A Portable Folding Doll House.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 12th Oct.,
1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Portable Folding Doll House.
I ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE Patent Pipe Cleaner Manufacturer
of 36 Burton Crescent London W.C. do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
I make it of metal, wood, Cardboard, Papier Maché or other suitable material.
To the portion forming the base I hinge the four outer walls in such a manner that
when closed they fold perfectly flat to the base portion and to each other.
These four walls are perforated with the desired number of doors and windows.
The interior can be divided into any number of floors with rooms on each.
For a two story house with four rooms on each floor I divide the ground floor by
two pieces of the material used which cross each other in the centre by means of two
slots in which they slide at right angles to each other. On these I place the floor of
the story above on which rest similar partitions to those on the ground floor. Any of
If necessary the
these partitions may be perforated with any number of doors.
partitions can be kept in place by means of grooves fastened in the inside of the
outer walls.
The four outer walls are kept in position by means of a shallow tray which forms
the ceiling of the upper story and also the case in which the entire house is
packed.
I make the roof with two pieces hinged together at the top having two triangular
pieces to form the sides which pieces have two projections which pass through openings
in the roof and by means of which they are fastened.
On the top of the roof there is a folding chimney.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Portable Folding Doll House.
I, ALEXANDER WILLOUGHBY MONTGOMERY-MOORE of 36 Burton Crescent, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Pipe Cleaner Manufacturer 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 construct a doll house which will fold up into a
tray, which said tray is intended to be placed upside down on the top of the house when
erected so that sides of the tray may support the four walls of the house and give
the building the necessary rigidity. An additional roof may be placed on the top of
the tray if desired.
According to this invention I make the doll house of metal, wood, cardboard, papier
mache or other suitable material. To the portion forming the base or ground floor,
I hinge the four outer walls in such a manner that when closed they fold perfectly flat
to the base portion and to each other. These four walls are perforated with the desired
number of doors and windows.
The interior can be divided into any number of floors with rooms on each.
For a two storey house with four rooms on each floor, I divide the ground floor by
two pieces of the material used which cross each other in the centre by means of two
slots in which they slide at right angles to each other. On these I place the floor of
the storey above on which rest similar partitions to those on the ground floor. Any
If necessary
of these partitions may be perforated with any number of doors.

page_text: the partition can be kept in place by means of grooves fastened in the inside of the
outer walls.
The four outer walls are kept in position by means of a shallow tray which forms
the ceiling of the upper storey and also the case in which the entire house is
packed.
I make the roof with two pieces hinged together at. the top having two triangular
pieces to form the sides which pieces have two projections which pass through openings
in the roof and by means of which they are fastened.
On the top of the roof there is a folding chimney.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is an interior plan of the piece of cardboard, papier-mache, metal or other
material forming the ground floor A and the four sides or walls B C D & E of a two
storey doll house; Figures 2 & 3 are respectively front and end elevations of the doll
house put together; Figure 4 shews a perspective view of the doll house packed away
in the base tray and Figures 5 to 13 shew details of construction.
To the edges b c d and e of the base or ground floor A the four sides or walls B CD
and E of the house are hinged in such a manner that they will lie flat one upon the
other when folded over on to the ground floor A. For example, suppose the walls to
be so hinged as to fold over in the order B C D and E, then the hinge on the edge b
will be the ordinary hinge allowing the wall B'to lie flat down on the ground floor A ;
the edge c will be provided with a small vertical shoulder equal in height to the
thickness of the material of the wall B, and the wall C will be hinged to this shoulder
in the ordinary manner and hence will lie flat on the wall B. Similarly the wall D
will be hinged to a shoulder on the edge d which said shoulder will be equal in height
to the thickness of the two walls B and C, and the wall E will be hinged to a shoulder
on the edge e, which last said shoulder will be equal in height to the thickness of the
three walls B C and D. All the walls are of nearly the same height, allowance being
made for the shoulders on the ground floor before referred to, so that when the walls
are turned on their hinges so that they are all perpendicular to the said ground floor A,
their upper edges b¹, c¹, d¹, and e' will all lie in the same horizontal plane.
Figures 5 & 6 shew the divisions or party walls adopted to form the ground floor
into separate rooms, the apertures F and G are intended for door ways the aperture G
being enlarged so as to allow for the swinging back of the front door H when
opened. Each division is provided with a vertical slot J at the centre, one at the top
extending half way down and the other at the bottom extending half way np. These
divisions are placed at right angles to each other with the slots J one over the other
and pushed together close up to the ends of the slots so that they will then stand firmly
on the floor.
The divisions for the upper storey are the same, except that the division shewn in
Figure, 7 is substituted for that shewn in Figure 5, the only difference being that a
small aperture F takes the place of the enlarged aperture G which is not required on
the upper storey. Figure 8 is a plan of the floor of the upper storey, which is laid on
the top of the divisions shewn in Figures 5 & 6, and thus serves also for the ceiling of
the ground floor room or rooms. In Figures 5, 6 and 7 small holes K are shewn in
the corners of each division or party wall. These holes may be made to take over
hooks L fixed in suitable positions on the inside of the four walls and afford an easy
and quick means of firmly securing the parts together. Eight hooks and holes are
shewn in the drawings, but I do not confine myself to this or any other number.
Other equivalent means of securing the parts together may be substituted for the
hooks and holes. As previously stated the base tray M is placed upside down
on the top of the four walls as shewn in Figure 3 and thus serves to keep the
walls together.
Figure 9 shews a plan of the piece to form the roof one end N being folded down
flat ready for packing away. The roof is made in four parts two of which O and P

page_text: are rectangular in shape and hinged to each other and form the sloping sides of the
roof, the hinges being the apex of the roof, and the other two parts N and Q are
triangular in shape and are hinged one at each end of one of the rectangular pieces O
or P, in the drawing they are shewn hinged to the piece O. These triangular pieces
form the ends of the roof and are provided with four or other number of spikes or
pins R which are inserted in holes made for the purpose in the base tray M and serve
to maintain the roof in proper position when the house is erected. The piece P is
folded down on the other edge of the triangular pieces N and Q to which they are
secured by staples or hooks S on the said edges passing through slots T in the piece P
and secured by catch pieces U on the other side of the said piece P as shewn in Figure 2
or other equivalent means may be adopted for securing these parts together.
Figures 10 & 11 are respectively elevation and plan of the folding chimney pot,
the sides of which are hinged together at the corners so as to fold flat together as
shewn in elevation and plan in Figure 12. V, V, are spikes or pins to be inserted
into holes made for that purpose in the roof one on each side of the apex. The
triangular cut W in two sides of the chimney pot allows the same to straddle the apex
of the roof.
Figure 13 shews an elevation of the inside of the door the outside elevation being
shewn in Figure 2. Two or more sockets X are formed on the edge of the door
which said sockets take over pins Y fixed on the inside of the wall B as shewn in
Figure 1, thus forming a binge for the door. Z is a simple latch taking into a hook,
staple or catch z fixed on the inside of the wall B also shewn in Figure 1. The latch Z
is actuated by a handle on a spindle passing through the door to the outside.
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 :-
(1) In a portable folding doll house, the combination of a base or ground floor to
which the walls are hinged, with a base tray serving to keep the walls together when
the house is erected and as a tray into which the ground floor and walls may be
packed substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
(2) The construction of a folding roof for a portable doll house consisting of two
rectangular pieces hinged together forming the slope of the roof and two triangular
pieces forming the end of the roof all folding flat one upon the other substantially as
herein before set forth and illustrated in Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
(3) The combination of the several parts forming my portable folding doll house
substantially as hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
111: 20th day of August
Dated this
1000
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
"Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COOK own anTY 10
Spoonce