IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS OR APPARATUS FOR SITTING OR RECLINING ON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO TABLES." PROAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Skull, of High Wycombe, in the County of
Bucks, Manufacturer, and Edwin Mealing, of the same Place, Chair
Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS
OR APPARATUS FOR SITTING OR RECLINING ON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO TABLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Skull and Edwin
Mealing at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd January 1863.
We, EDWIN SKULL, of High Wycombe, in the County of Bucks, Manu-
facturer, and EDWIN MEALING, of the same Place, Chair Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS AND
OTHER SEATS OR APPARATUS FOR SITTING OR RECLINING ON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO TABLES," to be as follows:-
The object of the improvements is to arrange the parts of chairs and other
apparatus for sitting or reclining upon, as well as of tables, that when not in
use or for the purpose of transit, they may be readily folded in a compact
form. For this purpose the legs on each side are hinged, or turn upon centres
affixed to the seat or surface for sitting or reclining upon, and they then, when
Price 8d 1

page_text: the seat is in position for use, cross one another, and at the point of crossing
a pin or stud in the one passes through and rests upon one end of a slot in the
other. When the seat or other surface is required to be packed for transit,
the seat or other surface will lie folded between the legs, when the studs in
one leg on each side will slide in the slots of the other, when all the parts will
be flat.
In the case of chairs or other seats with backs, one end of each side of the
back is connected to corresponding legs by pin joints, whilst other pins pass
into slots provided for them in such sides of the back. In like manner. may
elbows or other rests be similarly applied with corresponding pins and slots.
The surfaces of tables may be connected in like manner to the legs to facilitate
their folding.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWIN
SKULL, of High Wycombe. in the County of Bucks, Manufacturer, and
EDWIN MEALING, of the same Place, Chair Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing, Her special licence that
we, the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edwin Skull and
Edwin Mealing, our executors. administrators, and assigns, should at any
. Lime agree with. and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS OR APPARATUS FOR SITTING OR RECLINING ON, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO TABLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
The object of the improvements is to arrange the parts of chairs and other
apparatus for sitting or reclining upon, as well as of tables, that when not in
use, or for the purpose of transit, they may be readily folded in a compact form.
For this purpose the legs on each side are hinged, or turn upon centres affixed
to the seat or surface for sitting or reclining upon, and they then, when the
seat is in position for use, cross one another, and at the point of crossing a pin
or stud in the one passes through and rests upon one end of a slot in the
other. When the seat or other surface is required to be packed for transit,
the seat or other surface will lie folded between the legs when the studs in one
leg on each side will slide in the slots of the other, and all the parts will lie flat.
In the case of chairs or other seats with backs, .one end of each side of
the back is connected to corresponding legs by pin joints, whilst other pins
pass into slots provided for them in such sides of the back. In like manner
may elbows or other rests be similarly applied with corresponding pins and
slots. The surfaces of tables may be connected in like manner to the legs to
facilitate their folding.
But that our improvements may be better understood, we will proceed by
the aid of the accompanying Drawings more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure shews a seat open for sitting thereon, constructed according to our
Invention, and Figure 2 represents the same folded, shewing the compact
form it may then assume for packing or otherwise.
a and b are the legs on one side, and a. b. are the corresponding legs of the
opposite side of the seat. The legs a and a¹ are connected together by the
cross pieces . . and they are connected to the seat by pin joints d. onc
on each side of the seat c. whilst the legs b and b' are connected to the seat c
by pin joints at e, one on each side. When the seat is in the position, as
indicated by Figure 1. for sitting on, it will be seen that the legs a and b,
a and b cross each other, and at their points of crossing the two legs of each

page_text: side are connected together by a stud or pin f. These studs or pins f. are
fixed securely in the legs a and a', and pass through slots or elongated open-
ings in the legs b and b', which are formed to admit of their freely sliding
on the pins or studs f. In the position of the parts indicated by Figure 1, the
ends of the slots g in the legs band b', near the centre of those legs, will be
resting on the pins, and so as to retain the parts in the position shewn.
When for stowing or otherwise it is desired to fold the seat into the position
indicated by Figure 2, by the act of folding the slotted openings will be
slided on the studs f, so that the seat will lie compactly between the legs, as
shewn.
Figure 3 shews a chair, or, by extending the width of it, it might be other
seat or apparatus for sitting or reclining upon with a back to it, the sides h¹
of which are by pin joints le connected to the legs, a, a, whilst the pins c, e,
pass into slots 1, 1, formed in those side pieces ', . and when such a chair
is folded in like manner to that described in respect of Figure 2, the slots
will slide on the pins e, e, so that those pins will approach the upper ends of
the slots 1.
Figure 4 shows a chair having elbows arranged, according to our improve-
ments, with the parts of it in the position suitable for sitting upon; Figure 5
shews the same folded. The same letters are employed in this case to
indicate parts corresponding to those already described. i, i, are the arms,
which are at their back parts connected by pin joints to the inside of the
parts . which in this case simply turn upon pius m¹ projecting from side
pieces m, which turn upon pins m³, projecting from the legs a, a, and are
formed with slots m to receive pins or studs projecting from the legs b, b.
The side pieces m have studs or pins o projecting from them, which are
received into the slots in the arm i, and so as to slide therein. By these
means the parts may be readily folded, as indicated by Figure 5.
Figures 6 and 7 shew on a larger scale a side view and a front view of a
chair open for sitting on, similar to that indicated at Figure 3. Figures 8
and 9 shew a side view and an edge view of the same when folded for
stowage or otherwise. These Figures are marked with the same letters of
reference already employed to indicate corresponding parts. In like manner
may the legs of a table be connected to the top thereof, so as to admit of the
parts being similarly folded in relation to each other.
Having thus described our said Invention, and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise arrangements of parts shown and described,

page_text: as these may be varied: but what we do claim is the adaptation or com-
bination of parts as applied to chairs, seals, or apparatus for sitting or
reclining on, and to tables, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edwin Skull and Edwin Mealing. have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
EDWIN SKULL.
(L..S.)
EDWIN MEALING. (L.S.)