Year: 1886

page_text: I HENRY WILLIAM TONKS of Key Hill, Birmingham in the county of Warwick
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved form of safety pin, and the method of its
manufacture, and has for its object the manufacture of a pin, somewhat of the
shape of what is generally now known as a safety pin, but is provided with a
simple and more effectual protection to the point of such piu, and formed in
a different manner than those at present in use.
Similar to certain safety pins now in use, mine is also constructed of one piece
of wire. Looking at the pin when made, and open, at the one end of the pin the
wire is as usual coiled round once (or more) so as to form the spring action. The
one (point) end of the wire being sharpened to a point also as usual. The other
end of the wire where the point (when in use) is fastened and protected I form in
a peculiar manner that is to say, I bend and form the wire so as to provide a
projecting catch or recess over and into which the point is passed, the wire thence
continuing on and formed in a somewhat involute manner so as to close up the end
of the said catch part that is in front of the point of the pin, but at the same time
leaving a small hole in the centre of such protector, so that if the pin should be
subject to undue pressure in such a manner that the point is forced into the
protector, the point shall pass into the said small hole, but shall not pass through it,
thereby being an effectual protection from personal injury from the point of the pin,
and also protecting the point itself from being blunted. In crossection the said
protector may be round, oval, or other shape, and may be formed either by the
wire taking a right or left handed direction in bending.
CHARLES T. POWELL,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, HENRY WILLIAM TONKS of Key Hill, Birmingham in the county of Warwick
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFETY PINS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved form of safety pin, and the method of its
manufacture, and has for its object the manufacture of a pin somewhat of the shape
of what is generally now known as a safety pin, but is provided with a simpler and
more effectual protection to the point of such pin, and formed in a different manner
than those at present in use.
Similar to certain safety pins now in use mine is also constructed of one piece of
wire. Looking at the pins when made they would resemble those of present
make, except in the part of such pins forming the shield or protector to their
points.
In order to more fully explain this my invention I have appended hereunto an
illustrative sheet of drawings upon which are figures and letters of reference, like
letters referring throughout to the same thing or part.
Fig. 1, shews this my improved shield or protector applied to an ordinary style
of safety pin.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the shield or protector, shewing approximate
position of the point of such pin when "protected."
Although I have shewn here its application to one form of pin only, still it will
be clearly seen that it may be equally applied to any other form of safety pin,
where the point needs protection, as for instance, when such pins are used to carry
curtain hooks or rings, and having the bar a generally modified in form suitable to
such requirements, which may be as shewn at e, in dotted lines Fig. 1.
It will be seen that the bar a is extended on, to form the shield or protector, and
there coiled in an involute spiral form down to a point.
In the manufacture of these pins the forming of the shield is the chief feature, it
having been the chief difficulty.
The conical point may be produced by first forming the pin as shewn in Fig. 3,
by similar tools or machines as are used for making the ordinary safety pins now
in use, and then by suitable closing tools press it into the conical shape. This
method however I find to be troublesome and unsatisfactory, and in preference
thereto I adopt the following method which answers perfectly, quickly and simply.
I use a revolving tool similar as shewn in Fig. 4. The operating surface f, of this
tool being made similar in section to that shewn in Fig. 5. This tool is mounted
in a headstock or other suitable machine and caused to revolve at a high speed.
By firmly holding the pin Fig. 3, in any suitable convenient tool, and advancing
the one towards the other, the said tool further coils the wire of the pin at g, Fig. 3,
to a point; and in proportion to the amount of pressure applied, it not only coils it
to a point, but further, by a rubbing, grinding, or cutting action, or by all three
actions combined removes so much of the metal similarly as shewn at b, Figs. 1 & 2,

page_text: and at the same time closes or squeezes up the metal of the coil particularly at the
point, that it gives it somewhat the appearance of being solid.
It will be seen that when very much pressure is brought to bear upon the pin in
the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, that the point c is driven into the conical recess,
but the point is preserved and protected effectually by reason of the recess
or hole d
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
In the manufacturing of safety pins the method of protecting the points of such
pins by means of an involuted coiled wire shield substantially as herein described
and shewn upon the drawings.