Topic: Victorian lemon squeezer / juicer - EASLEY'S PAT JULY 10TH 1888

[agincourt17]

A Victorian lemon squeezer or juicer with raised legend to underside edge of circular ‘handle’ - EASLEY`S PAT JULY 10TH 1888. Diameter of ‘handle’ 3 ¾ inches (9.55cm), and overall height 2 ¼ inches (5.7cm).

I’ve searched on http://worldwide.espacenet.com/?locale=en_EP  for patent details to no avail.

Does anyone have any more details as to the patent applicant or application details, please?

(Permission for the re-use of this image on GMB granted by Eileen Bradford).

[Paul S.]

I've just tried TNA at Kew, and surprisingly they say the following.........

"This guide tells you how to find The National Archives' original records of patents of invention, and any related specifications, issued between 1617 and October 1852.
Patents and specifications issued after 1852 are not held at The National Archives and in general these records do not survive. You can, however, search for inventor names or subjects through The Intellectual Property Office"

Searches seem always to end up back at Espacenet.                Until 1916, patent Nos. for each succeeding year always reverted to 'one', so searches need to include as much info as possible, otherwise there's a big potential for confusion.            Presumably, Eastley was the inventor.

Still, expect you know all this.

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Paul.

I tried Eastley as inventor and/or applicant, and, of course, the date and material both at TNA and Espacenet, but drew a blank.

I was hoping  that a lemon squeezer collector or enthusiast may perhaps have had some information or leads.

[Sid]

Hello:

It is patented in the USA so may or may not show up in your searches.  Here is the patent:

http://www.google.com/patents/US385851?pg=PA2&dq=easley+%22july+10+1888%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hcdNUYmgJKH4yQH7_oCQBw&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CDQQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=easley%20%22july%2010%201888%22&f=false

And here is an 1891 add showing it in service.

Sid

[agincourt17]

Thank you so much, Sid – you really are a star! - especially as the transcription of the name of the inventor was given to me as Eastley rather than Easley.

Another case of “if you can’t find what you are looking for, you are probably looking for the wrong thing or in the wrong place”?

Many thanks also for the advert and the invaluable link to the patent.

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have turned up the whole paraphernalia, complete with clamps, receivers, rotating handles &c, &c. ?!!

I’ve gone back now to Espacenet with ‘Easley’ and ‘juice’ and still not found the entry for that precise 10 July 1888 patent, BUT I have turned up three more related  lemon juice extractor  patents :

John L Easley, applicant and inventor, 1889-08-08; lemon juice extractor. CA03243 (A)

John Lawrence Easley & Max Lowenstein, joint applicants and inventors,  1900-04-07; improvements in squeezers for extracting juice from lemons and other fruit. GB19004263 (A).

William F Easley, applicant and inventor, 1909-05-11; lemon juice extractor. US921378 (A).

The Easleys certainly were preoccupied with fruit juice extraction. I hope it made them lots of money.

I will contact the moderators and ask them to correct ‘Eastley’ to ‘Easley’.

Would a move from Glass – General to Glass – USA be appropriate in due course?

[chopin-liszt]

  I found one of these yesterday.
I'm amazed at how sharp the moulding is - the spikes are the sharpest I've ever found on any glass juice extractor.
I had suspected it might be part of a cocktail set, with a whole load of bits missing, but reckoned it would find good use in my kitchen.
It's great to learn all this extra stuff about it, my sincere thanks to all.
It's a really wonderful quality of pressing. But I did think it was for limes, the spiked dome part is smaller than normal lemon ones.

[Penelope12]

Lovely lemon squeezer Sue, so much nicer than the bland and boring stuff produced these days. I have a lovely uranium glass one that even has an appendage for catching the pips...not sure about radioactive lemon juice though! 

[chopin-liszt]

Glass is very good at containing radioactive material and uranium only has very weak level of activity, it's not anything to worry about. A sheet of paper will stop it, you don't really need lead armour.
Unless it gets broken or is turned into tiny particles which can be inhaled, putting a radioactive source inside you, that's not healthy.
As long as the uranium stays in the glass, and the glass stays outside you, you have nothing to worry about.
I do not worry at all about wearing uranium glass beads. If I ever visit a nuclear reactor, I'm going to wear them to see if they do set anything off.
(I've heard they did once, I really want to try it for myself.  )

The other week, I found a really massive old pressed glass lemon squeezer, but gave it to my brother. It had no marks whatsoever. I suspected that was for grapefruit. It had a really big, deep dish all around and a loop handle.
When I find things like this, they tend to go straight into my kitchen. They're practical, designed for their function and they actually do work.

[Penelope12]

Thank you for the reassurance, I have got so much of the stuff now I am sure I could help power the national grid! Still looking for some of those elusive uranium glass beads to add to my collection; must try that one out the next time I visit a nuclear reactor...have you tried wearing them at an airport, I did have a courier refuse to transport a uranium glass vase of mine to France once!!! 

Penny

[chopin-liszt]

You need a little UV torch. Shine it into collections and displays of jewellery in charity shops and antiquey places, and see if anything glows.
You do need to persevere with this. Older costume jewellery is getting hard to find.
I've had to unpack glass at airports twice. Both times turned into "show and tell" experiences as the other staff came over to see what it was.