IMPROVEMENTS IN SACK HOLDERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jenkin Davies, of Englefield, Reading, Berkshire,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SACK HOLDERS."
Sealed the 12th July 1864, and dated the 20th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jenkin Davies at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th January 1864.
I, JENKIN DAVIES, of Englefield, Reading, Berkshire, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SACK HOLDERS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sack holders. For the
purpose of holding and supporting sacks in a position in which they may be
conveniently filled I employ a frame having four legs or uprights, two at the
front and two at the back. The two front legs are connected together rigidly
by a cross piece, they are sufficiently far apart to admit a sack to stand
between them, and the cross piece is curved so as not to come in the way of a
sack so placed. The two legs at the back are also rigidly connected together
by a cross piece; this, however, is not curved. At the upper end of each leg
a hole or eye is formed, and a bar is passed through these eyes to connect the
legs together, and this bar serves as an axis for the legs to turn on, so that
the frame can be folded up flat, or when required for use the legs can at their
lower ends bo set at any desired distance apart so that the frame stands
firmly. To secure the legs when the frame is set up for use a stem perforated

page_text: with several holes at distances apart is fixed on the front cross bar; it passes
through an eye on the back cross bar, and a pin dropped through a hole in the
eye and into a hole in the perforated stem secures the parts firmly in position
as they are placed. The two front legs are conveniently made in one piece
with a cross bar which connects their upper ends, and this cross bar, which
forms the holding bar for the sack, is curved, and receives and has clamped to
it one side of the mouth of the sack. The front part of the mouth of the sack
is unsupported, as the curve given to the holding bar and the stiffness of the
fabric are quite sufficient to keep the mouth of the sack open. The clamping
apparatus, which forms an important feature of my Invention, consists of
another bar curved to correspond with the holding bar, and mounted so as to
be able to turn on the axis on which the legs turn in folding up the frame;
the two ends of the clamping bar are brought down on each side and form
spring arms or handles; these spring arms carry hooks at their ends. In
claniping a sack in the frame the back part of the mouth of the sack is laid
over the holding bar, and then, by the spring handles, the clamping bar is
brought up against it so as to nip it firmly against the holding bar, and the
hooks on the arms of the clamping bar are then made to catch around the
front legs and the sack is firmly held. The spring arms are flattened to
increase their elasticity, and as elasticity in two directions is required, the one
to enable the hooks to catch easily around the arms, and the other to give the
nip required to the mouth of the sack, each arm is flattened at two points at
right angles to each other. By setting the legs more or less apart at the
bottom the sack in the holder is beld higher or lower as is necessary, according
to the length of the sack.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jenkin Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JENKIN
DAVIES, of Englefield, Reading, Berkshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Jenkin Davies, Her special licence that I, the said Jenkin
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the

page_text: said Jenkin Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
SACK HOLDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jenkin
Davies, 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, 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 Jenkin Davies, 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 thercof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sack holders. For the
purpose of holding and supporting sacks in a position in which they may be
conveniently filled I employ a frame having four legs or uprights, two at
the front and two at the back. The two front legs are connected together
rigidly by a cross piece, they are sufficiently far apart to admit a sack to
stand between them, and the cross piece is curved so as not to come in the
way of a sack so placed. The two legs at the back are also rigidly connected
together by a cross piece; this, however, is not curved. At the upper end of
each leg a hole or eye is formed, and a bar is passed through these eyes to
connect the legs together, and this bar serves as an axis for the legs to turn
on, so that the frame can be folded up flat, or when required for use the legs
can at their lower ends be set at any desired distance apart so that the frame
may stand firmly. To secure the legs when the frame is set up for use a stem
perforated with several holes at distances apart is fixed on the front cross bar,
it passes through an eye on the back cross bar, and a pin dropped through a
hole in the eye and into a hole in the perforated stem secures the parts firmly
in position as they are placed. The two front legs are conveniently made in
one piece with a cross bar which connects their upper ends, and this cross bar,
which forms the bolding bar for the sack, is curved, and receives and has
clamped to it one side of the mouth of the sack. The front part of the mouth
of the sack is unsupported, as the curve given to the holding bar and the
stiffness of the fabric are quite sufficient to keep the mouth of the sack open.
The clamping apparatus, which forms an important feature of my Invention,

page_text: back as is shewn, so that when the upper edge of one side of the sack is
clamped to it the mouth of the sack may stand open; g is the clamping bar;
it is curved to correspond with the curve of the holding bar f; it has eyes
formed through it, through which the bar or axis e is passed, and about it the
clamping bar is able to turn; 9, 9, are the ends of the clamping bar g, brought
down on each side and flattened; they form spring arms for working the
clamping bar, and have handles g* and hooks at their lower ends. The
axis e, as will be seen, has collars on it at e¹, e', to keep the bars which are
threaded on to its ends at the proper distance apart, and the ends of the axis
are rivetted over to secure the several bars upon it.
As before mentioned, in order to fix a sack in the holder the back part of
the mouth is laid over, the clamping bar is then brought up against the
holding bar and nips the sack firmly, and the books 9 passing around the
legs a keep it so held; h is a clip of trough-form, which may be employed to
assist the spring arms 9', g', in holding the holding and clamping bars
together; it is jointed to the holding bar f, and turns down, as is shewn,
so as to embrace both the holding and clamping bars. This clip h may be
used in lieu of the spring arms if desired.
As all sacks are not of the same width, there is, as shewn, ample room
allowed at the end of the clamping bar for any surplus there may be in the
breadth of the sack.
It is not essential that the holding and clamping bars should be sustained
by legs; in lieu thereof the holding bar f may be attached to a bracket, or it
may be suspended or otherwise supported and made to carry the clamping bar
and other parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jenkin Davies, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JENKIN DAVIES. (L.S.)