IMPROVEMENTS IN WINKERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Dickey, of Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, Cabinet Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINKERS
Sealed the 24th March 1864, and dated the 1st October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Dickey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st October
1863.
I, GEORGE DICKEY, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Cabinet Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WINKERS OR EYE SCREENING APPARATUS FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has reference to screens to be applied to the bridles, harness,
or trappings of animals, for blinking the sight or for excluding the light there-
from, and consists in constructing a mechanical apparatus or contrivance which
shall permit of the part or parts thereof constituting the winker or screen
proper to be effective or non-effective at the will of the driver or rider,
accordingly as he shall by the movement of the apparatus cause it or them to
cover, partially to cover, or not to cover the eye of the animal. The said
apparatus may be constructed of a fan somewhat similar in its general
appearance to a lady's fan, but having the two outer limbs or frames, or one
of them, extended both ways from the centre or pivot on which it opens and
shuts, and one such limb may be attached to the cheek of the bridle, and the

page_text: extended end of the other may be used as a lever for opening the fan by being
pulled by a cord or rein, or otherwise, and a spring may be used to close the
fan when the pulling ceases, also a stop may be fixed to limit the extent of the
opening. Or instead of fans or folding winkers, as above, other shapes may
be adopted, as may be judged convenient, by applying binges, springs, and
levers, or cross reins to the screens or winkers proper, whether they be newly
constructed or be old screens or winkers to which the Invention is to be
adapted or applied.
With respect to the application of my Invention to the ordinary shaped
screen or harness winker, this may also be done by placing a lining or
apparatus inside the same, which lining or apparatus may be drawn over the
eye with a rein carried across the animal's forehead or otherwise, and by means
of a spring or springs the said lining or apparatus may be made to fall back in
its place when the rein is slackened. Or an elastic lining or apparatus may
be.used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Dickey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DICKEY, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Cabinet Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Dickey, Her special licence that I, the said George Dickey, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Dickey, 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 WINKERS OR EYE
SCREENING APPARATUS FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Dickey, 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,

page_text: 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 George Dickey, 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 thereof :-
This Invention has reference to screens to be applied to the bridles, harness,
or trappings of animals for blinking the sight, or for excluding the light from
their eyes, and consists in constructing a mechanical apparatus or contrivance
which shall permit of the part or parts thereof constituting the improved
winker or screen to be effective or non-effective at the will of the driver or
rider, accordingly as he shall by the movement of the apparatus cause it or
them to cover, partially to cover, or not to cover the eye of the animal. The
said apparatus may be of fan-like construction, somewhat similar in general
appearance to a lady's fan, but having the two outer frames or pieces, or one
of them, extended both ways from the centre or pivot on which it opens and
shuts, and one such frame or piece may be attached to the cheek strap of the
riding bridle, or be substituted for the cheek strap, and the extended end of
the other may be used as a lever for opening the fan by being pulled by a
cord or rein, or otherwise, and a spring may be used to close the fan when
the pulling ceases, and a stop may be fixed to limit the extent of the opening.
Or instead of fans or folding winkers, as above, other shapes may be adopted,
as may be judged convenient.
With respect to the application of my Invention to the ordinary eye screen
or harness bridle winker, I can place a lining or apparatus inside the same,
which lining or apparatus may be drawn over the eye by a rein, and carried
across the animal's forehead or otherwise, and by means of a spring or springs
the said lining or apparatus may be made to fall back in its place when the
rein is slackened, and an elastic lining or apparatus may be used by applying
hinges, springs, and levers or cross reins to the screens or improved winkers,
whether they be newly constructed or be old screens or winkers to which the
Invention is to be adapted or applied.
Having thus far described the nature of the said Invention, I will now
proceed with the further exemplification thereof, and particularly describe and
ascertain in what manner the same is to be performed, which I shall do by
referring to the accompanying Drawings by the words, figures, and letters.
following, that is to say :-

page_text: Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the inner surface of a winker to be used for
harness purposes; Fig. 2 an edge view thereof shewing the apparatus as when
in position to be effective as a blinker or winker for excluding the light from
the eye of the animal; Fig. 3 view in elevation of the outer surface of the
fan-like winker or blinker herein-before referred to; Fig. 4 a view in elevation
of the inner side of a winker of expandible or fan-like construction of peculiar
form and configuration.
It will be seen upon inspection of the Drawings that at Fig. 1 the arrange-
ments consist of the usual leather winker or blinker (A) which has the usual
metal plate secured therein, also a metal plate in the cheek strap upon which
a brass or other metal plate B is screwed or secured, this latter plate having
the part at cut away, thus creating an opening which is continued into and
forms a slot in that metal plate secondly herein-before referred to, and in this
slot is a pin protruding from the upper end of the lever (C), this pin being
secured to the end of a jointed lever D (Fig. 2) which works in a recess
formed in the leather of that part (A) of the winker or blinker which is of
the old kind of construction, such jointed lever working beneath a curved plate
or plates E, the parts of which at E¹ and E are screwed or secured to the
part A, the part E¹ being hinged to the other part E which is free to be moved
from beneath (by means of the aforesaid jointed lever D as hereafter described)
such lever consisting of three members, the one being centred at one end to
the lever C, and hinged at its other end to the second member, the farther end
whereof is bent up and there hinged to the third member, which is itself hinged
to a small piece which is screwed or secured at its other end to the usual iron
or metal plate of the outer or old kind of winker or blinker; F is a bent piece
or plate soldered or secured in and to the curved plate E and under which the
rising joint of the lever D before mentioned remains when the apparatus is
not in action for screening the eye, the said bent piece having near its end a
solid part protruding beneath the curved plate E, such curved plate E having
a guide G secured thereto through the orifice whereof passes the spring rod or
straight part of the coiled spring H secured to the said usual plate of the old
kind or outer winker or blinker in the recess formed in the part A of the
winker or blinker, whereby the frame E will be pushed away from the part A
and be caused to cover the animal's eye or withdrawn therefrom according as
it may be acted upon by the cord or rein. It will be evident that by moving
the end of the lever C the jointed lever D will be acted upon and pushed

page_text: forward by which action the rising joint (the pin of which is provided with
friction rollers to ease its action) will be caused to act upon the protruding
part beneath and push away the curved plate E. The other joint has friction
rollers also in order to facilitate the action thereof when sliding upon the plate
at bottom of the recess. The curved plate E is perforated for stitching round
its outer and its inner margin, and receives an opaque lining of flexible material
and also a piping or padding of flexible or soft material to prevent injury to the
animal's eye. This piping or padding may also be placed on the outer margin.
(of more or less projection) of the ordinary or old kind of winker or blinker
with or without altering its present shape, or it may be omitted as may be
suitable to the conformation of the animal's head and eyes, and such winker
may be attached with hinges, springs, elastic substance or otherwise to the
cbeek strap of the harness bridle, and by means of a rein across the animal's
face or forebead, or otherwise, the winker or blinker may be pulled over the
animal's eye or the rein may be fastened to a lever as above described and
produce the same effect. Thus I form the improved or inner eye screen,
winker, or blinker combined with the outer or old kind of winker or blinker and
also adapt the present or old kind of winker or blinker to produce the same
results, whether they be newly constructed or be old screens or winkers or
blinkers.
By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the arrangement there shewn
consists of a fan-like eye screen, winker, or blinker, composed of frames and
vanes or slips to be adapted to the usual riding bridle.
The said outer frame b
hinge, in order to obtain
The frame a, which is to be placed next to the cheek of the horse or animal,
and the outer frame b are secured together free to move on the centre, such
centre consisting of a screw socket rivetted to the outer frame b, and a screw
pivot d screwed or secured in the said socket (6).
being made in two parts united together by butt
pliancy. The frame a likewise has a pin rivetted thereto, and to this pin is
secured (in the space between the frames a and b) one end of a volute spring d*,
the other end of which spring has an orifice, to which the end link of a con-
necting chain is secured, the other end of such chain being hooked on to a hook,
which is secured to the said outer frame b, by which means the winker is kept
closed and non-effective, except when the resistance of the spring is overcome
by superior force acting through the attached rein or cord upon the outer
frame or lever (b) aforesaid, whereby the winker or blinker is opened out. To
secure the said vanes or slips the inner or cheek frame a has a pivot e rivetted
thereto, which forms the pivot of the vanes f, the two end vanes being secured
to the inner frame a and outer frame 6 respectively. It will be seen that the

page_text: vanes or slips are secured together near the top by a ribbon, and the inner (a)
and outer (6) frames are flanged, so as to shut up together like a box. Under-
neath and near the hinge end of the hinge piece in the space or box between
the frames is a small projecting pin, and underneath its circuit, when moving,
is a piece of curved metal affixed to frame a; there is also a small spring
fixed underneath near to and at the side of the socket centre, which passing
the hinge joint works in a loop or hook placed near the hinge end of the
jointed piece, and which keeps the end of the of the projecting pin always
down to its work, and thus secures the jointed piece from falling away from
the frame a. The effect of this arrangement is that on opening the frame the
projecting pin travelling up the curved metal piece throws the outer end of the
hinge piece outwards to escape the projecting bone of the horse's or animal's
eye when rising, and after it has passed the eye on descending the other side
of the curved piece of metal that outer end descends rapidly inwards and rests
in front of the animal's eye, thus carrying the fan round and covering or
securing the eye and excluding the light. The inner or cheek frame of the
expanding frame, blinker or winker there shewn is marked a', and the outer
or lever frame b', cach having flanges to form a box as in Fig. 3, the vane
blade or slip piece 9 being secured by a pivot to the said inner or cheek frame
slip piece g, here called a carrier, is secured by a pivot to the said inner or
cheek frame, the end being bevelled or angular, so as to stop against the
flange of the check frame when the carrier has arrived at an angle which just
reaches the upper end or angle of the animal's eye and the vane blade or slip
piece h (here called a hinged carrier) is hinged angularly and transversely on
the outer frame h; near the hinge end of this carrier is placed a hook, and a
small flat metal link is hooked thereon with a slot, the other end of the link
being centred on the cheek frame with a pivot; K is a flat spring pressing on
the link, and keeping the hinge carrier close to the lower frame b (with elastic
between until overcome by superior force). The frames a¹ and b¹ are connected
together by pivot and spring, as in the case of the arrangement shewn at
Fig. 3, and by acting upon the end of 6' by cord or rein, the apparatus will be
opened or expanded, as shewn by the Drawing. Ou opening the frames, the
hinged carrier passes from over the other carrier on which it was at rest, carrying
an opaque elastic fabric (the other end of the fabric being fastened to the other
carrier) past the side of the animal's eye where the link k, through or by the
motion acting on the hook and pivot, pulls the hinge carrier h quite over the
front of the eye, and the other end of the elastic fabric being stopped by the
other carrier at the back or upper angle of the eye, the eye is thus completely
enclosed and screened by the elastic fabric.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and also the
method or methods of adapting the present or old kind of winker or blinker,
whether they be old screws or winkers or blinkers to produce the same effect,
I hereby declare that it must be understood that my Invention is not confined
or limited to the precise forms and arrangements shewn by the Drawings and
described with reference thereto; but that I claim the improvements in blinkers
or eye-screening apparatus for horses and other animals, consisting in the use of
adjustable opaque screens, winkers, or blinkers, rising from the cheek or side
of the animal's head or face, and which can, when desired, by suitable arrange-
ments be caused immediately to cover the animal's eyes so as to totally or
partially obscure the vision at the volition of the driver or rider.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Dickey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE MARSHALL.
GEORGE DICKEY. (L.S.)