IMPROVEMENTS IN COUNTING, MEASURING, AND WEIGHING NEEDLES, AND IN PREPARING PAPERS TO RECEIVE THE SAME
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur James, of Redditch, in the County of
Worcester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COUNTING, MEASURING, AND WEIGHING NEEDLES, AND IN PREPARING
PAPERS TO RECEIVE THE SAME."
Sealed the 6th February 1854, and dated the 9th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur James at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th December 1853.
I, ARTHUR JAMES, of Redditch, in the County of Worcester,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUNTING, MEASURING, AND WEIGHING NEEDLES,
AND IN PREPARING PAPERS TO RECEIVE THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My method of counting needles consists in the use of a wheel
revolving in a vertical plane; the periphery of the wheel has teeth of a
size suitable to receive between them the needles to be counted. This
wheel revolves at the bottom of an incline, down which the needles fall..
By turning the wheel through any portion of a revolution, a number of

page_text: needles are delivered into a paper, equal to the number of teeth in that
portion of the wheel's circumference. Stops placed at suitable inter-
vals indicate when the wheel has passed through such a portion of its
revolution as to deliver twenty-five or other number of needles. My
method of measuring consists in letting the needles descend into a
measurer turning upon an axis, which measurer is so balanced, that
when full, one end descends and emptics the said measurer, and the
ascending end at the same time stops the supply of needles, and when
emptied, the said measurer regains its former position, and is resupplied
with needles. My method of measuring by weighing, consists in the
use of a platform or stago on which the needles fall. When a sufficient
number have fallen to cause the platform to descend, the supply is
cut off until the platform resumes its former position. The papers
in which needles are enclosed are ordinarily creased and folded by
hand. I prepare the said papers by creasing or forming the folds
therein by means of dies and pressure, so that the neatness of tho
folding does not depend upon the manipulation of the person putting
the needles into papers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur James in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ARTHUR JAMES, of Redditch, in the County of Worcester, Manufac-
turer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Arthur James, Her special licence that
I, the said Arthur James, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Arthur James, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time

page_text: 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 COUNTING, MEA-
SURING, AND WEIGHING NEEDLES, AND IN PREPARING PAPERS TO RECEIVE
THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Arthur
James, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the samo
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the dato of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur James, 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):
Figure 1 represents, in sido elevation, and Figure 2, in plan, my
machine for counting needles. It consists of a wheel a rotating in a
vertical plane; the periphery of the said wheel a is formed into teeth,
the said teeth being of a size suitable to receive between them the
needles to be counted; b, b, are pins or stops on the side of the wheel a;
c, is a lever turning upon a joint at d the end c' of the lever c; engages
against the pins or stops b, b, and provents the rotation of the wheel a
in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, excepting under
the circumstances herein-after explained. The parts described are
situated at the lower end of an inclined plane c, and the needles to be
counted are placed between the guides f, g, which said guides can be
made to approach to or recede from one another, in order to suit needles
of different lengths. From between the guides f, g, the needles pass
under the metal plate h, in a slot, in which said plate the lower edge of
the wheel a works. The lower part of the inclined plane e may be
made of glass, in order that the needles may more readily slide thereon.
The action of the machine is as follows:-By pressing with the finger
on the end c of the lever c, c', the end c will be raised and disengaged
from the pin or stop against which it bore; the wheel a may be now
set in motion by the winch a' in the direction indicated by the arrow in

page_text: Figure 1, the finger being immediately removed from c, so that the end
c of the lever c, d, may fall and arrest the motion of the wheel, when
the next pin or stop is brought against it. During this partial revolu-
tion of the wheel a, the teeth on its periphery have carried forward and
liberated on the lower part of the inclined plane a number of needles,
equal to the number of teeth situated between two contiguous pins or
stops b, b. The said needles falling from the inclined plane are received
into a paper placed under the lower edge of the inclined plane. The
size of the wheel a, the size of the teeth of the periphery of the same, and
the distance between the pins or stops b, b, must be arranged so as to suit
the size of the needles to be counted and the number it is wished to
deliver into each paper. I also effect the measuring of needles by means
of a hand measure or guage, such as is represented in Figure 8, which
said measurer on being laid on a series of needles spread parallel on a flat
surface, collects a uniform quantity between its teeth, which quantity
may be drawn off from the rest. One end of the measurer must be put
down on the needles first, and the other gradually depressed thereon.
Figure 3 represents in side elevation, and Figure 4 in plan, my
machine for measuring quantities of needles. It consists of an inclined
plan, and arrangements for permitting the needles to slide down the
same, similar to the arrangements herein-before described with referenco
to Figures 1 and 2. At the lower part of the said inclined plane is a
plate i, fixed on the axis k, and capable of oscillating about the said
axis; the ends of the said plate are turned at right angles, as shewn in
Figure 3, and the said plate is preserved in the position represented by
i, Figure 3, either by a spring pressing it in that position, or by the
plate itself being so unequally balanced about the axis k, that it spon-
taneously assumes that position when free to move. When the oscil-
lating plate is in the position i, Figure 3, the descent of the needles on
the inclined plane is prevented by the lower edge of the said plate
coming in contact with the inclined plane. By pressing with the finger
upon the upper part of the oscillating plate, it assumes the position i¹,
Figure 3; the upper edge coming in contact with the inclined plano
prevents the descent of the needles above it, while all the needles con-
tained between the said upper edge and the lower edge of the plate are

page_text: liberated by the rising of the lower edge from the incline plane, and
the said needles slide off the said inclined plane, and are received into a
paper. By lifting the finger from the upper edge of the oscillating plate,
it again assumes the position i, and the needles descend to the lower.
edge of the said plate. By repeating the operations described, uniform
quantities of needles are measured out. The quantity of needles
measured out at each motion of the oscillating plate, is the number
contained between the upper and lower edges of the same.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation my machine for measuring
uniform quantities of needles-by weighing. It consists of the inclined
plane 1, resembling in its general construction the inclined plane herein-
before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. m is a plate
situated at the bottom of the inclined plane l, and having motion in a
vertical plane, the said plate being attached to the lever n, and balanced
thereon; the said lever n turns upon the centre o. p is the scale pan of
a balance, one edge of which said scale pan is situated under the bottom
of the inclined plane l, the other scale pan of the balance (which I
have thought it necessary to represent) is loaded with a weight equal
to the weight of the quantity of the needles which it is wished to weigh
out at a time. When the plato m is in the position represented,
needles fall from off the inclined plano 7, on the scale pan p, until a
sufficient quantity has accumulated therein to cause it to preponderate
over the other and weighted scale pan, when the scale pan p descends
and strikes the end of the lever n; the plate m is thereby raised,
and the flow of needles down the inclined plane. arrested. The
weighted needles are emptied from the scale pan p, and the said pan
restored to its place as represented. The plate m, which has been
raised as described, is depressed by the finger into the position repre-
sented in the Drawing, when the flow of needles into the scale pan p
recommences, and continues until the plate m is again raised by the
descent of the scale pan p. Instead of balancing the plate m on the
lever n, the said plate m may be raised by a spring under it; and when
depressed by the hand into. the position represented in the Drawing,
may be held in its depressed position by a catch, and the catch may be
disengaged, and the plate m allowed to rise by the descent of the scale
.

page_text: pan p. Figuro 6, represents in plan and transverse vertical section
the upper die of a pair of dies, to be used for creasing or folding papers
to be used in wrapping up needles. The lines 7, 7, 9, 9, consist of
projecting edges, and the other lines of depressions cut in the face of
the die; the lower die is the counterpart of the upper die, Figure 6.
By placing a piece of paper on the face of the lower die, and bringing
the upper dic Figure 6, down thereon, the said paper is creased in such
a manner that the several creases are in the positions and directions
proper for folding up the said paper when filled with needles: Figuro
7 represents in vertical section a pair of dies for folding papers for
holding needles, according to another part of my Invention. The
upper dier descends to a considerable distance in the lower dies, so as
not only to crease the paper, but to raise the sides nearly vertically, as
represented at t, the said sides of the paper being folded down one
upon another (the needles having been previously placed in the papers)
the said partially folded paper is placed another pair of dies by which
it is creased transversely, and the ends raised into a vertical position;
the said ends may be folded down by hand. The presses used with
that portion of my Invention, illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, resemble
the presses ordinarily used for pressing purposes generally, and I do
not think it necessary to describo the same. I sometimes modify the
last described portion of my Invention in the following manner, that is
to say: Instead of using dies- and presses for creasing paper,
I effect
the same by means of two rolls, the said rolls working in the same
plane, and being placed one in advance of the other. The first roll
forces the paper into a groove or channel, whereby the paper is creased
and the sides of the said paper are raised vertically; and the second
roll having transverse ridges or projections on its cylindrical surface,
gives transverse creases to the paper passing under it. The vertical
sides of the paper creased by the first roll must be folded down upon
one another, before the said paper is subjected to the action of the
second roll.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise methods herein described and

page_text: illustrated by the accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention. But I claim
as my Invention, firstly, the counting of determined or uniform
quantities of needles, by transferring the same from one portion of a
plane to another portion thereof, by means of a rotating wheel or disc
having teeth on its periphery, which said teeth gather the needles
between them during the rotation of the wheel or disc. On the said
plane the rotation of the said wheel or disc being arrested at intervals
suitable to effect the transfer by the said wheel or disc of a required
quantity of needles as herein-before described, and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, counting or measuring needles by a hand measurer
or guage, as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly, the measuring of determined or uniform quantities of needles
by means of an oscillating plate or measurer, as berein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Fourthly, weighing determined or uniform quantities of needles by
causing the said needles to descend from an inclined plane to a balanced
scale pan, which said scale pan, when the proper quantities of needles
have accumulated therein, descends and acts upon mechanism, which
cuts off the further supply of needles, as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Lastly, preparing papers to receive needles by creasing or partially
folding the same by dies, and pressure, and rolls, as herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur James, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
ARTHUR JAMES. (L.S.)
GEORGE SHAW.