Improvements in Guards or Fiddles for Ships' Tables.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1899-Accepted, 17th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Guards or Fiddles for Ships' Tables.
I, ROBERT COCHRAN MCCUNN, of 138, Darnley Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow,
Cabinet-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: →
This invention relates to guards or fiddles for ships' tables and it is a develop-
ment of and contains improvements upon my prior Patent No. 11971 of 1896.
In my prior patent aforesaid the table guard was composed of a number of
members hinged or jointed together in such manner as to be collapsible. In my
present invention I adopt the same construction of guard but instead of securing
the cross pieces, adapted for holding glasses or the like, by means of buttons or
catches I secure them in a different manner, and, under one arrangement,
instead of making them of wood I make them of elastic web. Further I provide
or may provide the guard with additional cross pieces adapted for holding
dishes, plates, or such like, and glasses.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a table with a guard fitted thereon.
Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of a table with a slightly different construction
of guard thereon.
Fig. 3 is a section showing a mode of fitting a cross piece in place.
Fig. 4 shows a method of securing an elastic-web cross piece.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged views of the joint for securing the wood cross
pieces c (or ) to the guard. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the plate g, Fig. 6 is a
longitudinal section showing the plates g and gl jointed together, and Fig. 7 is
a plan view of Fig. 6.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the
same or similar parts.
In the arrangement Fig. 1 the inner members b, b, of the two portions of the
guard are secured together by hinged pieces e, e¹, at each end. f, f¹, f³, indi-
cate the hinges. These hinged pieces e, e¹, can be used in lieu of, or in con-
junction with the elastic tapes referred to in my prior patent.
care the cross pieces whilst are additional cross pieces or boards which can
be inserted at each end of the table guard. All the cross pieces c and d are
removably secured in place by means of jointing plates g, g¹, as indicated at
Figs. 5, 6 and 7.
As shown at Fig. 3 suitable recesses are cut in the mem-
bers (b, b) and in each recess a plate g is secured by means of screws passed
through the holes n. Each plate has two spring knobs 7 fitted in it and which
project upwards when the plate is fitted in place. These spring knobs are hollow
and have cross cuts in them as shown clearly at Figs. 5 and 6. At each end of
each cross piece a plate g¹ is secured by means of screws passed through the
holes in such manner that when the cross pieces are fitted in the recesses the
holes of the plate g will lie directly over and above the spring knobs so that,
077
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page_text: by merely pressing down the cross pieces, the knobs will be caused to enter
and lock with a spring action into the holes o. The plates g may have strength-
Recesses would be niade at the underside of the
ening pieces m at the holes o.
cross pieces for the reception of the upper ends of the knobs.
By using these spring locking plates g, g', the cross pieces can readily be
inserted in place in the guide or removed therefrom.
Under another arrangement as shown at Figs: 2 and 4 I may use elastic-web
cross pieces c¹ which are held in place in the members (b,.,), which have
recesses cut out for their reception, simply by bending down the ends of the
elastic cross pieces as shown at Fig. 4 and securing such bent down ends in the
recesses by means of locking strips or bars and screws j.
The cross pieces d¹ Fig. 2 (or d Fig. 1) may also be made of elastic-web and
be secured in the same manner as the cross pieces cl.
In the case of elastic-web cross pieces
holes,,, for receiving tumblers, etc.
prefer to make them with three
In the case of the table guard or fiddle Fig. 2 the two portions may be con-
nected together by hinged pieces c, el, or merely by the elastic-web tapes h and
the elastic web cross pieces d if used.
The cross pieces d'or d' would be preferably made with three holes i, ¹, ¹.
If so desired, under a further modification, the longitudinal members b. b¹,
may be the only parts made, of wood, elastic web cross pieces el being used to
connect the members of each portion together. The members b, b, at each side
of the fiddle, would, in this case, be connected by means of elastic-web or other
tapes which would cross the table and be secured to the ends of the four
members b, b, so as to bind them together and hold them in place. With this
arrangement, as will be readily understood, the fiddle would simply consist of
the four longitudinal members b, b₁ cross tapes at each end connecting these
members together and the elastic-web cross pieces. If preferred wood or other
non-elastic cross pieces might be used instead of the elastic-web cross pieces.
If so desired elastic-web tapes may be simply used to replace the hinged
pieces e, d, for the purpose of connecting the members b, b, together, the
members 1, 1, being connected to. the members b, b, by means of elastic web or
wood cross pieces c or c¹.
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 consider novel and desire to claim is: --
1. A collapsible table guard or fiddle in which the two side portions are con-
nected together by means of hinged pieces (e, e) and in which cross pieces (
or ) are or may be used substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The method of removably securing the wood cross pieces in place by means
of spring locking plates (g, gl,), substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
3. In table guards or fiddles the application and use of elastic-web cross
pieces (c and [or] d) substantially as set forth.
4. The simplified arrangement of collapsible fiddle consisting of four mem-
bers b, b, 1, 1, connected together by elastic web or other tapes and elastic or
non-elastic cross pieces, substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 20th day of March 1800
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent. 1