Improvements in Music or Book Rests or Shelves for Pianos, Organs, Harmoniums, and Reading Desks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Feb., 1890-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Music or Book Rests or Shelves for Pianos,
Organs, Harmoniums, and Reading Desks.
HENRY BIRKETT BUCKLAND Hamburg Chambers Newcastle Consulting Engineer
tc. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The ordinary rest or shelf for standing music on a piano, organ or harmonium
or reading desk, is fixed at a certain height, being generally too low for any
one to sing read or play from when standing, without straining the eyes or
stooping, with my invention the shelf or rest can be raised to any necessary
height to bring music or book more on level with eyes & by a simple arrange-
ment the shelf remains fixed where left till a slight pressure of the hand relieves
& alters its position & by another addition to the ordinary rest the music is
prevented from tumbling over when rest or shelf is a top position. It can be
applied to existing pianos &c. as well as new & alike whether fitted to keyboard
lid or suspended from front board to fold up by this invention the eyes will be
greatly relieved & the voice very greatly improved. This invention comprise the
notching of the vertical bars, the slotting of same and the arrangement of the
springs to hold shelf in position required, & extension of rest.
H. B. BUCKLAND.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Music or Book Rests or Shelves for Pianos,
Organs, Harmoniums, and Reading Desks.
HENRY BIRKETT BUCKLAND Hamburg Chambers Newcastle-Tyne Consulting
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 :-
The ordinary rest or shelf attached to pianos, organs, harmoniums and reading
desks is fixed at a certain height. By this Invention 1 can raise the shelf or rest
so as to bring the music or book almost on a level with the persons eyes who is
singing or reading from the same, thereby improving the tone of voice and
relieving the pressure on the eyes, caused by anyone having to stoop to see the
said music or book. Instead of the upright bars of the rest being solid, I cut a
slot in them to allow, the pins holding the shelf to the uprights, to move easily
up and down the said slots, which are made any required length: I also cut any
required number of notches in the uprights for the shelf to rest on, when raised
up. I bring the pins that hold the shelf to the uprights a short distance through
the back of the uprights, and put thereon a washer next to the upright, a small
spring made of steel, brass, or india rubber and a washer rivetted onto the end
of the pin to retain the spring; by means of this spring, the shelf is drawn into
the notches, when raised to any required height. To prevent the music or- book
froin falling, over when the rest is raised, I place another set of uprights slotted bars,
behind the first mentioned ones attached to the pins at the bottom, but the slot passing
over the pins attaching the uprights to the crossbar at the top of the rest these back
uprights are made a little longer than the front ones, so that a crossbar may be
fastened to the top of them to hold them all together; by this means the back
uprights rise as the shelf is raised and form a support for the music or book: or to the
top pins I can attach a set of short uprights with a crossbar, that in general will lie
collapsed but when shelf is raised, they can be raised seperately. I also apply the
LP 21

page_text: same arrangement of slots, notches and springs to easels for painting, so as to make
them collapsable and easily carried. These rests can be made in any kind of suitable
wood, brass, or other light metal.
Description. Fig. shows front view of rest. Fig. 2 shows side view of rest
attached to piano, by Chinge at top. Fig. 3 shows, rest attached to key board lid.
Fig. 4 shows side view of reading desk. Fig. 5 shows front view of easel. In all
views A is the shelf, B. in figs. 1 & 2 shows shelf partly raised, shown in dotted lines,
Care the front uprights, E the crossbar. F & G shows the connecting crossbar of back
uprights, H are the springs whereby shelf is drawn into notches J, I are the slots,
Kare the cross slots in shelf of easel.
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). The slotting of the upright bars.
(2) The notching of the upright bars.
(3) The application of the springs:
(4) The provision of the support when shelf is raised..
(5) The general arrangement of the whole as above described.
Dated the 7th day of January 1890