AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF FORK
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ephraim Tysall, of Riding House Street, Portland
Place, in the County of Middlesex, Electro-plater, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF FORK."
Sealed the 13th January 1863, and dated the 25th July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ephraim Tysall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
July 1862.
I, EPHRAIM TYSALL, of Riding House Street, Portland Place, in the County
of Middlesex, Electro-plater, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF FORK," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct dinner and dessert forks in such
a manner that without producing any material change in the appearance of
such forks, they will when in use be enabled to carry up to the mouth, together
with the viands, a supply of gravy, sauce, or juice, as the case may be. To this
end I make the fork with prongs of the usual proportions and of such form
that when looking at the back of the fork, it will present the usual appearance
of a dinner or dessert fork but in the inner face of the prongs, I form channels
or grooves which while the fork is in use will act as narrow scoops for taking
up any liquid matters that may be applied to the viands. By this means

page_text: without increasing the weight of the fork or its cost of manufacture, I am
enable to make it serve to some extent the office of a spoon as well as that of a
fork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ephraim Tysall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th January 1868.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ЕPHRAIM
TYSALL, of Riding House Street, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Electro-plater, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, 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 Ephraim Tysall, Her special license, that I, the said Ephraim Tysall,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Ephraim Tysall, my exccutors, 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, tho Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IM-
PROVED MANUFACTURE OF FORK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Ephraim Tysall, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Ephraim Tysall, 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 following state-
ment, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
detters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to construct dinner and dessert forks in such
a manner that without producing any material change in the appearance of
such forks they will when in use be enabled to carry up to the mouth together
.with the viands, a supply of gravy, sauce, or juice, as the case may be.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in front view; Fig. 2 in back

page_text: view, and Fig. 3 in cross section a silver fork constructed according to my
Invention. The prongs a, a, it will be seen are made of the usual proportions
and of such configuration that when looking at the back of the fork (as at
Fig. 2) it will present the usual appearance of a dinner or dessert fork. The
inner face or front of the prongs I indent with channels or grooves b, b, which
increase in depth from the points upwards until they are stopped at or near
the roots of the prongs. These grooved prongs while the fork is used for carry-
ing food to the mouth act as narrow scoops for taking up any liquid matters
that may be applied to the viands. By this means without increasing the
weight of the fork or its cost of manufacture, I am enabled to make it serve
to some extent the office of a spoon as well as that of a fork the advantage to
the user being that the solid food as supplied to the mouth will be more
effectually moistened by the addition of gravy, sauce, or juice, as the case may
be, than when carried up by a fork of the ordinary construction.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Manu-
facture of Fork" and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
I claim grooving the prongs of forks in the manner and for the purpose abovo
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ephraim Tysall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
EPHRAIM TYSALL. (L.S.)
Witness,
ISAAC FALCKE.