A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER FOR HOLDING DINNER AND OTHER PLATES AND DISHES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Clara Ann Tyler, Wife of William Tyler, of"
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Corn Dealer, for the Inven-
tion of "A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER FOR HOLDING DINNER AND OTHER
PLATES AND DISHES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
Sealed the 21st November 1862, and dated the 13th June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Clara Ann Tyler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition, on the
13th June 1862.
I, CLARA ANN TYLER, Wife of William Tyler, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Corn Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER FOR HOLDING DINNER AND OTHER PLATES AND:
DISHES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:
My Invention consists of a holder. made of metal for holding dinner plates
and dishes, and other like articles, while moving the same from place to place,
and rendering it unnecessary for servants or others to touch the plates, dishes,;
and like articles with the hand at table, and also preventing the burning of,
the fingers by heated plates and dishes.
My new or improved holder consists of two plates or blades connected or
joined together by a spring bow, or jointed after the manner of a pair of
5 scissors, the end of one of the said blades being larger than the other. The
end of the said large blade is made on its upper side of a figure suitable to fit

page_text: the under side of the edge or outer part of a plate or dish, and the end of the
smaller blade is made on its under side of a figure suitable to fit the upper
side of the edge or outer part of a plate or dish. In taking up a plate with
my new or improved holder, the point of the larger blade is placed under the
edge of the plate, the other blade lying on the top of the edge. By grasping
the bow of the holder in the hand the edge of the plate is held by the two
blades, and the plate can be lifted and moved at pleasure. On putting down
the plate the pressure of the hand on the bow of the holder is relaxed, when
the plate is immediately liberated from the holder. When the blades are
connected by means of a joint similar to that of a pair of scissors, the said
blades may be provided with rings similar to those of scissors, and the holder
held and opened and closed, by the introduction of the thumb and fingers into
the said rings, exactly as a pair of scissors are opened and closed. Or the
blades may be rigidly connected to a handle, the said blades being separated
by a distance about equal to the thickness of an ordinary plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Clara Ann Tyler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CLARA
ANN TYLER, Wife of William Tyler, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Corn Dealer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Clara Ann Tyler, Her special licence that I, the said: Clara Ann
Tyler, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as .J, the
said Clara Ann Tyler, 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
"A NEW OR IMPROVED HOLDER FOR HOLDING DINNER AND. OTHER. PLATES AND
DISHES, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Clara Ann Tyler, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,

page_text: 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 Clara Ann-Tyler, 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, that is to say:-
I
My Invention consists of a holder made of inetal or other hard and rigid
material for holding dinner and other plates and dishes, and other like articles,
while moving the same from place to place, and rendering it unnecessary for
servants or others to touch the plates, dishes, and like articles with the hand
at table, and also preventing the burning of the fingers by heated plates and
dishes.
My new or improved holder consists of two or more plates or blades
connected or joined together by a spring bow, or jointed after the manner of a
pair of scissors, one of the said blades being larger than the other. The end
of the said large blade is made on its upper side of a figure suitable to fit the
under side of the edge or outer part of a plate or dish, and the end of the
smaller blade is made on its under side of a figure suitable to fit the upper
side of the edge or outer part of a plate or dish. Or the blades or plates may
be made straight, instead of being curved to fit the curvature of the plate or
dish or other article, and they may be made of the same or nearly the same
size. In taking up a plate with a spring bow holder, the point of the larger
blade is placed under the edge of the plate, the other blade lying on the top
of the edge. By grasping the bow of the holder in the hand the edge of the
plate is held by the two blades, and the plate can be lifted and moved at
pleasure. On putting down the plate the pressure of the hand on the bow of
the holder is relaxed, when the plate is immediately liberated from the holder.
When the blades are connected by means of a joint similar to that of a pair of
scissors, the said blades may be provided with rings similar to those of scissors,
and the holder held and opened and closed by the introduction of the thumb
and fingers into the said rings exactly as a pair of scissors are opened or
closed. Or the blades may be rigidly connected to a handle, the said blades
being separated by a distance about equal to the thickness of an ordinary
plate; or the distance between the jointed blades of the holder may be
adjusted by means of a screw, or by the arrangements herein-after described,
and represented in the accompanying Drawings, so that the said holder may
be made to grasp plates, or dishes, or other articles of different thicknesses.

page_text: :
3.
Having described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to explain the
manner in which. I carry it into effect, with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
1
Figure 1 represents in plan a plate holder made according to one of the
forms of my Invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Figure 3a
is an end elevation of the same. a, b, are the two plates or blades of the
holder joined together by the spring bow c. The bottom blade or: plate a is
much larger than the other blade b, and the said blades, are shaped in the
manner represented in Figure 3 to fit the upper and lower edges of the iplate.
In using the holder it is only necessary to grasp the spring bow.c with one
hand and place the larger blade a under the edge of the plate and to press the
top blade 6 on the top edge of the plate. The plate can then be safely lifted
and moved to the required place. By removing the pressure from the bow
spring c the blades separate and the holder can be removed.
Figures 4 and 5 represent in plan and side elevation respectively, another
form of plate holder, in which the blades are jointed somewhat after the
manner of a pair of scissors; d, e, are the two plates or blades curved of the
figure suitable to fit the edge of the plate. The said blades d, e, are connected
- to the short arms of the levers or handles f, g, the said levers turning on a
joint at h. The ends of the handles f, g,.may be formed into rings similar. to.
those of a pair of scissors. In using the holder the blades d, e, are opened,
and made to grasp the edge of the plate by closing the handles f; g. A ring
or cap may be placed upon the closed handles f, g, to preserve the grip of the
on the edge of the plate.
2
.
holder
:
:
:
Figures 18, and 19 represent in plan and longitudinal section respectively
a modification of the holder, Figures 4 and 5. In this modification the upper
blade d is fixed to the handle d, and the lower blade e is moveable upon the
joint, the said moveable-blade having a tail piece e³. In using the holder,
Figures 18 and 19, it is taken hold of by the handled, and the tail piece e³
depressed by the thumb so as to raise, the lower blade and grasp the plate
between it and the upper blade.
C. Figure 6, represents in plan, Figure 7 in side elevation, and Figure 8-in
front elevation, another form of plate holder made according to my Invention..
In this holder the two blades or plates i, k, are rigidly connected to the
handle 1, the under blade or plate i being made in one piece with the said
handle, and the upper plate or blade k,being fixed to the said handle by the
screw m. The distance, between the said blades is somewhat more than the
thickness of an ordinary plate.
Figure 9 represents in plan, Figure -10 in side elevation, and Figure 11 in

page_text: In
front elevation, a plate holder somewhat similar to that last described.
this holder the top blades or ears o are made by bending the metal over
parallel with the lower blade n, as represented, the said blades n, o, and
handle p being cut out and raised from sheet metal in the ordinary way. The
blades n, o, and handle p may be made of any ornamental form.
In using the holders, Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, having rigid blades, the
upper and lower blades are made to engage with the edge of the plate,. the
handle is then slightly depressed, when the plate is firmly held in the holder,
and can be safely carried about. The plate holders herein-before described
may be made of small size, and be used for holding oysters.
Figure 12 represents in plan a dish holder made according to one of the
forms of my Invention; and Figure 13 is a side elevation of the same. In
-this dish holder two pairs of blades, marked q, r, respectively, are used, the
inner sides of the said blades having a figure proper to fit the edge of the
dish. The two pairs of blades q, r, are connected together by the handle.s.
A pair of dish holders are used with the dish, one at either end of the said
dish....
. Figure 14 represents in plan, and Figure 15. in side elevation, another
form of dish holder made according to my Invention. The blades or plates
are marked t, u, and the handle v, the blade it fitting against the under side of
the edge of the dish, and the blades u fitting on the upper side of the edge of
the dish.
1
+
Figure 16 represents in plan, and Figure 17 in side elevation, a form of
dish holder in which the blades are made to grasp the edge of the dish by the
action ofta screw. The two blades w, x, turn on a common centre-y, and
the handles -1, 2, of the said blades w, x, are capable of being raised from or
brought nearer to one another by means of the screw 3 working in concave
screws in the said handles. By engaging the edge of the dish between the
inner sides of the blades w, .x, and diminishing the distance between the
handles 1, 2, by turning the screw .3, the said blades are made to bear upon
and grasp the edge of the dish. The holder is released from the .dish by
unscrewing the screw 3. The holder, Figures 16 and 17, may be used
without the screw 3; in this case.the handles 1, 2,.are.grasped by the hand,
..and the blades w, x, made to press with the required force upon the edge of
the dish.
:
Figures 20 and 21 represent, in plan and side elevation respectively, another
dish holder. made according to my Invention. 4. is the upper blade of the
holder made in one piece with the handle 5; 6 is the lower blade turning on
a joint at 7. on the 'handle 5. The back of the lower blade is prolonged, and

page_text: against the said prolonged end the end of the screw 8 bears. The screw.8
works in the projection 10 formed at the base of the handle 5. By turning
'the screw 8 the lower blade 6 can be made to turn on its joint, and change
the distance between it and the upper blade 4.
Modifications of the arrangement represented in. Figures 20 and 21 are
represented in Figures 22 and 23.: In Figure 22 the upper blade is moveable,
and is. pressed down by the screw. 11. The said upper blade is raised by the
spring 12. In Figure 23 the action. of the screw 13 is essentially the same
as that of the screw 8 in Figures 20 and 21.
Figure, 24 represents another arrangement for fixing the upper moveable
.blade. In this modification the wedge 14 slides in a groove in the handle of
the holder, and engages in a similar groove in the arm of the upper blade.
Owing to the small taper of the wedge 14 it does not require to be fixed after
adjustment, but if thought necessary it may be fixed by a clamping screw or
otherwise...
Figures 25 and 26. represent, in plan and side elevation respectively, a dish
holder similar in action to the plate holder represented in Figures 18 and 19.
"In this. dish holder the handle 15 is grasped in the hand, and the thumb
pressed upon the plate. 16. The lower blade is thereby made to approach the
upper fixed blade, and to grasp the edge of the dish between them.
:
Instead of depressing the upper moveable blade by means of a wedge, as
represented in Figure 24, a slide actuated by the handle of the dish holder
may effect the same object, as represented in Figures 27 and 28. 17 is the
moveable blade, and 18 the fixed one; 19 is the slide working in a guide 20
on the body of the holder. By raising the handle 21 the slide 19 is pushed
forward, and its end made to bear on the top of the moveable blade 17, and
the said blade is thereby depressed and made with the fixed blade 18 to grasp
the edge of the dish.
:
Figures 29 and 30 represent another arrangement for fixing the blades of
the dish holder on the edge of the dish, Figure 29 showing the blades closed,
and Figure 30 showing them open. The upper blade 22 turns on a joint 23
on the lower, blade 24. The handle 25 is jointed to the arm of the upper
blade. 22, and the projecting end 26, of the handle 25, rests upon the part 27
of the fixed blade. When the parts are in the positions represented in
Figure 30, the holder is placed on the edge of the dish, and by lifting the
handle 25 into the position représented in Figure 29, the several parts assume
the positions represented in the said Figure 29, and the edge of the dish is
firmly grasped between the blades 22 and 24.
Figures 31, 32, and 33, represent, in plan, elevation, and section respectively,

page_text: another form of dish holder made according to my Invention.
The said
holder consists of two parts, 28 and 29, jointed together at 30. The blade 28
is placed on the upper side of the edge of the dish, and the blade 31 on the
under side. The said blade 31 is elastic, or may turn upon a joint at 32.
The holder having been placed upon the dish and the handle 29 lifted by the
hand, the said handle 29, pressing against the under side of the blade 31,
presses it against the under side of the dish, and causes the dish to be held
between it and the blade 28. Two of the holders last described may be fixed
to a dish by a tube on one and a rod on the other, the said rod engaging in the
tube underneath the dish as represented in Figure 34. In this case the holders
have feet or knobs at 33, to support the dish at a sufficient height above the
table to permit of the said tube and rod passing under the dish. By means of
the rod and tube described, the same pair of holders can be used-with dishes
of different sizes.
I prefer to make my Invention in metal, but do not limit myself thereto, as
hard non-metallic substances, such as wood and ebonite, may be employed
instead of metal. In some only of the plate and dish holders have I indicated
the ornamental form which may be given to my Invention. In the majority
of the Figures I have represented the parts in the simplest form, in order
that their construction and action may be the better understood; but in
manufacturing my Invention I prefer always to give the holders such
ornamental forms as will give them an elegant appearance and fit them for
the table. The inner or bearing surfaces of the blades of the holders herein-
before described, may be covered with vulcanized india-rubber, or cloth, or
other soft material; the said soft material causes the blades to hold the article
more firmly than the uncovered blades would.
Although I have only described the application of my Invention to the
holding of plates, dishes, and oysters, yet my said Invention may be employed
for other like purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, and illustrated in the Drawings,
as the same may be varied withour departing from the nature of my Invention.
But I claim as my Invention the new or improved holder for holding dinner
and other plates and dishes, and for other like purposes, herein-before described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, a holder
consisting essentially of two or more blades and a handle, the upper blade or
blades bearing upon the upper edge of the plate, dish, or other article, and
the lower blade or blades bearing against the under edge of the said plate,

page_text: dish, or other article, the said blades being either rigidly connected together or
made capable of approaching: one another, as herein-before described. and
illustrated.
':
In witness whereof, I, the said Clara Ann Tyler, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
CLARA ANN TYLER. (L.s.)