Im. PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COMPOUND FORMS AND DESKS OR TABLES FOR SCHOOLS AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Richardson, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Joiner and Pattern Maker, for the Invention of "Im.
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COMPOUND FORMS AND DESKS OR TABLES
FOR SCHOOLS AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 13th May 1870, and dated the 25th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Richardson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th November 1869.
I, THOMAS RICHARDSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Joiner and Pattern Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COMPOUND FORMS AND
DESKS OR TABLES FOR SCHOOLS AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in an improved mode of constructing a
compound form or seat and desk or table, so that by altering the
position of the bracket to which the desk or table is fixed it can be used

page_text: either as a desk and form, as a table and form, or as a form with a
back.
The compound form and desk consists of a pair of cast-iron standards;
on the higher of these standards the top of the table or desk is secured
by a bracket, which swivels in a recess formed in the top of the standard.
The bracket to which the table or desk is fastened is provided with a
shank, which fits loosely into the recess of the standard; the bracket is
secured to the standard by a bolt, which forms the fulcrum of the desk
or table; at the end of the shank of the bracket is a square hole, through
which a bolt is passed, which projects through a segmental slot in one
face of the standard, and is held by a winged nut or otherwise. By this
means the table top or desk may be secured in a horizontal, diagonal,
or vertical position, suitable for schools, reading rooms, and other
buildings.
A modification of these improvements consists in dispensing with the
bolt and winged nut for altering the position of the desk or table and
substituting V-shaped openings in the recess cast at the top of the
standard, and making the end of the bracket wedge shaped. In this
case I make a slot in the bracket for tho fulcrum bolt, so that the
bracket can be raised and the shank guided or moved from one opening
to another in the standard to alter the position of the desk or table,
which may be secured in the desired position by a nut on the fulcrum
bolt.
To the standards below the desk I cast projections to carry a board for
holding books and other articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RICHARDSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Joiner and 3
Pattern Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the

page_text: thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Richardson, Her special licenco
that I, the said Thomas Richardson,-my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Richardson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF COMPOUND FORMS AND DESKS OR TABLES FOR SCHOOLS AND
OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Richardson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 I, the said Thomas Richardson; do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by,
the following statement (that is to say)
:-
The nature of this Invention consists in an improved mode of.
constructing a compound form or seat and desk or table, so that by.
altering the position of the bracket to which the desk or table is fixed it
can be used either as a desk and form, as a table and form, or as a form
with a back.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a front view of my improved
compound form and desk or table; Figs. 3 and 4 are detached views of
part of the same.
a, a, are two cast-iron standards; to the shorter legs of these standards
is fixed the form b, and to the longer legs are secured the swivel
brackets c, shewn best in Fig. 4, to which the desk or table d is screwed
and the shelf c. Each bracket c is jointed to the standard by the
fulcrum stud f, and to each bracket is cast the shank c', which enters

page_text: into a recess in the top of the standard, as seen best in Figure 3. The
segmental slot g is made in one face or partition of the recess, and
through this slot the screw / passes; this screw is provided with a wing
lead, and the screw takes into. a screwed hole in the shank c¹; the
screw is prevented from being unscrewed and taken out by the split
key ', which is put through a hole in the screw when the parts are
together through the hole in the standard, see Fig. 4.
In Fig. 1 the full lines represent the board d in the position required
when used as a desk, but when it is required to form a table the wing
heads are turned partly round to slacken the screws ; the board dis
then brought into a horizontal position, as shewn by dotted lines in
Fig. 1, and the screws are tightened to hold the table firm. The
diagonal dotted lines in Fig. 1 represent the board d in the position it
occupies when it is used as a back to the form b. It is evident that the
angle of the board can be varied to any extent between the limits of the
dotted lines in Fig. 1, and there held secure by tightening up the
screws h.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim the combination of a form and desk or table; but what I do claim
is, the peculiar construction of the swivel brackets c, and the mode of
securing them to the standards so as to vary the angle or position of the
board d, as shewn and described. .
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Richardson, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy.
THOMAS RICHARDSON. (L.S.)