AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF KNAPSACK, CONVERTIBLE WHEN PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Griffith George Lewis, C.B., Major-General Royal
Engineers, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, and Joseph Gurney, of
St. James' Street, in the County of Middlesex, Military Tailor, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF KNAPSACK, CONVERTIBLE WHEN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Griffith George Lewis and
Joseph Gurney at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 24th March 1855.
We, GRIFFITHI GEORGE LEWIS, C.B., Major-General Royal Engineers, of
Woolwich, in the County of Kent, and JOSEPH GURNEY, of St. James' Street,
in the County of Middlesex, Military Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF KNAPSACK, CONVERTIBLE
WHEN REQUIRED INTO A BED, A LITTER, OR A TENT," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel construction of knapsack which admits of
being used to protect the soldier in various ways. The knapsack we construct
by preference of deodorized india-rubber cloth, making it of such a size that
when unfolded it will suffice to lap round and cover the soldier like a blanket.
To the head of the sheet of rubber cloth a flexible compartment for containing
the soldier's kit is sewn. Both ends of the sheet we propose to provide with
eyelet holes, which are intended to receive cords for gathering up the ends.
To convert the sheet into a tent, it is drawn or gathered up at one end, and

page_text: supported at that end by the soldier's musket and by cords pegged to the
ground. The pocket or flexible compartment containing the kit then resting
on the ground forms a seat for the soldier, and the lower end of the sheet
may be gathered in, if required, to give greater shelter from the wind. If
thought desirable, two, three, or more of these sheets or opened out knap-
sacks may be set up together, the edges lapping over adjoining sheets, and
thus shelter for two, three, or more men may be readily provided.
When using the knapsack as a litter, the foot end is contracted by means of
the cord and eyelet holes, and supported by one man, and the invalid's head
resting on the kit will be supported by two men holding on to the straps of
the knapsack. The sheet is folded in from the opposite edges to bring it to
the width of an ordinary knapsack, and it is then folded up endwise and
strapped round with leather thongs as usual..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Griffith George Lewis and Joseph Gurney in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GRIFFith
GEORGE LEWIS, C.B.; Major-General Royal Engineers, of Woolwich, in the
County of Kent, and JOSEPH GURNEY, of Saint James' Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Military Tailor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Griffith George Lewis and Joseph Gurney, Her special license that
we, the said Griffith George Lewis and Joseph Gurney, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Griffith George Lewis
and Joseph Gurney, our.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 "AN IMPROVED CON-
STRUCTION OF KNAPSACK, CONVERTIBLE WHEN REQUIRED INTO A BED, A LITTER, OR
A TENT," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Griffith
George Lewis and Joseph Gurney, by an instrument in writing under our

page_text: ".
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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. :
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2
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NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Gurney, on behalf of myself
and of the said Griffith George Lewis, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to a novel-construction of knapsack, which admits of
being used to protect the soldier in various ways. The knapsack, which we
prefer to construct of deodorized india-rubber cloth, consists simply of a sheet
of suitable dimensions for lapping round and covering the soldier like a blanket,
to which sheet a flexible compartment for containing the soldier's kit is sewn.
The edges of the sheet we provide with eyelit holes for receiving cords, for the
purpose hereafter indicated.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews; in plan view, our improved
knapsack opened out to its full size, and Fig: 2 is an edge view of the same.
It consists of a rectangular sheet a, to the back of which, and midway between
the opposite edges, a pocket or flexible compartment & for receiving the soldier's
kit is attached. The lappet of this pocket is provided with straps, which, when
secured by the buckles attached to the head of the sheet, will make a firm
package of the kit. The dotted lines in Fig. 1 shew the manner of folding
in the waterproof sheet: a to bring. it to a compact: mass for transit. The
sides are first folded in to bring the sheet to the width of the pocket, and
the folded sheet is then rolled up, as shewn at Fig. 3. It is next strapped
up, as shewn at Fig: 4, and is ready for the soldier to carry. To facilitate
the application of the knapsack to various uses, we provide the sheet a with
metal eyelet holes call round its edges, and in the holes at the opposite end of
the sheet to that to which the pocket is attached we run a cord d, to permit
of the sheet being gathered up into folds at that end.
Fig. 5 shews the knapsack as employed by the soldier as a ground sheet and
wrapper, his head resting upon the kit in lieu of a pillow. To enable the
soldier to tuck the edge of the sheet under him, we may find it desirable to
attach the pocket b nearer to one side of the sheet than the other, instead of, as
above stated, inidway between the opposite edges.
Fig. 6 shews the knapsack converted into a tent, the sheet being drawn or

page_text: gathered up at one end by the cord. d, and supported at that end by the
soldier's musket, and by tension cords e pegged to the ground. The pocket or
flexible compartment containing the kit, it will be seen, rests on the ground
and forms a seat for the soldier, while the sides of the sheet hang loosely, and
may be gathered in, if required, to give greater shelter from the wind.
It will be understood that where no better shelter can be secured, two, three,
or more of these sheets or opened out knapsacks may be set up together, the
edges lapping over adjoining sheets, or laced thereto by cords run through
the eyelet holes in the side edges. of the sheets; thus temporary shelter for
two, three, or more men may be readily provided.
Our improved knapsack is capable of easy conversion into a litter by con-
tracting the foot end of the sheet by means of the cord d, and placing a strap
under the other end of the sheet. The invalid's head resting on the kit will be
supported by two men holding on to the strap, which may, if thought desirable,
be permanently attached to the knapsack, while a third man at the foot will
support the weight of the lower extremities.
Having now set forth the nature and object of our Invention, and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent, we claim the improved con--
struction of convertible knapsack, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gurney, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JOSEPH GURNEY. (L.S.)