IMPROVEMENTS IN LABELS OR TAGS FOR COTTON AND OTHER BALES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 12, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LABELS OR TAGS FOR COTTON AND OTHER BALES."-A communication from
abroad by Edward Augustus Locke, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 6th December 1864, and dated the 29th September 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. filed by the said George. Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 29th September 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 12, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LABELS OR TAGS FOR COTTON AND OTHER BALES," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that'
it has been communicated to me from abroad by Edward Augustus Locke, of
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following. Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully

page_text: describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to the construction and application of a device for
attaching identifying marks or labels to bales of cotton or other material of
fibrous nature, the object of the Invention being to provide a means of iden-
tification, incapable from its nature of producing injury to such fibrous
material, and incapable, from its construction and application, of being worn,
pulled, torn, or broken therefrom or injuriously affected by concussion,
-rubbing, scraping, or any of the ordinary rough_usage to which such bales
are constantly subjected in transportation. This is accomplished by con-
structing a plate or sheet (to hold or receive the identifying characters) of a
thin yielding and strong material (capable--of-being bent, twisted, crumpled,
and worn without fracture), having a tail or shank piece of the same material,
and forming part of said plate extending therefrom; said tailpieco being for
insertion into the bale, and having at its entering end an anchors-hook, or
holdfast, which easily entering the bale resists any strain-brought to bear
upon the shank or label to withdraw the same from the bale; these parts-being
made of or covered with a material of an anti-corrosive nature, and not liable
to emit sparks by concussion or friction with substances with which the bale
or the fibre within the same may be brought into contact.
..
...
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a tag or label device
constructed in accordance with this Invention; Figure 2 is an edge view of
the same.
.
a denotes the plate upon which the identifying character are to be marked,
stamped, or engraved, or to which such identifying marks are to be affixed ;
b is the shank or tail piece (for entering the bale) extending from and forming
part of such plate, and having a hook, anchor, or holdfast c attached to its
lower end. The plate which forms the parts a and bis-stamped or cut out
from thin sheet brass, copper, or other analogous metal which will not corrode
or emit sparks' or a sufficient degree of heat when impinging or substances
foreign to the fibrous contents of the bale to ignite the same It may be
made of horn, wood, or hard rubber, but thin sheet metal, which is soft and
yielding, and possesses strength sufficient to allow it to be bent, twisted; and
crumpled without fracture; and rigidity sufficient to retain legibly, such
identifying marks as may be engraved or stamped thereupon, is preferred.
The tail piece may be cut out wide enough to allow its edges to be turned
over, as represented by the dotted lines. The hook c'is also made of material
anti-corrosive, and incapable of emitting sparks by concussion," and "possessing
rigidity sufficient to resist without bending any pulling strain brought to bear

page_text: upon the parts a and b. This hook may be made as a part of the shank b,
the whole piece being cut from a plate of sufficient thickness and the shank
and plate a rolled down therefrom, leaving the lower end to be formed into
the hook, or to have barbs cut or formed thereon.
An instrument or tool used for applying the Invention is represented in
Figure 3. A rod or shank piece d, extending from a handle e is sharpened
or pointed at its lower end, and at a short distance above said point has a
hole f, into which the hook upon the end of the anchor c fits. To insert the
anchor or holdfast c it is hooked into the tool or carrier, as seen in the
Drawing, the anchor laying against the carrier lengthwise or against a
depression made in the side thereof so as to present no obstacle to the passage
of the shank into the bale; the tool d is now forced or driven into the bale,
carrying with it the anchor c and tail piece b, and when withdrawn, the hook
slips from the tool and is left within the bale.
A modification of the Invention is shown in Figure 4. In this arrange-
ment a wire g is used to connect the label with the anchor within the bale;
this wire passing through the hook and through holes made through a metallic
seal h, said seal being stamped upon the wires so as to be irremovable
therefrom (except by breakage), and keeping the identifying plate i from
slipping from the wires. All these parts are made of material similar to that
before described.
Having thus fully described the nature of said improvements, and shown
how they may be conveniently carried into practice, I claim the Invention
substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)