IMPROVEMENT IN LOOKING GLASSES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, CHARLES THOMPSON Ironmonger, 41 High Street Newport Isle of Wight in
the County of Hampshire, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
THE IMPROVEMENT IN LOOKING GLASSES to be as follows:-
Consisting of a self acting Ratchet elivator fixed to the side framework of
looking glass & adjusting the same to any elivation by means of the ratchet
moving over a stud, fixed in the upright pillar, The glass is so hung that it
lways has a tendancy to asume a vertical position so that it prevents the ratchet
eaving the stud.

page_text: I, CHARLES THOMPSON, of 41 High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, in the
County of Hants, Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for "ÅN IMPROVEMENT IN LOOKING GLASSES" and in what manner the same iş
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My invention relates to improved means for holding swing looking glasses in
position at any required angle and the invention consists in the application to the
frame of the glass of a self acting pivotted rack having ratchet teeth moving over
a pin or stud on one of the upright pillars or standards of the glass.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents
a side elevation of part of a looking glass with my improvements applied thereto;
figure 2 is a detached edge view of the pivotted rack; and figures 3 and 4 are
detached views of the pin or stud over which the rack moves. Similar letters in
in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, is the frame of the looking glass, pivotted at 6 in suitable bearings in the
pillars or standards (one of which is shewn at c,) in the usual manner so that the
glass always has a tendency to assume a vertical position; d is the rack having
ratchet teeth and pivotted on a pin e, fixed or formed on a plate f, secured to one
of the sides of the frame of the looking glass; g is the pin or stud over which
move the teeth of the rack d, the said pin or stud g being fixed or formed on a
plate h, which is secured to the pillar or standard c, i is a guide for preventing the
rack from entirely leaving the pin or stud g, whilst allowing the teeth of the rack
to pass over the pin or stud; j, is an opening at the free end of the rack through
which the head of the pin or stud g, can be passed when required to remove the
same from the rack for the purpose of removing the glass from the pillars or
standards or for other purposes. The said guide i, is not, however, indispensable
to my invention and I may in some cases dispense with the use of the same.
By this construction the looking glass being in its normal or vertical position if
the bottom part thereof be drawn forward in order to incline the glass the teeth
of the rack & will ride over the pin g and when the glass has been moved into the
required position it will in its tendency to regain the vertical position cause the
teeth of the rack to close over or engage with the pin or stud g and thereby hold
the glass in the said inclined position; to bring the glass back to the vertical
position it is simply necessary to lift the rack d so as to free the teeth thereof from
engagement with the pin or stud g when the glass will automatically swing into
the said position.
Instead of forming or fixing the pin or stud g, on a plate as hereinbefore
described I may form it with a screw thread whereby it can be screwed into the
frame, or the standard of the glass, as the case may be.
Although I have described the rack as being pivotted on the frame of the glass
and the pin or stud g secured to the pillar or standard it will be obvious that the

page_text: rack may be pivotted to the pillar or standard and the pin or stud g, be secured to
the frame of the glass.
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) In apparatus for holding swing looking glasses in position, the combination
with a pivotted rack provided with ratchet teeth, of a pin or stud for engaging
with the said teeth, all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described.
(2) In apparatus for holding swing looking glasses in position, the combination
with the rack d pivotted at e, to the frame of the glass and having ratchet teeth,
of the pin or stud g, secured to one of the standards of the glass, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.
(3) The improved looking glass hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying drawing.