A New or Improved Self-righting Stand or Holder for Photographs, Bills of Fare, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Self-righting Stand or Holder for Photographs,
Bills of Fare, and the like.
I, SAMUEL HAHN, of the Firm S. Hahn & Co., of No. 7, Luckauer Strasse, Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is a new or improved stand or holder for photographs,
bills of fare, and similar articles, which, owing to its peculiar construction can not be
thrown over and will always automatically resume its perpendicular or slightly inclined
position. The device may also, by covering it with suitable transparent material, as
for instance celluloid or the like, be adapted to hold and exhibit two pictures, placed
back to back, or cards printed on both sides, such as bills of fare having on their
reverse sides a list of wines or other announcement. Instead of transparent material
any other suitable substance, such as leather, pasteboard or the like may be employed
for forming a frame in which window-like apertures are provided for exhibiting the
pictures or cards to be inserted, or the designs or announcements may be painted,
printed or embossed upon, or in other convenient fashion affixed to, the covering
material.
The stand or holder essentially consists of two foot-pieces and a weight connected
therewith, the footpieces having the shape of segments of a circle and resembling the
rockers of a cradle or rocking chair; they may be made of sheet metal or any other
suitable material, and be ornamented in any convenient fashion; when stamped out
of sheet-metal the said footpieces are preferably provided with conveniently shaped
flaps extending outward from the middle of the periphery of the segment. These
flaps are bent at right angles twice in succession, whereby their extremities assume
an upright position, parallel to the footpieces proper. The said extremities may be
slotted or otherwise adapted to receive and hold the lower edge of the card or picture
to be exhibited. A weight of lead or other suitable substance, having the sectional
shape of a rounded trough or tray, the curve corresponding to that of the footpieces,
is provided at both ends with slots adapted to allow of the passage of the aforesaid
bent flaps, and reaches to the outer edge of the sides of the footpieces, the latter
being fastened to both ends of the weight in any convenient manner. Owing to the
tendency of the weight to regain its centre of gravity, the device will always resume
its original position, and in attaching the weight to the footpieces the position of the
photograph or card has to be arranged to be either perpendicular or slightly inclined
according to the nature of the exhibit.
The described self-righting stand may be covered with transparent material or
other suitable substance, by taking a long strip of the material, placing the stand
proper across the middle portion of said strip, and then bending the ends upwards.
The stand being secured in position, the side edges of the upwardly extending
flaps are joined by means of metal edges or in other convenient manner, to within a
suitable distance from the stand proper, allowing the covering material to form a
loop, the lower curve of which corresponds to that of the foot pieces of the stand.

page_text: The traverse edges of the covering material not being joined, the picture or
pictures, or cards may be inserted between them and pushed down into position.
Dated this 5th day of September 1898.
CAMBIE & WINCKELSETT,
For the Applicant.
A New or Improved Self-righting Stand or Holder for Photographs,
Bills of Fare, and the like.
I, SAMUEL HADN, of the Firm of S. Hahn & Co., of No. 7, Luckauer Strasse, Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of this invention is a new or improved stand or holder for photographs,
bills of fare, and similar articles, which, owing to its peculiar construction cannot
be thrown over and will always automatically resume its perpendicular or slightly
inclined position. The device may also, by covering it with suitable transparent
material, as for instance, celluloid or the like, be adapted to hold and exhibit two
pictures, placed back to back, or cards printed on both sides, such as bills of fare
having on their reverse sides a list of wines or other announcement. Instead of
transparent material any other suitable substance, such as leather, pasteboard or :
the like may be employed for forming a frame in which window-like apertures are
provided for exhibiting the pictures or cards to be inserted, or the designs or
announcements may be painted, printed or embossed upon, or in other convenient
fashion affixed to, the covering material.
This device is shown in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation.
Fig. 2 a side view.
Figs. 3, 3, 4 detail views of parts.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate modified constructions.
The stand or holder essentially consists of two foot-pieces S and a weight G
connected therewith, the footpieces having the shape of segments of a circle or
other suitable curvature and resembling the rockers of a cradle or rocking chair; they
may be made of sheet metal or any other suitable material, and be ornamented in any
convenient fashion ; when stamped out of sheet metal the said foot pieces are
preferably provided with conveniently shaped flaps extending outward from the
middle of the periphery of the segment. These flaps are bent at right angles
twice in succession, whereby their extremities assume an upright position,
parallel to the footpieces proper as shown in Fig. 3ª, but this shape is not
essential. The said extremities F may be slotted or otherwise adapted to receive
and hold the lower edge of the card or picture to be exhibited. A weight G of
lead or other suitable substance having the sectional shape of a rounded trough
or tray, the curve corresponding to that of the footpieces S is either provided at
both ends with slots as in Fig. 4, or provided along its length with a
slot closed at each end, in either case adapted to allow of the passage of the
aforesaid bent flaps F. The weight reaches to the outer edge of the sides of the
footpieces, the former being held in at both ends in any convenient manner for
example by the projecting parts I. Owing to the tendency of the weight to regain
its centre of gravity, the device will always resume its original position, and in
attaching the weight to the footpieces the position of the photograph or card has.

page_text: to be arranged to be either perpendicular or slightly inclined according to the nature
of the exhibit.
The described self-righting stand may be covered with transparent material or
other suitable substance, by taking a long strip of the material, placing the stand
proper across the middle portion of said strip and then bending the ends upwards as
shown in Fig. 2. The stand being secured in position, the side edges of the
upwardly extending flaps are joined by means of rivets, metal edges, or in other con-
venient manner, to within a suitable distance from the stand proper, allowing the
covering material to form a loop, the lower curve of which corresponds to that of the
foot pieces of the stand to which the covering is also attached by pins or otherwise.
The transverse top edges of the covering material not being joined, the picture or
pictures or cards may be inserted between them and pushed down into position.
Instead of carrying the covering material in a loop around the base of the holder
it may be fastened with the pictures or cards simply in the middle between the arms
of the foot pieces S, as in Figs. and 6.
Fig. 7 shows another form in which the footpieces S of paper or other material are
fastened hinge fashion to the card or covering. A springy material may be used so
that the foot pieces may lie flat when retained in an envelope or cover, but may
spring into fore and aft position when removed therefrom. The weight may be in
the form of a lead wire fastened on the lower edge of the picture for example, in a
fold or turned over edge of, or to the material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A self-righting frame for photographs, menu-cards and other like objects com-
prising two lateral foot pieces acting as rockers and a weight between them adapted
to tend to hold the frame in a vertical or desirably inclined position substantially as
set forth.
2. The form of construction of the frame as illustrated and described in which the
weight G is secured in or with regard to the footpieces S and the transparent
covering surrounds the whole.
Dated this 19th day of July 1899
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.