Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application; 7th May, 1888
Specification Accepted, 8th June, 1888
I, JOHN JAMES CHING, of 23, Broad Street, St. Heliers', Jersey, Cabinet Maker,
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 relates to an improved pivotal adjustment for swinging toilet looking
glasses; and has for its object to simplify the construction of the gudgeon and its
bearing, and to provide a more effectual means of regulating the freedom, and con-
trolling the extent, of the swinging motion of the looking glass.
Heretofore, such centres or gudgeons have usually been made of spherical form
and the socket bearing has been made in halves hinged together and tighened by a
clamping screw, but the range of motion of the glass is not limited so that in con-
sequence of the position of the centres at the back of the glass it is apt to swing too
far forwards when the adjustment becomes slack, and owing to the comparatively
small diameter of the frictional surface of the gudgeon, it is sometimes difficult to so
adjust the bearing as to produce just the necessary stiffness of motion to hold the glass
in the desired position.
According to this invention, the gudgeon and bearing are cylindrical and the
binding screw acts on the exterior surface of the bearing, and therefore with more
effect and with greater ease of adjustment than when the frictional surface is between
the gudgeon and its bearing. The binding screw also serves as a stop to limit the
range of motion of the glass, so that even should the friction be insufficient to hold
the glass in position it cannot swing too far forwards. Moreover, the cost of manu-
facture is reduced.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein figures 1 and 2 are side and back views respectively, of the
improved swing centre and bearing, parts being broken away, and figure 3 is a side
view of a slight modification thereof. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in all the figures.
a is the gudgeon or centre, rivetted or otherwise fixed to a plate a¹ which is screwed

page_text: to the standards of the supporting frame of the looking glass, as usual, and 6 is the
gudgeon bearing cast in one with a foot or base plate 6 by which it is screwed to the
back of the frame of the looking glass. The gudgeon a is turned to a cylindrical
form and the bearing is bored to correspond and has a circumferential slot c formed
in it to give passage to a thumb screw d which screws into a tapped hole drilled
radially through the gudgeon. The slot c extends through an arc of about 90° (more
or less) according to the range of motion required which is limited by the screw d
and the shoulder d' of the screw bears against a cylindrical part of the external surface
of the bearing b.
In figures 1 and 2, the bearing projects wholly from the frame to which it is affixed,
whilst in figure 3, it is partly recessed into the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I.
claim is :-
In a swinging centre adjustment for looking glasses, the combination with a
cylindrical gudgeon and a bearing having a circumferential slot, of a radial thumb
screw passing through said slot and abutting by the shoulder against the external
circumference of the bearing, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.