A Chartholder or Appliance for Holding Charts Stretched Out and Flat upon a Table or other Support.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1888.
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Chartholder or Appliance for Holding Charts Stretched Out and
Flat upon a Table or other Support.
I, JOHN WILSON GILLIE Nautical Instrument Maker of the New Quay, North
Shields in the county of Northumberland do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
An appliance, consisting of two or more arms of stout wood or metal, hinged at
one end, about eighteen inches long, and an inch wide; which, when in position,
rest upon the chart, laid on the table or other support, holding the chart by their
weight or assisted by springs, stretched out and flat. When not required, the arms
may be lifted out of the way, and by means of the hinges, laid against the front of the
chartroom or dropped over the edge of the table.
The springs, when used, are so made and fastened, that they not only increase
the pressure of the arms on the chart upon the table, but also assist in placing and
holding the arms out of the way.
The under side of the arms, may be covered with rubber, cloth or other substance to
prevent them injuring the charts, and to increase their holding power.
Dated this 17th day of December 1888
JOHN WILSON GILLIE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Chartholder or Appliance for Holding Charts Stretched Out and
Flat upon a Table or other Support.
I, JOHN WILSON GILLIE, Nautical Instrument Maker of the New Quay, North
Shields in the county of Northumberland do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a chart holder or appliance for holding charts stretched
out and flat upon a table or other support. As is well known charts or maps or
plans are usually kept in a rolled-up or folded condition and when required for use or
examination some appliance is requisite to hold the chart or map or plan open and flat
upon the table or other surface.
Hitherto weights have been most commonly used for this purpose and in a chart-
room, more especially at sea, great inconvenience is caused by their use, for when
the sea is other than smooth, the weights and charts not unfrequently slide from the
chart table onto the floor. In some cases rebates and projecting pieces are formed on
the chart table to hold the charts stretched out, but according to my invention I hinge
or mount levers or arms in brackets or hinge pieces so that when required for use in
holding the chart or map or plan open or stretched out upon the table or other
support they can be swung down into position so as to lie parallel with the table
and thus by their weight and shape effectually answer the desired purpose; more
when desirable, I provide special means for mechanically increasing the
pressure of the levers upon the chart or map and when not required for use the levers
or arms aforesaid can be swung back and suitably and securely held out of the way
and clear of the chart table. I will now fully describe my invention having
reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevations
of a chart holder constructed in accordance with my invention the figures showing
respectively the position of the holder when in use and when out of use. Fig. 3 is.
over,

page_text: a plan, partly in section, of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of Fig. 2 while
Fig. 5 is a section across the chart holder e.g. on lines A B. In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive
the length of the chart holder is shown broken off for convenience of illustration and
throughout this description like letters of reference in the specification and in the
drawings designate like parts.
Referring to the figures a a are ordinary brackets on which the pins or gudgeons a¹ a¹
are by preference formed. a³ is the chart-holder.lever. which is formed or cast in one
with the bent lever a³ the end of which is bossed and bored out to fit the pins or
gudgeons a a¹ aforesaid. The working surface of the chart holder I form by
preference of a rubber strip a with a ribbed, checkered, or corrugated surface to
bear upon the chart or plan and thus prevent the latter being injured. To effect
this purpose I form the lever a' as shown in section in Fig. 5; here is shown in the
metal lever a² a sunk surface formed for example by casting it out and into this sunk
surface I let the rubber bearing strip at. The sides a of the sunk surface may be
slightly tapered to assist in holding the rubber in its place in addition to the cement
or other adhesive employed for the purpose of connecting the rubber to the metal
work. a are spiral springs connected at one end to the bracket a and at the other
end to pins or gudgeons a' formed or fitted on bent lever a³ and a³ is a flat spring or
catch formed as shown and attached to the wall or other support W at the requisite
height by screws or otherwise and is for the purpose of holding the chart lever back
when the latter is not required for use. To fit the several parts, one bracket a is first
attached by screws to the wall or panel W above the chart-table T and at such a
height above the same as to ensure lever a' becoming parallel therewith when required
for use as shown in Fig. 1. The bored out boss on end of as is then slipped over pin a¹
on fixed bracket a and then the other bracket a is fixed so that the two pins a' a shall
practically form one pin on which the lever a' a' is to work. I find this an economical
and convenient mode of construction.
For ordinary purposes a pair of levers of any suitable length are fitted in brackets
as above described at any suitable distance apart and immediately above the chart
table. The chart C when unfolded is held stretched out and flat by the weight of the
levers at either end of the same as shown in Fig. 1 and when in this position the
springs a tend to increase the pressure of the levers upon the chart; when, however,
the chart levers are thrown back as shown in Fig. 2, the springs a tend to maintain
the levers in this position, thus answering a two-fold purpose. Where springs a are
employed, spring as is not so necessary but where springs a are not employed, then
spring a or its equivalent is a necessity in order to safely hold the lever back, as
shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and thus prevent the accidents which might occur should the
levers fall suddenly forward onto the chart table. I do not confine myself to the
specific arrangement of parts as hereinabove described because it is evident that for
example the brackets a and ends of levers as may be connected in other ways than that
described. Where the chart, table abuts against a wall, as is almost universally the
case, the form above described and illustrated is the best I know, but where a chart
table is not placed against a wall or equivalent support then it is clear that the
brackets for supporting the chart levers would have to be arranged so as to stand more
or less vertically upon the table and be connected thereto instead of to the wall and
that in such a case when not required for use the levers mounted on such brackets at
a sufficient beight above the table could be swung over and allowed to hang below
the level of the table, or by, another method or modification the levers, might in such
a case be mounted so as to swing laterally by means of their centre of motion or pivotting
point being constructed on the ball and socket principle so that when not required
for use they could, be swung round in a horizontal plane and thus lie out of the way
along the edge or side of the table. Further with regard to the springs a³, I need
not necessarily use these as the weight of the chart lever can be made sufficient for
practical purposes and the spring as answers all the purposes of a back-catch or
holder.

page_text: 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 :
(1) For holding charts, mans or plans stretched out or flat upon a table or other
support the combination with a lever such as a' a suitably centred in a bracket such
as a of a spring or springs such as a, the several parts being arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated.
(2) For holding charts, maps or plans stretched out or flat upon a table or other
support the combination with a lever such as a³ a suitably centred in a bracket such
as a of a spring such as as the several parts being arranged and operating substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
(3) For holding charts, maps, or plans stretched out or flat upon a table or other
support the use of levers constructed and arranged so that the chart or map is
securely held by them upon the chart table or other support substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 12th day of Contro 1000
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent for Applicant.