IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE LIDS OR COVERS OF INKSTANDS MATCH-BOXES OR THE LIKE
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE
LIDS OR COVERS OF INKSTANDS MATCH-BOXES OR THE LIKE" to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to provide mechanical means for opening and
closing, the hinge-jointed covers of inkstands, match-boxes and the like, and it
comprises mechanism entirely contained in the hollow base-plates of the said
articles and adapted to be acted upon for both opening and closing the cover by
pressure exerted upon a knob or button projecting froin the said base-plate.
To carry this invention into practice two parallel levers (a single armed one and.
a double armed one) are fastened to the top-side of a hollow formed in the base-
plate, the rear ends of both levers being connected, by means of a connecting rod,
with the hinged-jointed cover, and a plate, fastened to the lower end of a pin
carrying the aforesaid knob or button, and forced onto the top side of the hollow
in the base-plate by a spring, is provided with a device by which. the pressure
exerted upon the knob is alternately transmitted to one or the other of the two
levers. When pressure is exerted upon the single-armed lever, the rear end of the
same will be lowered and the connecting-rod drawn down, while pressure acting
upon the front arm of the two-armed lever will cause the rear arm of this lever and
the connecting rod to rise.
In order that pressure shall be transmitted to the one-armed lever, when the
cover is to be opened, and to the two-armed one when said cover is to be shut,
a third lever, movable round a vertical pin, is placed longitudinally between the
two operating levers on the underside of the aforesaid plate carried by the operating
pin. The front arm of this lever has two lateral projections or wings designed to
transmit pressure to either of the two operating levers according to the position
given to the said horizontally movable lever To give this lever the desired
positions a small shaft rests in suitable bearings next the joint of the connecting-
rod and operating levers, cross-wise of these latter, and two cranks forming an
Pi C31

page_text: angle with each other, project from this shaft. One of these cranks is slotted to
receive in its slot the joint pin of the connecting rod and levers, while a narrow
plate-spring is jointed to the other crank. This plate-spring is extended to the
horizontally movable lever, and carries, on its end, a small pin guided in a slot of
the downwardly bent border of the plate to which the said lever and the operating
pin are fastened.
When the cover of the box is closed this spring-supported pin bears against the
rear arm of the horizontally movable lever and thereby forces one of the wings of
the front-arm of the same above the one-armed operating lever; then, when the
cover is opened by pressure exerted upon the outwardly projecting knob, the
slotted crank is lowered by the joint pin of the connecting rod and the other crank
forces forward the narrow plate-spring whose inwardly projecting pin, sliding in
its guide, comes to bear against the front arm of the horizontally movable lever.
This lever is then turned far enough for its other laterally projecting wing to place
itself above the front arm of the two armed operating lever, and consequently
this lever will shut the cover, when pressure is exerted again upon the knob or
button.
The two cranks may lie in the same plane and then form one piece.

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent. Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE LIDS
OR COVERS OF INKSTANDS, MATCH-BOXES, OR THE LIKE" 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 mechanism for opening and closing the hinged covers of
inkstands and similar receptacles or boxes, the said mechanism being arranged
to be acted upon, for both opening and closing the cover, by pressure exerted upon
a knob which projects from the base-plate of the apparatus. The movements of
the mechanism are immediately transmitted to the hinged cover by means of a
connecting-rod, which opens the cover when drawn down and closes the same
when pushed upward.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a sectional clevation of a box or receptacle provided with the
improved mechanism and having its hinged cover open.
Figure 2 is a similar view of said box, having its cover closed.
Figure 3 is an underside view of the mechanism.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
To a pin a horizontally projecting from the hinged cover is jointed a connecting
rod 6, the lower end of which is provided with an eye c, resting on a cross-pin d.
The ends of this. cross-pin carry the free ends of two levers f and h, loosely connected
thereto. The lever f is single-armed and has its fulcrum at e, and the lever h is
double-armed and has its fulcrum at g. A plate K movable upon a pivot i and
performing the duty of two cranks, engages with the cross-pin d by means of a
slot, formed in one end thereof, and to one of the lower corners of said plate is
connected a plate-spring 1, movable upon the pin 7, and bearing by a laterally
projecting pin m secured to its free end against a double armed lever n, movable in
a horizontal plane. The lever n has its fulcrum n³ on a plate-spring o, secured to
the under-side of the hollow base-plate, and having a downwardly bent edge-portion,
in a slot m¹, in which the pin m slides.
When the cover is opened or closed the plate K is moved by the cross-pin d, and,
in consequence thereof, the plate-spring moves forward or backward with its
laterally projecting pin m alternately bearing upon one or the other arm of lever n,
thus turning this lever through a certain angle.
As clearly shown in figure 3, the lever n is provided with two lateral pro-
jections n¹ and n²; when the cover of the box or similar receptacle is closed, the
projection n stands above the single armed lever f, as indicated by dotted lines,
and when the said cover is open, the projection n¹ projects over the double armed
lever h. Consequently when, the cover being open, the plate-spring o is forced
down by means of the knob p connected thereto, and projecting above the
base-plate, the projection n' moves the front arm of the double armed lever h,

page_text: thus causing the other arm of said lever to rise and to push upward the connecting-
rod b, which closes the cover. The knob p being then released the plate-spring o
springs upward, and the projection n' is moved into the position shown in dotted
lines by the pin m, which was drawn behind the fulcrum n³ of the horizontally
movable lever n, whilet he cover was being closed, thus moving this lever n in such
a manner that its projection m³ is placed above the one-armed lever f.
When the knob p is again pressed down the projection n³ moves the one-armed
leverf, which draws downward the connecting-rod b, whereby the cover is opened.
As soon as knob p is released, the horizontally movable lever n re-assumes its
position shown by full lines in figure 3, this position enabling the cover to be closed
by the next pressure upon the knob p.
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. Mechanism for opening and closing the hinged covers of inkstands, match-
boxes or similar receptacles, the said mechanism consisting of a single armed lever
and a double armed lever, both arranged within the hollow base-plate of the
receptacle, and one end of each being connected with the cover by means of a
connecting-rod, in combination with a device for forcing down the single armed
lever when the cover is to be opened, and the double-armed lever when the cover
is to be closed, substantially as set forth.
Second. Mechanism for opening and closing by identical operations the hinged
covers of inkstands, match-boxes and similar receptacles, the said mechanism
consisting of a single armed lever f, a double armed lever h, a connecting-rod b and
a knob p projecting above the hollow base-plate of the receptacle, and being secured
to a plate-spring.o arranged within the said base-plate and carrying a horizontally
movable lever n, which lever, by means of the plate K moved by the connecting-
rod b, the spring and its pin m are alternately so placed that either its lateral
projection n', is placed above the lever h, or its projection n' above the lever f,
substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 29th day of January 1885.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.