Improvements in Cushions or Holders for Pins, Needles, and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug.. 1905-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cushions or Holders for Pins, Needles, and
the like.
1, ABRAHAM PHILIP DE JONG of 62 Oudeschans, Amsterdam in the Kingdom
of Holland, 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 :-
This invention relates to cushions or holders for pins, needles and the like, and
consists in rendering the surface of such cushions or holders magnetic in order to
make pins and needles adhere thereto in any position of the "cushion."
In carrying out the invention one or more permanent magnets are arranged at
the surface within an annular ring of wood, celluloid or any other suitable material
The ring or frame may be of any other form, and if desired a large number of
magnets may be arranged within it so as to render the whole surface magnetic, that
is to say, the inagnets may be placed within the ring in such a manner that pins or
the like laid on the "cushion are attracted by the magnets at every point of the
surface.
"
in
The magnets may be of any suitable form and be secured to the "cushion "
any desired manner, but I prefer to embed them in sealing-wax, asphalt or any
other suitable material, cast within the ring.
In order to facilitate the arranging and fixing of the magnets within the ring,
I prefer to make the magnets of a special shape and for this purpose flat strips of
bard steel are rendered magnetic and bent upwards and over at both ends, so that
the two poles are placed at the top facing each other.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is a plan of an annular magnetic "cushion
of the kind described;
Figure 2 is a transverse section on line I-VI of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a plan of a modified form of "cushion ;
The outside of the annular ring A is suitably shaped so that it can be taken
easily in hand and the inside edge is formed with a groove a, to fix in position within
the ring, the sealing-wax or asphalt C in which the permanent magnets are
embedded. Two bent magnets B B of the beforementioned form are arranged at
the surface within the ring, with different poles opposite each other as shown in
Figure 1. The magnets are somewhat lower than the annular ring.
A small ring is screwed to the annular ring A so that the "cushion" may be
suspended thereby.
In order to fix the magnets, they are placed with their poles undermost on a flat
iron plate within the ring. Molten wax or asphalt is now cast in the ring and cools
down rapidly, so that the under surface will become even and smooth leaving the
magnets at the surface. The ring is filled up to its uppermost edge so that the
As the wax fills
magnets are well embedded in the sealing-wax or asphalt.
the groove a of the ring, it is thus fixed firmly into the ring A. The surface of
the cushion" is covered with a piece of cloth D, an engraving or the like to
make the "cushion" pleasing to the eye.
Pins and needles will adhere in large quantities to the "cushion's" surface, but
the magnets do not attract copper pins, so that the use of this magnetic pincushion
is to be recommended from a hygienic point of view. Pins or the like may be

page_text: gathered up from the floor or other place by simply placing the cushion on them
when they will immediately adhere to its surface. Moreover by this invention the
sinking of pins or the like into the cushion, such as is the case with the ordinary
soft cushions, is entirely prevented.
Two magnets suffice for a pin-cushion of sufficient dimensions for practical use.
The ring A can be made of any desired form, triangular, polygonal or in the
form of a heart such as shown in Figure 3, and the magnets are arranged
accordingly.
In the heart-shape (Figure 3) I prefer to arrange three magnets F, F¹, F' as
shown. Their north poles n being opposite adjacent south poles.
The heart is also provided with a groove for the purpose of fixing the wax or
asphalt as before described.
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 :-
1. A cushion or holder for pins, needles and the like, having one or more
permanent magnets suitably connected to or within it, substantially as aud for the
purpose set forth.
2. A cushion or holder for pins, needles and the like comprising a suitable frame
filled with scaling-wax, asphalt or the like, and one or more permanent magnets
embedded within said filling with the poles lying at the surface substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
3. A cushion or holder for pins, needles and the like consisting of a ring A of an
annular or any other suitable form, within which one, or more bent up flat
magnets B B are embedded by means of sealing-wax, asphalt or the like fixed in
the ring A by a groove a, the whole being arranged in such a manner, that the
poles of the magnets lie at the surface of the cushion whereby pins and needles are
caused to adhere thereto, substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In a cushion or holder of the kind described, one or more permanent magnets
having their ends bent upwards and over so as to bring their poles to face one
another in the same plane, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 7th day of August 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents.