IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Norman, of Hoxton Square, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
Sealed the 30th June 1874, and dated the 13th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Norman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th January 1874.
I, JOHN NORMAN, of Hoxton Square, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," to be as
follows:-
The Invention relates to improvements upon an Invention for which
I obtained Provisional Protection on the 13th January 1873, Number 135,
and has for its object the employment of improved means for insuring
the two comb plates being kept properly up to their work. For this
purpose I dispense with the nut or screw for keeping the upper plate

page_text: down on the lever handle, and I simply cause the axis of the lever
handle to pass through a hole in such upper plate, and instead of
simply employing two screws passing through such upper plate and
through guide slots in the moveable comb plate, and screwing into the
lower or fixed comb plate to hold the upper or moveable comb plate
firmly up to the lower or fixed comb plate, I employ a bar over the
upper plate through which such screws are first passed before passing
through the other plates into the lower or fixed comb plate, and I do
not cause such screws to hold the bar closely down on to the upper fixed
plate, but I employ intermediate of such screws a third screw which
passes through the centre of the bar and bears upon the upper fixed
plate.
Instead of employing two screws, as described, to pass through the
bar, such bar may be formed with two return pieces, parts of which will
form the guides for the moveable comb plate, whilst below such guides
they will be fixed to the fixed comb plate by nuts or screws, or the
guides may be formed separately from the bar and may be provided with
projections therefrom, one of each of which passes into a corresponding
hole formed for it in the lower or fixed comb plate, whilst the other pro-
jections pass through the upper fixed plate and into holes formed in the
bar, and these separate guides may be secured to such lower or fixed
comb plate, and to the bar by screws or nuts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Norman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
NORMAN, of Hoxton Square, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of a
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Norman, Her special license
that I, the said John Norman, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said John Norman, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Norman, my executors or admini-
strators, 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 date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Norman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:
-
For this
The Invention relates to improvements upon an Invention for which
I obtained Provisional Protection on the 13th January 1873, Number 135,
and has for its object the employment of improved means for insuring
the two comb plates being kept properly up to their work.
purpose I dispense with the nut or screw for keeping the upper plate
down on the lever handle, and I simply cause the axis of the lever
handle to pass through a hole in such upper plate; and instead of simply
employing two screws passing through such upper plate and through
guide slots in the moveable comb plate, and screwing into the lower or
fixed comb plate to hold the upper or moveable comb plate firmly up to
the lower or fixed comb plate I employ a bar over the upper plate
through which such screws are first passed before passing through the
other plates into the lower or fixed comb plate, and I do not cause such
screws to hold the bar closely down on to the upper fixed plate, but I
employ intermediate of such screws a third screw which passes through
the centre of the bar and bears
upon the
upper fixed plate.
Instead of employing two screws, as described, to pass through the bar,
such bar may be formed with two return pieces, parts of which will form
the guides for the moveable comb plate, whilst below such guides they
will be fixed to the fixed comb plate by nuts or screws.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan view; and Figure 2 is a section of a clipping
apparatus having my present Invention applied thereto.
a is the bottom comb plate which is fixed rigidly to the handle 6 in
any suitable manner; c is the upper or moveable comb plate which is
provided with slots c¹ to guide it in its motion, and with a recess c² to
receive a projection or tooth d¹ from the lever handle d, by which it is
moved to and fro. The lever handle dis mounted on a stud or axis a¹
fixed to the lower comb plate a, and the upper fixed plate e has a hole
formed therein which fits and passes over such stud or axis a¹, and this
fixed plate e acts as herein-after described to keep the lever handle & in
position, and to keep the moveable comb plate c up to its work or in
close contact with the lower comb plate a. Instead of employing a nut
or screw to keep the upper fixed plate e down on the lever handle d,
such nut or screw is dispensed with, and instead of simply employing
two screws passing through the upper plate e and through the guide
slots c¹ in the moveable comb plate c into the lower or fixed comb
plate a to hold the upper or moveable comb plate c firmly up to the
lower or fixed comb plate a, I employ a bar f provided with return
pieces passing through holes in the upper plate e, and through the
guide slots c¹ into the lower or fixed comb plate a, to which it is firmly
fixed by nuts f*; or instead of employing the return pieces f¹ and nuts fa
simple screws may be employed, or the guides f¹ may be formed
separately from the bar fand may be provided with projections there-
from, one of each of which passes into a corresponding hole formed for
it in the lower or fixed comb plate, whilst the other projections pass
through the upper fixed plate and into holes formed in the bar f, and
these separate guides f¹ may be secured to such lower or fixed comb
plate, and to the bar f by screws or nuts, as will be well understood, but
the arrangement shown in the Drawings is that which I prefer. I do
not however cause the screws to hold the bar f closely down on to the
upper fixed plate e, but I employ intermediate of the return pieces f¹ a
screw f which passes through the centre of the bar fand bears upon
the upper fixed plate e. Thus by turning the screw f³ an easy adjust-

page_text: ment of the parts is obtained, and the upper fixed plate e is caused to
bear equally upon the upper or moveable comb plate c, and thereby keep
it properly down on the lower or fixed comb plate a.
.
I would here remark that instead of fixing the handle 6 to the lower
comb plate a, as herein shown and described, such handle b may be fixed
to the bar which may formed in one piece therewith, as will be well
understood.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode
in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the employment in means or apparatus for clipping
horses and other animals, of a bar fand screw f³, in manner and for the
purpose substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Norman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.