AN IMPROVED TOAST STAND
Year: 1815

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GRIFFITH, of Giltspur Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of
February, in the fifty-fifth year of His reign; give and grant unto me, the
said William Griffith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William
Griffith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully night make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED TOAST STAND;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso that if I, the said William Griffith, shall not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever hereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine,
and become void, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had) will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Griffith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following descrip-
tion thereof (that is to say):-

page_text: The peculiar construction of my Invention consists in folding the arms
or forks and support of a hanging toast stand, or the application of fixed or
stationary forks or arms to a hanging toast stand. Though various contrivances
are before the public of folding cats and dogs, yet all of these are calculated to
stand upon legs only, not to hang, and the peculiar merit of my Invention
consists, in the first place, in uniting the principles of folding and hanging;
and, secondly, in the construction of toast stands with arms or forks instead of
a circle or other method of supporting the plate as heretofore used. Fig. 1
and Fig. 1 both represent a hanging toast stand, the arms or forks of which
and the support turn upon the pivots (a, a, a, a,) by a common joint or
otherwise, when they will appear as Fig. 2; or if the forks are intended to be
stationary, they are fastened into the centre without a joint by means of a
screw or otherwise. I do not intend confining myself to any particular form or
shape of the centre or stock, which may be made as a cup or barrel, or of any
other shape or form agreeable to the taste of the manufacturer. The arms
may be made to extend by means of a slide in the manner of a telescope,
or to screw out by a common worm. Fig. 3 exhibits a hanging toast stand
with a worm rod in the centre (hollow for lightness), rivetted to the upper
plate, and working or screwing into a hollow socket below, in order to elevate
the toast plate at pleasure. It may be convenient to render these hanging
toast stands capable of standing, in which case legs may be attached to the
same, either by means of ball and socket, or joint, or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Griffith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifteen.