IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO TONGS, SHEARS, PICKLE FORKS AND OTHER IMPLEMENTS TWO TERMINALS WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER
Year: 1884

page_text: I FRANCIS TAYLOR, of Whitchurch, in the county of Salop, Watchmaker and
Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO TONGS, SHEARS, PICKLE FORKS AND OTHER IMPLEMENTS
TWO TERMINALS WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER
" to be as follows:-
HAVING
This invention has for its object an implement which will grasp the article
automatically and requires pressure to release, instead of its normal condition
being that of openness and requiring pressure to close it or cause it to grasp or cut,
as in in ordinary sugar or fire tongs, ordinary scissors or shears. It consists in
forming the tool with a spring, preferably coiled with one or more turns as shown
forming the handle,. and a pair of bars crossing each other for shanks, and so
tempered that the tendency of the spring will be to close the tool. The tool thus
grasps or cuts by spring pressure, and opens by manual force acting on the spring
by simple compression. The accompanying drawing of a pair of sugar tongs will
explain its action thoroughly, it being understood that in place of the bowls of the
sugar tongs herein shown, there could be shear blades, ordinary tongs, or pickle
fork ends, or any other requisite ends in place of bowls. The two stems are
shown both slotted with a pin or rivet passing through the slots, but they could
simply pass each other without either slot or rivet, or one pass through a slot in
the other, or they could have a ring or link placed round them at the crossing, or
one could be slotted and a pin or rivet placed through, rivetted or fixed to the
other and linking them together, or other similar means could be used for holding
them together to give them a parallel motion as fancy or special requirements may
dictate. Further, I do not bind myself to a coiled spring as a flat spring similar
to what is used in this class of implement would also answer the purpose.
Dated this seventh day of January 1884.

page_text: I FRANCIS TAYLOR, of Whitchurch, in the county of Salop, Watchmaker and
Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO TONGS, SHEARS, PICKLE FORKS, AND OTHER IMPLEMENTS HAVING
TWO TERMINALS WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-.
This invention has for its object an implement which will grasp the article
automatically, and requires pressure to release, instead of its normal condition being
that of openness, and requiring pressure to close it or cause it to grasp or cut as in
ordinary sugar or fire tongs, ordinary scissors or shears. It consists in forming the
tool with a spring, preferably coiled with one or more turns as shown forming the
handle, and a pair of bars crossing each other for shanks, and so tempered that
the tendency of the spring will be close to the tool. The tool thus grasps or cuts
by spring pressure, and opens by manual force acting on the spring by simple
compression. The accompanying drawings of sugar tongs will explain its action
thoroughly, it being understood that in place of the bowls of the sugar tongs
herein shown, there could be shear blades, ordinary tongs or pickle fork ends, or
any other requisite ends in place of bowls.
In these Figs 1 and 2 show two views of a sugar tongs with slot and sliding
rivet.
Fig 3 with stationary rivet and double cross.
Fig 4 with stationary rivet and no cross at all.
Fig 5 with the same, but with pivots to take off some of the strain from the
spring, so that an ordinary flat spring can be comfortably used.
Fig 6 another modification..
In these A is the spring which is preferably formed with one complete coil, as
shown in the first four figures, so as to enable it to give a large travel at the joint
or crossing B.
B joint or crossing where the two legs either cross each other or are riveted
together, and either do not cross or cross and recross as in Fig 4. C subsidiary
joint that can be used with riveted crossings to increase the travel at the joint,
especially where there is only a flat bow spring instead of a coil. If a coil be used,
I prefer to do without it. D legs of the tongs; these preferably spring from the
rivet or joint and are a continuation of the spring, but it is obvious that the latter
could be forked and they could spring from a point E as shown in dotted lines in
Figs 1 and 5, the bow being forked at this point, one part going to the slot or rivet,
the other to the bowl, and the part going to the rivet could end at the rivet or slot
end as shown in dotted lines at F, or in the case of Fig 1 could even be dispensed
with altogether, but is useful to strengthen the tongs sideways. There is no
particular advantage however in forking the legs instead of having them as
à continuous simple bar, and it is a trifle more costly. I merely mention it therefore
as a modification to prevent others claiming it.
It will be obvious from these examples and others mentioned in my provisional
specification, that the actual form of joint is immaterial as it can be greatly varied
without departing from the principles set forth above.
Further, I do not bind myself to a coiled spring, as a flat spring similar to what
is usually now used in this class of implement would to a large extent also answer
the purpose; It will also be obvious that as in Fig 6 it is not necessary to have
the spring in the handle, the spring can be of any form and in any position.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1st The improvements applicable to tongs, shears, pickle forks, and other
implements having two terminals working against each other, which consist in
forming them with a spring and reversed action, so that by pressure against the
spring the legs open, and by the direct action of the spring the legs close,
substantially as described and illustrated.
2nd The improved mechanism for use where two terminals work together, in the
manner of tongs, substantially as described and illustrated for tongs in the various
Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and C.
W P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.