Improvements in or relating to Bolts, Nuts, Screws, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 189
Complete Specification Left. 24th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 9th Jan.. 1897
Improvements in or relating to Bolts, Nuts, Screws, and the like.
I HARRY PERRY RINGWOOD, Barrister-at-Law, of University Club, Stephens
Green, Dublin do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A device marked on nuts and screws to show any unskilled person how they
should be tightened and loosened.
My idea is to mark the tops or sides of nuts and screws with an arrow or letters
or other mark showing the directions in which they must be turned to fasten and
unfasten them.
This device would enable unskilled amateurs to regulate cycles motor carriages
and other machines without running the risk of seriously damaging them.
Dated this 25th day of February 1896.
HARRY P. RINGWOOD.
I, HARRY PERRY RINGWOOD, Barrister-at-Law, of University Club, Stephens
Green, Dublin, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the saine is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention relates to bolts, outs, screws and the like, and it consists in
marking the heads thereof with a device which will indicate to unskilled persons
how the said bolts, nuts, screws or the like should be turned when it is desired to
tighten and loosen them.
According to my invention the tops or sides of bolts, nuts, screws and the like
are marked with an arrow or other device or mark which will indicate the direction
in which they must be turned to tighten or fasten or loozen or unfasten them.
The device may be impressed, stamped or otherwise marked on the bolts, nuts,
screws or the like.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown-by way of example-a nut marked
with an arrow:-
Figure being a view in side elevation showing the arrow on one of the sides of
the nuts and
Figure 2 a view in plan showing two arrows on the top of the nut.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views showing a modification of the mark.
The arrow or other mark may be arranged to indicate in which direction the
bolt, nut, screw and the like should be turned to tighten or loosen it, preferably
the latter as it is generally in endeavouring to unloosen a nut and the like by
exerting force in the wrong direction that nuts and bolts are broken, spanners are
sprung or broken, the angle of nuts and the like spoiled and other damage done.
1

page_text: As it may happen that the user of nuts, bolts and the like marked according to my
invention may forget which the arrow or other mark is intended to indicate, I prefer
to shape the arrow to indicate the movement of the nut, bolt and the like if turned
in the direction of the arrow as shown by Figure 3 which illustrates a nut with a
right-hand thread which on being turned in the direction of the arrow would rise
in the direction of the arrow head, that is unscrew. When such a device has to be
anarked on the head of the nut, bolt and the like the head of the arrow would
point towards the centre as shown by Figure 4 if it had a right hand thread and
to its outer side if it had a left hand thread, thereby indicating-supposing it to be
n right-hand threaded nut-that if turned in the direction of the arrow ns shown
by Figure 4 the nut would tighten on to the stul bolt or screw on to which it was
threaded and vice versa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
(1.) The improvements in and relating to bolts, nuts, screws and the like,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
(2.) As a new article of manufacture nuts bolts and the like marked in a visiblo
place with one or more arrows so shaped as to indicate in which direction they will
move when rotated.
Dated this 24th day of November 1896.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.