The comb described is to have the top made of tin, and the teeth of iron wire; the upper ends of the teeth are to be soldered to the plate, the edges of which are to be bent over to secure them in their places. The comb is afterwards to be painted in imitation of shell, or otherwise ornamented. Much is said about claiming and not claiming, which results, as we understand it, in there not being any thing new, excepting the manner of securing "the end teeth," which is a trifling affair, not worth describing, although worth patenting. 91. For a Tailors' Measure; Frederick A. Fairchild, Columbus, Muscogee county, Georgia, October 31. The claim made is to the combination of the steel bands with the sheetbrass strips, by means of clasps, loops, and thumb-screws, adjustable together, and substantially as described. " The drawings of the steel bands, brass strips, and a number of graduated tapes, have a very formidable appearance, and seem sufficient to enable a surgeon to bandage every limb in a man's body. We take it for granted that the apparatus is a very perfect one, but cannot undertake to analyze it. 92. For an improvement in the Steelyard Balance; Christian F. Dahl, city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 31. The improvements claimed consist, first, in giving the suspensions a single bearing, by allowing them to pass into a slot, or mortise, in the beam, instead of embracing it on each side; and, secondly, in placing a screw vertically at the back end of the beam, with a ball, or nut, on it, by the raising or lowering of which, the sensibility of the beam may be increased, or decreased. We are not aware that any benefit will be derived from having a single bearing for the suspensions; the patentee says that the friction will be lessened, but such is not the fact, as that will be proportioned to the load, without regard to the length of the bearing, supposing the workmanship to be good. The patentee speaks of the ball, on the vertical wire, as though it afforded the means of adjusting the beam, but its effect will be only to raise, or lower, the centre of gravity. 93. For Open Stoves, and Fire-places, for Warming Buildings; Daniel Sutherland, Lisbon, Lincoln county, Maine, October 31. This stove, or fireplace, is similar to those open stoves, from the top of which a pipe ascends, and passes into the chimney at any convenient height. In the case before us, there is to be an open and direct passage into the chimney in the ordinary way, and a pipe, or second flue, rising from the top of the stove. A valve, or sliding shutter, is so constructed that either of the flues may be closed by it, at pleasure, or both left partially open. SPECIFICATIONS OF AMERICAN PATENTS. Specification of a Patent for an improvement in the Rearing of Silk Worms; Granted to GAMALIEL GAY, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, New York, October 6th, 1835. To all to whom these presents shall come, I, Gamaliel Gay, of the town of Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess, and state of New York, send greeting. VOL. XVII.-No. 5.-MAY, 1836. 33 forced out by pins, radiating from the centre, and in contact with their under sides; the pins are operated upon by a fixed stationary cam, in the centre of the pump. The water is not to be delivered from an eduction pipe on the periphery of the outer cylinder, as is usually done, but from the centre of one of the heads; to enable it to arrive there, perforations are made through the revolving cylinder, under the valves, this cylinder being hollow, and supported by arms. This latter arrangement makes a prominent part of the claim, and, so far as we know, is new, and, the patentee thinks, very advantageous; we, however, are unable to discover whence its benefits are to be derived. An important thing in every pump is to change the direction of the water as little as possible, and certainly this is not accomplished by the mode of delivery proposed. In other respects, this pump is liable to the general objections to those on the rotary plan, resulting from the accuracy required in their construction, and which, if at first attained, is soon lost by wear. 89. For a Truss for Hernia; Henry Reid, Augusta, Georgia, October 31. We suppose, from the manner in which the application and use of this truss are described, that the patentee is a practitioner of medicine, as it displays both knowledge and judgment upon the subject to which it relates. The truss spring is, in all cases, to extend entirely round the body, and is to be furnished with two pads, one at each end, that which presses on the abdominal ring on the sound side being soft, whilst that on the ruptured side is to be of wood, adapted to the size of the patient, and in the form of a half egg, supposing it to be divided longitudinally. There is no claim made, but the patentee evidently proceeds upon the idea that springs passing round the body, and having a pad at each end, are novelties. The patentee says that this truss "differs from Hull's and Marshe's, in the peculiar shape of the block by which the immediate pressure is made, and in the immobility of the blocks, and in the pressure being made by blocks, instead of pads, or cushions. It differs from Stagner's in having simply spring power, and that so adjusted to the parts as to retain its adjustment without the aid of belt, buckle, and straps, or any other meaus, except the spring power." "What I claim as my own invention, and not previously known in the above described improved independent spring truss, is, that it passes from one abdominal ring, and maintains a permanently equable pressure on the soft parts above the brim of the pelvis on each side, without the aid of belt, strap, buckle, or any other appendages whatsoever; and I claim, also, the short curved spring passing from the groin to the umbelicus." The patentee is in error in supposing that a truss spring passing entirely round the body, and having a pad at each end, is new; we have seen more than one of this kind; that patented by D. Weaver, of Baltimore, is described at p. 327, vol. xiii., where it is expressly stated that "the double spring is to be used whether the hernia be only on one, or on both sides; this latter truss has also two small pads near the middle of the spring, one to bear on each side of the spine; there is a hinge joint at the middle, connecting the double spring, and calculated to give extra freedom to its motion, which is, we think, a manifest advantage. 90. For Ladies Metallic Hair Combs; Nathaniel Bushnell, Middletown, Middlesex county, Connecticut, October 31. The comb described is to have the top made of tin, and the teeth of iron wire; the upper ends of the teeth are to be soldered to the plate, the edges of which are to be bent over to secure them in their places. The comb is afterwards to be painted in imitation of shell, or otherwise ornamented. Much is said about claiming and not claiming, which results, as we understand it, in there not being any thing new, excepting the manner of securing "the end teeth," which is a trifling affair, not worth describing, although worth patenting. 91. For a Tailors' Measure; Frederick A. Fairchild, Columbus, Muscogee county, Georgia, October 31. The claim made is to the combination of the steel bands with the sheetbrass strips, by means of clasps, loops, and thumb-screws, adjustable together, and substantially as described." The drawings of the steel bands, brass strips, and a number of graduated tapes, have a very formidable appearance, and seem sufficient to enable a surgeon to bandage every limb in a man's body. We take it for granted that the apparatus is a very perfect one, but cannot undertake to analyze it. 92. For an improvement in the Steelyard Balance; Christian F. Dahl, city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 31. The improvements claimed consist, first, in giving the suspensions a single bearing, by allowing them to pass into a slot, or mortise, in the beam, instead of embracing it on each side; and, secondly, in placing a screw vertically at the back end of the beam, with a ball, or nut, on it, by the raising or lowering of which, the sensibility of the beam may be increased, or decreased. We are not aware that any benefit will be derived from having a single bearing for the suspensions; the patentee says that the friction will be lessened, but such is not the fact, as that will be proportioned to the load, without regard to the length of the bearing, supposing the workmanship to be good. The patentee speaks of the ball, on the vertical wire, as though it afforded the means of adjusting the beam, but its effect will be only to raise, or lower, the centre of gravity. 93. For Open Stoves, and Fire-places, for Warming Buildings; Daniel Sutherland, Lisbon, Lincoln county, Maine, October 31. This stove, or fireplace, is similar to those open stoves, from the top of which a pipe ascends, and passes into the chimney at any convenient height. In the case before us, there is to be an open and direct passage into the chimney in the ordinary way, and a pipe, or second flue, rising from the top of the stove. A valve, or sliding shutter, is so constructed that either of the flues may be closed by it, at pleasure, or both left partially open. SPECIFICATIONS OF AMERICAN PATENTS. Specification of a Patent for an improvement in the Rearing of Silk Worms; Granted to GAMALIEL GAY, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, New York, October 6th, 1835. To all to whom these presents shall come, I, Gamaliel Gay, of the town of Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess, and state of New York, send greeting. VOL. XVII.-No. 5.-MAY, 1836. 33 The hurdles for rearing and feeding silk worms upon, are, or should be, made on a horizontal, four sided frame, of convenient width and length, and bottomed with cane, or twine, either reticulated, or having interstices between each slat of the cane, or thread of twine; which meshes, or interstices, should be of such dimensions that the silk worm will lie and feed upon them, and the litter of the worms fall through. The Now, be it known, that I, Gamaliel Gay, have invented, and applied to use, a revolving apron, for receiving upon it, and removing, the litter of the silk-worms, which falls through the hurdles, as above mentioned. specification of which new and useful invention, for receiving and removing the litter of silk worms, is as follows. The revolving apron for a single hurdle is constructed by placing in a frame, or otherwise, at and immediately under each end of the hurdle, a roller, or cylinder, in length equal to the width of the hurdle; over these cylinders, or rollers, extending from the outside of the periphery of the one, over and around that of the other is affixed an endless apron of cloth, or other flexible substance, equal, at least in width, to the width of the hurdle. This apron being drawn tight around the rollers, and the ends fastened together, is made to revolve around both rollers, by turning them by a crank affixed to the axle of one of them, or by otherwise revolving the rollers. The endless apron being thus constructed, receives the litter from the hurdle as it falls through, which litter, by causing a semi-revolution of the apron, is removed from under the hurdles, and caused to fall in a heap at one and either end of the hurdles, and may be suffered to fall from the apron either upon the floor, or into a vessel placed at, and partly under, the end of the hurdle, and below the outer periphery of the roller. In case two or more hurdles be placed in tiers, one above the other, the same apron may be used, in which case an endless and separate apron is required for each hurdle; but the best method, the most convenient and least expensive form of apparatus, and which I claim as a constituent part of my invention, is constructed as follows. Let there be rollers, or cylinders, affixed under each end of each hurdle, the same as in case of a single hurdle; to one roller, below the lower hurdle, attach one end of an apron, of the kind and proportionate width first above specified; let this apron pass under the opposite roller, over the roller next immediately above that, under the roller next immediately above the first roller to which the apron is attached, over the next above roller, and under the next opposite one; and so on according to the number of hurdles in the tier, until the apron reaches the last roller to which the apron should be attached, after adding to the length of the apron at least the length of one of the hurdles, which should be rolled upon the last mentioned roller. The apron thus passing under each hurdle, receives all the litter falling from each, which litter is discharged, part at one end, and part at the other end of the hurdles, by turning the first mentioned roller so as to wind over and around it a quantity of the apron equal to the length of the above hurdle, which winding causes an equal quantity of the apron to unwind from the roller to which the other end of the roller is attached; after the litter is thus discharged from the apron, the apron is, in part, to be again wound around the upper roller, as first above mentioned, so as to remain until the litter is again discharged. What I claim as my improvement, and wish to secure by letters patent, in the rearing of silk worms, is the application of a revolving apron, or aprons, placed under the hurdles upon which the worms are fed, for the purpose of receiving and removing the litter falling from them; and this I claim, whether the same be made exactly in the way described, or in any other, operating substantially on the same principle, and by which a similar effect is produced. GAMALIEL GAY. Specification of a Patent for a Doffer for Wool Carding Machines. Granted to STEPHEN R. PARKHURST, Providence, Rhode Island, October 10th, 1835. To all persons to whom these presents shall come, be it known, that I, Stephen R. Parkhurst, of Providence, in the county of Providence, and state of Rhode Island, and Providence Plantations, have invented a new and useful doffer, with corresponding rolls, for the wool card, called a finisher. Instead of a continuous cylinder, this doffer is composed of a set of wheels, or pulleys, of equal diameter with the common doffer, covered with a card in the same way, of three or four inches thickness at the rims, to revolve like the common doffer, placed upon their shaft, an inch, or an inch and a half, apart, and at a small angle and parallel with each other, and making such an angle with the shaft as that the spaces between may be fully compensated in their revolution, and the whole surface of the main cylinder be passed over by them; and their rims, or outer surfaces, must be parallel to their shaft, so as to conform to the surface of the main cylinder. Next, there is a set of pulleys, which I call division rollers; these may be about four inches in diameter, for a common doffer, of the same thickness with the spaces between the different rims, or pulleys, of the doffer, placed upon their shaft at the same angle, turned by a belt, or gear, placed before the doffer, with their shaft a little lower than the shaft of the doffer, and so placed that their outer edges will be a little within the rims of the doffer, for the purpose of keeping the wool on the different parts, or wheels, of the doffer, entirely separate, as it is taken off by the top rolls, hereinafter described. The next are a set of pulleys, or wheels, or rims, which I call the top rolls; they are equal in number to the different rims of the doffer, four or five inches in diameter; they may be a little less in thickness than the width of the different rims of the doffer, so that the division rolls may revolve freely between them, placed so as to revolve in contact with their correspondent rims of the doffer, for the purpose of taking the wool from it, and so placed as that they will so bear upon the shaft of the division rolls as to be turned by it. A comb, if necessary, may be attached to this doffer, to clear the wool from it. The wool taken from the doffer by these top rolls, kept in separate laminæ, or flakes, by the division rolls, drawn over the shaft of the division rolls, may be passed through a tube, or a belt, and then run on a spool, or spools; or, by a flyer properly placed, it may be at once twisted into a thread. By regulating the feed of the card, and the speed of the division rolls, the size of the roping, and of thread, i. e. the fineness of them, may be regulated, or adjusted, to suit the work required. I claim as my invention, and not before known, the doffer before described, together with the top rolls, and division rolls, to correspond with STEPHEN R. PARKHURST. it. |