Improvements in Carving Forks.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carving Forks.
I, THOMAS COOPER JOHN THOMAS, of 5 Carlton Road, Finsbury Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to a construction of carving fork in which the guard is
automatically opened and held in its open position when the fork is applied, in the
usual manner, to hold a joint or other article to be carved.
For this purpose I employ a rod that extends lengthwise of the handle of the
fork and is capable of endwise movement in relation thereto. This rod is arranged
to bear at its forward end against an extension or lever arm on the guard which is
hinged or pivotted within a slot or recess in the fork tang or handle. The rear end
of the rod is enlarged or provided with a knob adapted to fit the palm of a persons
hand, the arrangement being such that when the prongs of the fork are forced into
the joint or article to be carved, the palm of the hand, acting against the rear end of
the rod or the knob thereon, forces the rod end wise and causes its forward end to
automatically raise the guard into the open position. Means are provided for
preventing the rod becoming accidentally disengaged from the fork handle.
convenient arrangement for this purpose is to make the rod of two diameters, the
part of smaller diameter working through a ring or disc fixed to the end of the
fork handle. The enlarged part of the rod, or the knob thereon, is preferably
provided with a tubular shield arranged to slide upon the exterior of the fork handle
and form an extension thereof. A spring or springs may be employed for returning
the rod to its outer or normal position and the guard into its closed attitude when
the fork is not in use.
1
1
1000'
A
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carving Forks.
I, THOMAS COOPER JOHN THOMAS, of 5, Carlton Road, Finsbury Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 construction of carving fork in which the guard is
automatically opened and held in its open position when the fork is applied, in the
usual manner, to hold meat to be carved.
For this purpose, I employ a rod that extends lengthwise of the handle of the fork
and is capable of end wise movement in relation thereto. This rod is arranged to
bear at its forward end against an extension or lever arm on the guard which is
hinged or jointed within a slot or recess in the fork tang or handle.
The rear end of the rod is enlarged or provided with a knob adapted to be held
by the carver's hand, the arrangement being such that when the prongs of the fork
are forced into the meat to be carved the carver's hand will cause the rod to be
forced endwise and to automatically raise the guard into the open position. Means
are provided for preventing the rod becoming accidentally disengaged from the fork
handle.

page_text: In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a longitudinal vertical section and a plan of a
carving fork constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 illustrating a modified construction.
In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is a fork guard hinged or jointed to the fork tang or handle 2
in the usual manner.
This guard is provided with an extension or lever arm 3 that
extends into a recess 4. 5 is a rod capable of moving longitudinally within the
handle 6 hereinafter called the inner handle. The forward end of this rod is arranged
to act against the extension or lever arm 3. To prevent disengagement of the
rod 5 from the inner handle 6, the rear end portion of the rod may be made of
two diameters as shewn, the part of smaller diameter working through a perforated
plate 7 fixed to the end of the inner handle 6 and serving as a stop to the part of
the rod of larger diameter. To the rear end of the rod 5 is secured a knob or
enlargement 8 that is furnished with a tubular outer handle 9 capable of sliding upon
the inner handle 6. 1, 1ª are stops to limit the upward movement of the guard 1.
When the carving fork, constructed as described, is held by the outer handle and
its prongs are introduced in the ordinary manner into meat to be carved, the rod 5
will be forced forward and acting upon the extension or lever arm 3 will cause the
guard 1 to rise into the attitude shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
When the rod 5 is moved rearward, the guard will or may fall into its lowered
or closed position by the action of gravity; to assist this action the guard may be
weighted as indicated in dotted lines at 10.
In some cases the forward end of the rod 5 may be formed with a slot 11, as
shewn in Fig. 3, to receive the lever arm 3.
In this construction a spring may be employed for automatically returning the
rod 5 to its rearward or normal position, and the guard 1 into its closed attitude
when the fork is not in use. This spring may be arranged within the inner handle 6
as shewn in Fig. 3. The spring is arranged to bear at one end against the rear end
of the tang 2 and at the other end to bear against a collar 12 on the rod 5 so that
after it has been compressed by the rod 5 during carving, and then released, it will
automatically move this rod into its rearward position and the guard 1 into its closed
or lowered position as shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. A carving fork constructed with a guard having an extension or lever
arm, and
a rod that extends lengthwise of the fork handle and is capable of endwise movement
in relation thereto, the arrangement being such that the carver's hand when intro-
ducing the prongs of the fork into meat to be carved will cause the rod to move the
guard into position for use.
2. My improved carving fork as described and shewn with reference to Figs. 1.
and 2.
3. The modification described with reference to and illustrated in Fig. 3.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1880-
T. C...J. THOMAS.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.