AN IMPROVE- MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS.
Year: 1874

page_text: :
LETTERS PATENT to Myer Dittenhoefer, of St. Denis, near Paris, in
the Republic of France, but at present of Mincing Lane, in the
City of London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS.'
"
Scaled the 9th Febuary 1875, and dated the 12th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Myer Dittenhoefer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th August 1874.
I, MYER DITTEN HOEFER, of St. Denis, near Paris, in the Republic
of France, but at present of Mincing Lane, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMBS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to modify the construction of the
teeth of combs, whether made of india-rubber, bone, ivory, horn, or other
materials, as to strengthen them, increase their elasticity, and add beauty
to the comb. It is also intended to give to such combs as are worn on
and
the head a better hold upon the hair than those at present in use,

page_text: thereby to avoid the loss or breakage of such combs by reason of their
falling out of the hair.
These advantages I obtain by corrugating the teeth transversely of
the length, which corrugations will increase the frictional contact between
the hair and the comb teeth.
When forming such combs of horn or vulcanized india-rubber I
produce the corrugations by pressure in dies or moulds. The corru-
gations may be made at the front and back of the teeth or at the front
only, as thought desirable. In the latter caso the teeth being formed
out of a strip of material, ribbed on the face and flat at the back, will:
have an irregular thickness, their strength being increased without
detriment to their elasticity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Myer Dittenhoefer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th February 1875.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MYER
DITTENHOEFER, of St. Denis, near Paris, in the Republic of France, but
at present of Mincing Lane, in the City of London, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by' Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Myer Dittenhoefer, Her
special licence that I, tho said Myer Dittenhoefer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Myer
Dittenhoefer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COMES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Myer Dittenhoefer, my executors or

page_text: administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the dato
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Myer Dittenhoefer, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
-
The object of this Invention is so to modify the construction of the
teeth of combs, whether made of india-rubber, bone, ivory, horn, or other
materials, as to strengthen them, increase their elasticity, and add
beauty to the comb. It is also intended to give to such combs as are
worn on the head a better hold upon the hair than those at present in
use, and thereby to avoid great inconvenience and the loss or breakage
of such combs by reason of their falling out of the hair.
These advantages I attain by corrugating the teeth transversely of
their length, or forming undulations on their surfaces, as hereafter
described, which corrugations or undulations will increase the frictional
contact between the hair and the comb teeth.
When forming such combs of horn or vulcanized india-rubber I prefer
to produce the corrugations or undulations by pressure in dies or moulds.
The corrugations may be made at the front and back of the teeth, or at
the front only, as thought desirable. In the latter case, from the comb
being formed out of a strip of material ribbed on the face and flat at the
back, the teeth will have an irregular thickness, their strength being
increased without detriment to their clasticity.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I have
represented in the accompanying Drawing as an example a portion of a
child's comb for holding back the hair from the forehead, but any other
comb for the hair, whatever may be its purpose, material, or form,
might be taken as an example.
Fig. 1 shews the comb in partial front view, and Fig. 2 is a cross
section of the same. In these Figures a is the back of the comb, which

page_text: may be undulated, as shown; or made with plain surfaces. The undula-
tions are shown on the outer side only of the back, but it might be
undulated on both sides, the grooves, ribs, flutings, or undulations being
longitudinal; b are the teeth of the comb formed with undulations on
their outer face, but they may be on both faces if desired, as shown
in the side view, Fig. 3, where the teeth take the same form they would
assume if cut from a corrugated plate. The teeth shewn at Fig. 1 are
made straight and parallel to each other, but I may apply my improve-
ment to combs with teeth formed with longitudinal undulations, as
shown at Fig. 8.
The method and means of manufacture will vary according to the
materials employed. Thus the combs may be shaped in one material by
moulding, in another by cutting tools or by stamping dies, as at present
practised and used by comb manufacturers.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improve-
ment in the Manufacture of Combs," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to bo understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Prtent I claim, manufacturing combs with
teeth having lines of undulations transversely of the comb on their front
face, or corrugations shewing undulations on both front and back faces
as and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Myer Dittenhoefer, havo hereunto
my hand and seal, the Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
set
M. DITTENHOEFER. (L.S.)