Improvements in Combined Stands and Holders for Photographs, Menu Cards, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1899-Accepted, 17th June, 1899
Improvements in Combined Stands and Holders for Photographs,
Menu Cards, and the like.
I, GEORGE ERNEST LANCELOTT, of 49, Tenby Street North, in the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements in combined
stands and holders for displaying in an inclined position photographs (and a glass
in front of the same if required) menu cards and the like. My said invention
can be manufactured very cheaply and is very readily fixed to or removed from
the photograph menu card or the like with which it is used.
I will describe my invention in connection with a photograph and its glass.
In one form of carrying out my invention I take a piece of wire of suitable length
and bend one part of the same so as to form two looped like feet at the proper
distance apart to receive the bottom edge of the photograph and its glass the
said wire being continued at the front of the glass and photograph from one
looped foot to the other. At the back of the stand the wire extends upwardly
from the looped feet for a short distance and then across to the centre of the stand
where one end of the wire is closed round the other part of the wire which latter
is coiled into a spring eye projecting at the back of the stand in a plane at about
right angles to the face of the photograph the said wire then being continued
upwardly from the spring eye at the back of the photograph to the top of the
same and there formed as a hook which takes on to the top of the photograph
and glass which are thus clipped between the top hook of the stand and the two
bottom looped feet of the same. The said coiled spring forms with the looped
feet a third foot for the stand or holder.
Before placing the photograph and glass on the stand the said spring eye has
to be compressed between the thumb and finger so as to reduce the diameter of
the same which has the effect of lengthening the distance between the top hook
of the stand and the two looped feet of the same so that the glass and photograph
can then be placed in position with the lower edges of the glass and photograph
resting in the looped feet and with the top of the photograph and glass immedi-
ately under the hook at the top of the stand; then, when the pressure of the
thumb and finger on the spring eye is released, the latter will expand and thus
shorten the upwardly projecting part of the stand and cause the photograph and
glass to be clipped between the top hook and the two bottom feet of the stand.
In a modification of my invention the two portions of the wire which rise from
the looped feet are both formed into spring eyes to form two back feet for the
stand and these two wires are then carried up and formed as two hooks to take
against the top of the photograph and glass.
In a further modification of my invention the piece of wire is bent about
centrally to form the hook at the top of the back part of the stand and the latter and
the spring eye are then formed of two thicknesses of wire which are spread out-

page_text: wardly at the bottom of the stand and their ends turned upwardly to form the
said two looped feet which receive the bottom edges of the photograph and glass.
In a further modification of my invention the lower part of the stand has a back
cross bar which with the two looped feet is formed of one piece of wire or strip
metal and the upwardly projecting back part of the stand and spring eye are
formed of another piece of wire which is fixed to the said cross bar.
בד
Improvements in Combined Stands and Holders for Photographs,
Menu Cards, and the like.
I, GEORGE ERNEST LANCELOTT, of 49, Tenby Street North, in the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in combined
stands and holders for displaying in an inclined position photographs (and a glass
in front of the same if required) menu cards and the like. My said invention
can be manufactured very cheaply and is very readily fixed to or removed from
the photograph menu card or the like with which it is used.
I will describe my invention in connection with a photograph and its glass and
refer to the accompanying drawing on which Fig. I is a side elevation of one
of the said combined stands and holders constructed according to this invention;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is a front view of a slightly modified
form of the same; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the top part of the stand and holder
shewn in Fig. 3.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out my invention I take a piece of wire of suitable length and bend
a part of the same so as to form two loop like feet a a² at the proper distance
apart to receive the bottom edge of the photograph B and its glass C the said
wire being continued at at the front of the glass and photograph from one
looped foot a to the other looped foot a². At the back of the stand the wire extends
upwardly at dd from the looped feet for a short distance and then at ee the
wire turns across to the centre of the stand where one end f¹ of the wire is bent
and closed round the other part g of the wire which latter is coiled into a spring
eye g projecting at the back of the stand in a plane at about right angles to the
face of the photograph B said wire being then continued upwardly at from the
spring eye to the top of the photograph and there formed as a hook i which
takes on to the top of the photograph and glass and which latter are then clipped
between the top hook of the stand and the two bottom looped feet aa² of the
same. The other coiled spring g forms with the looped feet a¹a² a third foot for
the stand or holder as will be clear by an examination of Fig. 1.
Before placing the photograph and glass on the stand the spring eye has to
be pressed in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 between the thumb
and finger so as to reduce the diameter of the spring eye which has the effect
of lengthening the distance between the top hook i and the two looped feet a¹ a² so
that the glass C and photograph B can then he placed in position with the lower
edges of the glass and photograph resting in the looped feet a'a² as shewn in

page_text: Figs. 1 and 2 and with the top of the photograph and glass immediately under the
hook at the top of the stand. When the pressure of the thumb and finger on
the spring eye is released the latter will expand and thus shorten the distance
between the top hook and the looped feet a¹a² and cause the photograph and
glass to be clipped and securely held between them.
In a modification of my invention illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 the stamped
sheet metal or other ornament j is fixed on the front of the stand and secured to
the upwardly projecting front parts of the feet a¹a and when this ornament is
provided the cross bar a³ which connects the two looped feet aa² together may
be omitted and in this case the parts a'd'e' may be made of one piece of wire
separate from the other part of the wire which forms the other part of the stand
the ends of the piece of wire being rivetted to the back of the ornament j as
represented in Fig. 3. Instead of the top of the wire being bent to form the
hook at the top of the stand as in the arrangements illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2,
the hook may be otherwise formed to clip the top of the photograph and glass for
instance as illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 where a separate stamped sheet metal
ornament is provided and fixed to the end of the wire and arranged to project
downwardly at to form the front of the hook to clip the top of the glass and
photograph.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
A combined stand and holder for photographs menu cards and the like, made of
wire bent so as to form two looped feet at the bottom of the stand and a hook at
the top and a spring eye like support at the back, so arranged that when the eye
is compressed and reduced in diameter the distance between the bottom looped
feet of the stand and the top hook of the same is increased to receive the photo-
graph or the like and when the pressure on the eye is removed the resiliency of
the wire causes the eye to expand and the photograph or the like to be gripped
between the top hook and the bottom looped feet, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of May 1899.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY.
Agent for the Applicant.