitting-pins,
Scissors, and other Small Articles.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES VALE, trading as W. Vale and Sons, of Studley, near
Redditch, Worcestershire, Needle, Fish-hook and Tackle Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the improvements herein described in cases for containing
needles pins knitting-pins scissors or other small articles by which the said needles
pins knitting-pins or other articles are more fully exposed to view and are more
readily removed from, or replaced in, their cases than heretofore.
In carrying out this invention as applied for instance to a needle case, the needles
are by preference stuck or held centrally so that their eyes and points and for the
greater part of their length they are exposed to view. I make that part of the case in
which the needles are stuck, or by which the needles are held, raised up with the
needles above the surface of the case, thus allowing a person's fingers to pass between
the eyes and points of the needles and the case and enabling one or more of the
The said
needles to be more readily removed than when lying flat against the case.
part of the case in which the needles are stuck or otherwise held may either be made
permanently raised above the surface of the case or it may be furnished with a metal,
paper or other spring or springs, or springy substance or substances, and be so con-
nected to or formed with the surface of the case that it will lie flat against the case
when the case is closed but will automatically rise up from the case to allow of the
needles being removed when the case is opened.
The needles may, if preferred, be so stuck or held that their eyes and upper parts
only are exposed to view and instead of that part in which the needles are stuck or
otherwise held rising up bodily as above described so as to lift the points as well as the
eyes of the needles, it may be arranged to rise obliquely so as to lift the needles in
an oblique direction and raise the eyes only.
My invention is similarly applied to cases for containing pins, knitting-pins, scissors
and other small articles which will lie flat in a case.
Dated this 16th day of November 1888
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cases for Containing Needles, Pins, Knitting-pins,
Scissors, and other Small Articles.
1, WILLIAM CHARLES VALE, trading as W. Vale and Sons, of Studley, near
Redditch, Worcestershire, Needle, Fish-hook and Tackle Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention consists of the improvements herein described in cases for containing
needles pins knitting-pins scissors or other small articles by which the said needles
pins knitting-pins or other articles are more fully exposed to view and are more
readily removed from, or replaced in, their cases than heretofore.
In carrying out this, invention as applied for instance to a needle case, the needles
are by preference stuck or held centrally so that their eyes and points and for the
greater part of their length they are exposed to view. I make that part of the case in
which the needles are stuck, or by which the needles are held, raised up with the

page_text: needles above the surface of the case, thus allowing a person's fingers to pass between
the eyes and points of the needles and the case and enabling one or more of the
needles to be more readily removed than when lying flat against the case. The said
part of the case in which the needles are stuck or otherwise held may either be made
permanently raised above the surface of the case or it may be furnished with a metal,
paper or other spring or springs, or springy substance or substances, and be so con-
nected to or formed with the surface of the case that it will lie flat against the case
when the case is closed but will automatically rise up from the case to allow of the
needles being removed when the case is opened:
The needles may, if preferred, be so stuck or held that their eyes and upper parts
only are exposed to view and instead of that part in which the needles are stuck or
otherwise held rising up bodily as above described so as to lift the points as well as the
eyes of the needles, it may be arranged to rise obliquely so as to lift the needles in an
oblique direction and raise the eyes only.
My invention is similarly applied to cases for containing pins, knitting-pins, scissors
and other small articles which will lie flat in a case.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation, Fig. 2 in
plan, and Fig. 3 in cross sectional elevation, a needle case constructed according to
this invention in which that part in which the needles are stuck or held is arranged to
be raised by a spring; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same closed; Figs. 5 and 6
illustrate a modification of the same in which a spiral metal spring is used; Figs. 7
and 8 illustrate a further modification in which the needles are arranged to rise up
obliquely, and Fig. 9 shews a further modification where the needles are permanently
raised above the surface of the case.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawing.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a is the body or outer
part of the case, which may be of any convenient shape or construction as this part of
the case forms no part of this invention, and b is the part or cushion in which the
needles are stuck or held which may consist of a strip of woollen or other suitable
fabric folded so as to give sufficient thickness to take the needles and strengthened by
a strip of cardboard c or other suitable substance underneath, which latter is connected
to the body a of the needle case by two folding strips d d of paper leather or other
suitable substance one at either side so as to allow the parts b and c and the needles
held thereby to be moved nearer to or farther from the surface of the body of the
case a. Between the body of the case a and the parts b and c is provided the spring e
which in this example is a thin flat steel spring fixed about centrally to the strip c and
its outer ends bearing against the body a. As will be seen by an examination of the
figures, the needles are stuck transversely through the strip or part 6 so that their
eyes and points and for the greater part of their length they are exposed to view, so
that when the case open and the part or strap bc is raised by the spring e, a person's
fingers can be passed between the eyes and points of the needles and the case thus
enabling one or more of the needles to be very readily removed. When the case is closed,
as shewn for instance by Fig. 4, the spring allows the strap or part b c and the needles
to lie against the body of the case so as to occupy about the same space as if no spring
The strap or part 6 is preferably covered by a strip of paper, leather, or
other suitable substance f, as shewn on the left hand leaf Figs. 1 and 2, on which may
be printed the description and sizes of the needles.
were used.
с
It will be evident that instead of employing the flat steel spring e for raising the
part in which the needles are held, as represented in the example shewn by Figs. 1, 2,
3 and 4, any other kind of spring, springs, or springy substance or substances might
be similarly employed, such for instance as the coiled wire springs shewn in Figs. 5
and 6, or even a stiff strip of paper or cardboard or india-rubber, or the space between
the strap or part c and the body a might be filled with horse-hair. In the modification
illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8 in which only part of the body a of the needle case is
shewn, the part carrying the needles is arranged to rise obliquely so as to only lift the
eyes of the needles, which is accomplished by making one of the folding strips d wider

page_text: than the other so as to allow only one side of the strip c to rise, (or the other side to
rise but slightly) a spring or springs e or springy substance or substances being
provided between the strip c and the body a as in the example illustrated by Figs. 1, 2,
3 and 4. In the modification illustrated by Fig. 9 the part or strap b in which the
needles are held is permanently raised above the surface of the case a by a strip or
ridge g underneath so that the needles will be some distance above the body of the
case to allow of their being readily removed as above described.
It will be evident that this invention can be applied to cases for containing pins,
knitting-pins, scissors, or other small articles which will lie flat in a case and which are
usually held between a strap or straps and the body of the case similarly as above
described and illustrated with reference to needle cases, the part or strap b being
removed if required and replaced by an ordinary paper or leather strap, as commonly
used in other cases, between which and the strip c, or permanently raised part 9, the
knitting-pins scissors or other said small articles can be inserted and held; and further
that instead of the strap or part in which the needles or other articles are held being
fixed parallel with the hinged or folded side or sides of the case as shewn in Figs. 1, 2,
3 and 4 the said strap or part can be fixed at right angles or in any other position
relatively thereto according to the particular purpose, whether for holding needles pins
knitting-pins scissors or other said small articles, for which the case is required to be
used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In cases for containing needles, pins, knitting pins, scissors or other small articles
which will lie flat in a case and in combination with the body or outer part of the
same, a strap or cushion in which the needles or other said articles are or may be
transfixed, connected at both edges to the said body or outer part, substantially as
described, and provided with a spring, springs or springy substance or substances so as
to automatically raise the needles or other said articles from the body of the case to a
position parallel therewith when the case is open, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore set forth.
2. In cases for containing needles, pins, knitting-pins, scissors or other small articles
which will lie flat in a case and in combination with the body or outer part of the same,
a strap or cushion in which the needles or other said articles are or may be transfixed,
connected at both edges to the said body or outer part, substantially as described, and
provided with a spring, springs, or springy substance or substances so as to automati-
cally raise the needles or other said articles from the body of the case to an
oblique position when the case is open, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before set forth.
3. In cases for containing needles, pins, knitting-pins, scissors or other said
small articles and in combination with the body or outer part of the same, a strap
or cushion in which the needles or other said articles are or may be transfixed,
constructed substantially as described so that the needles or other said articles
will be permanently raised above the body of the case, substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
4. In a needle case and in combination with the body or outer part a thereof,
the strap or cushion b c in which the needles are transfixed or held, the folding
side strip or strips d connecting the strap or cushion b c to the body a and the
flat, coiled or other spring e or springy substance or substances beneath the strap
or cushion bc for automatically raising the strap or cushion b c and the needles
carried thereby for the purpose and substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 21st day of August 1889.