IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING SOAP BUBBLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING SOAP BUBBLES."-A communication
from abroad by Samuel Blake Bliss, of the City, County, and State
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 6th July 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVED Appa-
BATUS FOR MAKING SOAP BUBBLES," 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

page_text: it has been communicated to me from abroad by Samuel Blake Bliss,
of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
The object of this Invention is to furnish for the amusement of
children a toy instrument by which soap bubbles may be equally and
quickly produced without the spilling of the soap water and other
inconveniences.
The Invention consists mainly in the arrangement of a casing or
receptacle for soap and soap water with an air pipe and exit tube, in
which latter the quantity required for a bubble is regulated by a suitably
constructed valve mechanism.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 and 2 respectively represent
vertical longitudinal sections of the improved toy for making soap
bubbles, showing modified valve constructions of the same. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents a hollow casing or receptacle, preferably divided into two
sections B and C, connected by a slot a for the soap and soap water,
which are placed therein by means of an opening b, which is then closed
by a cork or suitable stopper d. A long air pipe D is applied at one side
of the casing A, opening into the exit tube F, which is provided with a 2
convexo-concave face, having a small central hole e for the formation
of the bubbles, being also connected with the casing A by a suitably
constructed valve arrangement E.
One or more drops of soap water are fed by the valve into the exit
tube F after the instrument has been turned and thoroughly shaken with
the air pipe and exit tube in an upward position until the contact of the
water with the soap has produced soap water of the consistency required
for forming the bubbles. The instrument is then turned back, the soap
water being ready for use, and the soap thereby economized, as it does
not come in contact with the water when blowing the bubbles, nor a
fill up nor choke the valve connection of the soap water section with the
exit tube.

page_text: A valve rod passes through a suitable aperture of the exit tube F,
being either guided in casing A and operated by a spiral spring and
rubber discs, as indicated in Figure 1, or applied directly to a rubber
valve of the exit tube, as in Figure 2, so as to operate the valve con-
nection E of the casing and exit tube, and admit one or more drops into
the latter from the soap water receptacle.
The soap bubbles are produced by blowing gently through the air
pipe D after pressing on the valve and supplying the soap water to the
exit tube.
The repeated working of the valve permits the corresponding blowing
of the bubbles as a small quantity of soap water is supplied at each
motion of the valve rod, producing thereby the bubbles with great
rapidity, and continuing until the soap water is exhausted, to be
replenished in the manner described.
Having described the nature of Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. The instrument or toy device for producing soap bubbles, con-
sisting of a hollow casing or receptacle for the soap and soap water, an
air pipe, an exit tube, and a soap water feeding valve, arranged sub-
stantially as used and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The exit tube, having convexo-concave face, with perforation for
the issuing of the soap bubbles, as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
HARRY SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)