IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANDING OR EXTENDING TABLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry John Betjemann, of New Oxford Street,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
EXPANDING OR EXTENDING TABLES."-Partly a communication.
EXPANDING OR EXTENDING TABLES.”—Partly a communication.
Sealed the 15th February 1856, and dated the 7th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry John Betjemann
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th November 1855.
I, HENRY JOHN BETJEMANN, of New Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN EXPANDING OR EXTENDING TABLES" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of a table which stands on
a pillar or central support in such manner that the table may expand or extend
on both sides of the pillar or central support, the parts so extending or expand-
ing having legs applied in such manner that when the parts are extended or
expanded, the legs or supports connected therewith shall descend and become
supports for such extended parts.
For this purpose the top or upper surface of the table, as heretofore in
expanding tables, is divided into two parts, and they are caused simultaneously
to move or recede from each other by means of slides fixed on the under

page_text: surfaces which move between guides fixed to the pillar or central support.
The two parts of the surface of the table are moved from each other, and
such is the case with other slides, according to the extent the table is to be
expanded, by means of toothed racks thereon, and pinions which are fixed on
two or more axes, in order that the slides may be moved in opposite directions,
by simply turning a cranked key or handle. The legs which support the ends
of the table when expanded are hinged below the parts which move or recede
from each other, and such legs are acted on as the parts of the table recede
from each other so as to cause the legs to unfold, and as the parts of the table
come together the legs are acted on in such manner as to lift and fold them
up, in order that the lower ends of the legs may come towards each other and
over the pillar or central support. The mechanism for folding and unfolding
the legs may be varied, but it is preferred to use arms and connecting links
to the slides, together with stops and catches; or racks and toothed sectors may
be employed with the slides. In the central part of the table, and between the
slides of the framing of expanding tables, a space is arranged under the ordi-
nary surface of the table, into which the separate leaves of the table are placed
when out of use one on the other, so that they are out of the way, and hid
when the table is contracted, in place of having a separate stand for such
leaves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry John Betjemann in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JOHN BETJEMANN, of New Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry John Betjemann, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry John Betjemann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry John Betjemann, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANDING OR EXTENDING TABLES," partly a communi-
cation, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry John
Betjemann, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry John Betjemann, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of a table which stands
on a pillar or central support in such manner that the table may expand or
extend on both sides of the pillar or central support, the parts so extending
or expanding having legs applied in such manner that when the parts aro
extended or expanded, the legs or supports connected therewith shall descend
and become supports for such extended parts. For this purpose the top or
upper surface of the table, as heretofore in expanding tables, is divided into
two parts, and they are caused simultaneously to move or recede from each
other by means of slides fixed on the under surfaces which movo between
guides fixed to the pillar or central support. The two parts of the surface of
the table are moved from each other, and such is the case with other slides,
according to the extent the table is to be expanded, by means toothed racks
thereon, and pinions which are fixed on two or more axes in order that the
slides may be moved in opposite directions, by simply turning a cranked key or
handle. The legs which support the ends of the table when expanded aro
hinged below the parts which move or recede from each other, and such legs
are acted on as the parts of the table recede from cach other so as to causo
the legs to unfold, and as the parts of the table come together the legs are
acted on in such manner as to lift and fold them up, in order that the lower
ends of the legs inay come towards each other and over the pillar or central
support. The mechanism for folding and unfolding the legs may be varied,
but it is preferred to use arms and connecting links to the slides, together
with stops and catches; or racks and toothed sectors may be employed with
the slides. In the central part of the table, and between the slides of the
framing of expanding tables, a space is arranged under the ordinary surface of
the table, into which the separate leaves of the table are placed when out of use

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan, and Figuro 2 a longitudinal section, of a table con-
structed according to the Invention, shewing the parts expanded to the fullest
extent; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show some of the parts on a larger scale, in
order to show how the legs which support the ends of the table when extended
are caused to unfold when the table is being expanded, and to fold up again
when the parts are being closed together again; and Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10
show the mode by which the slides are connected and held together by spring
catches when expanded or extended.
a, a, is a pillar or central support, the form or arrangement of which may be
greatly varied according to the judgment or taste of the workman; to which
pillar or central support the grooved guides b, b, are fixed, in which tongues of
the slides a, a, a³, a', and b', b³, b³, b, are caused to slide in opposite directions
by means of toothed racks fixed on the under side of each slide in the following
manner-c is an axis supported in bearings on the pillar or central support,
or on the fixed guides 6; the axis c receives motion by means of the key or
cranked handle c', by which motion is communicated to the toothed pinions
c, c, fixed on the axis c; the toothed pinions, c, take into the toothed
racks fixed on the under side of the slides a¹, a³, a³, a', to move them out in
succession in the direction of the arrows; the pinions c, c, take into the teeth
of the toothed pinions d', d, fixed on the axes d, d, upon which are fixed the
toothed pinions d', d, which take into the toothed racks on the under side of
the slides 1, 3, 3, 64, to move them out in succession in the direction of the
arrows.
I will now describe the arrangement of the parts for causing the legs e, e, to
descend or unfold when the table is being expanded or extended; 6x, bx, arc
grooved guides fixed to the central pillar or support a, in which the tongues of
the slides a, b, (fixed respectively to each moving portions of the upper surface
of the table) are guided. The legs e, e, are hinged to the under side of the
moving portions of the table, and at or near the outer ends thereof, and they
are connected by the metal arms e', e¹, and the jointed links e, es, e, to the
sliding pieces or arms f, f, which are guided and move to and fro in grooves
cut in the fixed slides a, b, connected to the upper surface of the table. The
sliding pieces f, f, carry the spring catches f', f, which are acted upon by fixed

page_text: stops 7, 7, on the fixed guides 6*, 6*, to arrest the movement for a time of the
sliding pieces f, f, with the fixed slides a³, 6, and thus cause the jointed links
,,, to fold or unfold, according as the parts of the table are being opened
or closed, and there are stops and inclines 1, 2, 3, 4, fixed on the slides.a³, b³,
which act on-the spring catches f,f, to retain the legs e, e, in position and to-
release the spring catches from the stops 7, 7, as required.
And in order that the action of the spring catches and stops may be better
understood, I will describe their action when opening and when closing the
two parts of the table to unfold and to lift or hold up the legs e, e.
Figure 3 shows the position of the spring catches f,f, and fixed stops-
(1, 2, 3, 4), fixed on the slide a, at that end of the table when the parts are
folded up, and it will be seen that the spring catch f is depressed by the
stop 4, and that the spring catch f¹ is retained against the fixed stop 8, by
which the legs e are held in the folded position. When the two parts of the
table are expanded by turning the key or cranked handle on the axis, the spring
catch will be depressed by coming in contact with the incline 6 on the fixed
stop 7, so as to release the catch f¹ from the retaining stop 3; and the spring
catch f', together with the sliding piece f, will then be arrested and held by
the fixed stop 7 from moving with the slide a', and will cause the jointed links
,,, to assume the position of these parts shown at Figure 5, and thus
cause the legs e to descend and support that part of the upper surface of the
table. The further movement outwards of the slide a will bring forward the
stop 2, which in its movement will depress the catch f¹, and release it from
the fixed stop 7; tho catch f will then be depressed by the stop 1, and the
spring catch will rest against the stop 2, and thus retain the parts in the
position shown at Figure 5. In the return movement of the parts to fold or
close up the legs e, e, the spring stop f¹ being depressed will pass the fixed
stop 7, and the spring catch f² will be acted on by the incline 8 to release it
from the stop 2, and the catch f³ and sliding piece f will then be arrested and
held for a time from moving inwards with the slide a", by which the links
,,, and legs e will be caused to fold together, and thus lift up the legs
into the position shown at Figure 3. The catch f² will then be depressed and
released from the fixed stop 7 by the incline 8. The incline 4 will then come
forward and depress the spring catch f³, and the catch f will be retained
against the stop 3.
I will now describe the arrangement and action of the spring catches for
retaining the slides together when expanded, and to prevent them from being
drawn out except in their proper order of succession. h, h, are stops, fixed
on the frame, which support the guides 6, 6; i, i, are catches, hinged to the

page_text: slides, which drop, when the parts of the table are closed, against a step formed
on the stops h, h, to prevent the slides moving out by contact with their
neighbouring slides until lifted up and retained out of the way of the stops by
an incline j, fixed on the slide next to be moved out. The end of the catch,
when lifted, enters into recesses formed on the under sido of the two slides,
and retains them together; k, k, aro spring catches carried by the racks, one
end of each of which has a projection ', which enters a recess formed on the
under side of the next slide when fully expanded to retain them together, and
each spring catch k is moved. out of its recess when moving inwards to close
the parts of the table together by the teeth of the pinion acting on the curved
end of the catch, as each successive slide is drawn inwards; l, l, are hook-
formed instruments (fixed on the frame which support the guides), which enter
a recess above cach rack to hold the slides firmly in position whilst being moved
to and fro.
I will now describe another arrangement of parts for expanding tables on
both sides of a central pillar or support, in which I prefer to employ racks and
toothed sectors to actuate the legs which support the parts when extended, a-
space being left by such arrangement of parts (when the table is closed) under
the ordinary surface of the table to receive the separate leaves of the table.
Figure 11 shows a plan, and Figure 12 a longitudinal section, of a table
expanded or extended, having racks and toothed sectors applied thereto, to
cause the legs to unfold and support the ends of the table when extended, and
to fold them up when the parts are closed. Figures 13 and 14 show similar
views of the same table when closed, the red lines indicating the position of
the extra leaves contained in the space left between the slides under the
ordinary surface of the table. Figures 15, 16, 17, and 18 show some of the
parts full size, the nature of which is written thereon.
,
a is the central pillar or support; b, b, are the fixed guides, in which the slides
a', a³, and b, b, aro guided; c is a tubular or hollow axis, supported in bearings
on each side of the central pillar or support. The axis c receives motion
from a crank handle c*, which is capable of sliding partly into the axis c when
the table is closed, so as to be out of the way, there being feathers or pro-
jections on the inner end, which enter corresponding grooves on the inner
circumference of the hollow axis c, so as to engage it therewith when drawn
outwards to give motion to the axis c; c', c', are toothed pinions fixed on the
axis c, which take into the toothed racks fixed on the under side of the slides
61, 6, to move them to and fro; c², c², are other toothed pinions fixed on the
axis c, .which take into and drive the toothed pinions d², d², fixed on the axes
d, d, to give motion thereto. The axes d, d, have toothed pinions d', d', fixed

page_text: thereon, which take into the toothed racks fixed on the under sides of the
slides a', a², to move them to and fro in opposite directions to the slides b, 2;
e, e, are the additional legs to support the ends of the table when extended.
The legs e, e, are fixed on the axes e¹, e, which are supported and move in
bearings fixed to the under side of the table; f. f, are toothed sectors fixed on
the axes e, e, which are acted upon by the fixed racks 9, 9, so as to cause the
axes e, e, to make a partial revolution, and thus raise or lower the legs e, e, into
the positions shown by the Drawings, and the parts are held in one or tho
other position by the lever catches h, h, which are supported on pin joints
carried by brackets fixed to the under side of the upper surface of the table.
The bent ends of the catches h, h, are caused to enter between the projections
ff, on one side of the toothed sectors when the legs e, e, are unfolded to
retain them in that position, and they rest against the projections f*,*, on
each sector when the legs e, e, are folded or lifted into the horizontal position,
so as to hold them up and under the upper surface of the table. The catches,
h, h, are governed in their movements by the inclines h', h², and the projection
3 on the side of each catch h, being acted upon in their to and fro movements
by the grooves and inclines formed on the sides of the fixed racks 9, 9, so as
to raise and depress the ends of the catches at the proper times to remove
them from, and place them in contact with, the stops on the sides of the toothed
sectors f, f, all which will be readily understood on examining the Drawings.
i, i, are lever catches connected to the slides to hold them together when
extended, the action of which was fully described in a former Patent granted
to me on the Third day of August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five
(and numbered 1763); j is a ratchet wheel, fixed on the axis c, to prevent the
further expansion of the table when the paul j' is allowed to drop into the.
teeth of the ratchet by the movement of the lever k. Figures 19 and 20
shew a plan and section of another table having a central pillar, or support
capable of expanding in opposite directions, in which arrangement the legs.
which support the ends of the table when extended are fixed to the portions of
the surface of the table which aro moved out in opposite directions by the
mechanism from the central support or pillar; or the legs in such case may
be made or arranged to fold by hand. In either of these arrangements last
mentioned, the table would possess the improvements above described other
than the mechanism used for the folding the legs by the movement of the parts
of the surface of the table from and to the pillar or central support.
I would remark, that although I have shewn and described the improved
tables so constructed that no part of the upper surface of the table is fixed
above the central pillar or support, it will be evident that, if desired, the upper

page_text: surface of the table might be in three parts, and the central one fixed above
the pillar or support, and the other two arranged capable of being moved
in opposite directions; but I prefer the arrangements above explained and
shown by the Drawings.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
separate parts herein described, nor do I confine myself to the details herein
described, as it will be evident to mechanics that they may be varied without
departing from the peculiarities of my Invention; but what I claim is, com-
bining the parts of an expanding table in such manner as to cause the outer
legs to unfold and fold by the movement away of parts of the surface of the
table from and to a central pillar or support.
I also claim the combining the parts of an expanding table in such manner
that the two ends may be moved away from a central pillar or support, as above
explained; and I also claim the combining of the parts of an expanding table
in such manner as to admit of the "leaves" out of use being placed below the
upper surface of the table.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry John Betjemann, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
B. GOBEY,
4, Old Square, Lincoln's Inn.
HENRY J. BETJEMANN.