Improvements in Music or Reading Stands.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Music or Reading Stands.
I ALBERT WEBER, of Locle, in the Republic of Switzerland, Mehanician do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a portable, music or reading stand, the foot and holder or
rest of which are constituted by lazy-tongs so as to enable them to be
folded and extended at will. By folding or extending only the lazy-tongs forming
the foot the holder or rest of the stand can be placed at various heights, so that
it can be used by persons of different heights or by persons sitting or standing.
When folding both the foot and the holder or rest the stand will occupy only a
very small space and will thus be easily portable.
The holder or rest is connected with the foot by means of a joint, and can be fixed
at various inclinations through the medium of a pressing screw which enables it to be
held in its different positions.
The construction of this improved music or reading stand as hereinafter described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 a side elevation of the music or reading stand, with the foot and holder or
rest extended.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line x, x, Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5 show separately and to a larger scale a front and side elevation of
the lower part of the holder or rest, and also the mechanism by which it is connected
to the upper part of the foot of the stand..
Figure 6 represents a front view of the stand the foot being extended less than in
figures 1 and 2, that is to say the stand being arranged for a person sitting.
Figure 7 shows a front elevation of the stand arranged to be placed upon a table,
that is to say, with the foot folded and the holder or rest extended, and
Figure 8 represents the stand with the foot and holder or rest folded for facility of
transport.
The foot of the stand is mainly formed of two lazy tongs A. B. constituted by strips
of steel jointed together. Each strip of these two lazy-tongs A, B is jointed in the
middle by means of a rivet a to a strip which crosses it, and at its two extremities by
means of rivets bb to two other strips which are parallel to the strip which crosses it
in its middle.
The upper strips of each lazy-tong A and B are connected with each other and with
strips c c by joints d, d which are formed by rivets b¹, b₁, and the strips c c are jointed
by rivets d d¹ to a plate L of iron or steel, to which the holder or rest is jointed.
The lower strips of the lazy-tong A are connected by rivets h h to ar angle-iron D
provided with two claws f, f. In the vertical web of the said angle-iron are formed
two slits g, g in which the rivets h h are adapted to slide.
The lower strips of the lazy-tong B are articulated at j, j in proximity to their
extremities, to two horizontal strips E E which cross each other in their middle at the
joint i, and are articulated to strips F F connected to the angle-iron D by joints k k.
The two webs of the angle-iron present recesses 1, l, so as to render this angle-iron as
light as possible.
The foot thus constructed rests upon the ground floor or table through the medium
of the claws ff on the angle-iron D and the extremities m m of the lower strips of
the lazy-tong B.
By reason of this arrangement of the foot, the strips E, E, F F are folded or extended
in the folding or extending movement of the lazy-tongs A, B so that the base of
support of the stand will always be proportionate to the height at which the holder or
rest is placed

page_text: The latter comprises the plate M secured by a hinge G upon the plate L of the foot,
and supporting a series C of jointed strips. These strips are jointed together at their
points of intersection and also at their extremities so as to constitute a lazy-tong.
At their point of intersection the strips N N are connected to the plate M by the
rivet m, and to these strips N N are moreover secured two rivets n n adapted to slide
in slits o, o in the plate M when the strips of the holder or rest are extended or
folded. The lower extremities of the strips N N are jointed to strips 00 con-
nected by rivets p p to a bar P of iron or steel. To this bar P is jointed a
piece which, when the holder or rest is extended, occupies a position which is
perpendicular to that of the said bar P and serves as a rim or flange to retain the
music upon the holder or rest, and which is turned down upon the bar P when
the said holder or rest is folded. At its extremities, the piece Q presents screw-
threaded holes R R wherein candle-holders S can be secured.
To the upper part of the holder or rest are jointed the strips T, T which can be
extended laterally when the music is very broad, and which carry small articulated
springs, for firmly maintaining the sheets of music upon the holder or rest.
Upon the plate L of the foot is fixed a screw-threaded bolt U which passes through
the slits in the bars V, Y, Z of iron or steel, and upon which is a thumb-nut X.
The bars VY are jointed to the two upper strips c, c of the foot of the stand whilst
the bar Z is articulated to the plate M of the holder or rest.
When the holder or rest is turned upon the hinge G the slit z in the bar Z enables
the latter to slide upon the screw-threaded rod U the holder or rest can therefore be
placed at various inclinations. By tightening the thumb nut X the holder or rest can
be fixed at the desired inclination, because the said nut bears upon the bar Z. More-
over, by the tightening of the thumb-nut X the lower extremities of the bars V Y
are caused to bear against the plate L and thus become fixed so that the polygon 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 is rendered unchangeable. As the upper strips cc of the foot are not now
allowed to turn upon the rivets d', d' the other strips of the foot are also kept in a
fixed position.
When the foot of the music or reading stand is extended or folded, the bars V Y
will be enabled by the slits vy to slide upon the screw threaded bolt U these bars
being carried away by the strips c, c while the foot is folded or extended.
The extension of the foot can be varied at will. Thus in Figures 1 and 2 the foot
of the music or reading stand is supposed to be sufficiently extended to serve for a
person standing, and in Figure 6 it is supposed to be extended so as to be used by a
person sitting.
By completely folding the foot without folding the holder or rest as shown in
Figure 7 the stand can be placed upon a table.
When the stand is completely folded, as shown in Figure 8 the thumb-nut X will
bear with one of its lugs upon the piece Q of the holder or rest so as to keep the
stand folded during the transport.
The improved music or reading stand can be made of any suitable metal, and
decorated in any desired manner. It can be nickeled, silvered, or otherwise
coated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood that I
claim :-
First. A portable folding music or reading stand which consists essentially of a
foot and a holder or rest jointed together and formed of lazy-tongs, the foot being
arranged to be folded and extended independently of the holder or rest and vice versa,
in such a manner that the said stand, by placing it upon a table without extending
the foot or by more or less extending the foot, can be adapted to the height of the
person, or the position (standing or sitting) in which the person will use the same,
as above described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. The employment for the purpose of connecting the foot with the holder
or rest of the portable folding music or reading stand, of a device which consists

page_text: essentially of a plate L upon which are articulated the upper strips c c of the said
foot, a plate M connected to the plate L and serving as a support for the holder or
rest, and bars V, Y, Z having slits traversed by a screw-threaded bolt U fixed to the
plate L and provided with a thumb-nut X, this device having for its object to vary
the inclination of the holder or rest, to fix it in any position by tightening the thumb-
nut X and prevent the collapse or folding of the foot when the said thumb-nut has
been tightened whilst permitting the folding of the said foot, when the thumb-nut X
is unscrewed as above described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Third. The special construction of the foot of the portable folding music or reading
stand, formed of two vertical lazy-tongs A B the lower articulated strips of the lazy-
tong A being connected by rivets or pivots hh to an angle-iron D provided with two
slits 9 9 in which the said rivets or pivots can slide whilst the lower strips of the lazy-
tong B are connected by a series of articulated strips E E F F to the angle-iron D,
in such a manner that the strips EEFF will be extended and folded simultaneously
by the extension and folding of the lazy-tongs A and B thus keeping the base of
support of the stand always in proportion to the height at which the holder or rest is
placed, as above described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. The special construction of the holder or rest of the portable folding music
or reading stand constituted by the lazy-tong C and a plate M to which this lazy-tong
is jointed, and which presents slits oo designed to limit the movement of the lazy-
tong C whilst enabling the latter to be completely folded, in combination with the flat
strip or bar P to which is jointed a piece Qforming the lower rim or flange of the
holder or rest and presenting holes R R in which candle holders can be fixed as above
described with reference to the accompany drawings.
Dated this 4th dor of June 1889
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, Loudon, Agents for the Applicant.