Object Details
- inventor
- Pratt, Jacob
- Description
- Reeling, Spinning, and Twisting Silk Machine Patent Model
- Patent No. 1,367, issued October 12, 1839
- Jacob Pratt of Sherborn, Massachusetts
- Pratt is an example of an inventor who thought he had a more complicated original invention than he actually had. In his patent application file, his specification makes four claims. Out of those four, only one was approved by Charles M. Keller, the patent examiner, and that claim was for using a trough of zinc. The trough held spools of silk fibers prior to spinning and was filled with warm water, which kept the fibers from sticking together.
- The Journal of the Franklin Institute, 1840, commented: “Its construction is, in general, similar to such as is well known, and is not claimed as new . . . No particular reason is given for making the troughs of zinc, and we suppose that copper would do equally well; but from the special mention of this metal we were led to look for some ground of preference to it.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- model constructed
- before 1839-10-12
- patent date
- 1839-10-12
- ID Number
- TE.T11426.020
- accession number
- 89797
- catalog number
- T11426.020
- patent number
- 001367
- Object Name
- silk reeling, spinning, and twisting machine
- Object Type
- Patent Model
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- metal (mechanisms material)
- place made
- United States: Massachusetts
- Related Publication
- Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Textiles
- Patent Models, Textile Machinery
- Textiles
- Patent Models
- National Museum of American History
- classified
- Patent Models
- Invention
- Record ID
- nmah_1070919
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-7a70-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
