Improvements in Adjustable Foot-rests, Reading-desks, Music-stands, and other Appliances having a Supporting Plate or Platform which requires to be Readily Adjusted as regards its Height or Distance from the User.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Adjustable Foot-rests, Reading-desks, Music-stands,
and other Appliances having a Supporting Plate or Platform
which requires to be Readily Adjusted as regards its Height or
Distance from the User.
We, ALBAN EDWARD RAGG of Romsdal Beaumont, Jersey, and WILLIAM GEORGE
WARD of Bel Royal St. Lawrence Jersey, Clerk in Holy Orders and Coachbuilder
respectively 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 certain improvements in adjustable footrests, reading
desks, music stands and other appliances having a supporting plate or platform
which requires to be readily adjusted as regards its height or distance from the
user, the object of the improvements being broadly to render such appliances more
generally convenient and useful than those hitherto employed.
The invention is mainly intended to be applied to adjustable footrests for dog-
carts and other conveyances with the additional object of providing the user, that
is the driver, with increased facilities for controlling intractable horses. With these
objects in view, we so construct and arrange the foot-plate and its connections
that the former may be removed entirely from the vehicle if required; may, when
desirable, be readily folded down out of the way at any given point in its horizontal
course; may be quickly brought again into its upright or inclined position; may
be adjusted to or from the driver, as required, by means of his foot only; and
may be firmly locked in position by the mere pressure of the driver's foot, instead
of requiring, as heretofore, to be fixed by means of pins, set screws or the like.
The entire manipulation of the footrest being performed by the foot of the driver,
instead of by the hands as heretofore, he is enabled to adjust the foot-plate as
required without loosing the reins. This enables him to deal, with greater facility,
with an intractable horse, and spares him the disagreeableness of soiling his hands in
adjusting the foot-plate.
The invention, as applied to footrests for conveyances, may be clearly understood
from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,
in which;
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the footrest in position
for use,
Figure 2 is a plan of the same, and
Figure 3 is a section on the line xx, Figure 2.
A A are two guide bars or plates, each provided longitudinally with a slot a having
its sides parallel, and being preferably of an inverted T-shape in cross section, as seen
in Figure 3. These guide bars are located, with their slots parallel one to the other
and at the required distance apart, upon the bottom of the vehicle and are secured
thereto by bolts, wood screws or the like.
The footplate B is provided with a pair of legs C, each of which has its lower end
adapted to work within its corresponding slot a, and is fitted at said lower end with a
lateral pin or projection C adapted to rest within the lower part of the slot and to
bear against the under surface a¹ of the bar, as shown in Figure 3. The legs are thus
free to be moved backwards and forwards in the slots, but are prevented from being
lifted out of the same.
At a convenient point in each of the legs () and on one or both sides thereof
there is a second pin or projection adapted to bear against the upper surface
The
of the adjacent bar A when the footrest is in use, as shown in Figure 1.
pins C and are so located with respect to each other that, when the legs are

page_text: pressed backwards by the pressure of the driver's foot on the plate B, they bear
respectively against the upper and lower surfaces of the bars A in such a manner
that the said bars are gripped thereby and the footplate is held firmly locked in position
at a comfortable angle for the driver's foot. This will be clearly understood by
reference to Figure 1.
The footplate B may be attached to or formed in one with the legs, being placed at
any angle which may be found convenient.
When there is no pressure upon the footplate the entire footrest may be slid back-
wards or forwards upon its guides A. To facilitate this adjustment and also to
overcome the partial locking or binding of the footrest by its own dead weight, we
provide a device such as follows:-
The two legs C C are connected by a cross bar D, which is, by preference, an
inward extension of the upper pins C. Upon this crossbar there is fixed an attach-
ment or pedal D¹ which is inclined downwards at a suitable angle. When the lower
end of the pedal is pressed upon by the driver's foot, the entire footrest is turned
slightly about the upper pins C so that the lower pins C¹ are put out of contact with
the adjacent surfaces of the guide bars AA, and, the weight being borne by the
pins only, the footrest may be readily pushed forward into the desired position by
the driver extending his leg. To draw back the footrest it is only necessary for the
driver to place his foot upon the top of the pedal-which is specially constructed for
the purpose as shown at d-and to make a backward movement with his foot. The
pressure on the upper pins C is thus to a certain extent relieved and the footrest
may be readily drawn back into the required position.
When it is desired to fold the footrest down out of the way, it is simply turned
back about the lower pins or projections (so that it assumes the position shown in
dotted lines in Figure 1. Transverse slots a' are provided at the rear (or front) ends
of the guide bars, of a size sufficient to permit the passage of the pins C' when it is
desired to remove the footrest entirely from said bars.
If found desirable, the upper, under, or both, sides of the guide bars A may be
corrugated, toothed or otherwise roughened as shown in Figure 1. It will be obvious
that the guide bars, instead of resting for their entire length upon the floor of the
vehicle and being formed with T-shaped slots a as above described, could be simple
straight bars formed with slots of a rectangular cross section and each supported at
two or more points upon the floor of the vehicle at a sufficient distance therefrom to
permit the free movement of the lower pins C₁.
It will be obvious that the invention may be applied to footrests, other than those
employed in conveyances, in a precisely similar manner to that shown. It may also
be applied to the seats of conveyances, and to other seats or rests requiring to be
adjusted horizontally.
Also the invention is applicable to reading and music stands in which the supporting
platform requires to be adjusted in a vertical direction. In such cases, the guide
bars A A are placed in an approximately vertical position upon a suitable stand, and
the legs (or arms) C, and preferably the plate B, are inclined downwards, a suitable
ledge or its equivalent being provided at the lower edge of the plate to prevent the
book from slipping off the plate.
&
The device may be also used as a horizontally adjustable bookrest, a supporting ledge
being provided as above described. It may also be employed as vertically
adjustable footstep or seat, the guide bars being placed more or less vertically.
In fact, the invention may be employed in many situations where a supporting plate
or platform has to be adjusted bodily to various heights or distances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. An adjustable footrest, reading desk, music stand, or other appliance of the
kind described in which the supporting plate or platform is supported upon legs or
arms sliding at their ends remote from the plate within parallel slotted guide bars and

page_text: each provided at its said remote end with a pair of lateral pins or projections, the said
pins being located above and below their respective guide bars and so arranged that,
when the pressure is brought to bear upon the supporting surface plate, they grip the
bars between them and hold the said plate firmly in position, but when the pressure
is relieved, they offer little or no resistance to the adjustment of the plate and its
supports bodily upon the guide bars, substantially as described.
2. In combination with an adjustable footrest such as described, the arrangement of
cross bar D and pedal D', whereby the footrest may be readily adjusted bodily in
either direction by the action of the foot and leg alone, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Dated this 90th d. 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.