Improvements in or Additions to Counter Tops or Surfaces.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Counter Tops or Surfaces.
I EDWARD HENRY PEARCE of Bridge Street, in the City of Birmingham
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention pertains to glass or highly polished counter tops or surfaces.
Heretofore, the said glass and highly polished counter tops or surfaces, are
defenceless against abrasions, rubbings and scratchings, incidental upon parcels,
baskets, boxes or the like, being placed upon them, or drawn across them, as is now
commonly done.
Besides the disfiguration of the said tops or surfaces, the said scratching or
abrasions are detrimental to their uses, especially in mirrored tops, both as rests for
goods, and reflectors of the shop wherein they are situated.
A further advantage glass has over varnished, coated or polished surfaces, is
that the former is kept clean, and in condition, easier than the latter.
My invention has for its object, the providing of the said counter tops or surfaces,
with a defence, or a series of defences or guards, which keep large and heavy
articles placed upon them from off the same.
My invention consists in providing the said surfaces with protruberances, bossed
swellings, studs or lifts, at equal or other distances apart, so that by the said pro-
truberances, lifts or the like, standing away from the polished surfaces as aforesaid,
the same are protected from scratchings, or preserved from abrasions, which would
otherwise occur were the same naked or defenceless.
Thus, when large and heavy articles, which would be liable to scratch or abrase,
are placed upon the said counters or tops, they are made to stand away from the
same, by resting upon protruberances, as aforesaid.
These protruberances may be in the form of hemispherical, square, hexagonal or
other shaped bosses, and when applied to a glass or mirror top, I propose to form
the same from portions of the same plate from which the top is made; so that the
said bosses are prevented from flying by plate and bosses being of the same
temper.
The attachment of glass bosses to a glass or mirrored top is accomplished by the
aid of a flux applied to the meeting surfaces of them, and when subsequently fired
in a kiln, the permanent attachment of one to the other is performed.
In case of both glass and other polished counter tops, the protruberances or out-
standing bosses or studs, may be attached to the slabs or surfaces in any desired
way, or again, in the case of glass moulded or shaped tops, the said protruberances
may he made integral or in one piece with the slabs or plates, for the purpose as
before specified.
As a further form, I may make the protruberance of an ornamental figure, or alike
unto a projecting knob.
Instead of employing protruberances placed at distances apart over the surface
to be protected, I may employ ribs, reedings or ridgings, disposed in any direction,
and of any length or lengths.
Dated this 13th day of February 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Counter Tops or Surfaces.
I EDWARD HENRY PEARCE, of Bridge Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention pertains primarily to glass counter tops, having highly polished or
finished surfaces, and consists in protecting the said surfaces from abrasions or
scratchings, by providing or arming the same with defences or guards, consisting
essentially of raised or outstanding studs, ribs, projections or the like, upon which
articles or goods placed upon the said polished counter tops, rest.
In carrying out one form of my invention, I provide or arm the said surfaces
with hemispherical or button shaped defences or guards, disposed at equal or other
distances apart, and by the tops of the same being elevated above the polished
surfaces thus armed, scratchings or abrasions are prevented.
Thus, when goods or heavy articles are placed upon a naked counter top, the
same becomes scratched or rubbed, consequent upon the same being defenceless.
The defences may be in the form of square, hexagonal or other shaped bosses,
and when composed of glass, and applied to glass or mirror topped surfaces, I
propose to make both defences and top, from portions of the same plate, and by so
doing they are made of a like temper, thus reducing or preventing the risk of
"flying."
The attachment of the said defences is accomplished by the aid of flux or other
fusible material applied to the meeting surfaces of them, and when subsequently
fired in a kiln, the attached parts become permanently affixed.
In a further form of my invention, I employ glass ribs or ridges, either attached
by fluxing and subsequent firing, or they may be shaped from the slab itself, or
they may be made and attached in any other way.
My invention is applicable to all glass counter tops and surfaces requiring to be
protected.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, in perspective, a counter,
having a glass or mirrored top, provided with defences or guards in accordance with
one form of my invention.
Figure 2 represents, upon an enlarged scale, a plan of a portion of the said
counter top, showing the dispositions of the defences or guards, which consist
essentially of boss-shaped protruberences, standing away from the surface to be
protected, and upon which protruberences, goods or articles placed upon a counter,
rest.
Figure 3 represents a vertical section, upon the dotted lines A. B. Figure 2, of
the said counter top, showing the height of the said defences or guards, which are
attachedly connected to the surface by a flux or other fusible material and then the
whole subsequently fired in a kiln.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3, a is a counter, with a glass or mirrored top b, provided
with defences or guards c, consisting of hemispherical shaped studs or buttons of
glass, permanently connected to the said counter top surface by a flux or other
fusible material and the whole then subsequently fired in a kiln, as aforesaid.
Figure 4 represents a glass or mirrored counter top, having defences or guards
standing from the surface of the same, alike unto Figure 1, other than that the said
defences are made in one piece with the said counter tops, by moulding, pressing or
shaping.
a is the counter, 6 the top of the same, and c the defences or guards, arranged at
equal distances apart, and standing away from the top, to sufficient height to protect
the polished surface of the same from injury or abrasion.

page_text: Figure 5 represents a portion of a counter top, provided with defences or guards,
of a different shape to those of Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Thus, the guards in this said last named figure consists of short and obliquely
directed ribs, standing from the surface of a polished top, and disposed at suitable
distances apart.
Figure 6 represents a vertical section upon the dotted lines C. D. Figure 5.
b is the polished counter top or slab of glass, and c are the defences or guards.
Figure 7 represents a top side plan of a portion of defence or guard-protected
glass counter top, made according to a further form of my invention.
Figure 8 is a vertical section on the dotted lines E. F.
bis a glass or mirrored top, slab or the like, and care obliquely directed
standing-up ribs or ridges, which form the bearers or rests for the articles or goods
placed upon the counter top, hence the protection of the polished surface of the
said counter top.
Instead of the broken-up ribs or ridges, or the continuous ribs or ridges being
arranged obliquely, they may be disposed transversely or longitudinally, or some
of them longitudinally, or some of them oblique, transverse or the like.
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 :-
Providing, furnishing or arming counter tops, and other like polished surfaces
of glass or the like, with glass defences or guards, substantially as described and set
forth.
Datel this 10th 1 C NTR 1000
EDWARD HENRY PEARCE,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.