AN IMPROVED HORSE COLLAR
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Amable Rèmiére, of No. 52, Rue de l'Arbre-sec,
Paris, in the Empire of France, Harness Maker, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED HORSE COLLAR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Amable Rèmiére
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th October 1862.
I, HENRI AMABLE REMIERE, of No. 52, Rue de l'Arbre-sec, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Harness Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED HORSE COLLAR," to be as follows:-
My improvement in horse collars consists in replacing the ordinary materials
used for padding by two or more vulcanised indian-rubber cushions or pads
filled with air, and so constructed that if pierced they would not collapse; this
is effected by casting the cushion in a mould of the required shape and size,
and introducing only a sufficient quantity of uncompressed air to fill the
cushion without distending it.
The construction of the collar is as follows:-On a straw pad, similar to
those used as foundations in collar making, two cushions are placed, one on
each side of the pad nearest the horse; they are then covered over with
American leather or impermeable cloth, to prevent any sweat from the horse
or dampness penetrating to the air cushions; the whole is then covered with
leather in the same way as the ordinary collar.

page_text: The advantage of my improved air collar over those hitherto introduced is
its superiority in strength and durability, being at the same time equally pliant
and yielding.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Amable Rèmiére in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
AMABLE REMIÈRE, of No. 52, Rue de l'Arbre-sec, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Harness Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henri Amable Remière, Her special licence that I, the said Henri
Amable Remière, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henri Amable Remière, 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 HORSE COLLAR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Henri Amable Remière, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Henri Amable Remière, 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 s
following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My improvements in horse collars consists in replacing the ordinary
materials used for stuffing them, such as hay, straw, and curled hair, by two
or more cushions or pads of prepared indian-rubber, filled with air, and so
constructed that the indian-rubber of which the cushions are made is not
distended, nor the air with which they are filled in so compressed a state, as

page_text: in those of the air collars at present known. The advantage of this is that
the air is not liable to escape, and the collar retains its form and firmness,
yielding only sufficiently to make it comfortable for the horse to pull against.
The vulcanised indian-rubber which. I make use of by preference in the
manufacture of the pads is prepared as follows:-To one hundred parts of the
best Java indian-rubber I add about twenty parts of flower of sulphur, from
eight to ten parts of white zinc, about five parts of chloride of calcium, and
from five to ten parts of black lead. The ingredients vary in proportion as
the indian-rubber is more or less pure. The whole is then subjected to heat,
and mixed in the usual way, after which it is exposed to a temperature of
from 50 to 60 degrees, Reaumur. The indian-rubber thus vulcanised is then
ready to fill the moulds, which vary in size according to the description of
collar. The shape I prefer for the pads is shown Fig. 4, and in section Fig. 5.
By this it will be seen the side I place on the straw carcass is flat, and that on
the inside or part nearest the horse is rounded, so as to resemble the inside of
the collar. When the moulds are filled, and this is performed in the usual
way, a sufficient quantity of air is introduced by means' of bellows or other
suitable apparatus. The quantity of air must be proportioned to the size of
the pad, so that the indian-rubber is not distended, nor the air in a compressed
state. The hole by which the air is introduced is then carefully closed, and
the moulds with their contents are subjected to a temperature of 150 to 200
degrees Reaumur for about two hours.
The construction of the collar is as follows:-On a straw pad or carcass
similar to those used as foundations in collar making, and represented Fig. 1
& Fig. 2, A, I place my vulcanised indian-rubber air cushions, one on each
side, as shown B, Fig. 2. I then cover them over with American leather or
impermeable cloth, or other suitable material, to prevent sweat from the horse
or dampness from penetrating to the air cushion. C, Fig. 2, represents the
impermeable cloth, and D the usual outer covering of leather, which is laced
over in the usual way.
Fig. 3 represents the finished collar.
Having thus described my Invention, I wish it to be distinctly understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise mode of vulcanisation herein above
described, nor to the exact shape of the air cushions, as shown in the accom-
panying Drawings, but reserve to myself the right of modifying the same,
making them either in one or separate parts, and using them either with or
without stuffing in forming the collar, and of protecting them with American
cloth and any other materials which I may consider advisable for that purpose;
what I claim and desire to secure is the moulded vulcanised indian-rubber

page_text: cushion filled with uncompressed air, and the indian-rubber of which it is
formed in its natural state, not being distended by the air which it contains,
but shaped by the moulds in which it is cast, so that if pierced it would still
retain its form unless pressure were applied..
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Amable Remière, have hereunto
set my hand and. seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
H. A. REMIÈRE. (L.S.)