Year: 1887

page_text: I JANE BAKER, of 67 South Lambeth Road, in the County of Surrey, Spinster,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a menu indicator or holder for dinners, etc, which is
designed to replace the cards, tablets, etc, which are generally used. The menu
holder or indicator of this Invention consists of a frame of square, polygonal, or other
shape open at top and bottom and having sides or panels made of translucent material,
the holder or indicator being adapted either to replace an ordinary lamp shade or
globe or to be suspended from a gaselier and provided with a gas jet for illuminating
the holder or indicator from the interior. The sides or panels of the indicator or
holder would preferably be made of opaque or ground glass on which the various
dishes or courses would be written, but the apparatus may be so constructed as to
receive and retain cards made of ivory, paper, gelatine, or other translucent material
on which the various courses of a dinner, etc, would be inscribed.
JANE BAKER.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Menu-indicator or Holder.
I JANE BAKER of 67 South Lambeth Road, in the County of Surrey Spinster 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 relates to a menu-indicator or holder, for dinners etc, which is
designed to replace the cards or tablets which are now generally used for the purpose.
The menu-holder or indicator consists of a rigid frame of preferably square or
polygonal form which may be opened at top and closed at bottom, and having sides
or panels of translucent material upon which the menu is exhibited, the holder or
indicator being illuminated internally so that the menu may be readily seen.
this purpose it may be adapted either to replace an ordinary lamp shade or globe, or
be suspended from a gaselier and illuminated by a gas jet within it, the indicator, in
either case, occupying such position as to be readily legible to all the persons seated
at the table.
For
The sides or panels of the indicator or holder would preferably be made of opal or
ground glass, on which the various dishes or courses could be written, but printed or
other cards made of ivory paper, gelatine, or other equivalent semi-translucent
material might be removably inserted in the frame of the menu-holder and be changed
from day to day.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification, wherein figure 1 shows a menu-indicator or holder of rectangular form
applied to an oil lamp. Figures 2 and 3 represent, in elevation and plan, a similar
indicator or holder provided with an internal gas burner and adapted to be attached
to a gaselier as in figure 4. Figure 5 shows a detail of construction.
The menu-holder consists of an open frame composed of upright corner members a
joined by top and bottom cross members b, the whole somewhat resembling a lamp
frame having any desired number of sides. The openings on the sides of the frame
are filled with panels c which slide into grooves in the corner members a, as shown,
on an enlarged scale, in figure 5, or they may be otherwise removably secured.
These panels serve as tablets upon which the menu may be written or otherwise
inscribed, printed, or affixed in any convenient way. If made of ground glass they
would have the roughened side outwards, in order that they may be conveniently
written upon with a lead pencil, and if made of ivory paper or equivalent material
they may either replace the glass panels, or may be slid into the grooves in the frame
in front of the glass panels.
If intended to be applied to a lamp, the bottom of the holder would have a central
aperture or a ring forming part of or attached to the frame work of the sides and
adapted to be seated upon the gallery of the lamp burner.