Improvements in and connected with Bookshelves for Libraries.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Bookshelves for Libraries.
ALFRED LEWIS of 4 High Street Leominster in the County of Hereford Grocer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A contrivance to facilitate the orderly and tidy appearance and arrangement of
books upon their shelves, and for the keeping of the said books erect when adjacent
volumes have been removed; also for keeping such books to a given front-line.
First I make a book holder to the one end of which I attach a spring clip which
may be instantly attached to the front of the book shelf. Where the construction of the
shelf (or shelves) prevents the holder being applied to the front of the shelf (or shelves)
the other end of the holder is secured to an adjustable shelf-back in the following
manner-The holder is provided with a small stud or wedge and with a small hook or
catch from which runs an angular spring. The holder being pressed home to its
position and then released from the hand, the hook or catch becomes fixed behind the
lower point of the shelf-back, and the stud, or wedge becomes, by the force of the
angular spring securely fixed into the groove in the shelf-back and the holder is
then secure against any pressure of the books.
Secondly I secure the required front line of the books by adjusting the shelf-
back to the distance required by the depths of the books.
Thirdly: Should some books, upon the same shelf, be of less depth, than others
I keep them to the same front-line by attaching blocks or laths of the required
thicknesses and lengths to the top of the shelf-back.
In witness hereof, I the said Alfred Lewis, have hereunto set my hand this
Eighteenth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and ninety-six
Improvements in and connected with Bookshelves for Libraries.
I, ALFRED LEWIS, of No. 4 High Street, Leominster, in the County of Hereford,
Grocer, 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:-
My invention consists of a simple contrivance to facilitate the orderly arrangement
and classification of books placed upon shelves, and for keeping the said books in
an upright position when adjacent volumes shall have been removed, also for keeping
the said books when necessary to a given front line.
The annexed drawings explain fully the manner in which my invention is
applied :-
Fig. 1 shews a side view of one end of the holder or support as in use, the dotted
lines indicate its action.

page_text: Fig. 3 is the other end of the support also shewing its application under different
circumstances.
1st-I affix at a little distance above the shelf and parallel thereto, the adjustable
strip of wood (or metal) as shewn in Section A at Fig. 1 and in front view at Fig. 2,
having a sloped front on the lower edge, and a groove running the entire length
thereof. This grooved strip is secured to each end of the shelf in the manner shewn
at Figs. 6 and 7 which while rendering it adjustable will keep it perfectly rigid.
The holder itself may take any desirable shape, and may be made of wood or metal,
but at one end, its form will be as shewn at b and c in Fig. 1. To this end I attach
the spring d. In action, the holder is thrust across the shelf and under the strip a
(for which purpose sufficient space is allowed at back of shelf) and on being released
springs back in such a manner that the stud b is caught in the aforementioned groove,
which holds it securely, thus allowing books to rest against the support in an upright
position.
In existing shelves, it might be impossible, through want of space, to affix the
aforementioned strip in the manner now described. In such cases, I should cause the
grooved strip to be affixed to such other part of the shelf as circumstances may render
desirable. I make further provision also by causing the other end of the holder
to take the form of a pair of jaws, as shewn in Fig. 3, where a section of the shelf
is also shewn. It will be readily seen that this is an arrangement made to clip the
front edge of the shelf; this end of the support having a slot in which the bracket e
works on pressure being put upon the spiral spring g by means of the lever f.
Fig. 4 shows an end view of this bracket e.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the lever f which by pressure against the stud 4 releases the
support from its position.
Fig. 6 shews the position in which the strip should be affixed to the shelves in
order to keep books to a given front line.
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. The adjustable strip with its groove into which the stud on the support falls
automatically when the spring is released, together with (2) the combination of
spring support in connection with this groove, and (3) the jaw attachment to be used
on the front edge of book shelves, with any modification thereof as may be necessary
to adapt it to existing bookshelves.
Dated this 10th day of December 1896.
ALFRED LEWIS,
Applicant.