Novel Appliances for use in Gathering Leaves, Sprigs, or Shoots from Tea Bushes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
Novel Appliances for use in Gathering Leaves, Sprigs, or Shoots
from Tea Bushes.
I, JOHN ASHINGTON THOMPSON, of Cachar, in the Province of Assam, India,
Tea Planter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
According to the method usually in practice, prior to my present invention, the
leaves, sprigs or shoots, are gathered from tea bushes by pinching them off
separately with the finger and thumb. This invention has for its object to provide
specially constructed appliances to enable the operation of gathering such leaves,
sprigs or shoots, to be performed in a much more advantageous manner.
The appliances which form the subject of this invention consist of knives, hooks,
sickle or clippers, each of which is provided with a wing or catcher which catches
the leaves, sprigs or shoots, as they are cut and prevents them falling to the
ground; or consist of shears or scissors of which one, or preferably each, blade is
provided with a wing or catcher for the same purpose. The leaves, sprigs or shoots,
are emptied out from the catcher or catchers into a basket or other suitable
receptacle.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate appliances
constructed according to and for the purpose of this invention.
Figure 1 is a hook-ended knife provided, according to this invention, with a wing
or catcher a formed conveniently of sheet metal and riveted to the blade b; but
the wing or catcher may be of any suitable material, and it may be formed in the
same piece of metal as the blade if desired.
Figure 2 shews a hook or sickle with a wing or catcher a carried by the blade b.
Figure 3 shews a clipper constructed and operated substantially in the manner of
a horse-clipper, but provided with a wing or catcher a formed with or carried by
the lower blade or cutter b.
Figure 4 shews a pair of spring shears similar to a kind frequently used in sheep
shearing or in trimming garden edges, but provided, according to this invention,
with wings or catchers a carried by the blades
Each wing shewn in the above mentioned figures is formed as a plate a, with a
flange or rim d standing up round the periphery thereof except on the side which is
along the blade or cutter by which the wing or catcher is carried or with which it
is formed. These flanges or rims should stand about two inches high. The leaves,
sprigs or shoots, fall as they are cut onto the wings or catchers, being prevented
from falling off them by the flanges or rims d. When a wing or catcher is carried
by each blade of a pair of shears, the two wings or catchers form together and with
the blades, when the latter are closed up, an open-topped box in which the leaves,
sprigs or shoots, cut off by the blades remain. In some cases it may be found
convenient to form the plates of the wings in one piece with the blades, and to fix
the flanges thereto.
Figure 5 shews a pair of shears, of a scissors or double-handed type in common
use for various purposes, and which I find to be most convenient as an appliance,
when fitted with wings or catchers, for the purpose of this invention also. Each
blade 6 is provided, according to this invention, with a wing or catcher a having a
flange or rim d standing up therefrom as in the case of the wings before-described;
and in this case the inner ends of the wings may be hinged or pivoted together as
shewn, the centre of the hinge coinciding, of course, with the centre or axis of the
pin c by which the blades are pivoted together. One of the wings of these shears

page_text: is shewn to be broad like those of the other illustrations, but the plate of the other
wing is simply made broad enough to fasten to the corresponding blade b, the
flange d of such wing preventing the leaves, sprigs or shoots, from falling off the
blade.
One of the wings of the shears shewn by Figure 4 may be narrow like the narrow
wing shewn by Figure 5, if desired; and both the wings of the shears shewn
by Figure 5 may be broad as in the case of the shears shewn by Figure 4, if
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Cutting implements for use in gathering leaves, sprigs or shoots, from tea bushes,
provided with wings or catchers substantially as described and shewn, for the
purpose set forth.
Darcu vins 10th day of May 1
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.