IMPROVEMENTS IN Drawna ARA
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas White, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Drawna
ARA
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1870.
I, THOMAS WRITE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERS FOR DISHES AND PLATES, AND OTHER ARTICLES AND
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described
in covers to be applied to dishes, plates, and other articles and
vessels.
Covers constructed according to my Invention may be made of a
variety of figures, but for convenience of description I will describe a

page_text: cover of a hemispherical figure applied to a circular dish or plate. I
make the hemispherical cover by preference in two parts, one of the
parts being of slightly less size than the other so that it can be contained
within the other. I joint the two parts together at their base, and I
fix the larger of the said parts by its base to the rim of the dish or
plate, either permanently or by means of a fastening which permits of
the removal of the cover at pleasure. The smaller part of the cover is
provided with a button or handle whereby it can be raised into the
other part and one half of the dish or plate exposed or depressed so
as to cover the dish or plate completely. Instead of jointing the parts
of tho cover together at their base, they may be jointed together at
their summit so that the one part_may_slide upon the other-part-by-
motion about a vertical axis. Instead of making the cover in two parts
it may be made in three or more parts, by which method of construc-
tion the dish or plate may at pleasure be uncovered to a greater extent
than one half.
When my Invention is applied to dishes or other articles having
fect, I prefer to connect the body of the dish or article with the foot
by means of a centre or joint which will facilitate. the turning, of the
uncovered part of the dish or other article towards any person at
table.
The articles. besides dishes and plates to which my Invention is
especially applicable are sugar baskets or basins, and mustard pots, and
generally articles and vessels for holding articles of food.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Thomas White in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 12th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL. COME, I, THOMAS
WHITE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS: Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand, eight hundred, and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
3

page_text: more parts, by which method of construction
the wish or plate may u
pleasure be uncovered to a greater extent than one half.
When my Invention is applied to dishes or other articles having
stands or feet, I prefer to connect the body of the dish or article with
the stand or foot by means of a centre or joint which will facilitate the
turning of the uncovered part of the dish or other article towards any
person at table.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which
the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in perspective, and Figure 2 in vertical section
an elliptical dish provided with a cover constructed according to my
Invention, the dish being represented completely covered by the said
cover; Figure 3 represents in perspective, and Figure 4 in vertical
section the said dish partly uncovered by the raising or passing of one
half of the cover into the other half; the sections, Figures 2 and 4, are
taken in planes at right angles to the axes or joints upon which the
dish cover turns; Figure 5 represents a portion of the dish and cover
on a larger scale. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts
in each of the Figures of the Drawings.
a is the dish, and b, c, is the cover, made in two parts, the part b
being smaller than the part c, so that the part 6 can be contained within
the other part c, as represented. The two parts b, c, are jointed at their
base by the horizontal joint pins d, d, situated at opposite points of
the rim a of the dish a: The manner in which the parts b, c, of the
dish cover are connected to the joint pins d, d, and the latter to the
rim as of the dish will be best understood by an examination of the
enlarged view of one of the joints represented in Figure 5. Those parts
of the base of each half of the dish cover where the said parts are
jointed together, and also to the dish, are provided with eyes or knuckles
through which the joint pins d, d, are passed. The eyes or knuckles
those of the part c of
of the part 6 of the cover are marked e, e, and
the cover are marked f. f. The joint pins d, d, of the two half covers b, c
are connected to the rim a³ of the dish a by means of the screw boxes g, g,
fixed on the said rim, into which screw boxes the screwed parts of
the said pins d, d, take, as seen in Figure 5 By unscrewing the said

page_text: joint pins d, d, from the screw boxes g, the cover b, c, may be wholly
removed from the dish for cleaning or for other purposes. Each part
of the dish cover is provided with a handle or thumb plate marked
respectively b², c², whereby one part of the cover may be raised or passed
into or onto the other part. When the left hand side of the dish a is
required to be uncovered, the half cover is lifted by its handle or
thumb plate b², and the said half cover raised or passed into the other half
cover c, as illustrated in Figure 3 and 4, one half of the dish is thus
exposed. When the right. hand side of the dish is to be uncovered the
half cover c is lifted by its handle c² and made to pass over the exterior
of the half cover b. When the parts of the cover occupy the positions
represented in Figures 3 and 4 and it is wished to uncover the right
hand side of the dish, the lifting of the half cover c causes the two half
covers b, c, to move together in consequence of the rim of the half
cover c striking against that of the half cover band carrying the latter
before it so as to uncover half the dish at the said right hand side.
Figure represents in elevation a circular dish provided with a hemi-
spherical cover constructed according to my Invention, the said dish
being connected to the foot or stand by a central joint which permits
the said dish to rotate on the foot or stand; Figure 7 represents the
same with half of the cover raised or passed into the other half, for the
purpose of exposing one half of the dish; Figure 8 represents a plan of
Figure 6, and Figure 9 a vertical section of the same; Figure 10 repre-
sents in elevation the dish separately; and Figure 11, represents the
fastening screw of the central joint. h is the circular dish, and i the
foot or stand of the same; l, m, are the two parts of the cover jointed
together at their base by joints at n. The part of the dish cover is in
this arrangement fixed to the dish the other and moveable part being
jointed directly to the fixed part m instead of to separate joint pins as
in the first described arrangement. The fixed part m of the cover may
be soldered to the rim of the dish h, but I prefer to connect the said
fixed part m, to the rim by providing it at opposite points with
flanges m³, m³, which flanges are secured to the dish rim by the orna-
mental screws p, p. By unscrewing the screws p, p, the two parts l, m,
of the dish cover may be removed from the dish h for cleaning or for
other purpose; is the handle or thumb plate of the moveable part
of the cover by means of which when part of the dish is to be exposed
the cover part may be raised or passed into the fixed cover part m,
し

page_text: as illustrated in Figure 7, or removed from the said cover part m, so as
to cover the dish completely, as illustrated in Figures 6, 8 and 9. The
foot of the dish has an annular rim (see Figure 9) within which
the bottom of the dish works, and the said dish is furnished with a
tubular axis or centre q which passes through a hole in the centre of
the foot or stand. By means of a screwed ping ", taking in a hollow
screw made in the interior of the tubular axis or centre 9 the dish is
connected to the foot i while the said dish is capable of rotation upon
the said foot for the purpose of turning the uncovered part of the dish
towards any person at table. The cover may be made in three or more
parts for the purpose of uncovering the dish to a greater extent than
one half. When the dish cover-is made in three parts,_each_part_is_
made of a different size from the others so that two of the said parts
may be passed over the third part, or one of the parts may be placed
outside and the other part inside the said third part. The three parts
of the dish cover where they join one another are furnished with pro-
jecting rims which form hook like connections. (or other equivalent
connections may be used), whereby the middle part of the cover is
prevented from moving on the other parts, when the dish is wholly
covered. When one of the side parts of the dish cover is lifted for
uncovering a portion of the dish the middle part moves with it or is
at liberty to fall into or onto the other side part, and when one of the
side parts is pulled down to cover the dish, the middle part is carried
with it. When the cover is made in more than three parts a similar
arrangement to that last described is adopted.
The articles besides dishes to which my Invention is especially
applicable aro plates, sugar baskets, or basins, and mustard pots, and
generally articles and vessels for holding articles of food.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in
covers for dishes and plates and other articles and vessels herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
making the said covers in two or more parts, so arranged and jointed
together that one or more of the said parts can be raised or passed into

page_text: or over the other part or parts, for the purpose of exposing or uncovering
one half or other portion of the dish or other article, or be removed
from the other part or parts for the purpose of completely covering
the dish or other article, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas White, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Eighth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
THOMAS WHITE. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.