An Improved Guard for Carving Forks.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1887
Complete Left, 6th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Guard for Carving Forks.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, practising as Phillips & Leigh, at No. 22, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention as the same has been communicated
to me by Henry Ernest Parry, Assoc. Mem. Inst. C.E., of York, Western Australia,
Government Resident Engineer for the Eastern Districts of Western Australia, to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved guard for carving forks, and consists in
dispensing with the well-known guard-spring and providing a lever, one end of which
is connected by any convenient type of flexible or hinged joint to the handle or to
the tang of the fork, while the free end engages with a rearward extension of
the guard.
When a carving fork to which my invention has been applied is taken in hand, the
forefinger bears upon the lever instead of upon the handle or the bolster of the fork.
The guard is at once raised by the depression of the lever and kept up so long as the
carver's finger continues to press upon the lever, but as soon as the pressure is relieved
the guard drops.
T 1
1007

page_text: '
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Fel. Inst. P.A., Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., practising as
Phillips & Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, as the same has been communicated to me from abroad, and in what
manner it is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved guard for carving forks; and consists in
dispensing with the well known guard-spring, and providing a lever, one end of
which has its fulcrum in or upon the handle or the tang, while the free end engages
with a rearward extension of the guard.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same can be carried into
practical effect, may be thoroughly understood; I will now describe the same in
detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as
part of this specification and read therewith.
Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively, side elevation and plan illustrating the application
of this invention to a carving fork, and showing the parts in the position which they
occupy when the fork is on the table before the carver.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fork in use; the position and effect of the
carver's left hand being indicated by the dotted lines.
A is the handle of the fork; and, B, the lever. The lever has its fulcrum in, or
upon, either the handle or the tang. The method of providing the fulcrum which I
have illustrated in the figures consists of forming a tab, b, upon the under side of
the lever, and a cavity, b', in the top of the handle sufficiently large to receive it,
and to also allow it as much play as is necessary for the purpose of my invention.
An edge pin, c, is passed through the handle, A, and tab, b; to serve as the axis
of the lever B..
The position of the fulcrum as between the bolster and the heel of the handle may
be varied as may be desired, but the one illustrated in the figures may be taken as
the proper one for the majority of forks.
The lever, B, is continued forward over or through the bolster, and terminates in
a nose, d, suitably shaped to engage a rearward extension, e, of the guard, f. The
latter is pivotted to the fork shank in the usual way, but no spring is used; and
consequently the cavity in the shank is smaller than it has hitherto been necessary
to make it.
The operation of the invention is as follows.―
When the carver takes up the fork, the index finger is brought to bear in any
way convenient to the carver, but preferably in the way illustrated in Fig. 3, upon
the lever. The latter is forthwith depressed, and the guard, f, raised. And, as the
stability of the raised position of the guard is proportionate to the pressure exerted
upon the lever, B, by the carver, it follows that the harder his grip of the fork, the
more stable will be the upright position of the guard.

page_text: The application of this invention to a carving fork is not confined to the precise
details illustrated in the figures, inasmuch as the lever may be placed at the side of,
or underneath, the handle, and a suitable connection established between it and the
guard so that pressing the lever to the handle would raise the guard. If the lever
were placed on the underside of the handle then, the guard would be continued
through the shank and the extension, e, formed in the continuation in front of the
pin upon which the guard moves.
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 :-
The combination of carving fork; lever having its fulcrum in or upon the handle
or tang thereof; and an extension of the guard with which the nose of the said lever
engages for the purpose of effecting the elevation of the guard when the lever is
pressed to the fork-handle; as described with reference to the accompanying
figures.