Improvements in Adjustable Partitions for Drawers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th May, 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjustable Partitions for Drawers.
1, LUTHER CONANT, of 416 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois, United States of
America, Gentleman, 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 an adjustable partition which can be employed to divide
drawers or boxes into compartments; and the object of the invention is to provide
a simple and cheap form of construction by which the interior of a drawer can be
readily sub-divided to form tills, spaces or compartments.
In carrying out my invention I employ a sectional partition, composed of two
flat pieces of metal, wood or other suitable material, said sections being overlapped
and pivotally and adjustably connected together so that they may be employed in
drawers of different widths and also to enable them to be fastened in place, as
hereinafter described.
I prefer to construct these sections of sheet metal and to provide each of the
sections with integral barbs or prongs and to pivot the said sections together so
that by placing the sections in proximate positions but in angular position with
reference to each other and then forcing their overlapped ends together, the barbs
may be made to embed themselves in the sides of the drawer and thereby fix the
partition in place. These partition sections may be made of metal plates having
their edges scamned and enclosing wires provided with barbs and pivoted together
so that they swing in a plane at right angles to the bottom of the drawer when
being inserted, or they may be made of metal plates, the inner ends being provided
with tongues adapted to enter apertures in the bodies of the plates and the parts
being adjusted by swinging them in a plane parallel to the bottom of the drawer.
Both forms of construction are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a drawer with the partitions in place.
Figure 2 is a plan view; and
Figure 3 a sectional elevation of the drawer, showing two forms of partitious
and their method of application.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the metal partition with wires forming
the barbs; and
Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of the partitions having interlocking tongues
and slots.
In the drawings, and referring particularly first to Figures 4, 5 and 6, let 10,
11 represent two light sheet metal plates having their edges 12 hemmed or turned
over and enclosing wires which project at the outer ends of the sections to furnish
barbs 13. The wires at the bottom edges may also be extended and turned down-
wardly to form the barbs or prongs 14, and one of the upper wires may be
extended to form a pivot pin 15. One or both of the plates is provided with a
series of apertures 16 in which the pivot pin 15 may be inserted, as shown
particularly in Figures 3, 5 and 6. When thus inserted, the two parts may be
adjusted in the angular position shown in Figure 3 and placed transversely to the
sides of a drawer as shown in said figure, and then by forcing the overlapped ends
downwardly until the parts are brought into line, as seen in Figure 5, the prongs 14
may be made to enter the bottom of the drawer while the end prongs may be
forced into the wood or the side pieces of the drawer and thus firinly secure the
partition in place.
In order to firmly lock the members of the partition together, I may use the

page_text: clasp 17, shown in Figures 5 and 6, or a simple pin may be inserted through
the two registering apertures of the plates, as indicated at 18, Figure 1. Said
partition members may also be provided with two or more apertures 19 arranged
in the same vertical plane and adapted to receive prongs upon the partition 20
arranged transversely to the adjustable partitions before described and parallel to
the sides of the drawer, as indicated in Figure 1.
A slightly modified construction is shown in Figures 2, 7 and 8 of the drawings.
In said construction two plates, marked 21, 22, which may be of wood or metal
and provided with tongues, the plate 21 having a single tongue 23 and the plate 22
having two shorter tongues 24. The plate 21 will be provided with a series of
apertures 25 to receive the tongues 24, while the plate 22 will be provided with a
series of apertures 26 to receive the tongue 28. When these plates are made of
sheet metal, they may be provided with integral prongs 27, and when placing them
the tongues 24 may be inserted in the apertures 25, and the two partition sections
arranged at an angle to each other with their outer or barbed ends in the proper
position with reference to the side walls and bottom of the drawer, and then by
bringing said plates into parallelism, as shown at the right of Figure 2, the barbs
will be forced into the sides of the drawer and the two parts may be lockel
together by entering the tongue 23 in one of the apertures 26. Of course these
partitions may be put in either cross-wise or end-wise of the drawer, and may be
combined with other partitions extending at right angles thereto, the same as
shown in Figure 1.
In both forms of construction, the plates are so connected together that they act
as a toggle for forcing the barbs home into the sides of the drawer, and the
principle of operation is therefore the same in both and might be embodied in still
other forms of construction. This being true, it is obvious that my invention in
its broadest scope is present wherever the two members, constituting the adjustable
and removable partition, are so pivoted together that they will provide a toggle by
means of which they may be secured in position. Obviously, the pivotal con-
nection may be made at other points than as herein indicated, and in fact at any
point above the lower edges of the plate sufficient to secure the necessary leverage
to force the barbs into place.
While I have described and shown rigid barbs, these adjustable partition pieces
may be held in place by forcing their ends tightly against the sides of the drawer,
and this can be accomplished by means of the toggle arrangement above described
and the barbs may be dispensed with.
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. An adjustable and removable partition for drawers and the like, comprising
two plates having their ends overlapped and adjustably and pivotally connected
together whereby they are adapted to serve as toggles in forcing the ends of the
partition pieces into engagement with the sides of the drawer, with means for
holding the plates in position, substantially as described.
2. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising in combination
two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotally connected together, barbs
or prongs on the outer ends of said plates and means for rigidly securing the
overlapped ends of the plates when brought into alignment, substantially as
described.
3. An adjustable partition for drawers, comprising in combination two plates
having
a series of apertures therein, projecting prongs or barbs on the outer ends
of said plates, means for pivotally connecting the inner ends of said plates in an
overlapped position and while the sections are in an angular position with reference
to each other, and means for securing said plates against movement after they are
brought into parallel alignment, substantially as described.
4. An adjustable partition for drawers, consisting of two plates having wires

page_text: enclosed by seams on the margins of said plates, said wires projecting at the outer
ends of said plates and pointed to provide barbs, the two lower wires having their
two inner ends downwardly projected and inwardly turned to provide barbs, one of
the upper wires having its inner end extended to provide a pivot and each of the
plates having a horizontal series of perforations, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising in combination
two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotally connected together, each
provided with a horizontal series of perforations for the passage of pivoting and
securing devices and one or more of said plates provided with a vertical series
of perforations to receive the fastenings for cross partitions, substantially as
described.
6. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising in combination
two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotally connected together and a
clamp or clasp adapted to embrace the edges of the overlapped ends when the
plates are brought into parallelism, substantially as described."
Dated this 26th day of Mar 1896
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.