other Means for Copying Letters and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: other Means for Copying Letters and the like.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand W.C., London in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by Henry
E. Pratt of Lambertville, State of New Jersey, United States of America Manufacturer
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to Means for Copying Letters and comprehends a Copying
Book and auxiliary devices and also the method of treating and preparing the leaves
or pages of the book.
Where it has been heretofore attempted to keep a number of the pages of a copying
book wet and ready for use, such pages have been liable in a short time, to become
mouldy and ill-smelling, and the binding of the book has been acted upon and ruined
by the moisture reaching it from the pages. Another difficulty with most of the
Copying books in which the leaves are kept wet ready for use has been that the
moisture passing throughout the whole extent of the leaves or pages has made it
difficult to separate such pages as are wanted for a copying operation from the others,
and where the leaves were quite damp, it has been impossible to separate them without
danger of tearing them.
The object of the present invention is to provide a copying book free from the
above objections and which will not require either press, special ink, special
paper or a brush and water bowl, and in which any desired number of pages or leaves
may be kept moist without danger of molding or injuring the binding and without
danger of tearing when one moist leaf is separated from another.
A further object is to provide an extension index in connection with the improved
Copying Book which may be readily withdrawn from its folded position 1tween the
back cover and body of the book into a position to admit of the leaves of the book
being turned without hiding the index and which will further admit of leaves of the

page_text: Index being turned without confict with the leaves of the book, and when will remain
in plain viow when in folded position within the book.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 shows a plan view of the book open and index extended.
Figure 2 represents an end view of the book closed with indox folded in position and
copying pads in position between the leaves;
Figure 8 is a similar view showing the book open with pads in position for making
a copy and
Figure 4 is a detached view of the moistening paul.
A, A, represent the leaves of the book, and B, B, the binding and covers thereof.
The leaves are made of any desired kind of light paper, and are treated with a substance
which will enable them to absorb moisture readily. Chloride of Sodium, Acetate of
Potash, Chloride of Calcium or any other desired hygroscopic material may be used
for this purpose. The invention also contemplates using glycerine, either alone or in
combination with either of the chemicals mentioned above. The leaves treated or
saturated with any of said chemicals or with the mixture of one of them with glycerine
are in condition to absorb easily any moisture applied to them so that said moisture will
be distributed evenly throughout the leaves. To prevent any possibility of mold or
mildew when the sheets are wet, they are treated with an antiseptic, as, for instance,
bichloride of mercury or salicylic acid. Such antiseptic can be added to the solution
of moisture-absorbent chemical before the sheets are saturated therewith, or the
paper may be impregnated with the antisoptic after treatment with the moisture
absorbent.
To prevent the moisture from creeping from the leaves to the binding, the edges of
the leaves adjacent to the binding are treated with a substance impervious to water.
The substance which it is found feasible to use for this purpose consists of bees-
wax, paraffine and turpentine, preferably in the proportions of one ounce each of
beeswax and paraffine and a half-pint of turpentine. The wax and paraffine are
melted together and the turpentine is added, the mixture being kept in liquid con-
dition for use. This mixture is obviously one of several which might be successfully
used for this purpose. By this treatment the moisture is effectually shut off from
contact with the binding and its injurious effects thereon avoided.
To prevent the leaves when moist, from sticking together, and to make them
casily separable they are further treated at one or more places, ns, for instance, ut
the corners a, a, with the substanco impervious to moisture, and hence will not stick
together at such points but will be free to be engaged by the finger and turned without
liability of tearing. The mixture to render the leaves impervious to moisture may be
applied thereto by a brush or other means or the leaves may be dipped therein. The
binding may also be further protected against moisture by a strip or band of rubber
or other suitable material.
The desired number of leaves are kept moistened and ready for use by means of a
moistening pad 1, consisting preferably of several sheets of blotting paper fastened
together by stitching or otherwise and backed by a pad d impervious to moisture.
The moistened portion of the pad is preferably fastened to the back d by the means of
stitches or other suitablo means, and the edges of said moistened pud Dare shielded by
flaps of the material impervious to moisture, suid flaps boing closely united
at their outer edges to the back d and overlapping the edgos of the moistening
pad D.
The moistening pad is used by placing it with the exposed face of the pads D
beneath the number of leaves to be kept moist, the moisture being at the same time
prevented from attacking the leaves upon the opposite side by the imporvious back d.
A second pad F impervious to water is then placed on top of the leaves to be moistenod
and the book closed. In a short time the whole number of loaves betwoon the pads F
and will be moistened ready for copying.
When it is desired to take a copy of a letter the book is opened, the page or leaf
next to the pad is lifted, a third water-proof pud G is placed under the raised
leaf and upon the saturated leaves below, the letter to be copied is placed between the

page_text: pad G and the leaf, and the pad F is pressed down upon them.
If the hand or a
piece of hard substance be passed over and pressed upon the pad F, a clear and distinct
copy of the letter will be taken in a very short time. For each new page used the
above described process is repeated.
When necessary,
the moistening pad can be
removed and replaced farther back in the book to moisten additional leaves.
The leaf and water proof pads may of course be manipulated in other ways than that
herein described and a successful copy taken, the method described being that which
is considered the most convenient.
Other absorbent or hygroscopic material for saturating the paper may be employed
as experience may dictate and the moistening pad may be constructed of other fibrous
material such for example as felt, the use of blotting paper being mentioned as it does
its work well and is cheap.
The extensible index used in connection with the above described book consists of
three parts, y &, the part being fastened to the back cover B on the inside
thereof, the middle part y, being jointed to the edge of the part x, as shown at x³, and
the part z, being jointed to the other edge of the part y, as shown at y'. The part a
consists of several leaves for containing the names of correspondents, enclosed
between flexible covers and provided with a column of initial letters alphabetically
in steps along the right hand margin as is usual in indoxes, the front cover of the
portion z being terminated at its right hand edge so as to leave the column of letters
at all times exposed when the copying book is open.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. A copying book having the inner parts of the leaves next the binding made
impervious to moisture, substantially as and for the purpose shown.
2nd. A copying book the leaves of which are impregnated with an absorbent for
moisture, and have their inner parts at the binding treated with a substance adapted
to make such parts impervious to moisture, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3rd. A copying book having its leaves treated with a moisture-absorbent substance
and also with an antiseptic substantially as and for the purpose shown.
4th. A copying book in which the inner parts of the leaves at the binding and an
outer corner of the leaves are treated with a substance impervious to moisture,
substantially as and for the purpose sot forth.
5th. A copying book the leaves of which are impregnated with an absorbent
for moisture and an antiseptic to provent mildew, and have their inner edges where
they are bound treated with a substance impervious to moisture, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
6th. In combination with the copying book having the parts of its leaves at the
binding made impervious to moisture, the moistening-pad and the two water-proof or
impervious pads, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
7th. In combination with the copying book, having its leaves impregnated
with a moisture-absorbent and with an antiseptic, and made impervious to moisture
along their parts next the binding, the moistening pad, an impervious pad in contact
with the same, and a second impervious pad for inclosing any desired number of the
leaves between it and the moistening pad, substantially as and for the purpose shown.
8th. The method of preparing sheets of paper for use in copying, which consists
in saturating the sheets with a substance having affinity for moisture and treating
it with an antiseptic to prevent mildew, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
9th. A sheet of paper or other material for use in copying, rendered absorbent
of moisture and treated with an antiseptic, for the purposes specified.
10th. A copying book having its binding protected against moisture from the leaves
by intervening water-proof sections of the leaves, and having the herein described
extension index secured thereto, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 11th. The horein described moistening pad consisting of a series of moisturo
absorbent sheets backed by a water-proof sheet and having their edges protected by
water proof material, substantially as set forth.
12th. The heroin described extensible index, consisting of a series of folding sections,
one at one ond adapted to be engaged with the inner face of a book cover, the one at
the opposite end provided with a series of leaves and with a column of letters exposed
at the right of the section, substantially as set forth.