Ar IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Yates, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "Ar
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 10th August 1869, and dated the 16th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Yates
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th February 1869.
I, JOHN WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to those parts of spades, shovels, fork's,
and other similar articles called the straps or langets, by which the tree
or cylindrical part of the handle is connected with the blade, plate, or

page_text: fork of the said articles. The said straps or langets as ordinarily con-
structed consist of pieces of iron or steel situated in planes parallel or
nearly parallel to the blade, plate, or fork. When the tree or cylindrical
part of the handle is placed and fastened between these straps or langets
one of the said straps or langets is situated at the front and the other
strap or langet at the back of the tree or cylindrical part of the handle.
By this arrangement of the straps or langets they are liable to break at
their junction with the blade, plate, or fork in consequence of the great
strain which takes place at those parts, and the object of my Invention
is to remedy this defect.
In arranging the straps or langets of spades, shovels, forks, and other
similar articles according to my Invention I so forge the said straps or
langets that they are situated at right angles to the blade, plate, or fork
instead of parallel thereto as heretofore. When the tree or cylindrical
part of the handle is inserted and fastened between straps or langets
arranged in this way the said straps or langets are situated at the sides of
the tree or cylindrical part of the handle instead of at the front and back
thereof as usual. The great strain which takes place at the junction of
the straps or langets with the blade, or plate, or fork is by this means
more equally distributed over the whole of the straps or langets instead
of being borne as usual by those parts which are more or less situated at
the junction of the blade, plate, or fork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John William Yates in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILLIAM YATES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John William Yates, Her special licence
that I, the said John Willian Yates, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: "3
assigns, or such others as I, the said John William Yates, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT
OR IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADES, SHOVELS, FORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John William
Yates, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should par-
ticularly 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 John William Yates, 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:-
My Invention has reference to those parts of spades, shovels, forks,
and other similar articles called the straps or langets, by which the tree
or cylindrical part of the handle is connected with the blade, plate, or
fork of the said articles. The said straps or langets as ordinarily con-
structed consist of pieces of iron or steel situated in planes parallel or
nearly parallel to the blade, plate, or fork. When the tree or cylindrical
part of the handle is placed and fastened between these straps or langeta
one of the said straps or langets is situated at the front and the other
strap or langet at the back of the tree or cylindrical part of the handle.
By this arrangement of the straps or langets they are liable to break at
their junction with the blade, plate, or fork in consequence of the great
strain which takes place at those parts, and the object of my Invention
is to remedy this defect.
In arranging the straps or langets of spades, shovels, forks, and other
similar articles according to my Invention I so forge the said straps or
langets that they are situated at right angles to the blade, plate, or fork
instead of parallel thereto as heretofore. When the tree or cylindrical
part of the handle is inserted and fastened between straps or langets
arranged in this way the said straps or langets are situated at the sides

page_text: of the tree or cylindrical part of the handle instead of at the front and
back thereof as usual. The great strain which takes place at the junction
of the straps or langets with the blade, or plate, or fork is by this means
more equally distributed over the whole of the straps or langets instead
of being borne as usual by those parts which are more or less situated at
the junction of the blade, plate, or fork.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation,
and Figure 2 in front elevation a spade or shovel the straps or langets
of which are arranged according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a section
of a portion of the same; and Figure 4 is a section of the same taken in
a plane at right angles to that in which the section, Figure 3, is taken.
The same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure,
a is the blade or plate of the spade or shovel, and 6 is the tree or cylin-
drical part of the handle of the same; c, d, are the straps or langets forged
or connected to the blade or plate a. Between the straps or langets c, d,
the lower part of the tree or cylindrical part of the handle 6 is inserted
and fastened by the cross rivets e, e. The said straps or langets c, d, are
situated at the sides of the tree b, and at right angles to the blade or
plate a instead of being situated parallel or nearly parallel thereto as
usual. The position of the straps or langets c, d, with respect to the
blade or plate a will be readily understood by an examination of
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
In applying my Invention to forks and other similar articles I arrange
the straps or langets of the said forks and articles in the manner
described and represented with reference to the straps or langets of a
spade or shovel.
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,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvement or improve-
ments in spades, shovels, forks, and other similar articles herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
making the straps or langets at right angles to the blade, plate, or fork
of the said articles, the said straps or langets being situated in the com-
plote spade, shovel, or fork at the sides of the tree or cylindrical part of

page_text: the handle instead of at the back and front thereof, for the purpose and
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Yates, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN WILLIAM YATES. (L.S.)