CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LIBRARY AND OFFICE TABLES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Winter at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th February
1860.
I, EDWARD WINTER, of New Oxford Street, in the County, of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN LIBRARY AND OFFICE TABLES," to be as follows:―
It has long been a desideratum with persons using library or office tables
to avoid the necessity of clearing away the sundry private papers exposed
upon the surface thereof, and of placing them thereon daily or during the day,
which is frequently required to be done upon leaving the library or office for
any length of time. Now the object and intention of this Invention is to
provide mechanical means for effecting this without removing the sundry
papers or in any way disturbing them, by simply covering them over. and
securely concealing and locking them from view and touch, which I propose to
effect by the following means, that is to say, I so form the top of the table as
that when the papers are concealed the top shall present a perfectly flat
surface, thus rendering the table available for many other purposes than
merely a library table. To accomplish this I propose to form the top of several
separate flat pieces, fitting nicely together; for the sake of example, suppose
there be six of such said flat pieces, which I will distinguish by numbers, say
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, from the corner pieces, and Numbers 5
and 6, the intermediate pieces, which are longer than the pieces 1, 2, 3, 4;
the front pieces 1 and 2 are each hinged by their outer end to a drawer, each

page_text: drawer being just half the length of the table; to the under side of the bottom
of these two drawers a long wooden bar is affixed, having a toothed rack of
metal fixed thereto, each rack taking into the teeth of a pinion mounted on a
revolving axis; this pinion receives its rotary motion from a pair of mitre or
bevil pinions, one of which is fixed on a horizontal spindle extending to the
right hand side of the table, said spindle receiving motion from a winch handlo
applied thereto, and capable of being removed when not required to be used.
The table is intended to be supported at its ends by nests of drawers, as com-
monly practised with library and office tables, the uppermost right-hand drawer
being specially set apart for the said handle. At right angles to the aforesaid
spindle and across the middle of the table I adapt another spindle, upon one
end of which is fixed a bevil pinion, taking into the before-mentioned bevilled
pinion on the first-named spindle, and upon the opposite end of the second
spindle a toothed pinion is fixed, which gears into an upright toothed rack of
metal fixed to the back of picce 5; this piece is formed with pigeons' holes and
other receptacles for papers, and extends downwards the entire depth of the
table to the ground; across the bottom of piece 5 I affix two pieces of wood at
some distance apart, and of sufficient length to come into contact with the
under side of piece 6, this piece forming a writing slope, and also carrying a
receptacle for pens, sealing wax, inkstands, wafers, and other writing appur-
tenances, said slope being hinged by its edge to the front of the table. The
effect of thus arranging and combining together the several above-mentioned
parts is as follows:-Upon imparting motion to the winch handle aforesaid
the pieces 1, 2, with their respective drawers, will be pushed outwards in
opposite directions, and simultaneous with these movements the pieces 1, 2,
will be raised on their hinges, thus exposing to view the papers in the afore-
said drawers; the piece 5 will also be raised, and the several pigeon holes
thereof, with their contents, exposed, and further, the cross pieces on piece 5
will lift the before receptacle for wafers, pens, and such like appurtenances,
and in so doing will raise the back part of the writing slope. In connection
with the aforesaid, mechanism there is other mechanism which unlocks all of
the nests of drawers. The pieces 3, 4, may be hinged to the table and secured
by ordinary locks, and may be formed to receive papers. A reverse movement
of the winch handle will draw back the pieces 1, 2, and lower them on their
hinges, at the same time lowering the piece 5 and the pigeon holes, the
writing slope and its receptacle descending therewith until the entire presents a
uniform flat surface, and thus the whole of the papers may be securely concealed,
and the several parts, as also the nests of drawers, locked in a speedy, simple,
and efficient manner without disturbing or removing any of the papers. It is

page_text: to be understood that the surfaces of the lifting pieces 1, 2, are not intended
to have papers placed thereon, but may, if desired, be used as writing slopes.
The top of the piece 5 may also be appropriated for books. A library or
office table thus constructed when out of use presents all the appearance of an
ordinary library table.