IMPROVEMENTS IN MAPS, PLANS AND THE LIKE AND THE FOLDING OR MOUNTING THEREOF to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN ALFRED GRIFFITHS of Priory Mill, Coventry, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAPS, PLANS
AND THE LIKE AND THE FOLDING OR MOUNTING THEREOF to be as follows:-
"
The object of this invention is to so fold and mount maps drawings &° of size
too large for the pocket or library without folding, in such a manner that any
portion of the map or drawing may be inspected in detail as on the page of a book
and yet to retain the possibility of spreading the whole map flat on a table for a
general view.
This Invention is particularly valuable to engineers, travellers, tourists, cyclists
and the like, as a large scale detailed map or plan may be mounted for the pocket
and any part inspected in detail ou a windy day, even on horseback, or in wet
weather under an umbrella without the necessity of unfolding the whole map or
plan, perhaps several feet square, in such a manner as to be inconvenient or
dangerous to the map or plan.
The map to be folded or mounted is divided into any number of convenient
sized rectangles all of which must be practically of exactly the same size and
perfect in the equality of their angles.
Preferably it is best to divide the map or plan horizontally into an even
number of segments and vertically into any convenient number either even or odd.
If the map is to be folded on the vertical system as in a reporters note book, then
the vertical number of segments is best made even.
If the horizontal or ordinary book system then the inap is divided along the
horizontal lines excepting that part opposite the end pair of segments at alternate
ends in each pair of horizontal rows is not divided.
Each horizontal strip is then folded along the vertical lines in a zig-zag position
alternately inside and outside and at the ends where it joins to the next strip the

page_text: two strips are folded in a horizontal line to make the whole lie in the size of a
single segment.
The map may be now opened at any part like a book and rubber bands or
equivalent device may be placed over several parts to cause the map to open
always at the particular page that is being used.
If the map is on thick paper or card and requires mounting on linen or other
fabric, the whole map is cut up along the division lines and then mounted on the
linen care being taken to leave a space of two thicknesses of card along those
joints that fold face to face, and to butt close those joints that fold back to back.
When the mounting is dried the necessary cuts are made in the linen. Boards
or cases may be added outside in any style of the book binders art.
The most convenient way of dividing the map to set out and mark the lines
upon its back and then divide the various portions as desired but they may be
originally printed in slips or segments and mounted afterwards.

page_text: I JOHN ALFRED GRIFFITHS of Priory Mill, Coventry, 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 object of this invention is to so fold and mount maps drawings etc. of size
too large for the pocket or library without folding, in such a manner that any
portion of the map or drawing may be inspected in detail as on the page of a
book and yet to retain the possibility of spreading the whole map flat on a table
for a general view.
All who travel, and particularly cyclists, have felt the great inconvenience of
the usual methods of mounting large maps by folding them in a rectangular
fashion which makes it impossible to examine the middle parts of the map and
difficult to examine the edges without stopping and spreading out the whole map
perbaps a yard square. If the weather is windy or boisterous the difficulty is
increased almost to a prohibitory extent. Hence it has been considered almost an
importunity to use large scale maps of a section of country, or small scale maps
for a large district, as band-maps for cyclists.
In Baedeker's Guide Books this difficulty is confessed by the system of cutting
the large scale maps up into small sections a few inches across so as not to cover
more than two pages of the book so that the detailed map can be examined, whilst
walking; and at the same time a small scale index is provided to connect the
various detail sections of a few miles each.
Now for a cyclists map the rider requires to cover 30 to 50 miles of main roads
on a small scale such as Letts' or Smith's county maps at one view or 10 to 12 of
bye roads on a larger scale such as the 1 inch ordnance, and even one county or
one quarter ordnance sheet is so large that it requires folding at least once and
generally twice to go in the pocket.
By the new system of mounting I am about to describe a map of even 4 or
6 feet square can be divided into small pocket sections of from 3 × 5 inches to 4 × 6
and mounted so that it can be opened at any section as at a page of a book
without unfolding the whole map, and this may be done even when riding a
bicycle without dismounting; yet when desired the whole map can be laid flat on
a table and viewed as a whole, yet no section is loose or liable to get displaced
or lost.
The maps may be made on this system in a simple style at a very slight cost, or
if of a valuable character may be mounted on linen in the best developement in a

page_text: •
This invention is particularly valuable to engineers, travellers, tourists, cyclists
and the like, as a large scale detailed map or plan may be mounted for the pocket
and any part inspected in detail even on horseback on a fine day or in wet
weather under an umbrella without the necessity of unfolding the whole map or
plan, perhaps several feet square, in such a manner as to be inconvenient or
dangerous to the map or plan.
The map to be folded or mounted is divided into any number of convenient
sized rectangles all of which must be practically of exactly the same size and
perfect in the equality of their angles.
Preferably it is best to divide the map or plan horizontally into an even number
of segments and vertically into any convenient number either even or odd. If the
map is to be folded on to the vertical system as in a reporters note book, then the
vertical number of segments is best made even.
If the horizontal or ordinary book system then the map is divided along the
horizontal lines excepting that a part opposite the end pair of segments at
alternate ends in each pair of horizontal rows is not divided.
Each horizontal strip is then folded along the vertical lines in a zig-zag position
alternately inside and outside and at the ends where it jointed to the next strip
the two strips are folded in a horizontal line to make the whole lie in the size of a
single segment.
The map may be now opened at any part like a book and rubber bands or
equivalent device may be placed over several parts to cause the map, to open
always at the particular page that is being used.
If the map is on thick paper or card and requires mounting on linen or other
fabric, the whole map is cut up along the division lines and then mounted on the
linen, care being taken to leave a space of two thicknesses of card along those
joints that fold face to face, and to butt close those joints that fold back to back.
When the mounting is dried the necessary cuts are made in the linen. Boards
or cases may be added outside in any style of the book binders art.
The most convenient way of dividing the map is to set out and mark the lines
upon its back and then divide the various portions as desired but they may be
originally printed in slips or segments and mounted afterwards.
As an example I will describe how a map 2 feet square covering 24 × 24 miles
on the ordnance scale or 96 x 96 miles at 4 miles to the inch may be conveniently
mounted. If the map is printed on very tough paper we may proceed at once, if
not the map should first be mounted on very thin linen or muslin back as usual.
Firstly, cut the map preferably rectangular at the outer margin and then turn it
over and mark off the sections in pencil as in Figure 1, care must especially be
taken that the divisions are exactly equal and perfectly rectangular or the map
will fold badly. A convenient division into 4 vertical divisions and 6 horizontal
ones gives pages 4 inches x 6 inches which will suit the pocket.
Secondly, fold the map face outwards on the vertical dotted lines in Figure 2 so
that 1 and 2 or 5 and 6 lie over 4 and 3 and crease the backs of the map together
as in Figure 3 which is a plan showing in edge view the map partly folded. Then
similarly fold and crease the thin vertical lines of Figure 2 in the reverse direction
face inwards (Figure 4) so that the printed sides of the map and 2, 3 and 4,
5 and 6, face together and the whole will close up in a zig-zag.
Thirdly lay the map flat and cut through the horizontal thick lines of Figure 2
and crease the horizontal dotted part 1 against 7, 12 against 18, and 13 against 19,
backs together.
Fourthly Now beginning at 1 the whole map may be folded into a space 4×6
so that all the printed faces come opposite and also all the backs come together and
it will be found that any section may be opened and examined as a page in a book.
To facilitate reference whilst travelling bands straps or markers of india rubber,
vellum or any other suitable material whatsoever may be used as markers to compel

page_text: or assist the book to open at any desired page, or index tags or markers may be
attached to each page or each row.
If a stronger mounting is desired the print may firstly be mounted on stout
cartridge paper and then cut completely in sections through all the lines of
Figure 1 and then pasted on a stretched linen back and arranged as in Figure 2.
In this case it is most important that at the joints shown in faint lines in Figure 2
a space of to 15 inch should be left between the sections, or it will not fold;
at the other joints the paper sections may be laid closely together. When dry cut
the linen back as formerly and fold. The whole may be mounted in outer covers
in any style of bookbinding.
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,
1. The method substantially as specified of folding or mounting a map or the
like so that it can be opened in sections like the pages of a book only those
sections which are opened being then exposed to view or opened out completely so
that the whole may be viewed at once.
2. A map or the like folded or mounted substantially in the manner specified.