IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO FITTINGS FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Office for Patents,
6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for an Invention of
'IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO FITTINGS FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES IN
SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES." Partly a communication from abroad
by Monsieur Pincemin, of 5, Rue de Chateaudun, Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th January 1880.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO FITTINGS
FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES." Partly a
communication from abroad by Monsieur Pincemin, of 5, Rue de Chateaudun, Paris,
France.
"S
This Invention relates chiefly to apparatus for displaying articles suspended or
arranged obliquely in shop windows. To suspend umbrellas I use a hooked socket
or ring fitting over their points and arranged with a spring, screw, or their equi-
valent to hold the point and prevent it from slipping. One very good plan is to
make the socket interlaced like the Japanese grip puzzle, so that when the weight
comes on it it grasps the umbrella point firmly. These sockets are hung from bars
held firmly in their brackets by screw clamps with projections fitting under the
brackets so as to prevent them turning.
To display hats the hook becomes a rigid attachment, and the socket a pair of
arms projecting straight out so as to cover the rim, and another arm below the rim
branched up with a knob or its equivalent, on which the hat hangs in a slanting
position and is held by the two arms above, as in a socket.
For displaying boots and shoes the hook is placed below, and on the rod is a shape
like a boot-sole capable of swivelling to any angle on its socket.
Sometimes for sticks and umbrellas I arrange the rods with sinuous form, so that
the umbrellas lie against the sinuosities from holes or sockets in boards below on
each side, and in such case the rods are supported by collapsible standards at each
end, and thus can be placed horizontally or obliquely at pleasure, and at any height.
Or I place the collapsible standards in the centre, the holes or sockets in the base
of the standard, and the corrugated bar or its equivalent, a ring of sockets or rings
supported round the standard. The umbrellas or sticks then stand out obliquely in
a ring round the standard

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th July 1880.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO FITTINGS
FOR EXHIBITING ARTICLES IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES." Partly a
communication from abroad by Monsieur Pincenin, of 5, Rue de Chateaudun,
Paris, France.
This Invention relates chiefly to apparatus for displaying articles suspended or
arranged obliquely in shop windows. To suspend umbrellas I use a hooked ring
or socket fitting over their points, and arranged with a spring, or screw, or their
equivalent to hold the point and prevent it from slipping. One very good plan is
to make the socket interlaced like the Japanese grip puzzle, so that when the
weight comes on it it grasps the umbrella point firmly. Fig. 1 shows another plan
in which the hook A and socket B are stamped out of sheet metal, which is after-
wards bent to shape, as shown. C is an india-rubber ring acting as a spring to
prevent the umbrella point D from slipping out, the various points of B curved up
at the end holding the ring, and being pressed by the ring into strong frictional
contact with the umbrella point. Or if made of elastic metal these points can
themselves be made to give an elastic pressure on the umbrella point without the
use of an india-rubber ring, each of these said points acting as a spring. Fig. 2
shows the simplest and best arrangement to my mind of the three, and the one
most adopted in practice, in which, as before, A. is the hook; B, ring or socket;
C, set screw to hold the umbrella point in socket B. These sockets are hung from
bars held firmly in their brackets by screw clamps with projections fitting under
the brackets so as to prevent them turning. Fig. 3 shows one of these screw
clamps, in which B is the clamp fitting round the rod; C, the set screw; and A,
the projection fitting under the bracket to prevent the rod from turning. For
displaying boots and shoes the hook is placed below to hang a pair of boots by, or
is altogether omitted. In Fig. 4, B is the socket with double joint, so that the
shape or stand A. for the boot sole can be swivelled in any direction.
Sometimes for sticks and umbrellas I arrange the rods with sinuous form, so
that the umbrellas lie against the sinuosities from holes or sockets in boards below
on each side, and in such case the rods are supported by collapsible standards at
each end, and thus can be placed horizontally or obliquely at pleasure, and at any
height. Or I place the collapsible standards in the centre, the holes or sockets in
the base of the standard, and the corrugated bar or its equivalent, a ring of sockets
or rings supported round the standard. The umbrellas or sticks then stand out
obliquely in a ring round the standard. Figs 5 and 6 show these two arrange-
ments, in which A, A, are the stands containing the sockets B, B; C, rod or rings
for holding the sticks or umbrellas; D, telescopic collapsible or even stationary
standard (as shown.) If made non-collapsible it should preferably be made to
easily screw off and on so that it can be packed in a small space for shipment.
To display hats the book becomes a rigid attachment, and the socket a pair of
arms projecting straight out so as to cover the rim, and another arm below the rim
branched up with a knob or its equivalent, on which the hat hangs in a slanting
position and is held by the two arms above as in a socket. Figs. 7 show an end
and front view of this part of the Invention. A is a plate, preferably of brass,
rigidly attached to a wall or other support; C is a projecting arm bent or branched
upwards with the knob D above; B, small projecting arms under which the rim of
the hat is placed. Under this branching arm I sometimos arrange a hook E on
which to hang a coat or other article.

page_text: Having now described the Invention as communicated to me by Monsieur
Pincemin, with a few additional improvements of my own, I wish it to be under-
stood that what I claim to be new and desire to protect under the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The manufacture of fittings for exhibiting sticks, umbrellas, and the like
in shop windows and other places, described in the first part of my Specification,
and more especially the combined use of a hook or its equivalent for suspending a
ring or socket for enclosing, and a set screw, spring, elastic ring, or equivalent
appliance for holding the point or end by which the article is hung.
Second. The implement, substantially as described and shown in Fig. 3, for
clamping rods to brackets for displaying goods thereon without danger of the rods
turning.
Third. The manufacture of apparatus for displaying hats in shop windows or
other places, substantially as described and shown in Figs. 7.
Fourth. The apparatus for displaying boots and shoes in shop windows, and
other places, substantially as described, consisting of a shape or plate formed to fit
the under surface of a boot sole in combination with a swivelling or universal
joint (B) so as to enable the shop keeper to place the boot in almost any useful
position.
Fifth. The fittings, for exhibiting sticks, umbrellas, and the like, substantially as
shown in Figures 5 and 6, and described in that part of the Specification relating
thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.