Year: 1888

page_text: I, THOMAS HUGHES DELABÈRE-MAY, of Montpelier House, Bath, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to appliances for the use of invalids; and has for its object to
provide means first of supporting the bed-clothes so as to relieve the patient of the
pressure thereof on the body or limbs, and secondly of supporting an open book in an
inverted position for reading by the patient when lying face upwards.
For the purposes of my invention, I stretch one or more cords, wires, or chains,
over the bed from head to foot at a sufficient elevation and either attach the same to
the head and foot of the bed by hooks or otherwise, or carry the one end over the head
or foot of the bed and keep them taut by one or more pendent weights. Short con-
nections torminating in hooks or clips adapted to take hold of the bed clothes at
suitable intervals, are attached to the main supporting cord, wire, or chain.
For reading purposes, a book holder is carried adjustably by a rod slung from the
main supporting cord, wire, or chain; the book holder consisting of an adjustable frame
adapted to hold the book wide open with the pages downwards and consisting of a back
clamp by which the book is held at the middle, and of adjustable arms terminating in
adjustable clips adapted to embrace the edges of the side covers and leaves of the book.
The back clamp consists of a longitudinal bar passing along the back of the book and
of a cord or wire which is passed between the leaves at about the middle of the book
and made fast at both ends to the bar whereby the weight of the book is principally
supported, and the arms and clips are adjustable angularly and lengthwise to adapt
them to receive books of different dimensions.
T. H. DELABÈRE-MAY.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: A Book Rest and Bed Clothes Supporter for the Use of Invalids.
I, THOMAS HUGHES DELABERE-MAY, of Montpelier House, Bath, 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:—
C
My Invention relates to appliances for supporting and holding open a book in position
for reading by a person lying face upwards or reclining in any other position and for
supporting the bed clothes when necessary to relieve a patient of the pressure thereof
on the body or limbs.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifica-
tion, wherein figure 1 reprosents a perspective view of the apparatus, as in use.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, and figure 3 a plan, of the book-holder, drawn to a larger
scale. Figure 4 shows the clothes-supporting device. Figures 5, 6, and 8 shew
modifications, while figure 7 shows a detail.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
"
The book-holder proper, consists of a jointed frame adapted to clasp book covers
and leaves and to hold the book wide open in position for reading and of which the
several parts are adjustable to suit the desired position and size of the book. This
frame consists of a back clamp A and of a pair of what I term "calliper arins B
terminating in adjustable clips adapted to embrace the edges of the side covers and
the loaves of the book. The back clamp consists of a bar A passing along the back of
the book and of a cord or wire a which is made permanently fast at one end to the
bar A and which after being inserted between the leaves of the book at about the middle
thereof, is made fast at the other end also by passing the cord a into a slit in the
end of the bar A, a knot or its equivalent on the cord preventing it pulling.through.
a is a collar which encircles the bar A and cord a and is set close to the book, thus
preventing the sagging of the cord owing to the weight of the book. The arms B are
pivoted upon a pivot Ď common to both and to a rod E to the lower forked end of
which the bar A of the back clamp is pin-jointed, the arms B and rod E having a
series of holos to receive the pivot D to enable their length or relative position to be
varied as may be required. The arms B and the rod E may, however, be made
telescopic so as to enable their length to be varied and they would, in this case, he
pivoted to a block E¹, as seen in figure 5. Or, the arms B may be rigid, as in figure 8,
and the clips may be provided with springs 6 to keep the clips c up to the book. The
shanks C of the clips slide through sockets in the ends of the arms B and the prongs c
forming the clips proper are fixed in the ends of the shanks C.
The book-holder above described (when in use by a person reclining face upwards)
is suspended from a rod F to which it is connected by a joint pin in the lower forked
end of said rod engaging in a notch of a rack fl formed in the bar A which is
embraced by the forked end of the rod F and is adjustable longitudinally therein, so
as to enable the inclination of the book to be varied as required, by shifting the point
of suspension. The rod F is adjustable as to height, by means of a rack g_formed in
it engaging with a cross-pin g¹ in a slotted piece G through which the bar F can slide.
This piece G is itself supported by being threaded on a cord or wire H stretched at a

page_text: sufficient elevation over the hed from head to foot and kept taut either by being
attached thereto at both ends by any suitable incans such for example as a hook at
one end and a cleat, such as shewn in figure 1, for taking up the slack and making fast
the free end of the cord or, instead of a cleat, a pendent weight may be attached to
the free end. The guide piece G may be adjusted by being slid along the cord or
wire H, as will be readily understood. In figure 6, one of the holes for the supporting
cord in the guide piece is in the form of a transverse slot so as to permit of turning
the book in one or other direction, as the reader may desire. This cord or wire also
serves to support the bed clothes, and for this purpose short cords or suspenders I are
attached thereto at intervals, by means of an adjustable block G¹ which is slotted, as
shewn in figure 7, so as to adapt it to slide along the cord H. The short cords
terminate in hooks i (figure 4) adapted to engage with the hooked ends j of lifters
terminating in heads J, the hooks being pointed, so that they may be readily thrust
through the bed clothes from underneath, the clothes resting on the heads J and boing
thereby supported out of contact with the patient. Or, the hooks i may be used
alone, by being inserted through the bed clothics from above.
The first part of the invention, namely the book-holder, may also be applied to a
reclining chair or couch, by substituting, for the cord or wire H, a suitable overhead ⚫
support for the guide piece G.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of the back clamp A a and the pair of arms & terminating in
clipse and pivoted on a common centre, with a thrust rod E, the several parts being
adjustable and adapted to hold a book in the manner described.
2. The combination of the back clamp A a, the pair of arms B terminating in clips c,
and the thrust rod E, the said arms and rod being pivoted and made telescopic so as to
be adjustable, substantially as described and shewn in figure 5, for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination of the book holler consisting of the parts A a, B, UCC, D, E,
with a forked suspension rod embracing the bar A and connected thereto by a joint
pin engaging in a rack formed in the bar A, as and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination of the book holder constructed and arranged as herein described,
with a suspension rod having a rack made in it and with a slotted guide having a
cross-pin engaging in the said rack, substantially as described.
5. The combination of the book holder constructed and arranged as herein described,
with a suspension rod and their rack adjustments with a slotted guide for the suspen-
sion rod and with a cord or wire threaded through the said guide and stretched tant,
as and for the purpose herein described.
6. The combination with the cord or wire stretched taut over a bedstead, as described,
of short cords depending therefrom, and of hooks or hooks and lifters for engaging
with, or taking hold of, and supporting, bed clothes, as described.