AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF REEL POR VELVET OR OTHER RIBBONS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Halse, of the firm of Messrs. Brown, Davis,
and Halse, of Love Lane, in the City of London, Warehousemen and
Manufacturers, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF REEL
POR VELVET OR OTHER RIBBONS."
Sealed the 15th August 1861, and dated the 20th February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Halse at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on he t20th
February 1861.
I, WILLIAM HALSE, of the firm of Messrs. Brown, Davis, and Halse, of Love
Lane, in the City of London, Warehousemen and Manufacturers,. do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
REEL FOR VELVET OR OTHER RIBBONS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to arrange velvet, and all other ribbons
for the retail dealer, that they will be both convenient for inspection, and for
winding and unwinding. To this end, I construct a reel with any given
number of divisions in it suitable for various widths of ribbon, and fix it on
a spindle which I mount horizontally in an oblong box with a hinged lid.
To one end of this spindle, ouside the box, I key a winch handle, and to
one edge of the box I affix the numbers or other designations of the ribbons
opposite the divisions of the spindle which they are respectively destined to fill.

page_text: The ribbons are wound on the reel by the winch handle, and are secured
from unwinding by their ends being pinned to the roll; when it is required to
unwind a portion of any ribbon, the securing pin is withdrawn, and the loose
end of the ribbon drawn out from the box, the reel will thus give off the
required length, or if the ribbon is required to be rewound, this may be done
by simply turning the winch handle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Halse in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HALSE, of the firm of Messieurs Brown, Davis, and Halse, of Love Lane, in
the City of London, Warehousemen and Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Halse,
Her special license that I, the said William Halse, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Halse, 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 CONSTRUCTION OF REEL FOR VELVET OR
OTHER RIBBONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Halse, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Halse, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)-
The object of this Invention is so to arrange velvet and other ribbons for the
retail dealer that they will be convenient for inspection by intending purchasers,

page_text: and will admit of being wound up and unwound without risk of the ribbons
being soiled or otherwise injured by the hand of the attendant, velvet ribbons
being particulary liable to injury through handling from the pile getting
crushed or laid. To this end I construct a reel, by preference of metal, with
any given number of divisions in it, suitable for receiving various widths of ribbon,
and this reel I mount horizontally in an oblong box with a hinged lid. To
one end of the reel spindle (outside the box) I attach a crank handle, and to
one edge of the box I affix opposite the divisions of the reel, numbers or other
designations, corresponding to the nature or quality of the ribbons, which they
are respectively destined to receive. The ribbons are wound on the reel by
the crank handle, and are secured from unwinding by their ends being pinned
to the roll.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is an end view, and Fig. 2 is a plan
view of a reel constructed and mounted according to my Invention, the lid
of the containing box being thrown back to shew the interior. The reel
consists of a series of discs A formed of sheet metal, and soldered at suit-
able distances apart to a spindle B which is slotted longitudinally as shewn
at Fig. 2. for the purpose of allowing attaching tapes to be passed through
it, as shewn in the diagram, Fig. 3, the whole is then lacquered to prevent
the corrosion of the metal. The ends of each tape C thus applied to the
reel, are sewn together, and to these tapes the ribbons to be wound on
the reel, are respectively tacked. The spindle B rests in bearings in the
ends D, D, of the box, and to one end of the spindle a crank handle E is.
secured.
When it is required to unwind a portion of any ribbon, the securing pin
is withdrawn and the loose end of the ribbon drawn out from the box, the reel
will thus give off the required length, and for rewinding the ribbon it is only
necessary to impart rotary motion to the reel by means of the crank handle.
The inner face of the lid may conveniently be lined with a diagram paper
of the ribbons contained on the filled reel, so that when any compartment is
exhausted of ribbon, reference may be had to the diagram to ascertain the
corresponding number or designation of a given breadth of ribbon. It is
convenient also to apply to the lid a cushion as at F, for temporarily receiving
the pins withdrawn from the rolls of ribbon.
I would remark that an important advantage incidental to the use of my
Invention is the packing in a given space of a larger quantity of ribbon than
it has hitherto been found capable of effecting upon reels.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention, of an improved con-
struction of reel for velvet or other ribbons, and explained the manner of

page_text: carrying the same into effect I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim, obtaining the advantages above set
forth by constructing ribbon reels as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Halse, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM HALSE. (L.B.)