Improvements in Spoons for Table Use.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spoons for Table Use.
I, JOHN LANCASTER of Barnett Cottage, Esther Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
My invention relates to improvements in such spoons as are required at table
when used for taking soup, and are intended for use by gentlemen having moustache,
as a means for perfectly preventing these from coming in contact with the soup in
passing this from the spoon to the mouth.
In the various designs in spoons hitherto made and used for this purpose, the
moustache guard has invariably been a fixture upon the spoon bowl, and con-
sequently itself liable to be splashed by, and more or less coated with, the soup in
ladling this from the plate, but my invention has for its object to guard against
this, which I attain by so constructing the shield and attaching this to the bowl of
the spoon, that as the spoon descends into the soup the said shield is raised, but
afterwards lowered upon the charged spoon, and covering or partly covering its
contents, so that when the spoon is raised to the mouth the moustache each time
rests upon a perfectly clean shield or guard.
I carry my invention into effect by pivotally connecting to the spoon bowl, or
to the handle near the bowl, a cover or cap of the same metal as the spoon, or of
glass or other material if desired, and of exactly the same size and shape as the
bowl, so that when lowered thereon, the bowl is entirely covered thereby, with
the exception of a small portion at that side from which the soup is usually taken,
at which part a crescent shaped piece is removed from the said cover, in order
that the soup may be passed from the bowl into the mouth when the cap is down.
The said cap or cover is connected to a lever, carried along the side, or beneath,
the handle of the spoon, and at some convenient part of said lever a suitable finger
hold is provided, capable of being easily reached and actuated by a finger or
fingers of the hand, not actually needed for, holding the spoon handle, such
actuation of the lever having the effect of either raising or turning aside the cap
or cover before dipping the bowl into the soup, thereby keeping the said cap or
cover from coming in contact therewith, and when the bowl is charged to the
satisfaction of the diner, the lever would, by the same movement of the finger,
but in the opposite direction, again place the cap or cover over the contents of the
bowl, and in this position, the whole would be carried to the mouth and the
contents of the bowl removed without the smallest particle of the soup soiling
the moustache.
Dated this 8th day of December 1893.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spoons for Table Use.
I, JOHN LANCASTER, of Barnett Cottage, Esther Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in such spoons as are required at table
when taking soup, and are intended for use by gentlemen having moustache, as a

page_text: means for preventing this from coming in contact with the soup in passing this
from the spoon to the mouth.
In the various designs in spoons hitherto made and used for this purpose, the
moustache guard has invariably been a fixture upon the spoon bowl, and con-
sequently itself liable to be splashed by, and more or less coated with the soup in
ladling this from the plate, but my invention has for its object to prevent this,
which I attain by so constructing the shield and attaching this to the bowl of the
spoon, that as the spoon descends into the soup the said shield may be raised or
turned aside but when the spoon is charged this would be lowered or turned
thereby covering or partly covering the contents of the spoon, and in this position
the spoon is raised to the mouth, and while being emptied the moustache, each time,
would rest upon a perfectly clean shield or guard.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 Sheet 1 are perspective and plan views respectively of a spoon
constructed according to my invention, in both of which said views the moustache
shield is shewn seated covering the bowl.
Fig. 3 is a side view of such a spoon with the shield raised, as it would be, or
partly so, when the spoon is entering the soup.
Figs. 4 and 5 are alternative methods of pivotting the shield to the spoon.
Fig. 6 Sheet 2, is a plan view of an arrangement by which the said shield or
guard may be attached to any such spoon, without the need of said spoon being
altered to befit it for the reception of the shield.
Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating an alternative method of constructing
the same.
Fig. 9 illustrates the manner in which Fig. 6 would be attached to the spoon.
Fig. 10 illustrates the manner in which I construct the said attachment when the
shield is to be moved sideways as at Fig. 5..
Similar letters of reference are used throughout the drawings when indicating
the same or like parts.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Sheet 1 in which the said shield is per-
manently attached to a spoon, I carry my invention into effect by forming in the
handle of the spoon A, and near to the bowl, a longitudinal vertical slot B, in
which I pivot the heel end of a glass, metal, bone, horn or other cover or shield C,
of exactly the same size, shape and contour as that of the bowl, so that when
lowered thereon the bowl is entirely covered thereby, with the exception of a
small portion at that side from which the soup is usually taken, at which part a
crescent shaped recess D, is formed in the cover or shield C, or in other words
a crescent shaped piece is removed therefrom, in order that the soup may be passed
therethrough from the bowl into the mouth, when C is down, as at Figs. 1 and 2.
In the arrangement shewn by Figs. 12 and 3 a bifurcated lug or lever E, or its
equivalent, is formed upon the heel of C, and stands up therefrom, and to this is
connected one end of a rod F, which passes therefrom, through suitable guides, if
necessary, beneath the handle of A, the opposite end, or other convenient part of
which is provided with a projection or knob G, which slides in a groove H formed
in the handle of A, and near this, or any other part of the handle desired, a
suitable finger hold J is attached to the rod F, and extends therefrom in such a
position as to be easily reached and actuated by either finger or fingers of the hand
not actually needed for holding the spoon handle. In this method of construction,
the cover or shield C would be raised from the bowl as at Fig. 3 by a pull upon
the rod F, or in other words, when J was moved in the direction of the arrow
Fig. 1, but I may arrange that the lug E instead of standing up from the slot B,
as at Figs. 1 and 2, may extend downward therefrom as at Fig. 4, in which case C
would be raised by a push given to J, in the opposite direction to the arrow
Fig. 1, in this method the rod F would be of such a length, that the stud or knob G
thereon would be at the opposite end of the slot H to that shewn at Fig. 1 when
the shield C was down.

page_text: As a modification of the foregoing arrangement, I may dispense with the slot B
in A, and connect C by means of a vertical pin, screw or the like K, to the handle
of A, in which case the lng E would extend horizontally from C, and the rod F
would first pass up the side of the handle A, and then curve beneath or under
this so that its pin G may engage with the slot H as before described. This
arrangement will be understood by reference to Fig. 5, and a pull exerted upon F
by means of J would deflect horizontally, or turn aside the cover or shield C, as
shewn in the same figure by the dotted outline thereof.
In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 Sheet 21 illustrate the manner in which I prefer to arrange
the said shield or cover C in order that this may be attached to existing spoons.
To attain this I bifurcate the heel of C, so as to form lugs L and L, and these I
pivot upon one end of a plate M, and upon the lug L 1 fix or form thereon a
vertical pin N, and to this is connected the rod F, which extends therefrom along
the plate M, and guides a and b thereon, and terminates in a finger hold J, a pull
upon which in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6, would raise C in the same
manner as that illustrated by Fig. 3, but I may arrange the pin N as at Fig. 8, so
that C may be raised by a push given to J and F in the same manner as that
previously described when referring to Fig. 4.
In Fig. 9 illustrate the manner of attaching Figs. 6 and 7 to an ordinary
spoon A, to effect which it may be necessary to first remove the pin by which L L
are pivoted to M, which would be replaced when the handle A had been placed
between L and L' as at Fig. 9. The arrangement Fig. 8 would be attached to the
spoon by the same means, and I may effect the rigid attachment of M to the
handle of A, by the means of screws or pins edas at Fig. 9, or I may form
wings ef of soft and pliable metal or other material upon or connected to M, as
shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 6, in order that these may be bent around the
handle of A as at Fig. 9, or I may employ rings of rubber or other elastic material,
or any other convenient means to attain the same end.
In Fig. 10 I illustrate the manner of attaching the shield C to the plate M, when
this moves horizontally, as previously described when referring to Fig. 5. In this
method the rod F would be curved and jointed at y, in order to accommodate the
movement of, and its attachment to the lug E, when C is deflected as shewn by the
dotted outline in Fig. 10.
Whichever of the foregoing methods of constructing the shield C and its
accessories I may employ and whether permanently attached to the spoon as at
Fig. 1 or temporarily connected thereto as at Fig. 9, the shield C would be raised
or deflected from the bowl of the spoon by the movement of J before dipping the
spoon into the soup, and during the conveyance of the charged spoon to the mouth,
or before if preferred, the shield C would be again returned, covering the bowl
and its contents, and upon this the moustache would rest while the diner emptied
the spoon through the aperture formed by D, without the smallest particle of the
soup soiling the moustache.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1st. The combination of a spoon A, provided with slots or openings B and H,.to
the former of which is pivotted the heel of a shield or cover C, having a recess D,
and capable of being raised from, and lowered upon, the bowl of the spoon, by the
movement of a finger hold J, upon a rod F, one end of which is connected by a
stud or knob G to the slot H, the opposite end to a bifurcated lug E, standing up,
or depending from, the heel of C substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by Figs. 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
2nd. The combination of a spoon A with slot H and shield or cover C, pivotted
at K, and provided with a recess D, and arranged to slide on and off the bowl of
the spoon by movement of a finger hold J, upon a rod F, one end of which is
connected by a stud or knob G to the slot H, the opposite end to a lug E upon the

page_text: heel of C, as at Fig. 5, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
shewn by the accompanying drawings.
3rd. In combination with a spoon A, the attachment thereto of a plate
or shield C,
recessed at D, and pivotally connected by lugs L and L' to a plate M, provided
with a finger hold J, attached to one end of a rod F passing through guide a and b,
its opposite end being connected to a pin N, standing up or depending from L or L',
the manner of attaching the plate M to the spoon A, by the means of screws or
pins e d, or wings e f, or any suitable equivalent therefor, the whole connected,
and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the appended drawings.
4th. In combination with a spoon A. the attachment thereto of a plate or
shield C, recessed at D, and pivotally connected to a plate M, and by its lug E to
a jointed rod F, sliding upon M when operated by a finger hold J, the whole
connected and operating substantially as herein described, and shewn by the
accompanying drawings, particularly by Fig. 10.
Dated this 15th day of February 1894.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4. Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.