James Swan Co. - Assigned Patents | VintageMachinery.org

Manufacturers Index - James Swan Co.

James Swan Co.
Seymour, CT, U.S.A.
Manufacturer Class: Wood Working Machinery

Patents

This page contains information on patents issued to this manufacturer.

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Patent Number	Date	Title	Name	City	Description
8,162	Jun. 17, 1851	Auger	Ransom Cook	Saratoga Springs, NY	The lips or cutting edges have a curved or gouge shape at their ends with a back sloping of the edges to give the edges a skew sliding or drawing movement when cutting. It is unknown if the inventor was the maker of this bit. Ransom Cook is reported as having an auger making association with Lamson & Goodnow Mfg. Co. An article in the 1901-11-21 American Machinist mentions Ransom Cook in passing, including the following, from a footnote. "Later on Cook had a shop and laboratory of his own at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. He was the patentee of an improved auger which removed the chips better than the old kind. The story of the invention is rather curious. Cook observed a borer insect working his way into a tree and ejecting the chips with facility. This led him to think that the end of an auger might be constructed on the same principle as the cutting apparatus of the insect. He therefore secured one of the little animals, brought it to his laboratory, examined it under a microscope, and utilized the knowledge gained."
RE2,513	Mar. 19, 1867	Improvement in Augers	Ransom Cook	Saratoga Springs, NY	Seven year extension. Examples marked by James Swan: JAMES SWAN COOK PATENT U.S.A. (swan logo)
70,288	Oct. 29, 1867	Improvement in machines for stripping willow	James Swan	Paterson, NJ
76,956	Apr. 21, 1868	Improvement in auger-handles	James Swan	Seymour, CT
97,830	Dec. 14, 1869	Improvement in Auger-Handles	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Claimed improvements involve trapping the square shank of auger bits in the socket by means of a thumb-screw as well as the use of a round tenon on one end of the handle, which allows the metal sleeve to be installed before the bulbous portion of handle is put in place.
112,419	Mar. 07, 1871	Bit-brace	William Cleveland	Lawrence, MA
115,541	May. 30, 1871	Improvement in Augers	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Claims an improvement of Ransom Cook's "gouge lip" auger patent 8162, by means of a re-shaped cutting lip intended to avoid tear-out. Fig. 2 of patent image shows end view of Swan's cutting lip, while fig. 3 shows Cook's version. Illustrations of "Cook's Patent Augers and Bits" in the 1904 James Swan catalogue confirm that Swan's form had been adopted.
116,509	Jun. 27, 1871	Improvement in machines for forming lips of auger-bits	James Swan	Seymour, CT	An improvement to Swan's patent of 1868-06-09, "the object being the forming of the lip on bits or augers, known as the 'Cook bit,' to mechanically turn the lips up and over the dies upon which they are formed..." The "Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents" for 1871 contains a decision handed down 1871-07-06 regarding interference between patent applications by William A. Ives and James Swan, both including claims for a die to form the lip of auger bits. The decision, in essence, was that Swan was the first to make a die described in his application, but Ives was the first to make a machine that used the die. If they had jointly applied for a patent then a broad claim could be awarded, but because they were separately filing, no such claim could be made by either regarding the die itself.
132,608	Oct. 29, 1872	Improvement in mortising-machines	James Swan	Seymour, CT
170,413	Nov. 23, 1875	Improvement in Auger-Handles	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Versions of this auger handle were still being offered, at least as late as 1920, by the James Swan Company.
210,220	Nov. 26, 1878	Improvement in boring machines	James Swan	Seymour, CT	The focus of this patent is on a vertical rack which can be swung in, and automatically locked into position, to engage a pinion on the crank-handled driving shaft. This allows the operator to withdraw the bit from the work while continuing to crank in the same direction as while boring. See his later patent, 341520, for a rethinking of this device
260,135	Jun. 27, 1882	Screw-Driver	James Swan	Seymour, CT	This is an attempt to overcome the propensity of round-shank screwdrivers to twist loose under torque or split the handle if flattened and compressed in it. A threaded socketed metal receiver is installed in the thickest part of the handle, for strength, and the shaft is installed up through a somewhat loose fitting hole into the socket. It is interchangeable with other bits.
279,204	Jun. 12, 1883	Auger	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Primary claim is the combination of a double twist with the adjustable cutter to carry the chips away, enabling it to bore deeper holes.
285,440	Sep. 25, 1883	Auger	James Swan	Seymour, CT
320,097	Jun. 16, 1885	Auger	James Swan	Seymour, CT
337,888	Mar. 16, 1886	Bit holder (Wooden Case)	James Swan	Seymour, CT
341,520	May. 11, 1886	Boring-Machine	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Intended as a rearrangement and improvement of Swan's earlier patented boring-machine (210220), the primary aim of this patent is to allow the operator to raise the bit from the work, while cranking in the same direction, without having to take his hands from crank handles to swing the vertical rack into position.
354,073	Dec. 07, 1886	Boring-machine	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Improvements to patents 210,220 and 341,520.
386,903	Jul. 31, 1888	Draw-Shave	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Adjustment of the handles relative to the plane of the blade is provided for by thumbscrews on the ends of the blade shanks and a toothed ring and collar arrangement. Adjustment toward and away from the blade is provided for by a threaded set screw with a tapering shoulder, which allows a toothed ring to disengage from a lugged collar. Tightening the set screw brings he collar into positive engagement with the lugged collar.
410,863	Sep. 10, 1889	Bung Borer	James Swan	Seymour, CT	The aim of this bung borer is for the cutter which bores through to produce an unbroken shaving/chip which will remain inside the bit. The shavings from the reaming cutter are to, then, be retained atop the boring chips. The small area of diminished diameter near the tip is to avoid any friction of the bit ahead of the reaming cutter.
415,988	Nov. 26, 1889	Extension-bit	William S. Whiting	Waterbury, CT
440,795	Nov. 18, 1890	Tool-Handle	James Swan	Seymour, CT
448,464	Mar. 17, 1891	Draw-Shave	William B. Swan	Seymour, CT	Adjustment of the handles relative to the plane of the blade remains essentially the same as in James Swan's earlier patent (386903). Adjustment toward and away from the blade is effected by a wedge and polygonal blocks trapped between split shanks. Tightening the thumb nut not only presses the split shank against the assembly, but the bolt's tapered shape tightens the assembly along its plane as well.
520,091	May. 22, 1894	Screwdriver	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Ferrule is designed so that once it is in position on the handle and the blade is driven into place it locks to both the handle and the blade and cannot be removed or loosened until the handle is broken away.
520,502	May. 29, 1894	Hollow auger	James Swan	Seymour, CT	A correspondent reports an example, a Swan model 6001 Universal Hollow Auger, with this patent date on the box, but "May 28, 1894" on the auger itself.
589,043	Aug. 31, 1897	Ferrule for Tool-Handles	James Swan	Seymour, CT	A slightly hour-glass internal shape, along with longitudinal and annular internal grooves, is intended to clasp the wood when the ferrule and shank are driven onto the handle. Screwdrivers with these ferrules, or of another patent, 783763, were still being offered as late as 1920 in the James Swan Company catalogue.
D28,419	Mar. 29, 1898	Design for a Tool-Handle	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Handle design used on some mechanics' screw drivers by the James Swan Company - until, at least, 1920.
695,660	Mar. 18, 1902	Tool Box	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Box with inclined trays and access from the top or bottom to allow a tool to be removed without moving any other tools. This design was later improved by James Swan in his patent 883,906 with the addition of a hinge mechanism. Assumed to be utilized by James Swan Co.
759,042	May. 03, 1904	Bit-Extender	William B. Swan	Seymour, CT	Bits are held in this extension by a toothed lever which engages a corresponding notch in the tang of the bit. The lever is forced into firm contact with the notch by a beveled surface on a threaded nut as it is tightened down against the head of the bit extension. This bit-extension appears in The James Swan Company's 1904 catalogue.
769,282	Sep. 06, 1904	Tool-Handle	William B. Swan	Seymour, CT	Essentially a revisit of his earlier patent 541130, the ratcheting device has been redesigned and the knurled sleeve has a lug which engages indents in the end of the handle, providing positive locations for each setting. This ratcheting screwdriver appears in the 1904 and 1911 James Swan catalogues, but seems to have been discontinued by 1920.
783,763	Feb. 28, 1905	Screw Driver	James Swan	Seymour, CT	Similar to patent 589043, this ferrule is formed to a barrel shape, and with prongs to grab the end grain of the handle. It is installed first, then the shank of the screwdriver driven in, the resultant displacement of the wood filling the inside of the barrel shape. Ferrules of this type, or of the similar patent, were being offered in the James Swan Company's 1920 catalogue.
810,230	Jan. 16, 1906	Bit-Extender	William B. Swan	Seymour, CT	Though Swan references his earlier bit-extender 759042, this patent differs by replacing a toothed lever with a spring-loaded catch which is pressed firmly into contact with the notched tang of the bit by turning a threaded sleeve down on the head of the device. This bit-extender was being offered by the James Swan Company at least as late as 1920.
883,906	Apr. 07, 1908	Tool Box	James Swan	Seymour, CT	An improvement over his earlier patent, 695,660 with the addition of a hinged mechanism to assist in accessing the tools as well as to facilitate display of the tools.