Improvements in Adjustable School Desk and Seat.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjustable School Desk and Seat.
I, WARREN LAFAYETTE STARKEY, of 264 Hamilton Avenue, County of
Passaic and State of New Jersey, U.S.A., Teacher, 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:-
The object of the invention is to provide an adjustable school desk and seat-
combined or separate, of simple, strong and durable construction, easily and
quickly handled, adjusted and operated. A further object is to provide said
adjustable school desk and seat with simple adjusting means, operated from one
side only, and at the same time acting as locking and clamping mechanism.
The invention consists in the improved adjustable school desk and seat, in the
peculiar construction of the seat, its relative arrangement-especially of the back-
to the desk proper, in the means for adjusting and locking the desk and chair
respectively, and in the combination and arrangement of the various parts thereof,
substantially as will be hereinafter more fully bed and finally embodied in
the clauses of the claims.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a school desk and seat constructed in accordance
with my iuvention ;
Fig. 2 a side elevation of one of the standards;
Fig. 3 a side elevation of a chair or seat independent of the desk and provided'
with my improvement;
Fig. 4 an enlarged sectional view on the liner of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 44 an enlarged detail sectional view on the line y y of Fig. 3.
in said drawings a represents the leg or standard, provided at its upper
end with an open-ended vertical slot 6 and on one side thereof-with an open-ended
slot d arranged at an acute angle to the slot b. The portion of the standard
adjoining the said slots are flanged and wedge shaped as shown at a 1 in Fig. 4.
One of the side walls of each of said open-ended slots band d, preferably the
inner wall, is provided with or formed into a rack bar cand e respectively, as
clearly shown in Fig. 2, for a purpose hereinafter specified.
The desk f--with top g and back g 1 is provided with depending arms h, which
pass down on the outer sides of the standards or legs a. Said arms are provided
with inwardly projecting flanges 1, having wedge-shaped inner walls, and are
adapted to engage and bear against the wedge-shaped flanges of the legs a as
clearly shown in Fig. 4. The two arms of the desk are held together by a con-
necting rod m 2, the threaded ends m 4 of which are engaged by the knobs m 5. The
said rod passes through the hollow shaft m 1, journalled in the arms h and extending
to about the outer faces thereof. A blind nut m 3 is arranged on one end of the
rod m 2 and is secured to the end of the hollow shaft m 1. The knobs m 5 which
are hollow so as not to come in contact with the ends of the hollow shaft and the
blind nut respectively, are each provided with a groove or recess m 7, and centrally
formed therein is a nut m 6, the outer face of which is substantially in a plane
with the outer face of the knob, and is adapted to be engaged by a wrench or key
in the operation of the device.
Near the ends of the hollow shaft m 1 are secured in any desired manner the
pinions m, which engage the rack bars c, as clearly shown, so that when the shaft is

page_text: rotated the pinions are caused to move over the rack bars and the desk is thereby
adjusted vertically.
The seat i as preferred, is provided with a single or double curved back i 8 and i 1,
and is made in one piece or in sections-but is entirely independent from the back g 1
of the desk as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, by which arrangement
any movement or vibration of the back il is not transmitted to the desk and thus
not felt by the pupil using the same.
The seat i is provided with depending arms i 2 which pass down on the outer
sides of the standards or legs a. Said arms i 2 are provided with inwardly projecting
flanges 7, having wedge-shaped inner walls and are adapted to engage and
bear against the wedge-shaped flanges al of the, legs a as clearly shown in
Fig. 4.
The armi i 3 projecting from arm i 2 forms the bearing for the shaft or bolt i 4
on which the seat proper i5, is fulcrumed.
On the inside of the arm i 3 is arranged a block or pad i 15 made of felt, rubber
or any other suitable elastic material, adapted to be engaged by the edge of the
frame supporting the seat i 5 (as in Fig. 1), or the block or pad i 15 is inserted in
the edge of the arm i3 and is adapted to be engaged by a pin i6 projecting from
the side of the seat supporting frame-(as in Figs. 3 and 4)-for the purpose of
deadening the sound when the seat is folded or turned down for use.
The adjusting and clamping device for the seat and its arms respectively is the
same as the one above described in connection with the desk and its depending
arms h-viz.; rod m 1, blind nut m 3, knobs m 5, hollow shaft m 2 and pinions m,
the latter engaging the rack bars e as will be manifest.
In the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the seat is made independent of the
desk and is adjustably arranged on separate standards or legs a, as clearly shown,
and-can-as-such be used for schools, halls, theatres etc., as will be manifest.. The
main object remains the same, that is to say, the seat is adjusted and clamped from
one side only and by the same adjusting and clamping mechanism.
The operation of the device is thought to be obvious. By simply removing the
knob m5 and turning the blind nut m 3 by a crank handle, the desk or seat can be
lowered or raised. When adjusted to the height required, the knob m 5 is put on
the screw threaded end m 4 of the rod m 2 and is operated, thus drawing the
depending arms (or i2) together and with their inner wedge-shaped flanges
against the legs of standards a, the latter binding on the pinions and thus prevent
their rotation. For a quicker adjustment, the knob m 5 is merely loosened and the
desk or seat raised or lowered by hand (the pinions will operate on the rack bars)
and when the required height is obtained, the knob is again tightened.
From the foregoing it can be seen, that the connecting rods do not serve alone
for the purpose of holding the depending desk or seat arms together, and to
support the "pinions carrying hollow shafts," but that they also serve-in connec-
tion with the nuts on their threaded ends, to bind or clamp the depending arms
against the legs or standards, and the latter against the pinions, and that the
adjusting and clamping is performed from one side only.
In providing the slot d at an acute angle to the slot b, the space between the seat
and the "desk in front of said seat" is increased or decreased-(when the seat is
raised or lowered) in substantially the same proportion as the height of the seat is
increased or decreased, and this is a very important feature of my invention, as it
is apparent, that the taller the pupil occupying the seat, the more space is needed
by him.
1 do not intend to limit myself to the precise construction, shown and described,
as various alterations can be made without changing the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is:
MAA
1. An adjustable desk and seat combined, consisting of two sets of legs or

page_text: standards, of the, desk proper vertically adjustable on said standards, a back to
said desk, a seat adjustably arranged on said standards and movable at an acute angle
to the desk, and a back forming part of the seat, said back being independent of
the back of the desk and clearing the same, substantially as and for the purposes:
described.
2. An adjustable desk and seat combined, consisting of two sets of legs or
standards, of the desk proper vertically adjustable on said standards, a back to
said desk, a seat adjustably arranged on said standards and movable at an acute
angle to the desk, a back, forming part of the seat, being independent of the back
of the desk, and means for adjusting the desk and seat independently of each other,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. An adjustable desk and seat combined, consisting of two sets of legs or
standards, each standard being provided with a vertical slot, a rack bar ou one
side of said slot, the desk proper provided with a back and having on each side a
depending arm engaging the legs or standards, a rod passing through said arms
and provided with screw threaded ends, a blind nut on one end of said rod, a
clamping nut on each end of said rod, a hollow shaft on said rod and secured with
one end to the blind nut, a pinion secured near each end of said hollow shaft and
engaging its respective rack bar, a seat adjustably arranged on the standards and
movable at an acute angle to the desk, and having a back independent of the back
of the desk and clearing the same, and means for locking said seat in the standards,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. An adjustable desk and seat combined, consisting of two sets of legs or
standards, each standard being provided with a vertical slot and with a slot at an
acute angle to the vertical slot, a desk adjustably arranged in said vertical slot,
and provided with a back, a seat adjustably arranged in the other slot and adapted
to be moved in a plane at an acute angle to the desk, a back forming part of said
Beat, said back being independent of the back of the desk, and clearing the same,
and means for adjustably securing the desk and seat independently of each other,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. An adjustable desk and seat combined, consisting of two sets of legs or
standards, each standard being provided with a vertical slot and with a slot at an
acute angle to the vertical slot and having wedge-shaped outer sides, a rack bar
on one side of each slot, a desk provided with a back and having depending arms,
each of said arms having inwardly extending wedge-shaped flanges adapted to
engage the wedge-shaped sides of the standards, a horizontally arranged rod con-
necting said depending arms of the desk, clamping nuts on the outer ends of said
rod, a hollow shaft on said rod, a pinion on each end of said hollow shaft and
engaging the rack bars of the vertical slot, a seat provided with a back independent
of the back of the desk and having on each side a depending arm with inwardly
projecting wedge-shaped flanges adapted to engage the wedge-shaped outer sides
of the standards (on each side of the inclined slot), a rod connecting the depending
arms of the seat, clamping nuts on each end of the rod, a hollow shaft on said
rod and a pinion on each end of the hollow shaft and engaging the rack bars of
the inclined slot, all said parts, substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. In an adjustable desk, the combination with the legs or standards, each
provided with a slot, of a rack bar on one side of said slot, the desk proper having
depending arms, adapted to bear against the legs or standards, a rod connecting
said arms and provided with screw threaded ends, a hollow clamping nut on each
end of said rod, a hollow shaft on the rod, and a pinion on each end of the hollow
shaft and engaging the rack bars of the slots, and adapted to bear against the legs
or standards when the clamping nut is tightened, all said parts, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
7. In an adjustable desk, the combination with the legs or standards, each
provided with a slot, of a rack bar on one side of said slot, the desk proper having
depending arms, adapted to bear against said legs or standards, a rod connecting
said arms and provided with screw threaded ends, a hollow shaft on said rod, a

page_text: blind nut on one end of said rod and secured to said hollow shaft, a pinion on each
end of said hollow shaft and engaging the rack bars of the slot, and adapted to
bear against the legs or standards, and a hollow clamping nut on each end of the
rod and bearing against the outer faces of the depending arms, all said parts,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 26th day of March 1896.
J. P. BAYLY,
18 Fulham Place, London, W., Agent for the Applicant.