Improvements in Travelling Dressing Bags, Dressing Cases, and like Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Travelling Dressing Bags, Dressing Cases, and
like Articles.
I, ALBERT BARKER, of 5, New Bond Street, in the County of London,
Dressing Case Manufacturer and Silversmith, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in travelling dressing bags, dressing
cases, and like articles.
According to my invention, the bag, case, or the like, is provided with interior
moveable trays, wings, or pieces which are so arranged that when in their closed
position their inner ends meet together and entirely hide the contents of the bag or
case, but when in their open position their inner ends become separated and disclose
the contents within the bag or case.
The means employed for enabling the moveable trays, wings, or pieces to effect
this movement, may consist of arms, levers, or links, which are so pivotted to the
said moveable trays, or pieces, and to the inside of the bag or case, that in the act
of opening them they are caused to recede or move away from each other, while
still retaining their horizontality, and to thus expose the interior of the bag
or case.
The before mentioned arms, levers, or links may also, if desired, be so arranged
as to cause the moveable trays or pieces, when in their open position, to occupy a
somewhat elevated position with relation to the bag or case, and thus enable the
contents to be better exposed.
Supports may be provided for supporting the inner ends of the moveable trays or
pieces when in their closed position, while the outer ends may rest upon the sides
of the body of the bag or case.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingha
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Travelling Dressing Bags, Dressing Cases, and
like Articles.
I, ALBERT BARKER, of 5 New Bond Street, in the County of London,
Dressing Case Manufacturer and Silversmith, 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, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
My invention relates to improvements in travelling dressing bags, dressing cases,
portmanteaus, and like articles, whereby the trays, wings, or pieces carrying the
toilet, or other fittings, are caused to recede from, or to approach each other, while
preserving their horizontality, and when so receded allow convenient access to the
well or interior of the bag, etc.
In carrying out my invention, I arrange movable trays or wings, or pieces

page_text: carrying the toilet or other fittings, in such a manner that, when in their closed
position, their inner ends may meet together and entirely conceal the well of the
bag, case, etc.; or I arrange to leave such interval as may be desired, and cause
the trays etc. only partially to conceal the said well. Thus, for example, in one
arrangement when the trays or wings are caused to recede from one another, they
will still partially disclose the well of the bag, etc., while in another arrangement
they will entirely disclose such well; but in every case the arrangements are such
that the horizontality of the trays, wings, etc., is preserved, and the toilet or other
fittings are always retained in their normal position.
In an arrangement for entirely concealing the contents of the well, when said
trays are in their closed position, the means for enabling these trays to effect their
receding or outward movement, consists of parallel arms, levers, or links, pivotted
at one of their ends to the sides of the trays, and at their other ends to the bag
frame, so that on raising these trays they are caused to recede or move away from
cach other without destroying their horizontality.
The before mentioned arms, levers, or links, may also, if desired, be so arranged
as to cause the movable trays, wings, or pieces, when in their open position to
occupy a somewhat elevated position with relation to the bag or case and thus
enable the contents to be better exposed.
In an arrangement for partially closing the well of the bag when the trays,
wings, or pieces are in their closed position, but for entirely disclosing the well
when the trays are in their receded or outward position, the means for effecting
this consists of levers, links, or arms pivotted at one of their ends to the bag frame,
and at their other ends to bars or projections on the trays, and each of the said
trays is likewise provided with a double knuckle hinge which is connected to one
end of the bag and to the under side of the tray.
In an arrangement which also preserves the horizontality of the trays, and which
may either wholly or partially conceal the well, when said trays or wings are in
their closed position, and entirely or partially disclose the well of the bag, when
they are in their open position, the receding and advancing movement is effected
by providing the said trays or wings with sleeves, cylinders, or tubular pieces, or
clips, or their equivalents, adapted to engage or embrace the rods or tubes forming
the hinges for the tops or jaws of the bag, and said retiring or advancing move-
ment is effected by sliding the trays or wings along the rods or tubes. But instead
of causing the trays or wings to slide along the hinge rods or tubes, they may be
caused to slide or travel along rods or tubes arranged at the ends of the bag, so
that the trays, instead of receding and advancing in the direction of the ends of
the bag, recede and advance in the direction of the sides thereof.
And in order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describe the
same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, and as applied to a
travelling dressing-bag.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the bag showing the trays in their closed position and meeting
together so as to entirely conceal the contents in the well.
Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan, but showing the trays in their open position and
the well of the bag partially disclosed.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the trays in their open position, the jaws of the
bag having been removed for sake of clearness.
Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, and showing the arrangement for
enabling the trays to occupy and be retained in an elevated position.
Fig. 5 is a modified arrangement showing, in longitudinal section, a bag in which
the trays are so arranged that when closed, they only partially conceal the well of
the bag. In this figure the tray to the right is shown in its open or receded
position, whilst that to the left is shown in its closed or advanced position.
Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are views corresponding to those shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,
and illustrating a further modification of a bag constructed according to my inven-
tion, but in which the connecting levers, arms, or links are replaced by sliding
arrangements, and the trays partially conceal the contents in the well.

page_text: In all the figures the same letters of reference indicate like parts.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Sheet 1), a is the bag, b the tops or jaws
thereof, and e the trays. These trays, of such a size as to entirely close the mouth
of the bag when in their advanced or closed position, are carried by levers, arms,
or links d, which are arranged in pairs at the sides of the trays, and pivotted at
their upper ends, at d', to the said trays, and at their lower ends, at d³, to the
frame a of the bag. On this frame the trays rest when in their open, or in their
closed position. Thus by means of this arrangement it will readily be seen that
the trays can be opened or closed parallely with the bag frame while still
preserving their horizontality.
Should it be desired to retain these trays in a raised position, so as to enable the
entire well of the bag to be got at, I provide stops e (Fig. 4) one of which is
secured to the tray, and the other to the bag frame a', so that when the trays are
raised, and just after the levers, arms, or links have been moved past the vertical,
they will abut against these stops and so keep the trays in their elevated position,
as shown in Fig. 4. I may however dispense with either one of these stops if
desired. And instead of using the stops I may provide the levers, arms or links
with a nose or projection adapted to engage in a notch formed in the bag frame.
Referring to Fig. 5 (Sheet 2), this shows an arrangement in which the trays c,
when in their advanced or closed position, only partially close the mouth of the
bag. These trays are respectively carried by levers, arms, or links d, arranged one
on each side of the bag a, and by a double knuckle hinge situated midway
between the sides of the bag, and secured to the underside of the tray and to the
corresponding end of the bag. The throw of this double knuckle hinge is equal, or
practically so, to that of the levers, arms, or links. In this arrangement side
arms g are provided and project beyond the inner ends of the trays. Together
with the trays, they rest upon the frame a' of the bag, whether the trays be in
their open or in their closed position. The levers, arms, or links are here pivotted
at their upper ends d¹ to the said side arms g, and at their lower ends d², to the bag
frame a'. The bottoms c of the trays are slightly raised so as to afford space for
the reception of the middle leaf of the double knuckle hinge when the trays are
in their open or closed position, one of which trays is shown open to the right in
the figure.
Referring to the arrangement shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the trays c, which are
of such a size as to partially close the mouth of the bag, are secured to sleeves or
tubular portions A, arranged to slide to and fro on the rods or tubes i which constitute
the hinge rods on which the tops or jaws b move. These rods i are formed with suitable
enlargements or collars i¹ which serve as stops to limit the inward movement of the
sleeves or tubular portions h, on the closing or sliding-in of the trays, whilst the
hinges ; serve as stops to limit the outward or receding movement of the sleeves,
and consequently that of the trays.
Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in plan of a bag frame showing a still further
modification of my invention. Fig. 10 is an elevation of the clip arrangement
detached and Fig. 11 is a section on line, x, of Fig. 9. In this modification the
sleeves or tubular portions are replaced by the clips h, which are secured to the
rods or bars. These clips h are adapted to engage and slide or move along
the frame a' of the bag.
If preferred, in carrying out my invention, the trays may be arranged to slide
on rods or tubes or the like, fitted at the ends of the bag, in which case the
direction of movement of the trays would be at right angles to that of the trays
shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9; or the levers, arms or links may be arranged to
operate a similar movement in the trays.
Where it is desired that the trays should completely close the mouth of the bag,
it would only be necessary to make these trays of such a size as to cause their ends
to meet together.
In any or all of the arrangements above described, the ends of the trays may
serve to form the ends of the upper part of the bag, when closed, in which case the

page_text: ends of the tops or jaws would be left open.
But in cases where the trays are not
provided with end pieces, the " caps "of the jaws or tops would be covered in, and
thus form the ends of the upper part of the bag; these arrangements, however,
are well known ones.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same may be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. Constructing travelling dressing bags, dressing cases, and like .articles, in
such a manner that the trays, wings, or pieces carrying the toilet or other fittings,
can be caused to recede from, or to approach, each other, while preserving their
horizontality, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In travelling dressing bags, dressing cases, and like articles, the combination
with the trays, wings, or pieces carrying the toilet or other fittings of the parallel
levers, arins, or links arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. In travelling dressing bags, dressing cases, and like articles, the combination
with the trays, wings, or pieces carrying the toilet or other fittings, of the levers,
arms, or links, and of the double knuckle hinges connecting said trays with the
end portions of the frame of the bag, or the like, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
4. In travelling dressing bags, dressing cases, and like articles, the combination
with the trays, wings, or pieces carrying the toilet or other fittings, of the sleeves
or tubular portions, or clips, or their equivalents, connected to the said trays, wings,
or pieces, and adapted to engage and slide along rods or tubes, substantially as aud
for the purnoses described.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1895.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.