Improvements in Cases or Cabinets.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Cases or Cabinets.
I. JOHN READ BURTON, of 32, Rivington Street, Curtain Road, in the County
of London, Mahogany and Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to certain improvements in cases or cabinets devised
primarily to economise space and to provide ready access to the books, docu-
ments, papers or the like contained in the case or cabinet. A further object
of this invention is to fit such cases or cabinets with means whereby papers
and documents can be filed therein in such a way as to afford self supporting
means for their inspection when the case or cabinet is in the open position.
According to one form of my invention, in the outer shell of the case or
cabinet I pivot or otherwise mount a right angled tray in such a way that it
can be rotated partly within the shell of the case or cabinet through an angle
of 90° more or loss. In one position one of the shelves of the tray is flush with
the front of the case or cabinet and in the other position the same shelf is hori-
zontal and projects for part of its length forward from the front of the case or
cabinet. The tray is so fitted that it is in unstable equilibrium when partly
turned on its pivots or mountings, suitable stops being provided to limit its
movement. This tray may be provided with any number of partitions arranged
vertically or horizontally, or both, according to the uses for which the case or
cabinet is designed.
In another form of my invention the tray is in the shape of a panel, glazed if
desired, which is pivotted or mounted as before described in the outer shell of
the case or cabinet and counterweighted so that it is normally kept closed, the
books or other articles contained in the case or cabinet being stored on a fixed
shelf, or shelves, made so as to allow the panel front to turn on its pivots or
mountings.
In another form the partitions in the tray are arranged to receive document
files each partition having a rebate on its sides under which the edges of the
base board of the file are slid, said base boards being hinged or foldable trans-
versely so that when the file is drawn out beyond the hinge or foldable portion
the front part will fall down at an angle, limited by stops on the hinges or the
like, or on the shell, while the rear part will be held in a horizontal position by
the rebates in the partition and the base board thus supported.
Dated thin 14th
N 1000

page_text: Improvements in Cases or Cabinets.
I, JOHN READ BURTON, of 32, Rivington Street, Curtain Road, in the County
of London, Mahogany and Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu.
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in cases or cabinets devised
primarily to economise space and to provide ready access to the books, docu-
ments, papers or the like contained in the case or cabinet. A further object
of this invention is to fit such cases or cabinets with means whereby papers
and documents can be filed therein in such a way as to afford self supporting
means for their inspection when the case or cabinet is in the open position.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a case or
cabinet showing three different arrangements of the interior all being open, and
Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional side elevations of same in the open and closed
positions respectively. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a file case or cabinet
showing a modification of my invention, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5
of Fig. 4. The same letters of reference where they occur are used to denote
the same or corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.
Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3. A is the outershell of the case or cabinet, B is
the base of same, and C is a bottom drawer of any ordinary construction and
forming no part of this invention. 1) 1) is a right angled tray fitted with two
check plates or side pieces D D and a top 1, all the five parts being securely
fastened together so as to form a rigid frame. This frame is pivoted at a
(Figs. 2 and 3) or it may be otherwise mounted; to the sides of the outer shell A
of the case or cabinet in such manner that it can be rotated partly within the
said shell A through an angle of 90° or thereabout. In the closed position
(Figure 3) the shelf D of the tray D D', is flush or approximately flush with the
front of the case or cabinet and forms a door to the void made in the cabinet
front, through which void the pivotted frame works. In the open position
(Fig. 2) the same shelf I) is horizontal or approximately horizontal and projects
for part of its length forward from the front of the case or cabinet supported
on the top of the ledge or stop a'. The centre of motion a, on which the tray-
frame turns, is so chosen, and the tray frame is so mounted thereon as to be
in unstable equilibrium when partly turned on its pivots or mountings, the ledge
or stop a¹ serving to limit its backward as well as its forward movement, as
said stop lies in the path of the heel or rear end d of the shelf D; but separate
stops may be used to limit the forward and backward movements of the tray-
frame if so desired. For the purpose of economising space in the construction
the side pieces D D of the tray-frame are made of the curved form shown, the
curves being substantially arcs struck from the centre of motion a.
The tray-frame marked E in the drawings is of exactly similar construction
and is fitted in the shell A in an exactly similar manner to that already described
and marked D to D. The two tray-frames differ only in the manner in which
their interiors are divided, D to D being provided with vertical and horizontal
partitions and and adapted for the reception of document files, while the
tray-frame E has no partitions and is adapted to receive books arranged thereon
side by side as shown. The trays may be provided with any number of par-
titions arranged vertically or horizontally or both, according to the uses for
which the tray-frame is designed.
In the upper part of the case a modified construction is shown in which only
the front falls down and when open exposing a tray or shelf F¹ fixed in

page_text: position to the shell A of the case or cabinet. This form is adapted as a book
shelf and avoids the necessity of turning all the books through a right angle
as in the form E.
As before stated F¹ is a fixed shelf and the drop front F is made in the form
of a panel or door, glazed if desired, to close the void in the case or cabinet.
To each end of panel F a bracket is rigidly secured, said brackets being
centred at and provided with counterweights so placed as to keep the panel
in the full open or full closed position as will be well understood. The ends of
the shelf F are fixed to the shell A in the ordinary way, and the shelf
is so located that the panel F when open passes thereunder as shown in Fig. 2.
If desired an additional shelf may be fixed to the shell A above the shelf F¹
shown as will be obvious.
In the modification of my invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the tray G,
mounted in the shell A of the case or cabinet, is divided into a suitable number
of compartments by partitions and so as to form compartments to receive
document files. In each compartment the vertical partitions are provided
at corresponding parts with rebates, grooves or recesses c (see Fig. 5) formed
preferably by securing battens to the sides of the compartment, extending
horizontally from front to back as shown in Fig. 5 and just above the bottom
formed by the horizontal partition. The space between the bottom and
the batten e forming the rebate, groove or recess c¹ is just sufficiently large to
take the thickness of the material of the base-board h h of the document file H
and allow the same to be easily slid in and along these rebates, grooves or
recesses c¹.
The document file is of ordinary construction and its bottom 7ª is secured
to the forward end of the base-board h h which latter extends slightly beyond
it at the sides, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to provide a flange on each side to
engage in the rebates in the compartment, in the manner already described.
The two parts h and h¹ of the baseboard are hinged together at their meeting
edges ³ and these meeting edges may be bevelled so as to abut against each other
and act as a stop to prevent the parts of the base-board from being turned on
their hinges beyond a certain angle. Instead of being hinged the two parts h
and of the baseboard h h may be otherwise connected so that the baseboard
is foldable transversely, and stops may if desired be formed on or secured
to the compartment to limit the turning movement of the foldable baseboard.
When a document file is required for use, the front end is pulled until the
file is beyond the void in the front of the compartment and then let go, the base-
board h h will then turn on its hinge or foldable connection 3 and the forward
part will assume the inclined position shown in Fig. 5, the file being held
in this position by the rear part of the baseboard which still remains in the
horizontal rebates, grooves or recesses c¹ as shown. When done with, the docu-
ment file is replaced in the compartment by raising it to the horizontal position
and pushing it in, causing the edges of the base-board to travel along the
rebates, grooves, or recesses c¹.
It will be obvious that the form of the tray or shell of the case or cabinet
is not material, all that is necessary being a compartment to receive the docu-
ment file and having rebates, grooves or recesses on its opposite vertical sides
to receive the edges of the baseboard.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A case or cabinet consisting of an outer casing or shell provided with an
opening in its front, and a frame mounted on centres of motion in the shell
behind said opening so as to rotate partly within and partly without said shell
through a right angle or thereabout, substantially as described.
2. A case or cabinet consisting of an outer casing or shell provided with an

page_text: opening in its front, and a tray-frame mounted on centres of motion in the
shell behind said opening so as to rotate partly within and partly without said
shell through a right angle or thereabout, substantially as described.
3. A case or cabinet consisting of an outer casing or shell provided with an
opening in its front, a right-angled tray-frame mounted in unstable equilibrium
on centres of motion in the shell behind said opening so as to rotate partly
within and partly without said shell, and stops on the shell to limit the move-
ment of the tray-frame, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3
of the accompanying drawings.
4. A case or cabinet consisting of an outer casing or shell provided with an
opening in its front, a panel or door fitting said opening, brackets on said panel,
or door mounted on centres of motion in the shell behind said opening so
that the panel or door can rotate partly within and partly without said shell,
counterweights on said brackets, and stops on the shell to limit the movements
of the panel or door, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3
of the accompanying drawings.
5. A file case or cabinet comprising a compartment having horizontal rebates,
grooves or recesses, and a document file secured to one section of a two-part
transversely hinged or foldable baseboard fitting said rebates, grooves or recesses,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. A file case or cabinet comprising a compartment having horizontal rebates,
grooves or recesses, and a document file secured to one section of a two-part
transversely hinged or foldable baseboard fitting said rebates, grooves or recesses,
the two parts of the baseboard being jointed together so as to limit the angle
of turning, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the
accompanying drawings.
7. A file case or cabinet comprising a compartment having horizontal rebates,
grooves or recesses, fixed stop pieces on said compartment, and a document file
secured to one section of a two-part transversely hinged or foldable baseboard
fitting said rebates, grooves or recesses, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
1000
F. W. GOLBY,
Patent Agent, 36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.