Improvements in Blackboards.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Blackboards.
I, JAMES WILDING, of 19 Waterloo Road, Runcorn, in the County of Chester,
Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to that class of black-boards constructed in two parts and
in which the upper part is adapted to slide up and down in a casing after the
manner of a window sash, so that while full advantage may be taken of the
available height, the upper part of the board can be lowered to a convenient
level for working on it, and afterwards raised and the work continued on the
lower part.
In such boards as at present constructed the upper part only of the board is made
to slide and the lower part is fixed, and the plane of the upper part is therefore
some distance in front of the plane of the lower part. The break in the continuity
of the surface of the board which thus results is exceedingly inconvenient when a
drawing has to be made which takes up the full height of the board, and the object
of my invention is to provide a board, the upper part of which can be lowered as
described, but in which, when the upper part is raised, the two parts form a
continuous surface so that there is no break between the portions of, say, a drawing
on the upper and lower parts.
According to my invention I preferably make the two parts movable, and connect
them together by two cords or flexible chains, one at each side, which pass over
pulleys carried by the casing, so that as the one is raised the other is lowered;
the upper part slides in a straight groove in the casing, but the lower part is guided
in a groove so shaped that, when the lower part is in its bottom position (and the
upper part therefore in its top position), the surfaces of both parts are in the same
plane with their edges abutting, and when the lower part is raised as the upper
part is lowered, the former is caused to retreat and move up behind the latter.
The abutting edges of the two parts are bevelled and form a joint which gives a
practically continuous surface; the abutting edges slope up and back so that as
the lower part is raised its upper edge is initially caused to retreat behind the
upper part as the latter is lowered; the said bevelled upper edge also guides the
lower part, as it ascends, behind a fillet planted on the casing which, in conjunction
with the groove before mentioned, guides the lower part into its top position. The
lower edge of the lower part may also be bevelled, and as it descends to its lower-
most position the said lower edge is guided into, and located by, a suitable seating
formed on the casing. A spring bolt is also provided to secure the board
in place.
have referred to the lower part as being adapted to rise as the upper part
descends, but it is evident that it may be fixed and the upper part may be guided,
after the manner described in reference to the lower part, so that as it descends it
advances to clear the fixed lower part; the construction described, however, has
an advantage inasmuch as the parts balance each other.
Dated this 13th day of March 1895.
SLOÁN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JAMES WILDING, of 19 Waterloo Road, Runcorn, in the County of Chester,
Surveyor, 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 :-
This inventior relates to that class of black-boards constructed in two parts and
in which the upper part is adapted to slide up and down in a casing after the
manner of a window sash, so that while full advantage may be taken of the
available height, the upper part of the board can be lowered to a convenient
level for working on it, and afterwards raised and the work continued on the
lower part.
In such boards as at present constructed the upper part only of the board is
made to slide and the lower part is fixed, and the plane of the upper part is there-
fore some distance in front of the plane of the lower part. The break in the
continuity of the surface of the board which thus results is exceedingly inconvenient
when a drawing has to be made which takes up the full height of the board, and
the object of my invention is to provide a board, the upper part of which can be
lowered as described, but in which, when the upper part is raised, the two parts
form a continuous surface so that there is no break between the portions of, say, a
drawing on the upper and lower parts.
According to my invention I preferably make the two parts movable, and connect
them together by two cords or flexible chains, one at each side, which pass over
pulleys carried by the casing, so that as the one is raised the other is lowered; the
upper part slides in a straight groove in the casing, but the lower part is guided in
a groove so shaped that, when the lower part is in its bottom position (and the
upper part therefore in its top position), the surfaces of both parts are in the same
plane with their edges abutting, and when the lower part is raised as the upper
part is lowered, the former is caused to retreat and move up behind the latter.
The abutting edges of the two parts are bevelled and form a joint which gives a
practically continuous surface; the abutting edges slope up and back so that as
the lower part is raised its upper edge is initially caused to retreat behind the upper
part as the latter is lowered; the said bevelled upper edge also guides the lower
part, as it ascends, behind a fillet planted on the casing which, in conjunction with
the groove before mentioned, guides the lower part into its top position. The
lower edge of the lower part may also be bevelled, and as it descends to its lower-
most position the said lower edge is guided into, and located by, a suitable seating
formed on the casing. A spring bolt is also provided to secure the board in place.
I have referred to the lower part as being adapted to rise as the upper part
descends, but it is evident that it may be fixed and the upper part may be guided,
after the manner described in reference to the lower part, so that as it descends it
advances to clear the fixed lower pait; the construction described, however, has an
advantage inasmuch as the parts balance each other.
I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. I is
a vertical section, on A. A. of Fig. V, of a black-board having a movable upper
portion, Fig. 11 being a fragmentary horizontal section on B. B. of Fig. I;
Figs. III and IV are analogous views to Figs. I and II and show a board in which
both parts are movable, the sections being taken on the lines A. A. and C. C.
respectively. Fig. V is an elevation which serves to illustrate both arrangements.
Throughout the drawings similar parts are indicated by the same reference
figures, and in the case of sections, the direction in which they are viewed is

page_text: indicated by the small arrows placed adjacent to the letters denoting the plane.
of section.
Referring first to Figs. I and II, 1 is the upper and movable board, and 2 is the
lower board which in this arrangement is fixed. The boards are carried in a frame 3.
which may be attached to the wall by brackets 4, or in any other suitable manner.
The upper board 1 is suspended by cords or flexible chains 5 passing over pulleys,.
and is counterbalanced by weights 6. 7 is a pin fixed to the board 1 and adapted
to slide in the groove 8; the bottom edge of the board 1 and the upper edge of 2.
are bevelled as shown, so that as the board 1 is lowered the joint action of these
edges and the pin in the groove causes the board to move out at right angles to its
own plane, and so clear the lower board as it descends. When the board 1 is
raised again, it moves back at the top of its travel, and comes again into alignment
with the lower board so as to form a continuous surface as shown.
In Figs. III and IV both boards are made movable and they are connected
together by cords or flexible chains 5' passing over pulleys, so that as the one is.
raised the other is lowered.
The upper board 11 slides up and down in vertical guides but the lower part 2¹
is guided after the manner of the board 1 in Figs. I and II by a pin 7 and groove 8,
and is adapted to move back behind the part 1' as it rises when the latter is
lowered; the abutting edges are in this arrangement also bevelled and a bevelled
guide piece 9 is fixed at the bottom to bring the board into alignment as.
it descends.
Strips may be attached to the edges of the back of the top board to prevent
the two surfaces of the boards from coming into rubbing contact.
The arrangement illustrated in Figs. III and IV has the advantage that any
matter put on the board 2' is visible when the board 11 is lowered, as 21 is then in
its top position and not behind 1 as in the usual arrangement; a further advantage
of making both boards movable is that the balance weights may be dispensed with..
My invention may also be applied to portable pivoted boards adapted to be used
on either side, in which case both the upper and lower edges of each board are.
bevelled and each board is made to move at right angles to its own plane as well.
as move up and down, so that which ever part of the board is uppermost each side.
forms a continuous surface, each of which may be used by pivoting the board.
as a whole.
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 herein described improvement in black-boards which consists in making
the movable part of the board capable also of movement at right angles to its own
plane, so that it is adapted to clear the fixed part as it is moved from its upper
position but to come into alignment therewith when in the said position ;.
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The herein described improvement in black-boards which consists in making.
each part of the board movable in a direction parallel to its own plane, and making
one or both of the parts capable of movement at right angles to its own plane, so.
that whilst the parts are adapted to clear each other as they are moved they come
into alignment with each other in their extreme positions; substantially as
described and illustrated.
3. In combination, the fixed part 2, the movable part 1 suspended by cords and
weights, the pin 7 attached thereto, and the groove 8 adapted to guide the part 2 ;
substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In combination, the movable parts 1' and 2' connected together by cords, the
pin 7 connected to one of the said parts, and the groove 8 adapted to guide the
said part; substantially as described and illustrated.
5. The improved black-board, substantially as described and illustrated in.
Figs. I, II, and V.

page_text: 6. The improved black-board, substantially as described and illustrated in
Figs. III, IV, and V.
Dated this 13th day of December 1895.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.