Patents
The W. Avery & Son company registered 12 mechanical patents during the companies’ existence. 9 of these were registered in the UK and 3 in the US. These patents included drawings and/or descriptions for roughly 60 additional needle cases that we believe were never manufactured because examples have not been found. From 1865-1899 four other mechanical patents were registered to the following individuals: James William Lewis (1 patent), Henry Milward & Sons with Theodore Givry of Paris (1 patent), Joseph Welch & Charles Laight (1 patent) and William Woodfield & Albert Fenton (1 patent). In addition, a mechanical patent was registered by a patent agent named William Gedge for a Frenchman from Paris named Eugene Bede. All of these mechanical patents represent at least 55 known needle cases. Most needle cases were registered through another process known as the design registration and representation process. Details regarding the two registration processes and how the patent research was accomplished in 2013 can be found at Patent/Design Representation Research. Copies of the design representations for these needle cases can be found on each individual needle case page located on our Master List.
Mechanical patents provide us with interesting information about how Avery style needle cases were described in the late 19th century. To view the patent details, select the item from the list below:
UK 1867-603 Lewis
UK 1867-2007 Avery
Original UK Letters Patent No. 2007
UK 1868-8 Milward and Givry
UK 1868-58 Avery
UK 1868-3517 Avery and Fenton
UK 1869-2983 Gedge for Bede
UK 1869-2998 Avery and Fenton
UK 1870-1473 Avery
US 1870-98904 Avery
US 1870-102471 Avery
UK 1871-101 Avery
UK 1871-1287 Welch and Laight
UK 1871-1322 Avery
UK 1871-2099 Avery
UK 1877-366 Woodfield and Fenton
UK 1884-1534 Avery
US 1885-313797 Avery
