IMPROVEMENTS IN COPYING LETTERS, PLANS, AND OTHER MANUSCRIPTS, AND IN THE APPARATUS AND SUBSTANCES EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France,
and 38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COPYING LETTERS,
PLANS, AND OTHER MANUSCRIPTS, AND IN THE APPARATUS AND SUBSTANCES
EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A communication from Edward Casper, residing at
11. Rue de la Monnaie. Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 18th October 1865, and dated the 14th July 1865.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 14th July 1865, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI ADRIEN
BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont
Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 38, Porchester Terrace, Bays-
water, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COPYING LETTERS, PLANS, AND OTHER MANUSCRIPTS, AND IN THE APPARATUS AND
SUBSTANCES EMPLOYED THEREIN," communicated to me by Edward Casper,
person residing at 11, Rue de la Monnaie, Paris, in the Empire of France,
aforesaid, and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have
made solemn Declaration that it is a communication.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same to be performed, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in different improvements in apparatus which act
by simple contact for copying letters, plans, and other manuscripts, and in the
substances employed therein.
The first and principal part of this Invention is, necessarily, the ink which I
compose thus (by weight), I boil during 6 hours on a low fire 2 parts of nut
galls in 25 parts of water (rain or distilled). I then add to this decoction 1
part of gum arabic, then 0.4 (four-tenths) part of sulphate of iron, and 0.1
(one-tenth) part of sulphate of copper. I next stir the mixture once a day
during about three months, and afterwards draw it off, and add to the liquor
obtained four parts of white sugar, and one-tenth part of concentrated liquid
decoction of alder wood and tan in equal proportions intended for increasing the
intensity of the color and of the communicative principle. The ink is now ready
for use. If required for exportation or other reasons, this ink may be reduced
by evaporation to a sirupy state, and then enclosed in boxes, tins or other suitable
vessels. This concentrated product may be dissolved in water, beer, wine, vinegar,
or other liquid, and produces a copying ink of the first quality; or it may be
dissolved in any ordinary ink, to which it communicates its faculty of copying
by simple contact. The paper intended for receiving the copy should be white,
unsized, and of the kind generally used. The only precaution to be taken is
to make sure that it, retains none of the chlorine used for bleaching it, as it
would otherwise weaken the ink during the copying. For damping the paper
I employ a brush or pencil made of goat's, camel's or other hair mounted on
wood, metal, bone or horn, which may be adjusted in a box or case to be more
easily portable in connection with a box or basin of metal plain or varnished.
This basin is provided with a lid to which a sponge is fixed by any suitable
means in such way that the moisture of the sponge is retained. When the
sheets of copying paper are too wet, the superfluous water may be removed
as in known systems by means of a sheet or sheets of blotting paper. I also
employ for protecting the copying paper during the operation a sheet or sheets of
transparent varnished gauze specially prepared for the purpose, possessing the
following properties:-Firstly, its impenetrability and its resinous nature retain
the requisite degree of humidity in the sheet of paper intended for taking the
copy. Secondly, a capillary attraction which it exercises on the damped sheet

page_text: at the moment of copying as well as on the ink used in the execution of the
letter, plan, or other document. Thirdly, its contact prevents the evaporation
of the communicative principle contained in the ink, and allows of keeping a
letter written with this ink several days before copying. Being transparent
this prepared gauze also permits of examining the copy during the operation,
and of correcting the same by forming the contact at any points where it has
not been produced.
Letters or other documents are copied by the improved principle as follows:-
After having wetted the sheet on which the copy is to be produced, and if
necessary removing any superfluous quantity of water, the letter or other docu-
ment executed with the above described ink is placed under it. A sheet of the
transparent resinous gauze is then placed on said copying sheet, and the hand
is passed over the whole. The transparency of the resinous sheet allows of
examining the state of the copy, and a slight passage of the hand corrects any
part where the contact has not been sufficient.
Having thus described the said Invention of improvements in copying, and
in the apparatus and substances employed therein, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, what I claim is,―
Firstly, the composition of the improved ink, which I call "encre electro-
chimique," substantially as above described.
Secondly, the use of the improved varnished gauze in connection with the
above ink permitting the inspection of the copy, and acting by capillary
attraction, as above described.
Thirdly, the reduction to a pasty consistence of the improved ink, and its
application to ink of any other kind in order to communicate its copying pro-
perties to such inks.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.