IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOKS AND OTHER SIMILAR DRESS FASTENINGS."
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Newman, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF HOOKS AND OTHER SIMILAR DRESS FASTENINGS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Newman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th July 1860.
I, JAMES NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOKS AND OTHER SIMILAR DRESS FASTENIE:
to be as follows, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in bending or curving the back of an ordinary
or swan-bill hook, as shewn in Figs. 1 & 2 of the accompanying Drawings, so
that the book becomes a spring hook, and the eye when fastened is prevented
from accidentally escaping.
Secondly, my Invention consists in an improved form of spring clasp shewn
in Figs. 8 & 4. A disc of metal (a) is turned up as at (B) into a spring (c),
which spring is furnished with a small stud (d) at its point; the stud (d).
passes through the disc (a) at or about its centre, and behind the beak (E),

page_text: consequently the eye (f) in its passage bebind the beak (E) in fastening the
clasp depresses the stud (d), which stud resuming its original position by the
action of the spring (c), prevents the accidental return of the eye (f).
Thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of belt
or cloak clasps by covering the front shell or face plates of such clasps with
silk or other woven fabric. I take a shell of the description seen at (Fig. 6),
flanged all round, and with an eyelet punched up from the centre, and I cover
the front of this shell with the woven fabric, turning down the flange upon the
edges of such woven material, and thereby securing the same. I then connect
the front and back shells together by passing the eyelet of the front shell
through an opening in the back shell and turning the eyelet down upon it, and
thus securing the two together. (Fig. 6) shews the back or inside of the
front shell; (Fig. 5), the front of the clasp finished; and (Fig. 7), the back
of the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Newman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Newman, Her special license that I, the said James
Newnan, my executors, administrators, and assigus, or such others as I,
the said James Newman, 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 "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOKS AND OTHER SIMILAR DRESS FASTEN-
INGS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Newman,
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

page_text: 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 James Newman, 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
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, firstly, in bending or curving the back of an ordinary
or swan-bill hook so that the hook becomes a spring hook, and the eye when
fastened is prevented from accidentally escaping.
Secondly, my Invention consists in an improved form of spring clasp. A
disc of metal is turned up into a spring, which spring is furnished with a small
stud at its point; the stud passes through the disc at about its centre, and
behind the beak, consequently the eye in its passage behind the beak in
fastening the clasp depresses the stud, which stud resuming its original position
by the action of the spring, prevents the accidental return of the eye.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of belt
or cloak clasps by covering the front shell or face plates of such clasps with
silk or other woven fabric. I take a shell or plate flanged all round, and with
an eyelet punched up from the centre, and I cover the front of this shell
with the woven fabric, turning down the flange upon the edges of such woven
material, and thereby securing the same. I then connect the front and back
shells together by passing the eyelet of the front shell through an opening in
the back shell, and turning the eyelet down upon it, and thus securing the two
together.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figs. 1 and z represent a front and side view of an ordinary or swan bill
hook, with the eye engaged in it, the back of the hook being bent or curved
to form the spring; Figs. 3 and 4 shew the manner in which I carry out the
second part of my Invention with respect to the improved form of spring clasp,
Fig. 3 being a back view, and Fig. 4 a side view of the same; Fig. 5 shews
the front of the clasp named as the third part of my Invention, the same
being finished and ready to be attached to the belt or cloak; Fig. 6 represents
the back or inside of one of the front shells; and Fig. 7 is a back view
of Fig. 5.
In further describing the first part of my Invention, I proceed with the

page_text: manufacture of a swan-bill hook in the usual manner, and with any of the
ordinary machinery in use until it is desired to bend over the beak of the hook,
when instead of the ordinary flat plate used as a bending plate, I insert a plate
of the requisite section to form the bend in the back, and as this plate, by
reason of the curve or bend necessary to form the curve or bend in the back
of the hook, cannot be withdrawn in a line parallel with the length of the hook
in the usual manner, I withdraw the plate through and in a line transversely
with the length of the hook, or I bend the back of the hook and remove the
plate in the ordinary way previous to bending the beak down, which may be
afterwards done by the action of a cam or by any other suitable means.
In making the spring clasps, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, and described under
the second head of my Invention, I take a disc of metal (a) and turn it up as
at (B) so as to form a spring (c), upon which spring is fastened a stud (d) at
its point, which stud passes through the disc (a) at or near its centre and
behind the beak (E), consequently upon the eye (f), engaging with the clasp
in passing behind the beak in fastening it the stud (d) is depressed, and this
stud resuming its normal position by the action of the spring (c) bebind the
disc prevents the eye from accidentally escaping.
I will now proceed to describe the improvements in the manufacture of belt
or cloak clasps, as shewn at Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
I employ a shell or blank of the description seen at (Fig. 6), flanged all
round, and having an eyelet (9) punched up or formed upon the centre, and
having covered the front or outer face of this blank or shell with any woven
material suitable for its ultimate uses, I turn down the flanges upon the edges
of such woven material, and by that means secure it in place. I then connect
the front shell with a back shell (h) upon which are formed the hook or eye
and the loop for attaching the clasp to the belt or cloak. I can also apply to
the clasp, if desired, the improvements described under the second head of my
Invention by placing the spring between the two shells, or any other ordinary
and well-known means of fastening can be made available to connect the
clasp.
For some purposes, instead of covering the front shell with woven material,
I make it of metal, ornamenting the front or face with a pattern engraved or
otherwise formed upon it; or the same can be left quite plain, and the eyelet
can be attached to the back, as before described.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described and shewn upon the Drawings;

page_text: but that which I claim and desire to have secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is the improvements in the manufacture of
hooks and other similar dress fastenings, substantially as herein more fully set
forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Newman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES NEWMAN. (L.B.)