IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TICKETING OR LABELING SPOOLS, PARCELS OF THE SAME, OR OTHER SIMILAR PARCELS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bishop, of Boston, in the County of Lin-
colnshire, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR TICKETING OR LABELING SPOOLS, PARCELS OF THE SAME, OR
OTHER SIMILAR PARCELS."
Sealed the 9th January 1855, and dated the 14th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bishop at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
July 1854.
I, WILLIAM BISHOP, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TICKETING OR LABELING SPOOLS,
PARCELS OF THE SAME, OR OTHER SIMILAR PARCELS," to be as follows:-
1stly, I employ two metallic or other tubes, one fitting within the other, and
the outer one to slide up and down, by means of a spiral spring with a stop,
the inner tube.to hold the tickets, the gummed side upward; a plug to fit in the
bottom of such inner tube, with a slight convexity, to keep the edges of the
tickets from adhering together.
2ndly, I employ a frame or box holding the spools, holes being bored top and
bottom large enough to admit the tube holding tickets..
3rdly, I employ blocks of wood, or other like material, the size, or there-.

page_text: abouts, of the ticket to be placed upon the spool; at the top of these blocks of
wood is fixed a piece of plush, velvet, or any fabric to retain water in such
quantity as may be found necessary to wet the spool equal to the fastening on
the ticket. The spools are next taken to the box and tubes, and when laid
upon them, the weight pressing upon the outer tubes, lower them to the ticket,
and after a few moments they will become perfectly fast, and when completely
dry, they will not.fall off, as is the case, when. done. by. hand, the cheap rate
not allowing time to fasten; and the children and women employed also suffer
on account of the great demand for saliva; all of which is required for the
stomach's health.
4thly, I employ a frame with a plug convex at the end, at the bottom of
the frame convex, so that a blow may seperate the edges of the ticket, which
are, by the cutting of the tickets with punches, formed the opposite shape to
that of the frame with plug.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bishop in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BISHOP, of Boston, in the County of Lincolushire, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred. and. fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the
said William Bishop, Her special licence that I, the said William Bishop, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Bishop, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR TICKETING OR LABELING SPOOLS, PARCELS OF THE SAME, OR OTHER
SIMILAR PARCELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Bishop, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bishop, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in. and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and forming part of this my Specification.
My Invention, besides having for its object the ticketing or labeling of
spools, or other packages or parcels, will be found to be of great importance in
a sanatory view, as by its use the enormous waste of saliva (so essential to
human life) will be prevented, it being well known that children and women
are employed in many parts of Great Britain and Ireland ticketing or labeling
spools, or small packages or parcels, and that the means usually used for
moistening the labels for such spools is by placing them on the tongue to be
moistened by the saliva, and considerable deterioration of, bodily health is the
natural consequence of this practice.
By my Invention, the spools, labels, and means of labeling are contained in
an apparatus of very small bulk, consideration being given to the work to be
thereby performed. And I would here observe, that although an apparatus is
shewn in the annexed Drawing, consisting of a box and adjuncts for four spools
or parcels, my Invention may be made to be used from a single spool or
parcel to any greater number, and that it is with slight modification applicable
to the gumming of postage and other similar stamps in sheets; and by its use
a great economy in the use of gum can be attained, because a small ring or
square (or any form) around the edge of the label or stamp can be gummed,
and not the whole under surface (unless when it is considered desirable), as is
ordinarily practised, it being clear that such portion (the outer edges or rim).
of the label being gummed, is quite sufficient to secure the complete adhesion
of the label to the spool, parcel, or package.
I will now proceed to describe the mechanism, as shewn in the Drawing,
where Figure 1 is the top plan view of a box containing the damping pads;
Figure 2, a section of Figure 1, shewing the formation of the pads, and the
capillary attraction by which they are kept moist.; Figure 3, plan view of box
containing reels, spools, &c., both top and bottom of this box being perforated,
as seen; Figure 4, a sectional view shewing the reels fixed in the box ready
to be operated on; Figure 5, side elevation of ticket tubes and springs for
supplying tickets to the spools; and Figure 6, section of Figure 5, shewing
the tubes cut through their centres, to exhibit the action of the plugs in the
tubes; Figure
section of brass tube to hold gum, and to be placed in

page_text: pan
framo Figure 2, instead of wooden pads; Figure 8, a top plan view of
Figure 7, with cover taken off. By referring to Figure 2, it will be seen
that a, a, are hollow plugs, covered on the top with cloth, velvet, or any
known fabric, and stuffed with any material which will supply moisture
from the pan b, in which either gum water or plain water is put, (as the
case may require,) to the cloth on the top of these plugs, standing in the
6. These plugs or pads damp the bottom of the spools or parcels. The
box of spools (Figures 3 and 4) is then dropped on to the pads, and with a
very slight pressure will receive the moisture required to make a dry label
adhere closely only to the outer edge, the centre of the label requiring no
adhesive matter. This box of spools is then placed on the top of Figure 5,
and again pressed, when it will appear that each spool has a ticket deposited on
its end. This is effected in the following manner-At Figure 6 it will be
seen that there are tubes c, c, placed in a frame, one within the other, the
inner tubes being filled with tickets; below these tubes and fitting into them
are plugs of wood or metal d, d, with a spiral spring e, e, round each, for the
purpose of keeping 'the upper and lower frame seperate, and to prevent tho
labels being pushed out of their place. The outer tubes f,f, are made with a
flange round their lower end, and beneath this flange is another thin spiral
spring, to keep the edge of the outer tube a little above that of the inner one,
a pin and groove being here used as a stop to prevent the outer tube rising too
high, and also for the purpose of adjusting the whole of the tubes to the same
height. At each corner of the damping box (Figures 1 and 2) are placed bosses,
as also at the ticket box, Figures 5 and 6, so that the openings at each end of
the spool box shall exactly correspond with the position of the wet pads in one
-case and the ticket tubes in the other, the spool box being made exactly the
size of the square within the bosses. The tubes in the ticket box can be
made in four parts, cut from top to bottom, each piece sliding from the centre,
for the purpose of receiving tickets of various sizes. At Figures 4 and 5 reels
g, g, are shown, fixed in the box by a plate covering one end, and screwed
on or fixed on by any simple means, to keep the spools or reels in their
place while being acted on. At Figure 7, a is an inner tube filled with
gum, with
a cover to prevent the admission of dust; the gum by capallary
attraction will run over the top of the inner tube, and between that and an
outer one to the bottom, where, the inner tube being stopped up) it will be
ready to damp the top of spool or parcel when required. Around the centre
of the outer tube will be placed a box containing a spiral spring, to lift the
tubes after damping the spools; and around the outer edge of this box is cut a
screw thread or worm, with a ring working thereon, for the purpose of bringing

page_text: all the tubes to the same height. The two tubes are connected by a thin ring
of metal between them, perforated as shewn at Figure 8, to allow the gum to
pass to the bottom.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the means by
which it is carried into practical effect, I desire it to be distinctly understood
that I do not in any way confine myself to any particular size or sizes
of my apparatus, or the parts thereof, or to the relative proportions thereof,
or to the number of spools or parcels to be ticketed or labeled by the
apparatus, as such must be altered to suit the requirements of particular
cases; nor do I claim the exclusive use of any part or portion of the appa-
ratus herein-before described, taken as a part or portion thereof and not
used in combination for the purposes of my Invention; nor do I confine
myself to any particular metal, wood, or other material, in forming or making
the various parts which, when in combination or put together, form the appa-
ratus of my Invention for labeling or ticketing; but I use such materials as
may be found in practice to be most suitable for the purpose to which they
are to be applied; but what I claim as of my Invention is, the combination of
parts and substances herein-before described, forming when so combined an
apparatus for ticketing or labeling spools, parcels of the same, or other similar
parcels.
In witness whereof, I,the said William Bishop, have hereunto affixed my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN JOHNSON,
of 1, Church Road, Kingsland,
London..
WILLIAM BISHOP. (Ls.)