Improvements in Bookcases and Analogous Articles of Furniture.
Year: 1899

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bookcases and Analogous Articles of Furniture.
I, ALFRED GERMAIN, of 67, Rue du Cornet, Brussels, Belgium,
"Chef de
Division" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 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 improvements in the construction and arrangement
of bookcases and analogous articles of furniture with the object of enabling a
much greater number of books or other articles to be placed in a given space,
than can be done with the furniture at present in use.
With this object according to my invention there are combined with fixed
shelves of the ordinary kind, movable shelves arranged in front of the said fixed
shelves in such manner as to be capable of being easily shifted to afford access
to the latter.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevation, partly in vertical
section, and
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of a bookcase constructed in accordance with my
invention; and
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modification of which Fig. 4 is a horizontal
section, whilst Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the upper portion of its movable
part.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all these figures.
In the bookcase illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, a a are shelves fixed against
a wall in the ordinary way, and b b are movable cases furnished with shelves,
arranged in front of the fixed shelves, and mounted on hinges cc which enable
them to pivot like doors in order to uncover the fixed shelves and to afford access
thereto as shown in Fig. 2. To this end, the cases bb may be provided with
handles as shown. For the purpose of completely utilizing the space in
the corners, the first movable case on one side of each corner may be made
of double depth from front to back, and the fixed shelves may be dispensed with
at that place. By turning this double case 61 on its pirot, access can be given
to shelves 6 arranged on the side and rear face of the said case, and also to
a movable case 6 which can be also turned on its pivot in order to uncover the
part of the fixed shelves a which extends up to the angle of the wall.
In the modification illustrated by Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the movable cases 6 have

page_text: the depth of two ordinary shelves,. and they are provided with a series of
shelves in front and with a series of shelves ee on each side as shown.
These cases may be suspended by means of rollers f f on rails g g fixed in
the wall, or they may be carried by a truck with wheels h h, or, as shown in
Fig. 3, they may be suspended on rails and also at the same time mounted on
a truck, in such a manner as to be capable of being drawn forwards sufficiently
to give access to the fixed shelves a and to their side shelves e e.
These cases
may also be connected by means of pivots indicated at ii to their movable
supports so as to be capable of revolving on their axes after they have been drawn
out.
Instead of two series of side shelves, these cases may be provided with a series
of rear shelves placed back to back with those which are provided in the front,
or if the cases are made of sufficient depth from front to back they may be
furnished with shelves in front, at the sides, and at the rear.
Movable cases of both of the two kinds herein before described may be com
bined in one and the same room, by providing two opposite walls with pivoted
cases, and the other two walls with rolling cases, whereby it is rendered
possible to employ rails extending throughout the width of the room, and fixed
at both ends in the walls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner it is to be performed I desire to have it
understood that I do not limit myself to the details of construction herein before
described, nor to the division of the furniture into shelves, but I declare that
what I claim as my invention is :-
An article of furniture for use as a book case or other analogous purpose, com-
prising ordinary fixed shelves or compartments in front of which are arranged
inovable cases, provided with shelves or compartments, revolving on hinges or
pivots, or rolling on rails on which they are suspended by means of rollers, or
on wheeled trucks, in such a manner as to be capable of being easily shifted in
order to give access to the fixed shelves or compartments, substantially as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
1000