A LEVER, BY THE APPLICATION OF WHICH ALONE, OR. WITH THE ADDITION. OF A.RACK, I:CAN MAKE SNUFFERS TO ACT WITHOUT' SPRINGS
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HOBDAY, of Woodcock Street, in the Parish of Aston, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Snuffer Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Samuel. Hobday, have, after. much labour, study, and
expence, found out and invented "A LEVER, BY THE APPLICATION OF WHICH ALONE,
OR. WITH THE ADDITION. OF A.RACK, I:CAN MAKE SNUFFERS TO ACT WITHOUT' SPRINGS,"
that I am the first. and true Inventor thereof, and that the same has never
been made or used. by any other.person or persons, to the best of my know-
ledge and belief; and whereas, on representing the same to His present
Majesty King George the Third, His said Majesty, by. Letters Patent, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the fiftieth year
of His reign, hath given and granted unto me, the said Samuel Hobday,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, especial licence, full power, sole privilege: and
authority, that I, the said Samuel Hobday, my exors, admors, and assigns, and
every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Samuel Hobday,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should. at any time : agree with,.and.no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend

page_text: my said Invention within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Samuel Hobday, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, or any of them, should in my or their discretions seem
meet; and it is by the said Letters Patent provided, that if I, the said Samuel
Hobday, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in
the High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then those Letters Patent, and
all liberties and advantages thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine,
and become void, anything therein contained to the contrary thereof in any-
wise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent, inrolled in the
High Court of Chancery, may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Hobday, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the following plans or Drawings and description (that is
to say):
Fig. 1 is a representation of the snuffer when finished, except the shanks,
which may be made in any of the usual forms, or varied according to the
taste of the manufacturer. Fig. 2 shews the interior of the snuffer, in the
lower blade of which are fixed three pivots a, b, and c; upon the pivot a is
fixed the lever D (Fig. 3), one end of which works in a groove of the small
side of the joint of the upper blade E, and the other in a groove of the
Scraper F (Fig. 4), which turns on the pivot b; that part of the scraper which
surrounds the pivot 6 is nearly a semicircle, and acts upon or works in a
groove in the door of the receptacle G (Fig. 5), and opens and shuts it to
receive and inclose the snuff. The door G turns on the pivot c, over the
arm of the scraper; and fixed in the lower blade is the guard H, which
presents a circular side towards the door of the snuffer, and extends over the
greatest part of the lower blade, allowing an interval for the action of the
lever, scraper, and door of the receptacle; along the circular side of the guard
the blade of the scraper passes and repasses as the snuffer is opened and shut.
By the act of opening the snuffer the blade of the scraper is drawn towards
the joint, and the door of the receptacle is closed to secure the snuff and of
shutting the blade of the scraper, returns, clears in its passage the door of the
upper blade and cutter, forces the snuff into the receptacle, (the door of which
recedes), and assumes the place and serves as the door of the receptacle, whilst

page_text: the snuffer remains closed. The receptacle may be emptied by a door at the
point, either sliding in grooves or turning on a hinge, and fastened as may be
most convenient. The door G that closes the receptacle may be made to act
straight across by placing a peg at the end of lever D, and a small lever
placed on the pivot b, over the scraper, with a groove at one end for the peg
of lever D to work in, and a small hole at the other to which the door is
fastened by a rivet; on opening the snuffer this door shuts the receptacle in a
direct line, and on closing the snuffer returns in the same direction. Fig. 3
shews the lever D; Fig. 4, the scraper F; Fig. 5, the door of the recep-
tacle G; Fig. 6, the guard H; and Fig. 7, the upper blade of the snuffer
with the door; the dotted line represents the projecting bar or cutter.
No. 2 is a snuffer, the interior part or scraper of which is moved by a rack
and pinion, inclosing and securing the snuff without the use of springs.
Fig. 1 is a general view of the snuffer, with the end of the box uncovered to
shew the disposition of the parts. (A) is a door or scraper moving upon the
part (B, Fig. 3) and the screw C; upon the end of the door of the scraper is
fixed a piece of iron D, having two projecting points between which the beak
of the pinion E is placed; the pinion works upon a pivot of the upright F,
attached to the large blade Fig. 2, through the centre of which the screw
passes which fastens the pinion, and serves as a pivot for the interior door
or scraper. The inner part of the joint of the small side is worked with cogs,
which fitting those of the pinion give, on moving the shank, a rotatory motion
to the scraper. The distance of the projecting points upon the scraper allow
it to remain stationary at the first movement of the shank, scraping the snuff
from the bar or small blade, and on its return retards it till the snuff is cut
off and ready to be carried away by the scraper A. Fig. 2, an opening through
the blade of the large slide, which is grooved to receive the slide Fig. 3,
for the purpose of emptying the snuff. Fig. 4 is a plate and shell to cover
the end of the box, and the joint of the snuffer.
No. 3 is a snuffer which has a receptacle for the snuff, the opening of which
is closed by a door worked by a lever, which at the same time acts as a
scraper to clear the snuff from the small plate. Fig. 1 is the general appear-
ance of the snuffers when shut. Fig. 2, 3, 4, 5, are plans of the box and
movements. In the box a partition is made A, A, having an opening equal
in size to the door upon the small plate. In the joint of the small side, Fig. 5,
a circular bole is made that the joint may traverse round the centre of the
lever which passes through it. In the lever (B, Fig. 2) a semicircular cavity
is made to allow the door of the receptacle (Fig. 4) to remain motionless till
the outer door of the snuffer is opened to a considerable distance, during

page_text: t
which the snuff is taken from the blade of the small side; it also operates in
shutting the snuffer to prevent the door of the receptacle from closing till the
snuff is cut off and completely forced into the receptacle by the door- of the
small plate. By reversing the pivots on the joint of the snuffer, the action of
the snuffer will be reversed, require.the door upon the small plate to be placed
near the joint instead of the point of the snuffer, as shewn in Fig. 1, and
supersede the necessity of the partition A, A.
No. 4 is a snuffer, in which the snuff is secured by a cutter rising out of
the box (as in the snap suuffer), but without the use of the spring, which
renders them so liable. to be out of repair; all possibility of the snuff escaping
in the action of snuffing the candle is prevented by an inner box or damper,
which conceals the snuff when the door of the small side is open. A is the
box in which an opening is made at the top and front to receive tlie cutter
(B), in the joint of which a groove is filed to admit the nut at the end of the
lever (C), which passes through a hole in the blade of the snuffer (D); the
other end works upon a pivot fixed upon the joint of the small side. The hole
of the lever (E) is made oval that the shank may be permitted to move a short
distance before it acts upon the lever, in order that it may clear- the snuff
from the bar of the little side. A hollow or groove (F) is worked in the bottom
of the large blade to contain the lever; this is covered by the polished plate (G),
which is rivetted to the joint and point of the snuffer. (H) is a joint in
which the cutter works. The inner box or damper (1) moves upon a joint
at the back of the outer box, and is raised on shutting the snuffer: by a small
wedge or triangular piece of iron (K), attached to the blade of the small side.
On opening the snuffer the wedge is withdrawn from the damper (I), which
falls by its own weight and covers the snuff. The joints of the damper and
snuffer are covered with a shell of steel or any other metal or substance,
which may be thought ornamental; the dotted circle on the top socket shews
the place of the pivot. The snuffer may be made with or without the inner
damper (I).
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hobday, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of November, One thousand eight

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1810, the aforesaid Samuel Hobday came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowleged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and ten.