IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RUBBERS FOR THE HUMAN TEETH AND GUMS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Donald Napier, of 22; George Street,
Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RUBBERS FOR THE HUMAN TEETH
AND GUMS,"
Sealed the 19th September 1861; and dated the 30th March 1861.
t
FROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Donald Napier,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th March 1861.
1, WILLIAM DONALD NAPIER, of 22, George Street, Hanover Square, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RUBBERS FOR THE HUMAN TEETH
AND GUMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention basfor its object improvements in the manufacture of rubbers
for the human teeth and gums. Forthese purposes in making rubbers vulcanized
india-rubber is used in constructing a pointed or edged surface for cleaning the
teeth, a plain or undulating surface for rubbing the gums, and a surface of
either large or small corrugations for the purpose of rubbing both teeth and
gums. All the above-mentionedsurfaces are made as soft as possible consistent
with durability. This dental rubber may be made triangular or otherwise,

page_text: presenting all or any of the surfaces described. The handle in each case may
be of hard vulcanite or of metal, or of other material which will not be injured
by the heat to which the compound of india-rubber and sulphur (with or
without other materials) is subjected in order to obtain the change, or the
handles of such or other materials may be afterwards applied. The rubbing
surface for the teeth is preferred to cousist of numerous small round pointed or
wedge like projections, whilst the surface or surfaces for rubbing the gums, it
is preferred should be smooth, and either plan or undulating. The surface
for rubbing either teeth or gums is made with large or small corrugations.
Theproper compound of india-rubber andsulphur isplaced in a suitable mould,
and the head or end constituting the rubber is moulded therein, the end of the
handle being suitably formed and introduced into the mould, in order that the
head may be moulded thereon. Heat is then applied, as is well understood,
to produce the change in the india-rubber known as vulcanized india-rubber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Donald Napier in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DONALD NAPIER, of 22, George Street, Hanover Square, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Donald Napier, Her special licence that I, the said William
Donald Napier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Donald Napier, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF RUBBERS FOR THE HUMAN TEETH AND
GUMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Donald
Napier, my executors,, or administrators, by an instrument in writing, under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: 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 William Donald Napier, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of rubbers
forthehuman teeth and gums; for these purposes in making rubbers, vulcanized
india-rubber is used in constructing a pointed or edged surface for cleaning the
teeth, a plain or undulating surface for rubbing the gums, and, a surface of
either large or small corrugations for the purpose of rubbing both teeth and
gums. All the above-mentioned surfaces are made as soft as possible consistent
with, durability. This dental rubber may be made triangular or otherwise,
presenting all or any of the surfaces described. The handle in each case may
be of hard vulcanite, or of metal, or of other material, which will not be injured
by the heat to which the compound of india-rubber and sulphur (with or with-
out other materials) is subjected in order to obtain the change, or the handles
of such or other materials may be afterwards applied. The rubbing surface for
the teeth is preferred to consist of numerous small round, pointed, or wedge-
like projections, whilst the surface or surfaces for rubbing the gums, it is
preferred should be smooth, and either plain or undulating. The surface for
rubbing either teeth or gums is made with large or small corrugations. The
proper compound of india-rubber and sulphur is placed in a suitable mould,
and the head or end constituting the rubber is moulded therein, the end of the
handle being suitable formed and introduced into the mould in order that the
head may be moulded thereon. Heat is then applied, as is well understood,
to produce the change in the india-rubber known as vulcanized india-rubber.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
I would at the onset state that it has before been proposed in making brushes
for the human teeth, to employ compounds of india-rubber and sulphur, and to
mould the same in dies in such manner as to form a bed or surface, together
with projecting bristle-like fibres, and by heat to convert the same into that
hard compoundofindia-rubberwhich resembles horn and other hard substances;
but such manufacture has not come into general use, and I believe has failed,
and I mention this previous use of compounds of india-rubber and sulphur, in

page_text: order to state, that although I also employ compounds of india-rubber and
sulphur, and mould the rubbers in dies and apply heat thereto, I in place of
producing bristle-like points on a hard bed of alike diameter produce rubbers
consisting of the soft and permanently elastic compound of india-rubber and
sulphur, which is well known in the manufactures of various articles where
softness, accompanied by permanent elasticity are required, in contradistinction
to those hard compounds of india-rubber which resemble horn and other hard
Bubstances capable of being cut and worked into shape by similar tools to
those employed when working horn, ebony, and other hard substances.
The shapes of the rubbers, according to my Invention, may be somewhat
varied, but I prefer the form or shape of the head or end of the handle to be
such as to present one or more smooth sides, with one side having projecting
conical or pyramidal points, and one or more sides with a rough surface pro-
duced with numerous smaller conical or pyramidal points suitable for rubbing
the gums. The rubbers may, if desired, be formed on the ends of the handles,
and be subjected to heat together, but in such cases it will be necessary to use
materials for the handles which will not be prejudicially acted on by the heat
to which the compound of india-rubber is subjected, in order to produce the
well known soft and permanently elastic compound of india-rubber; or the
rubbers, according to my Invention, may be moulded in suitable dies, in
which are introduced mandrils or instruments of the form of the ends of
the handles, and which mandrils being withdrawn after the rubbers have
been subjected to heat, leave internal spaces suitable for receiving the ends
of the handles, which should be made somewhat larger than the mandrils
used, so that the rubbers may be sprung on the ends of the handles, and
hold securely thereon by the elasticity of the rubbers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a rubber constructed with a smooth back with two sides
having angular and cross grooves or undulated surfaces, and with the front
formed with conical or pyramidal points suitable for the teeth. Figure 2
shews another rubber with its handle having the back and front formed
similarly to Figure 1, but the sides are formed with numerous small conical
points or projections. Figure 3 shows a front view of a rubber formed sepa-
rate from the handle, but similar to Figure 2; and Figure 4 shows the back
view and handle of a like rubber to that shown in Figure 2.
I would state that the forms or shapes of the rubbers, according to my
Invention, may be varied, and such is the case in regard to the nature of the

page_text: roughed surfaces, so long as they are made of the soft converted compound
of india-rubber and sulphur; and I have only further to add that manu-
facturers heretofore acquainted with the making of various articles of
india-rubber compounded with sulphur will, from the description above
given, readily make rubbers such as are above described, of the soft and
permanently elastic compound of india-rubber.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Donald Napier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 27th day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM D. NAPIER. (L.S.)