Applicable also to other Tables.
Year: 1888

page_text: Applicable also to other Tables.
I, ALBERT ANTOINE LATEULÈRE of 75 Little Britain, in the City of London
Musical Box Maker, 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 this invention is to raise the surface of a dining or other table so that
it can be used when desired for billiards, and can be easily depressed again when
required as an ordinary table. I am aware that this has been attempted by several
methods, but none of them can be considered successful, as they lack stability and
simplicity, being both cumbersome, difficult to manipulate and expensive, as well as
unsteady when subjected to lateral pressure.
My apparatus consists of a long iron rod-screw, having at one end a right-hand
thread and at the other end a left-hand thread. This rod-screw extends from one end
or one side of the table to the other, and has at its outer extremity or extremities one
or more cranked handles, for turning it round, or it may be rotated if preferred by
geared wheels or in any other suitable way. The two ends of the rod-screw work in
sockets placed in the frame of the table, and carry friction collars so placed as to
afford the requisite leverage on the said sockets for pulling to and fro the mechanism
beneath the table by means of which it is elevated or depressed.
This mechanism consists of two lower inclined planes or angular brackets which
being attached to moving nuts on the rod-screw, are caused by the rotation of the
screw to approach each other or recede as required. The table top is fixed to two
other similar inclined planes or angular brackets which are above the others and
being reversed lie on and between the lower angular brackets in such a way that
when the lower angular brackets are caused to approach each other, by a wedge
Jike motion they force the upper brackets upwards and thus steadily and irresistibly
raise the top of the table.
The action of this mechanism will be best understood by referring to the accom-
nanving drawings in which

page_text: Fig. 1. shows a sectional elevation in perspective of a table frame with the top
removed.
A is the outer or moveable frame with its cross pieces 1. 2. 3. 4. which carries the
table top.
B. is the inner or stationary frame to which the screw and mechanism are attached.
C. C. are angular brackets of wood or metal strengthened by ribs Z, Z, which are
bolted on the underside of the cross pieces 1. 2. 3. 4.
D. D. aro corresponding angular brackets fixed to the moveable nuts K K and so
placed that they can be drawn together or placed further apart by the action of the
screw G.
V V are the inclined planes or slides of D D which work below and sustain
the slides of C. C. It will be noticed that the upper slides of C. C. overlap V. V.
so that they cannot be displaced by side pressure.
F is a bracket or guide on which D travels to and fro. Rollers can be inserted
here if desired and also on the working surfaces of the slides V. V.
HH are cranked handles for working the rod screw.
It will be seen that when D. D. recede from each other, C. C. and with them the
table-top descend, and similarly when D. D approach to each other, they force C. C
and the table-top to ascend together.
By a kind of telescopic action the outer frame A also descends and ascends outside
the frame B thus imparting great steadiness and power of resisting side or end
pressure, and this stability is still further increased by metal bolts or forks attached
to A which fit into sockets attached to B. By these means end-shake or side-shake
is entirely prevented, and a perfectly level motion ensured.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement
of the sliding surfaces described, as this mode of action can be applied in several
different ways, and similar results can be obtained without departing from the
principle of my invention. More than one apparatus can be used on a table when
required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
I. An apparatus for lifting and lowering table-tops consisting of angular brackets
or inclined planes working on guides, drawn together or repelled by a rod-screw, and
thereby pressing upwards or lowering by a kind of wedge action the inclined surfaces
of similar angular brackets, to which the table top is attached.