An Improved Folding Sketching Case, Board, or Plane Table.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 16th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Folding Sketching Case, Board, or Plane Table.
JOHN OLIVER MENNIE 3rd Belooch Battalion Bombay Staff Corps %% Messrs.
Henry S. King & Co. 15 Pall Mall S.W. London Lieutenant do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A folding up board which can be of any convenient size but is preferably one of
either of the regulation sizes as to width and length when opened & ready for use
in fact of similar size to those generally used for sketching ou foot or horseback in
the army or for plane table sketching, but the improvement in this is the method of
folding up whereby the width when packed is reduced to about one fourth of space
occupied when open, & in this manner it can be put into a side pocket or the
holster of the saddle when mounted. The method of folding up brings the rollers
together in the centre of the board & thus enables the paper to be rolled up when
the board is closed & so protects the paper & prevents the same (and drawing)
getting creased or soiled. The board is composed of stiff strips of some rigid
material preferably wood, or vulcanite, joined together by or on a foundation of
cloth, canvas, leather or other suitable material that will bend without cracking &
form a stiff & flat surface when stretched; this being accomplished by a pivoted
stretching board at back which fits into catches attached for the purpose.
rollers alluded to & fixed on each end strip of the board & to which the paper is
fastened in one long length for use by degrees as required are of an improved form
and facilitates the paper being inserted much more readily than by the ordinary
method & securely fastened after being inserted by a screw clamp (milled head) or
collar at end of roller which is so shaped that it comes over the end of split roller,
which is tubular for preference on account of lightness, & into which the end of
paper fits that has to be rolled up. At the opposite end of the rollers are fitted
spiral springs that exert sufficient tension to cause the rollers to remain where
placed on being turned by the milled head & the effect of this is that the rollers
The straight
can wind up or unwind the paper & keep it stretched at will of user.
edge ruler used with this for making lines etc. on the map is so attached to the
board that it can be brought into use over any portion of it.
Dated this Sixteenth day of April 1891.
The
J. O. MENNIE, Lieutenant,
3rd Belooch Battalion Bombay Staff Corps.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Folding Sketching Case, Board, or Plane Table.
JOHN OLIVER MENNIE 3rd Belooch Battalion Bombay Staff Corps. Messrs.
Henry S. King & Co. 45 Pall Mall S.W. London Lieutenant, 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 invention relates to sketching boards, cases, or plane tables as used in
military and ordinary surveying and to the apparatus combined therewith for
holding & securing the paper and to the method of folding up the board or plane
table whereby the paper and therefore sketch is protected, and additional portability
secured.
The accompanying drawings will show the invention.
Fig. 1 is the back view of the board or case and will be seen to consist preferably

page_text: of seven strips of thin and hard wood such as pear, mahogany, box &c., or may be
of any other suitable material that is stiff. By making the centre strip (A) broad
and the three on each side narrow in about the proportion shown they can be folded
over on the centre_board, when connected together by canvas, cloth, or other
suitable material. This canvas or other material may be in one piece or in several
pieces but is preferably in one piece. To the end strips B. B' is attached the four
mounts C. C. C' C' with arms D₁ D³ D³ D' to carry rollers E E' also the fittings F F
into which the stretcher G (pivoted at H) slides and wedges when it is desired to
strain the material on face of strips taut.
Fig. 2 shows the front of the sketching case or board when it is open (by
stretcher G being turned across the board), the rollers E E' on either side, and the
mount M to which the ruler M', as generally employed, can be attached. The
connection between M & the ruler M' can be by any of the well known mechanical
methods such as lazy tong levers, moving arms &c.
Fig. 3 shows the sketching board or case folded up for travelling and it will be
at once seen that this system reduces the width for carriage to about one third that
of solid boards as usually employed, the rollers E E' are thus brought to the centre.
In this way all vital parts are protected and the size is such that it will go into a
holster on the saddle or into a side pocket of the coat.
Fig. 4 shows the rollers which are for preference formed of tubes split as shown
and held together at the end by a hollow end milled head screw cap passing over
the tapered end of said tube roller. One of these caps N' for preference is cut
with a left handed screw and the other right handed so that the head does not
unscrew accidentally when turning the rollers to wind the paper on or off. This
turning is done by milled heads O. O¹ which are fixed to rollers E E' and
sufficient tension is exercised by springs P P to cause the rollers E E' to remain
in position where placed. The result of this in working is that the roll of paper on
which the sketch or drawing is to be made can be wound on to one roller as the
work proceeds, and off the other, the centre part of paper being stretched over the
board. When the sketch is finished the paper can be further rolled up to protect
it from injury. The compass Q is of the ordinary kind & is fitted for showing
magnetic bearings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a military or ordinary surveying sketching case, board, or plane table the
method of constructing the same of strips of wood or other suitable substance joined
together by canvas or other material that can be stretched tight or taut, or folded
up at will, substantially as figured and described.
2. The method of fixing the rollers to the end strip on each side so that when
the board is folded up the rollers come in the centre substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. The method of constructing the rollers of sketching boards er plane tables and
kindred instruments whereby the paper can be inserted readily and kept firm and
taut when stretched across the board from one roller to th
described as & for the purpose set forth.
4. In a sketching board or plaue table the combinati
ment and rollers; with or without an ordinary magneti
ruler substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 15th day of February 1892.
r substantially as
the folding arrange-
ompass and flat or other
H. STEWARD.
For Applicant.