Improvements in Portable Tables for Railway or other Carriages, and for Ordinary Use.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., 1894-Accepted. 8th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Tables for Railway or other Carriages,
and for Ordinary Use.
I ROBERT YOUNG EVANS of 14 Park Place Cardiff in the County of
Glamorgan Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to portable tables for railway or other carriages or for use
with chairs screens bedsteads couches or other similar supports, the object being to
provide a light table board or slab which can be conveniently and safely used when
travelling in a railway or other carriage or can be hung over the end of a bedstead
or over the back of a chair or on a screen or couch or similar support, to attain
which I construct a slab or board-preferably of wood-any required size and
provide the under surface thereof with two or more rows of channel shaped
brackets which run from end to end of said slab in order to receive specially
formed supports or stays which latter consist of metal strips--preferably brass-
having angle or elbow pieces made with or secured thereto.
To each said elbow part of stay I attach a hook or hanger which is preferably
formed of spring steel by which means my improved table can be conveniently and
securely attached to the casing board of a railway or other carriage door or to the
back of a chair or similar support as will be well understood, and I so arrange the
hooks or hangers aforesaid that the table may be adjusted thereby to suit its
different uses.
In some cases I form one or more circular or other perforations or indents in the
upper part of slab or board in order to hold a tumbler, cup or other article, or I
arrange other ordinary means of preventing articles placed on my improved table
falling when travelling in a carriage.
The said improved stays being held in position by means of the brackets
aforesaid may be removed when the table is not required and stored away in
recesses or chambers provided for the purpose at the underside of the board or
slab and may be kept in position by means of metal buttons pins or similar
devices.
It will be obvious that where desired the slab or board could be made of wicker
work and attached to or made in one with a luncheon basket or other similar
basket, in which case the stays would be modified to suit, and the hangers could
be stored with said stays when not required within said basket.
The combination of parts when fixed or fitted up in accordance with my said
invention and held or suspended by the hooks or hangers to the door of carriage
or to the back of a chair or other suitable article form a useful and serviceable
table.
Dated this 7th day of November 1902
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I. Mech. E.,
Sheffield, Agent.

page_text: It will, however, be obvious that slight modifications may be made in the
construction of the parts, without changing the character, or detracting from the
utility, of the invention.
A A is the table top, divided, by preference, in the middle, to provide for
folding up, as will be presently explained.
BB are two transverse cleats, divided at the middle of their length, and having
hinges CC to connect the divided parts together.
Attached to the underside of the table, and connected to the cleats B, are longi-
tudinal guides D D, for the reception of sliding rods E, which severally terminate
in a hook or hanger E'. These hangers, when in position, stand up above the
table, as shown in Fig. 1, and are designed to hook onto, say, the window casing or
well of a railway carriage door, as indicated by dots in the figure, and present
abutment surfaces to the front of the window casing, while the hooks rest on the
lip thereof.
.
The object of these sliding rods, with their hooks, is not only to support
the table in a horizontal position, but to allow of its being adjusted longitudinally,
to bring it into the desired position for use. By making these rods of round wire,
as shown, a further advantage is secured, namely, that of bringing the hangers E¹
into a position parallel with the table, and thereby rendering the portable table
more compact for transport. This position of the hangers is clearly shown by dots
in the inverted plan view, Fig. 3.
I have said that the table top A is divided through its middle, the parts being
connected together by hinges C. This is for the purpose of enabling the table to
be folded up, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, Fig. 4 being a longitudinal elevation, and
Fig. an end view, of the folded table, with the hangers thrust back into the
position of Fig. 3, but this division of the table is not essential to the carrying out
of my invention.
To give stiffness to the divided table, when opened out, a swivel bracket piece F
is employed, which is pivotted to one half of the table top, and, when turned into
the position of Fig. 3, stands across the division of the table, and thus provides the
requisite means for stiffening the jointed table top.
The table may be pierced, as indicated by the dotted circle G, to receive a
tumbler or ink-pot, or other vessel, which is required to be temporarily held
securely in place.
A ledge may also be provided at the edges of the table, to prevent pencils or
other light articles from rolling off the table, when agitated by the movement of
the carriage to which the table is fitted.

page_text: 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 :-
The construction of portable table, as above described with reference to Figs. 1,
2 and 3 of the drawings, such table being fitted with hangers for supporting it in
place, and made capable of adjustment, as and for the purpose above set forth.
Dated this 7th day of August 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.