(OR IMPROVED) SAFETY BLINKERS INTENDED FOR STOPPING SKITTISH OR RUNAWAY HORSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Etienne Joseph Eugène Niepce, junior, of 37,
Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of France, for
the Invention of "NEW (OR IMPROVED) SAFETY BLINKERS INTENDED FOR
STOPPING SKITTISH OR RUNAWAY HORSES."-A communication from
Joseph Isidore Niepce (senior), residing at Givry, Saône-et-Loire,
in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 19th February 1869, and dated the 21st August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Etienne Josephi
Eugène Niepce at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 21st August 1868.
I, ETIENNE JOSEPH EUGÈNE NIEPCE, junior, of 37, Boulevard Bonne
Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "NEW (OR IMPROVED) SAFETY BLINKERS INTENDED
FOR STOPPING SKITTISH OR RUNAWAY HORSES," a communication from
Joseph Isidore Niepce, senior, a person resident at Givry, Saône-et-
Loire, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
My improved blinkers are provided with a very simple and strong

page_text: mechanism in connection with a bellows expanding cap or obturator
which it keeps constantly closed within the blinker unless the driver
by pulling on a small rein attached to the mechanism causes the
obturator to open when it completely covers the horse's eyeball, totally
depriving it of sight and causing the horse to stop; upon abandoning the
rein the obturator closes again, the horse recovers sight, but the accident
is avoided.
On the accompanying Sheets of Drawing, forming part of this my
Provisional Specification, Fig. 1 (Sheet I.) represents the inner
mechanism of the blinker; a, b, c, indicating the obturator or closed cap;
d, d, pieces of metal soldered and riveted at e, e, to the metal ring or rim
which encloses the obturator, to which it is fixed at A (Fig. 2, Sheet II.),
and forming a hinge at f, f, by means of an iron rod which serves as
axle to the springs and which loosely ties the pieces d, d, to supports
g, g, soldered to the metal plate of the blinker B; h, h, spiral springs
of any suitable metal turned the one to the right the other to the left,
each stopping at i, i, in a metal tube 1, 1, pierced at with several holes
which serve for securing the springs h, h; this tube plays in a piece
of metal tubing reduced by one half of its diameter and leaving at
its ends k, k, two full parts which form two rings. This part of the
tube is soldered to the plate B, the other end of the springs m, m, passes
into a hole in the pieces forming hinge d, d, in this position the springs
are held set by means of the catch P soldered to the plate B. The
metal ring or rim which encloses the obturator C (Fig. 2, Sheet II.),
is pressed against the blinker plate B by the springs h, h; n, n,
(Fig. 1, Sheet I.) small latches fixed on the metal rod o, o, to which
the false rein is attached at q; in pulling on this rein the rod o, o, turns
in the metal tubes p, p, soldered on the blinker plate B, the latches
n, n, act lifting the hinge pieces d, d, and the obturator or cap opens,
coming down over the eye of the horse, and on releasing the rein the
action is reversed.
The obturator or cap is formed of a double piece of good black silk
between which I place a piece of goldbeater's skin glued or otherwise
stuck to the silk, I place the whole in a moist state on a wooden mould,
fix it with a wire or cord in each fold of the mould and when the fabric
is dry I iron it with a goffering iron. This bellows cap or obturator
is fixed to the plate B which has an inner flange of about of an inch
pierced with holes,. through which passes a stout thread attaching

page_text: the last fold of the cap, the upper part being fixed to the ring a, b, c,
(Fig. 1, Sheet I.) by an iron wire enclosed in the first fold of the cap
cut at certain points to receive an iron wire soldered in these parts of
the ring a, b, c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Etienne Joseph Eugène Niepce in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ETIENNE
JOSEPH EUGÈNE NIEPCE, junior, of 37, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle,
Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Etienne Joseph Eugène
Niepce, junior, Her special licence that I, the said Etienne Josepli
Eugène Niepce, junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Etienne Joseph Eugène Niepce, junior,
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.
"NEW (OR IMPROVED) SAFETY BLINKERS INTENDED FOR STOPPING SKITTISH OR
RUNAWAY HORSES," a communication from Joseph Isidoré Niepce,
senior, a person resident at Givry, Saône-et-Loire, in the Empire of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Etienne
Joseph Eugène Niepce, junior, my executors or administrators; 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 Etienne Joseph Eugène Niepce,
junior, do licreby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this
Specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon.
These improved blinkers are provided with a very simple and strong
mechanism in connection with a bellows expanding cap or obturator
which it keeps constantly closed within the blinker unless the driver
by pulling on a small rcin attached to the mechanism causes the
obturator to open, when it completely covers the horse's eyeball, totally
depriving it of sight and causing the horse to stop; upon abandoning
the rein the obturator closes again, the horse recovers sight, but the
accident is avoided.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this my
final Specification, Fig. 1 represents the inner mechanism of the blinker.
a, b, c, indicating the obturator or close cap; d, d, pieces of metal
soldered and rivited at e, e, to the metal ring or rim which encloses
the obturator to which it is fixed at A (Fig. 2), and forming hinge
at ff, by means of an iron rod which serves as axle to the springs
and which loosely ties the pieces d, d, to supports g, g, soldered
to the metal plate of the blinker B; h, h, spiral springs of any suitable
metal turned the one to the right the other to the left, each stopping
at i, i, in a metal tube 7, 1, pierced at with several holes which serve
for securing the springs h, h, this tube plays in a piece of metal tubing
reduced by one-half of its diameter and having its ends k, k¹, two
full parts which form two rings. This part of the tube is soldered to
the plate B, the other end of the springs m, m, passes into a hole in
the pieces forming hinge d, d; in this position the springs are held set
by means of the catch P soldered to the plate B. The metal ring or
rim which encloses the obturator C (Fig. 2), is pressed against the
blinker plate B by the springs h, h. 'n, n,' (Fig. 1), small latches fixed
on the metal rod o, o, to which the false rein is attached at q, in pulling
on this rein the rod o, o, turns in the metal tubes p, p, soldered on the
blinker plate B, the latches n, n, act, lifting the hinge pieces d, d, and
the obturator or cap opens, coming down over the eye of the horse; and
on releasing the rein the action is reversed.
The obturator or cap is formed of a double piece of good black silk,
between which I place a piece of goldbeater's skin glued or otherwise

page_text: stuck to the silk, I place the whole in a moist state on a wooden mould,
fix it with a wire or cord in each fold of the mould, and when the
fabric is dry I iron it with a goffering iron.
This bellows cap or
obturator is fixed to the plate B which has an inner flange of about
of an inch pierced with holes through which passes a stout thread,
attaching the last fold of the cap to this flange, the upper part being
fixed to the ring a, b, c, (Fig. 1) by an iron wire enclosed in the first
fold of the cap, which fold is cut at certain points to receive an iron
wire soldered in these parts of the ring a, b, c. To prevent the
displacement of the blinkers when the mechanism is set in motion I
keep them together by two small straps X crossing each other, starting
from the upper end of one blinker to join on to the lower end of the
opposite blinker (see Figs. 1 and 2).
In witness whereof, I, the said Etienne Joseph Eugène Niepce,
junior, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.