IMPROVE- MENTS IN SHOW CASES OR BOXES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Sage, of Hatton Garden, in the City
of London, Show Case Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SHOW CASES OR BOXES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Sage at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
September 1866.
I, FREDERICK SAGE, of Hatton Garden, in the City of London, Show
Case Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOW CASES OR BOXES," to be as follows:-
In the ordinary glass or other show cases which are placed on counters or
tables in shops or warehouses for the purpose of exhibiting goods and yet pro-
tecting them from dust and injury, and in other cases or boxes for containing
goods, the tops or covers are usually hinged to the fixed part, so that when it
is desired to open the case or box in order to obtain access to the goods
contained therein it is necessary either to hold up the lid or cover by hand, or
else to support it by means of a strut or stay. In the one case the attendant
is deprived of the use of the hand required to hold open the lid, and in the
other there is the danger of the strut being accidentally knocked away, in
which event the glass lid or cover would descend with a crash and probably
be broken.
The object of the present Invention is to obviate these inconveniences and
to adapt the glass lid or other cover to the case or box in such a manner that

page_text: it will open of itself when unfastened, and will remain in an elevated or open
position until closed by the hand. To this end the lid or cover is provided
with or is acted on by a spring or springs or weighted cords, which will
always have a tendency to hold it open. The arrangement I prefer for
effecting the desired object of lifting and supporting the glass lid or other
cover consists in the employment of one, two, or more coiled springs contained
in a tube or tubes hinged to the foundation or bottom of the case or box;
these springs, of which I prefer to use three in combination, are contained in
separate tubes which slide inside each other, like telescope tubes, and act on a
rod which projects from the topmost tube and is jointed to the moveable lid
or cover of the case or box in advance of the hinge, so that when the lid of
the case or box is open the spring and rod will act as a strut to support
the lid. The object of combining two, three, or more springs and tubes is
to cause the springs to act with a less sudden rebound than a single spring
would do. A greater length of action is also obtained by means of a
combination of springs than by one single spring.
Another method of carrying out the Invention consists in adapting to the
hinge joint of the lid or cover a twisted flat or rectangular spring, which will
always have a tendency to straighten out, and in so doing will lift up the
lid-or cover to which it is secured.
.
Another method consists in adapting to the hinge joint a sector rack at one
or both ends, and into which gears a pinion or pinions on the end of a spring
roller, something like an ordinary spring blind roller. As a modification of
this the pinion may be placed on the axis of the hinge joint, and by causing
a sector rack (acted on by a strong spring behind) to gear into the pinion
the latter will be made to rotate when the lid or cover is released from its
catch, and the latter will thereby be opened.
Another plan consists in adapting to the hinge joint a lever or levers, to the
outer ends of which are adapted weighted cords or india-rubber springs which
will have the same tendency to pull open the lid or cover of the case. As a
modification of this plan the fulcrum of the lever may be placed in advance of
the hinge of the rising lid or cover and the lever may be extended forward
under the frame of the lid, so that when the hinder end of the lever is pulled
down by the tension of a spring or weighted cord the fore end of the lever
will lift up the lid and act as a stay or support while it is open. Instead of
raising this stay by means of a spring or weighted cord adapted to the tail
end of the lever a strong coiled spring, such as a clock spring, may be adapted
to the axle or fulcrum of the stay or lever. When this modification is adopted
it will be convenient to assist the opening and raising of the lid or cover by

page_text: the hand, leaving the spring but little more to do than to elevate the stay or
strut and support it in its raised position. In whatever way this power to
open the lid be applied it will be necessary to hold down the lid or cover by
means of a spring catch in front when it is required to keep the case or box
closed, and when it is desired to open the case it will only be necessary to
depress or force back the spring catch by means of a projecting stud attached
thereto, and then the lid or cover will be opened either by the force of the
spring or weight acting alone on the hinder part near the hinge joint or
assisted by the hand of the attendant.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Sage in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
SAGE, of Hatton Garden, in the City of London, Show Case Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick Sage, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick
Sage, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Frederick Sage, 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 Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN SHOW CASES OR BOXES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Frederick Sage, 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 Frederick Sage, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
In the ordinary glass or other show cases which are placed on counters or
tables in shops or warehouses for the purpose of exhibiting goods and yet pro-
tecting them from dust and injury, and in other cases or boxes for containing
goods, the tops or covers are usually hinged to the fixed part, so that when it is
desired to open the case or box in order to obtain access to the goods con-
tained therein it is necessary either to hold up the lid or cover by hand or else
to support it by means of a strut or stay. In the one case the attendant is
deprived of the use of the hand required to hold open the lid, and in the
other there is the danger of the strut being accidentally knocked away, in
which event the glass lid or cover would descend with a crash and probably be
broken.
The object of the present Invention is to obviate these inconveniences and
to adapt the glass lid or other cover to the case or box in such a manner that
it will open of itself when unfastened, and will remain in an elevated or open
position until closed by the hand.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of different
modes of effecting this object. In all these arrangements the lid or cover is
provided with or is acted on by a spring or springs or weighted cords, which
will always have a tendency to hold it open.
One arrangement for effecting the desired object of lifting and supporting
the glass lid or other cover is shewn at Figures 1 and 2, which represent
longitudinal and transverse sections of a glass case with my improvements
adapted thereto. The improvement consists in the employment of one, two,
or more coiled springs contained in a tube or tubes a hinged to the foundation
or bottom of the case or box at a¹. These springs, of which three or more may
be used in combination, are contained in separate tubes which slide inside each
other like telescope tubes, as shewn in the detached sectional view Fig. 3,
which is drawn. full size. The springs b, Fig. 3, act on a rod c, which projects
from the topmost tube and is jointed at c' to the moveable lid or cover of the
case or box in advance of the hinge d, Fig. 2, so that when the lid e of the
case or box is open the springs b and rod c will act as a strut to support the
Jid, as indicated by dots in Fig. 2. The object of combining two, three, or
more springs b, b, and tubes a is to cause the springs to act with a less sudden
rebound than a single spring would do. A greater length of action is also
obtained by means of a combination of springs, as shewn in Fig. 3, than by one
single spring.
Another method of carrying out the Invention is shewn at Figures 4 and 5,

page_text: and consists in adapting to the hinge joint d of the lid or cover e a twisted flat
or rectangular spring f, which will always have a tendency to straighten out,
and in so doing will lift up the lid or cover to which it is secured, as indicated
by the dotted lines in both Figures.
Another method of carrying out the Invention is shewn in the sectional
views Figures 6 and 7, and consists in adapting to the hinge joint d a sector
rack g at one or both ends, and into which gears a pinion or pinions / on the
end of a spring roller i, something like an ordinary spring blind roller. It
will be understood that when the lid or cover e is released from the catch
which holds it down at front the spring i will cause the pinion h to turn, and,
by acting on the sector rack 9 will raise the cover e, as indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 6. As a modification of this the pinion may be placed on the
axis of the hinge joint, and by causing a sector rack (acted on by a strong
spring behind) to gear into the pinion the latter will be made to rotate when
the lid or cover is released from its catch, and the latter will thereby be
opened. Or the spring barrel i may be adapted to the hinge joint of the lid
or cover e, as shewn in Figures 8 and 9, and by putting tension on the spring
when the lid is closed, as in Figures 6 and 7, the spring will raise the lid when
it is released from the front catch.
Another plan of raising the lid or cover e is shewn in section at Fig. 10,
and consists in adapting to the lid or cover near the hinge joint d, or to tho
hinge joint itself, a lever or levers j, to the outer ends of which are adapted
either weighted cords, as indicated by the dotted lines k, Fig. 10, or india-rubber
springs, which will have the same tendency to open the lid or cover of tho
case by pulling down the end of the lever j. The fulcrum of the lever may be
placed in advance of the hinge of the rising lid or cover, as shewn in Fig. 10,
and the lever may be extended forward under the frame of the lid, so that
when the hinder end of the lever is pulled down by the tension of the spring
or weighted cord the fore end of the lever will lift up the lid and act as a stay
or support while it is open. Instead of raising this stay by means of a spring
or weighted cord adapted to the tail end of the lever, as shewn at Fig. 10, a
strong coiled spring, such as a clock spring, may be adapted to the axle or
fulcrum of the stay or lever, as shewn at Figs. 11, which represent the lever j
detached and with coiled springs adapted thereto. When either of these
modifications is adopted it will be convenient to assist the opening and raising
of the lid or cover by the hand, leaving the spring but little more to do than
to elevate the stay, strut, or lever and support it in its raised position, as
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 10. In whatever way this power to open
the lid or cover e be applied it will be necessary to hold down the lid or cover e

page_text: by means of a spring catch in front when it is required to keep the case or
box closed, and when it is desired to open the case it will only be necessary
to depress or force back the spring catch by means of a projecting stud
attached thereto, and then the lid or cover will be opened either by the force
of the spring or weight acting alone on the binder part near the hinge joint
or assisted by the hand of the attendant.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in show cases or
boxes, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
several modes herein set forth, or any mere modifications thereof, for raising
the lids or covers of cases or boxes and sustaining them in an open, raised, or
elevated position as above shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Sage, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
FREDERICK SAGE. (L.S.)