RESER for Facias, Signs, Window-tablets, and the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 8th Sept., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 11th Oct., 1887.
RESER
for Facias, Signs, Window-tablets, and the like.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Jules Dodon of 35 Rue Grange aux Belles, Paris, France, Gilder,) to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of letters figures and designs for
facias, signs, window-tablets, and the like, of moulded glass, the letters or characters
being either formed separately or in one piece with the plate or tablet. Many attempts
have been made to produce letters or characters, for the above purposes, of glass
instead of metal, which attempts have, however, hitherto failed owing to the difficulty
of producing them of the desired perfection on an industrial scale at a sufficiently
cheap rate.
The object of this Invention is to produce an article at small cost which shall be
even superior to metallic letters. For this purpose it is proposed to mould each
letter or figure in glass together with a corresponding portion of the base, or it might
be even with a border in such manner that when the several letters or figures are put
together to form the desired inscription the background and bordering will also be
formed at same time. Each letter or figure is thus moulded so as to stand out from
a plane surface of a dimensions suited to the kind of sign or tablet to be produced.
The letters may also be produced separately, by blowing and moulding, independently
of the base to which they are to be applied. For example, I may produce by blowing
what are known as "bamboo" letters, as illustrated by way of example in the
accompanying drawing, which it has never hitherto been possible to make in glass.
The Invention is not, however, limited to this particular kind of letter, as single or
double bevelled, antique, monumental, and other forms of letters may be produced by
blowing in a similar manner.

page_text: These detached letters have metal plates attached to their rear side with ears b for
nailing to a suitable support, as shewn in figure 3, or have eyes formed of twisted
wire inserted in holes made in the edges of the letters, as shewn in figure 5.
Figure 1 shews a face view, and figure 2, a horizontal section on line 1-2 of a
glass letter a moulded in relief upon a fluted back ground b, but it will be evident
that the letter may be simply distinguished by giving it a different shade or color to
the background, or the letter may be recessed in said background, or be partly recessed
and partly in relief, etc. The letters may also be made more or less ornamental as
desired. The background may be either plain, fluted, as shewn, or granulated, and
the plate or tablet may also be of any form. The bordering or moulding c, which is
formed together with the letter and background, may also be of any pattern desired.
These glass tablets may be fixed by screws passing through holes d formed in
moulding, or they may be cemented or otherwise fixed in position.
It is preferred to gild the letters at back so as to give them a metallic lustre which
can never tarnish, or be injured by the most frequent cleaning. The letters may
either be colored or left uncolored, and the back-ground also colored preferably on the
back, or the characters may be moulded in colored glass, and thus save the necessity
of coloring, gilding, or silvering, the letter or background or both. The letters or
characters thus produced may also be ornamented by engraving, in the manner shewn
in figure 5, or by cutting, as in figure 6.
Dated this 8th day of December 1886.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: for Facias, Signs, Window-tablets, and the like.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Jules Dodon, of 35 Rue Grange aux Belles, Paris, France, Gilder), and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in the manufacture of letters, figures and designs for facias,
signs, window-tablets, and the like, of moulded glass, the letters or characters being
either formed separately or in one with the plate or tablet. Many attempts have
been made to produce letters or characters, for the above purposes of glass instead of
metal, which attempts have, however, hitherto failed owing to the difficulty of pro-
ducing them cheaply and in a sufficiently perfect manner as regards sharpness of
outline on an industrial scale.
The object of this invention is to produce an article at small cost which shall be
even superior to metallic letters, by moulding each letter or figure in glass together
with a corresponding portion of the ground of the plate or tablet or even with a
border or frame in such manner that when the several letters or figures are put
together to form the desired inscription the background and border or frame will
also be formed at same time. Each letter or figure is therefore moulded so as to
stand out from a plane surface of dimensions suited to the kind of sign or tablet
to be produced.
The letters may also be produced separately by blowing in moulds, independently of
the ground on which they are to be applied. For example, I may produce by
blowing what are known as "bamboo" letters, (being letters in imitation of those
made of bamboo, as illustrated by way of example in the drawing accompanying my
provisional specification), which it has never hitherto been possible to make in glass.
The invention is not, however, limited to this particular kind of letter, as single or
double bevelled, antique, monumental, and other kinds of letters may be produced by
blowing in a similar manner.
These detached letters have metal plates attached to their rear side with ears b
for nailing to a suitable support (as shown in figure 3) or have eyes formed of
twisted wire inserted in holes made in the edges of the letters (as shown in figure 5)
for a similar purpose.
Figure 1 shows a face view, and figure 2, a horizontal section on line 1-2 of a
glass letter a moulded in relief in one piece with a fluted base or background b, but
it will be evident that the letter may be simply distinguished by not applying color
to that part of the moulded glass or by giving it a shade or color different to that of
the tablet or ground, or the letter may be recessed in said tablet, or be partly recessed

page_text: and partly in relief, etc., and the letters may be made more or less ornamental as
desired. The base or ground may be either plain, fluted as shown, or granular,
and may also be of any form other than the rectangular form shown. The
border or moulding c, which is formed together with the letter and ground, may
also be of any pattern desired.
These glass tablets may be fixed by screws passing through holes a formed in
moulding, or they may be cemented or otherwise fixed in position without the
necessity of setting out the letters beforehand.
It is preferred to gild the letters beneath the glass by a special process so as to
give them a metallic lustre which can never tarnish, or be injured by the most
frequent cleaning, or the letters may be colored or left uncolored and the ground
also colored, the color being in all cases preferably applied on the back. The
letters may also be moulded in colored glass, and thus save the necessity of coloring,
gilding, or silvering the letter or background or both. The letters or characters
may also be ornamented by receiving a matt or dull surface, or by engraving, in the
manner shown in figure 5, or by cutting, as in figure 6, the designs being of course
susceptible of indefinite variation.
These new products never become deteriorated but on the contrary improve in
appearance by constant cleaning, and they also last for an indefinite period.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is―
The manufacture of letters, figures and designs for facias, signs, window tablets,
and the like, of moulded glass either in one piece with a base or ground or separately,
the letters being either in relief or recessed or partly in both ways, or merely
distinguished by difference of color and ornamented or hot and in all styles substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and represented in the drawings.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.