A SELF-SUPPORTING PORTFOLIO AND STAND
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, PETER THOMAS JOHNSON of the firm of William Johnson & Sons of 15
and 16 Gough Square in the City of London Manufacturing Stationers do hereby
declare the nature of said Invention for "A SELF-SUPPORTING PORTFOLIO AND
STAND" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the so-called Buniard's portfolio and stand two legs are hinged to the movable
flap of the portfolio which is called the front board which legs are provided with
lower telescopic ends with set screws which serve to render the legs adjustable as
to length but a difficulty is experienced in readily adjusting the length of both legs
equally.
Now according to my Invention I construct a self supporting portfolio and stand
in which the position or elevation of the front board of the folio is most conveniently
and quickly adjusted and which also is more sightly and admitting of being
rendered very ornamental. I hinge two legs to the front board by preference
directly to suitable brackets fixed on the front board. These legs are near their
lower ends connected by a cross-rod and are furthermore at that part connected to
the front legs of the stand by rods jointed thereto, the whole forming a parallogram
frame. On each leg (or on one of them only) and near the upper end I provide a
small lateral peg and to the front board I joint a link or strap for each leg such
link having several holes for connecting to the aforesaid pegs on the legs. Or vice
versa I may form an eye on the leg and pegs on the link or strap. According to
which hole is looped on to the peg so will the inclination of the front board be.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view of my self
supporting portfolio and stand, Figure 2 an end view of same and Figure 3 a detail
view.
The backboard A of the portfolio is as usual affixed to the stand proper by means
of two bars B which are secured to the two front legs C. The two hind legs D
are jointed to the bars B and are also by the two rods E jointed to the same bars B
the rods E being moreover jointed in the middle as shown at E¹ Figure 2 for
enabling the legs C and D to fold up together when required. The front board F
of the portfolio is supported and made adjustable to suit any required angle by the
following arrangement. To the front board F are jointed two rods or legs G which
near their lower ends are jointed each to two rods or struts H which again are
jointed to one front leg O. The rods G are connected transversely by means of a

page_text: rod I. The bottom ends of the rods G may rest on the floor in which case the
portfolio is fully open, but in order to adjust or to set and to fix the front board F
to any required angle I have provided two straps or links K which are jointed to
the front board and are provided with any desired or suitable number of holes as
shown, while the rods or legs G are each provided with a peg G¹ for taking into
any one of the holes in the straps K. By means of these straps, or as is frequently
the case by using one of them only as shown in Figure 1 the angle of the front
board F to the back board A can be readily adjusted in a moment. As shown in
Figure 3 the straps are hinged in two places and also provided each with a small
peg K' for keeping them away from the front board when hanging down so as not
to damage the surface of the board. The cross connecting bar or bars I might be
omitted but that would not be so strong a construction and would necessitate the
use of both the straps at the same time.
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
:-
First In a frame for adjusting the angle of the front board of a portfolio on a
stand the employment of adjusting straps K for connecting the front board and
the legs G of the said frame.
:-
Second In a frame for adjusting the angle of the front board of a portfolio on
a stand the employment, of transverse connection between the legs G of the said
frame in combination with one or two adjusting straps K.
Third: The frame G, H, I, K as applied to a portfolio stand.