An Improved Fan for Personal Use.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application. 18th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1890-Accepted, 13th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fan for Personal Use.
WILLIAM FREDERICK DICKES, of 75 Loughboro Park, Brixton London, S.W.
Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This fan consists of two or more wings binged together or onto a central support or
body and made to flap mechanically or otherwise.
Dated this Seventeenth day of September 1889.
An improved Fan 1or Personal use.
WILLIAM FREDERICK DICKES, 75 Loughboro Park, Brixton, S.W. Artist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention 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 of two or more wings (w) hinged together or onto a central
support, body or handle (k).
Thus any ordinary fan, broken into two and hinged (c) so that each part may flap
easily and independently.
These flapping parts, or wings to be so operated by pressure which may be applied
either by hand or mechanically.
Or where there is a central stick or handle (h.) which may be fashioned to represent
the body) the wings (w) are attached or hinged to either side of the same, and can be
set in motion by any mechanical arrangement.-As for instance by a lever (1) to
which a button (b) or push is attached.
This button can be so placed as to be under the thumb of the hand holding the fan.
By this arrangement all that is necessary to operate the fan is to press with the thumb
on this button (b):
The advantage of this arrangement is that the hand is entirely at rest and that
there is no rotation of the wrist and arm as in the ordinary method of fanning.
Furthermore I find it an advantage to make these wings move in opposition to one
another as do the wings of birds and butterflies because by this arrangement the air is
enclosed and driven forward without lateral loss.
Of course the shape of the wings or leaves is a matter of taste. For example they
may be made to fold up like an ordinary fan (Figs. I & III.) or like the leaves of a
butterfly (IV) or of a bird (LI) and to close as these do or of any altogether fancy
shape.
In the sheet of drawings appended hereto
Fig. I. shows the front view of a fan which is formed of two (right and left) fans
or wings (w. w) hinged onto either side of a dagger-shaped handle (h) along the
edges of their innermost sticks at (a, c) and so arranged that the outer or top sticks
of each fan when open projects nearly far enough to meet the other above the centre.
of the handle under the button (b).
Fig. I. A. shows this fan being operated.
The thumb pressing upon the button depresses the two outer sticks, the fulcrum in
this case being the pivot of each fan. The two fans or wings are thereby brought
together because the motion of these sticks moves the whole fan wing.
Directly the pressure of the thumb is withdrawn the fan-wings drop open again.
Thus by alternately pressing and lifting the thumb the butterfly or flapping motion
of the wings is secured, i.e. their motion in opposition to one another.
Fig. I. B. shows the same fan when closed..

page_text: (w. w) being the fan wings; (h) the handle and (e) the elastic attachment which
keeps the button (b) in position. The scolloped edge of the hilt of the dagger shaped-
handle () allows the sticks to sink under pressure of the button (b) so as to allow the
fan-wings to more clearly approach each other in flapping.
Fig. III shows the front view of an ordinary fan shape arranged under this patent.
In this case the pin (p) is divided into two parts and a hinge (a) is inserted between
them, as shown in the section Fig. III. A, where (e) is the hinge-ring, (p. p.) the
two parts of the pin, and (ss) are the sticks.
This fan is operated by the thumb pressing on the button end or ear of the top
stick as shown, (no button is necessary in this case,) while the hand holds the fan in
the ordinary way, the first finger being round the back or bottom stick. The two
portions of the fan being hinged at (, x, a) are thus made to flap together in
opposition one to the other. On the cessation of the pressure they fall back again into
their normal position when open, thus effecting the butterfly motion of the fan-wings.
Fig. IV shows a fan of butterfly shape viewed from the front. The lever (1) is
terminated at one end by the button (b). This lever is pivoted into the handle or
central stick at (f), which point thus becomes the fulcrum. To the other end of this
lever at (g) is soldered a rod () which moves up and down freely through the central
stick at (n). To the free end of this rod () behind the fan (see the transverse
section Fig. IV. A.) are hooked two small wires (c. c.) whose other ends are hooked
one into each wing at (y. y.)
When the thumb depresses the button end of the lever (b) its other end (y) is
raised and the rod (7) with it, which pulls upwards the wires (c. c) which are looped
into it. And these wires being attached to the wings (w, w,) at (y. y.) force the
wings together.
On the pressure of the thumb being removed the wings fall open again by their own
weight, assisted if necessary by the recoil of a spring (o) pinched between the lever
and the centre-stick or handle. Thus is secured the butterfly motion of the wings;-
i.e. their motion in opposition to one another.
Fig. IV. A is a transverse section through (n).
(1) is the top of the lever in section, (?) the rod soldered to it, which moves freely
through the hole (n) in the centrestick (?).
(g) is the free end of the rod () twisted into the shape of the Figure 8. into each
loop of which are hooked the short wires (e. c). The other ends of these short
wires (c. c) are hooked into each wing at (y. y).
Fig. II is the front view of a feather fan arranged and operated in the same way as
Fig. IV. but differing from it in that the wings are made to shut up as ordinary fans
do. In this case (h) is the handle and centre stick ;-(a) the hinges of the fan
wings. (the lever (f) its fulcrum, (») the rod which passes through the hole in the
centre stick to operate the wings as just described.
Fig. II A shows this fan when shut up. It hangs as a tassel and is here shown
suspended by a ribbon as it might be hung from the girdle.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
(1) The dividing the fan into two or more flapping parts or wings (w. w0).
(2) The hinging of these wings or leaves (w. w. Fig. 1II) together, or onto a
common support or handle, (w. w. Figs. I. II. & IV).
(3) The operating these wings,-by means of pressure rather than by rotating the
wrist as in the old form.
(4) The butterfly motion of the wings, i.e. their motion in opposition to one another.
W. F. DICKES.