AN IMPROVED EXPANDER AND CONTRACTOR POR DINING TABLES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Fairclough, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Upholsterer and Cabinet Maker, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED EXPANDER AND CONTRACTOR POR DINING TABLES."
Sealed the 12th December 1856, and dated the 12th June 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Fairclough at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1856.
I, JAMES FAIRCLOUGH, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Upholsterer
and Cabinet Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED EXPANDER AND CONTRACTOR FOR DINING TABLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention is an improved mechanical arrangement of parts for the'..
purpose of elongating and contracting dining tables, and consists of a number
of cross levers arranged horizontally beneath the top of the table, on the "lazy-
tongue" principle, worked by a screw action, and to which a wheel and pinion
may be applied if required. When this Invention is applied to large tables,
it is proposed to attach legs or supports to the cross levers, and which will
travel therewith.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Fairclough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th December 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FAIRCLOUGHI, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Upholsterer and Cabinet
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Fairclough, Her
special licence that I, the said James Fairclough, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Fairclough, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED EXPANDER AND CONTRACTOR FOR
DINING TABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Fairclough, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Fairclough, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention is an improved mechanical arrangement of parts to
be applied to dining tables, for the purpose of allowing them to be more readily
elongated or contracted at pleasure, and consists of a number of cross levers
arranged horizontally beneath the top of the table, on the well-known principle
of the lazy-tongues, and with which may be combined, if preferred, the usual
"telescope slides" now in use. These cross levers, or cross levers and slides,
are caused to expand and contract by means of a screw action, and to which
a wheel and pinion may be applied if required. When this my said Invention
is applied to large tables I propose to attach legs or supports to the cross
levers, and which will travel backwards and forwards as the table is expanded
or contracted. The levers may be formed of any suitable material, such as

page_text: wood or metal, and the actuating screw or screws may be variously applied;
but in all cases I prefer to use only a single spindle, upon which I form the
screw or screws when a right or left handed screw is used, as hercin-after
described. To construct an apparatus according to this my said Invention, I
take any even number of levers of equal length that may be required; these
I connect together in pairs by a working joint in the centre of their length;
the first pair are jointed by their ends to a second pair, and the second to a
third, and so on, until I have completed the number required. By these cross
levers I connect the two D ends of the table, either by the extreme ends of the
outer levers, or by means of studs projecting from the ends and centre of the
levers, and working within grooves formed for their reception below the tops
of the D ends of the table, or by connecting links, which are attached to the
D ends of the table and to the ends of the outer levers by working joints. When
I use connecting links I prefer to make them half the length of the levers.
These cross levers I expand and contract by a screw formed on a spindle which
is of less diameter at or near the point or outer end, and for some portion of
its length at the back or reverse end, than the screw formed thereon. This
screw is mounted in a suitable bearing or bearings fixed below the top of one
of the D ends of the table in the direction of the length thereof. This screw
is so mounted that it can be revolved by means of a key or small winch
handle, and works into nuts or hollow screws attached to the centre of each
pair of the cross levers. Now, suppose the table to be expanded, the point of
the solid screw is within the first nut or hollow screw; upon turning the
spindle round in the requisite direction by means of the winch handle, the
hollow screw is drawn towards the operator, and the table shortened an equal
distance. By the time the first hollow screw has nearly run down the length
of the male screw, the nut attached to the second pair of levers is brought
sufficiently near to allow the point of the solid screw to take into it, and by
the time they are sufficiently connected together the first nut has passed off
the screw on to the sinooth part of the spindle; the second nut having likewise
passed down the screw, the nut of the third pair of levers has become coupled
to the solid screw, and so on, to the end of the series. When the usual
"telescope" slides are used, the hollow screws are formed in or through the
hinder end or cross bar of the slides, in which case I. prefer to use a spring
catch on the front slides to secure regular action during the time they are
elongated. This spring catch consists of a slip of spring metal having a catch
or notch on its point, the hinder projection of which is a little deeper than the
slide from the hollow screw to its lower edge, and at the top is slightly sloped.

page_text: to cause it to slip under the screw spindle when drawn beneath it. This catch
is mounted upon a bar, which extends across the front end of the bottom of the
slide, and projects towards the screw end of the table, and its action being
upwards, when the male screw has advanced the slide beyond its point, the
projection being relieved from the downward pressure of the screw, allows the
catch to rise up and lock itself with the lower edge of the hinder cross bar
of the slide in the rear of the slide, to which it is attached, and upon con-
tracting the table, the larger projection being drawn below, the screw spindle
releases the slide from the catch. The arrangement of cross levers and screw
action may be modified and varied in several ways, such as using the levers in
duplicate, one set immediately above the other, with the screw working into
nuts placed between the twin levers, in the same way I have herein-before
described, or a set of common "telescope" slides might be introduced between
them. When a single set of cross levers are used in combination with the
common "telescopo" slides, they may be arranged either above or below the
slides. The cross levers or cross levers and slides may be actuated with screw
spindles of other forms than the one described, such as a spindle having a right
and left handed screw formed upon it, working across the levers into right and
left handed female screws attached to the ends of the levers; but I prefer to
use the screw spindle having a sufficient portion of the rear end smooth and
small enough in its diameter to receive the nuts or femalo screws after they
have passed down the screw.
That my Invention may be more readily seen and understood, I have here-
unto annexed Drawings in illustration of several modifications of the same;
like letters marked thereon relate to similar parts.
Figure 1 shows the plan and application of a set of cross lever expanders
and contractors made of wood, with the actuating screw placed longitudinally
with the table. Figure 2 is a partial view of a set of metal cross levers
which are worked by a transverse right and left handed screw spindle. Figure 3
is a plan of a set of cross lever expanders and contractors in combination with
the common "telescope" slides; and Figure 4 is a plan of the common "tele-
scope "slides, seen in Figure 3, and which are shown removed to illustrate the
improved spring catch. Figure 5 is a side view of the spring catch.
A, the frame of table.
B, legs of ditto.
"

page_text: F, Figure 3, grooves formed in the frame of the table, in which studs on the
ends of levers work.
G, a screw spindle, having a small portion at the point of less diameter than
the screw formed thereon, also a sufficient portion of the rear end smooth and
of less diameter than the screw, to allow the nuts or female screws attached to
the levers, when they pass down the screw, to recede to the rear. The screw
on this spindle is made of such a length that only one nut or hollow screw is
acted upon by it, at one time, except for a very short time, when one is passed
off and another is just going on.
ends of levers work.
G, a screw spindle, having a small portion at the point of less diameter than
the screw formed thereon, also a sufficient portion of the rear end smooth and
of less diameter than the screw, to allow the nuts or female screws attached to
the levers, when they pass down the screw, to recede to the rear. The screw
on this spindle is made of such a length that only one nut or hollow screw is
acted upon by it, at one time, except for a very short time, when one is passed
off and another is just going on.
II, a moveable key or winch handle, by which the screw spindle is
actuated.
I is a right and left handed screw spindle, working through
K, K', two hollow screws.
L, slides.
M, spring catch.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how the same may be performed or put into practice, I wish it
to be clearly understood that I do not claim the use of cross levers alone as
applied to dining tables, as I know that has been done before; what I
claim is,-
1st, the use of cross levers, in combination with a screw action, for expand-
ing and contracting the same when applied to dining tables, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification of the same.
And, 2ndly, and lastly, I claim the use of a screw spindle having a
portion of its point and rear end of less diameter than the worm of the screw
formed thereon, for the purpose of expanding and contracting dining tables, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Fairclough, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES (L.s.) FAIRCLOUGH.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street, Liverpool.