Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Means for the Inter- ception of Vibration or Shock.
Year: 1897

page_text: TROVISIONAL
Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Means for the Inter-
ception of Vibration or Shock.
I, HARRY HEWITT GRIFFIN, of 73, Norroy Road, Putney, in the County of
London, Journalist and Statistician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the interception of vibration or shock so as to afford
protection to delicate mechanism, fragile objects and the like. The invention
may be applied in a great variety of ways and for the protection of a great variety
of objects amongst which may be mentioned the carrying of watches on cycles,
the supporting of delicate instruments in engine rooms, torpedo boats and in many
other places and positions, the carrying of eggs and so forth.
The invention involves the use of the pneumatic or compressed air principle
in the form of a pad, case wrapper tube or otherwise. When applied to the
carrying of a watch upon a cycle I prefer to form the pad or a portion thereof
as a case in which the watch would be held preferably leaving the face exposed,
the actual grip of the pad upon the watch and upon the handle bar or other
portion of the cycle being either due or not to the inflation; the pad may if desired
be carried upon a pneumatic stem and may he enclosed in a metal, leather or
other case or support, which may be provided with a suitable clip or equivalent
means of securing it to the machine preferably to the handle bar.
In this and all other cases the pad may be rendered proof against damage
by puncturing. The case may be fitted with celluloid or other transparent
material or the whole of it may be made of such material. Or a window of cellu-
loid or other transparent material may be fitted to the pad itself.
More than one pneumatic pad may be employed.
For carrying eggs or other fragile objects a suitable outer case may be lined
with one or more pneumatic pads or the case proper may be of skeleton form, the
walls being formed by the pads; trays formed of the pads themselves or wood or
other material placed on the pads may be used. The pads may in all cases be supple-
mented by the use of sponge rubber or other soft packing-material. With eggs
or where a number of objects of similar shape or size have to be carried they may
be gripped between two trays, pads or the like which may be made in such a
manner as to form when inflated either a complete or partial receptacle for each
egg etc., which would thus be isolated from its companions and securely held.
Dated this 18th day of October 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Pneumatic Means for the Inter-
ception of Vibration or Shock.
1. HARRY HEWITT GRIFFIN, of 73, Norroy Road, Putney, in the County of
London, Journalist and Statistician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the interception of vibration or shock so as to afford
protection to delicate mechanism, fragile objects and the like. The invention
may be applied in a great variety of ways and for the protection of a great variety
of objects amongst which may be mentioned the carrying of watches on cycles,
the supporting of delicate instruments in engine rooms, torpedo boats motor curs
and in many other places and positions, the carrying of eggs and so forth.
The invention involves the use of the pneumatic or compressed air principle in
the form of a pad, ease wrapper or tube. When applied to the carrying of a
watch upon a cycle I prefer to form the pad or a portion thereof as a case in
which the watch would be held, preferably leaving the face exposed, the actual
grip of the pad upon the watch and upon the handle bar or other portion of the
eyele being either due or not to the inflation; the pad may if desired be carried
upon a pneumatic stem and may be enclosed in a metal, leather or other case
or support, which may be provided with a suitable clip or equivalent means of
securing it to the machine preferably to the handle bar.
In this and all other cases the pad may be rendered proof against damage by
puncturing. The case may be fitted with celluloid or other transparent material
or the whole of it may be made of such material. Or a window of celluloid or
other transparent material may be fitted to the pad itself.
More than one pneumatic pad may be employed.
For carrying eggs or other fragile objects a suitable outer case may be lined
with one or more pneumatic pads or the case proper may be of skeleton form.
the walls being formed by the pads; trays formed of the pads themselves or wood
or other inaterial placed on the pads may be used. The pads may in all cases
be supplemented by the use of sponge rubber or other soft-packing material.
With eggs or where a number of objects of similar shape or size have to be carried
they may be gripped between two trays, pads or the like which may be made in
such a manner as to form when inflated either a complete or partial receptacle
for each egg etc., which would thus is isolated from its companions and securely
held.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure is a vertical section showing the invention applied to a watch holder
for a cycle.
Figure 2 is a similar view of another way of applying the invention to a watch
holder.
Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views parily in section showing the invention
applied to the protection of eggs.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In the arrangement shown in Figure I the watch holder A is constructed of
metal and attached by a clip B to the handle bar C of a cycle. An inflatable
chamber is arranged within the watch holder A so as to form a lining for the
latter. The holder is conveniently formed with an opening in its face of just

page_text: sufficient size to allow of the passage of the watch, the edge of the pneumatic
chamber forming the lining being so arranged that when the chamber is inflated
the watch is securely held within the holder. On deflation of the chamber the
watch can readily be removed. The pneumatic chamber may be surmounted
or otherwise attached within the holder or be left loose within it as desired.
In the construction shown in Figure 2, the watch is carried in some well known
form of holder A, on the back of which is a U-shaped metal case 131 adapted to
contain a pneumatic chamber D', the case B3 is so constructed that when the
chamber Di is deflated it may be passed over the handle bar C of the cycle. Upon
inflation of the chamber D the handle bar is gripped in such a manner as to
securely hold the watch holder A in position while protecting the watch from
shock or vibration. If desired the handle bar may be provided with special means
such as a pin or projection or rib in order to obviate any risk of the holder
slipping round.
In applying the invention to the protection of eggs as shown in Figure 3 a
tray is formed of wood, metal or other suitable material with a bottom E and
sides E. Partitions are arranged in the tray so as to divide it into a series
of chambers or cells. The partitions are constructed of more or less rigid material
such as card-board, wood, hard rubber or the like and are provided with perfora-
tions so as to allow of the passage of air from one cell to another.
The top of the tray is covered in by a sheet G of rubber or some other elastic
material which is attached to the sides of the tray in such a manner as to form
an airtight chamber which may be inflated through one or more valves H. The
rubber sheet G is preferably attached by solutioning or otherwise to the parti-
tions Feither at intervals or otherwise as found convenient.
In use, the cellular tray is inflated and the eggs J placed in the cells in the
manner indicated so that they are supported upon a pneumatic hed. A second
tray constructed similarly to that above described is inflated and placed upon the
top of that which already contains the eggs thus enclosing and holding the latter
in a manner which effectually protects them from shock or vibration.
The sheet G is preferably moulded with indentations which form receptacles
for the eggs. If desired. the sheet may be made thinner in the parts where the
eggs are intended to lie in order to enable it to be stretched more easily at these
points:
If desired, a series of these trays may be arranged in pairs in the manner
described so that they fit within a box or crate for the purpose of transporting
any number of eggs, or several pairs of trays may be bound up together so as
to form in themselves a crate. Each tray may be formed double, that is to say,
with cells upon its upper and lower surfaces so that the bottom of one tray will
fit upon and enclose the eggs contained in the top of the tray beneath. The trays
may be provided with hooks or other devices for fastening" the members of each
pair together.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 4 a pneumatic pad or cushion G is placed
within a tray E. The pneumatic chamber is not divided as in the construction
shown in Figure 3, but preferably attached by solution or otherwise to the tray
and arranged in such a manner that it forms a cushion on which the eggs or
other fragile objects may be placed. By placing the objects upon the cushion
when it is only slightly inflated, and then placing a second cushion in a similar
tray upon the top and inflating both pneumatic chambers, the eggs are securely
held by reason of the elastic sheet being caused by the fluid pressure to press upon
and partially engulf the objects to be protected. If desired, in place of employing
a separate bag arranged within the tray, the tray itself may form part of the pneu-
matic chamber, a flexible and preferably elastic sheet being arranged across the top
in such a manner as to form a closed chamber which may be inflated to the desired
extent.
In a modification, the opposite walls of the bag in the construction illustrated
in Figure 4 may be connected together either by more or less rigid or even flexible

page_text: strips which cross each other dividing the chamber into cells somewhat as in the
construction shown in Figure 3: in this case however, the cellular formation
is intended not so much for the purpose of forming receptacles, for each egg or
other object, as with a view to preventing undue separation of the walls of the
bag consequent upon excessive inflation. In this construction when the chamber
is inflated, the eggs or other objects may be placed in the depressions formed
at the points where the opposing walls are connected.
Conveniently the points where the walls are connected to each other are strength-
ened by strips or pieces or rubber or other suitable material. If desired, "the
pneumatic chamber may be wholly or partially covered with canvas or other
suitable material.
Where it is required to protect some object of inconvenient shape, the latter
may be enveloped in a pneumatic chamber formed as a wrap or bandage, the con-
struction of which may obviously be varied to suit requirements.
For the protection of an instrument on board a torpedo boat or in some other
situation, the case of the instrument may be lined with one or more pneumatic
chambers which will form a support for the instrument and protect it from shock
or vibration.
This invention may be employed for the purpose of protecting delicate or
valuable articles such as jewellery, china or the like and obviates the necessity
of constructing a special case to suit the shape of the article. In this application,
the box intended to contain the article to be protected is lined with one or more
pneumatic chambers so disposed that when the box is closed and the chambers
inflated, the latter automatically adjust themselves to the shape of the article.
It will be seen that the above described invention lends itself to many various
applications other than those described above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The employment of one or more pneumatic chambers to surround and pro-
tect from shocks or vibration watches or other instruments, eggs or other fragile
objects.
2. The combination with a holder for a watch of a pneumatic chamber
interposed between the holder and the watch, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a holder for a watch of a pneumatic chamber forming
a lining for the holder and so arranged that the inflation of the chamber causes
the watch to be retained in the holder. substantially as described.
4. In a watch holder for a cycle a pneumatic chamber interposed between the
handle bar and the clip for attaching the holder substantially as described.
5. In a watch holder for a cycle a pneumatic chamber so disposed within the
clip by which the holder is attached to the handle bar that the inflation of the
chamber causes the handle bar to grip and the holder to be retained in position
substantially as described.
6. In a box or tray for holding and protecting eggs and other fragile objects
a flexible and preferably elastic sheet caused by pneumatic pressure to press upon
and partially engulf the objects to be protected."
7. A pneumatic box or tray for holding and protecting eggs and other fragile
objects comprising a flexible or rigid case and a flexible and preferably elastic
sheet or working face.
8. A pneumatic tray or chamber for the protection of eggs and other fragile
objects from shock or vibration.
9. A cellular pneumatic tray or chamber for the protection of eggs and other
fragile objects from shack or vibration.
10. A pneumatic case or box for protecting delicate or valuable articles which
without being especially formed to the shape of the said articles automatically
adjusts itself thereto.

page_text: 11. The complete egg holder substantially as described and illustrated in
Figure 3 or in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
12. The combination with an instrument case or holder of a pneumatic chamber
forming a lining for the case and a support for the instrument substantially as
described.
H. HEWITT GRIFFIN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.