IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TABLES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Thomson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th December 1882.
.
"
ALEXANDER THOMSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North-Britain,
Furniture Designer and Draughtsman, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF TABLES;"
This Invention has reference to improvements in that class of Dining and other
tables which have double tops; and are enlarged or expanded by the upper top
folding out and down horizontal in the form of one or two leaves jointed at their
adjacent jointed or hinged edge, upon drawing out supporting drawers, or other
equivalent, such as sliding bars or hinged brackets, or swivelling out legs. This
allows the folded out parts to lie level with the upper surface of the under or
central thickness of the table top, which is secured as usual to the upper main
frame and the legs of the table. But this form of table heretofore, has had the
disadvantage of requiring the whole or both parts of the upper thickness or top to
be folded out to make it level, and as a consequence doubled the size of the table,
which is not always desirable.
The improvements and novelty of this Invention consist in special new or
improved modes and means of constructing this class of tables, so that this
difficulty may be overcome, by having one half or part only of the upper thickness
or top folded out and down, and securely, and simply raised to the level and
thickness of the upper leaf, on the other side not so folded out and down. All for
the purpose of enabling this class of table to be enlarged a half more, or three
fourths of the full size, or it may be other proportion, according to where the upper
part of the table is divided, that is, instead of double the folded size as heretofore.
One modification of the improvements consists in making a joint across some part
of the middle of the lower thickness of the table top, at or near the same part as
the joint in the upper part; and in securing and jointing this lower part to four or
ID 21

page_text: other number of short angled parallel motion vertical swivelling bars, so that it
can be both raised to the thickness of the upper part of the table and held there,
.by one or more simple coupled eccentric or cam acting levers, swivelled preferably
transversely on the centre of the frame of the table beneath, until they raised the
top and weight acting on the levers over their fulcra, when the top would be
perfectly secure without any other locking mechanism; and instantly fall down
again on the main frame of the table, by its own weight, the moment these levers
are swivelled backwards. And to make close or tight joints at the adjacent two
edges of the upper and lower parts, either when folded in or out, these joint edges
are curved with nearly the same radius as that on which the parallel acting levers
carrying the moving top act. The upper leaf is then folded out and dowu on to the
drawer, or other supporting frame, with movable bearing or carrying bars fillets, or
pieces on these, to make up the thickness or height to which the leaves have been
raised by the parallel motion mechanism. A simple arrangement is adopted of
fitting and hinging these resting bars or fillet pieces within the upper front or side
edges of the drawer, or on that of the bars carrying the upper extended and folding
out leaf, to be actuated by hand. And several simple improved arrangements may
be adopted for automatically actuating these by the raising and lowering of the
leaves. One of these arrangements consists of a cord so attached to the bearing
fillet hinged on the inner front edge of the drawer, as to turn it over on to the top
edge by a very short pull down through a hole in the front side of the drawer, and
led along the bottom and joined to one end of a light weighted 'lever fitted and
fulcrumed on the outside of the inner end of the drawer, so that as the top or
leaves are raised on their parallel motion, joints, the weighted lever, would rise also
and tilt the fillet ready to support the upper leaf when folded out and down on it.
It will also be seen that instead of the cord, a light lever or rod could be so fitted
on the inner face of one side of the drawer and connected to the weighted lever
and rest fillet as to tilt this to support the upper wing when folded down. An
equivalent spring rod or pusher could be so fitted within the drawer that when this
was drawn out, it would spring out in front of one of the rising parallel motion
levers, that 'this in raising the levers would tilt the fillet as before stated. Or by
another arrangement, one or two of these rest bars or fillets might be so fitted and
counterbalanced to swivel on pivots or grooves in an ornamental manner;.in/the
upper surface of the top leaf, so that when it was, folded down;; the fillet would
automatically by its own weight swivel to form a rest for itself on the "upper. Jedge i
of the drawer or other equivalent support. And to give strength and prevent
creaking or noise by pressure on the table and drawer, the sides of the inner ends
of the opposite drawers would be made long and of half the
thickness to pass each
"other on their slide rests or guides to liave more support when, drawn out, and the
rubbing surfaces of these guides could be covered with strong,
ong cloth or other
equivalent to prevent noise!
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page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Thomson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1883.
ALEXANDER THOMSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Furniture Designer and Draughtsman
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION'
OF TABLES;"
My said Invention has reference to improvements in the class of extension tables
which have double tops, and which are enlarged or expanded by folding out the
top leaves horizontally, the leaves being supported upon drawers, sliding bars,
hinged brackets, or swivelling out legs. In this form of table a level, surface of the
table top has only been obtained by folding out the leaves to the full extent, or by'
folding them in, so that only two sizes of table are provided. But by the present:
Invention, one or more leaves may be folded out while the other leaves remain
unextended, and the extended portion can be raised or lowered by means of simple
devices; to the common level of the main central part of the table; and be properly,
supported in the extended position.
The Invention is illustrated by the accompanying Drawings, in which figure 1
is a longitudinal vertical section, figure 2 is a transverse vertical section, and
figure 3. is a perspective view of one modification of the improved folding extension
table. Figures 4, 5 and 6 are corresponding views of a modified construction of
the table, and figure.7.is a perspective view illustrating the mode of folding out
the top or leaves of the table. Figures 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are elevations of details:
bereinafter referred to.
According to the modification shown in figures 1, 2 and 3, the improved table
is constructed with the usual rigid framing A and supporting legs, B and the top
is formed by four or other number of leaves C, C₁, C³, C³ of which the upper two
C2, C3, are hinged at c2, c³, at the outer edges of the lower pair C, C₁,, in such wise
that they can both be folded over to the horizontal position as shown in figure 3.
In this position they are supported in the ordinary way by drawers D, D, or by
similar devices, and the table, is fully extended. To enable the table, to be only
partially extended as shown in figure. 1, and yet to maintain a level surface, the
folded out.leaf C2 (or set of extended leaves) and the central leaf C to, which it is
attached, are raised in line with the upper leaf C³ which rests on the fixed leaf C.
A joint is made at c across the middle of the lower thickness C, Cl; of the table.
top, at or near the same part as the joint c¹ in the upper part C3 C3, forming two
leaves in each part, and one of the leaves C of this lower part is secured and.
jointed to a number of parallel motion vertical swivelling bars E, on, which it can
be raised to the level of the upper part of the table. The raising of this leaf C,
is effected by swivelling or drawing down a pair of cam acting levers F which are
hung on pins f at the centre of the frame A immediately beneath the table top,
and which. bear upon metallic pieces inserted in the under side of the leaf C.
These levers F are coupled together by a transverse bar F¹ which can be
conveniently gripped and drawn down by hand to swivel the levers and raise that
portion of the table top.
The upper bearing ends of the levers F being vertically over their centres f
when the top is raised, there is no need for any further means of securing the top.
in its raised position. In lowering the leaves C, C to shorten the table, the
levers F are simply swivelled back, and the raised part at once falls by its own
weight on to the main frame A of the table: The raising levers F, F' are shown
attached on an enlarged scale in elevation, plan, and edge, view, in. figures 8, 9;
and.10; and the construction of the parallel motion guiding, levers E on which the

page_text: table top is raised, is shown in the elevations figures 11 and 12. To make close or
tight joints at the adjacent edges c, c', of the upper and lower parts, either when
the leaves are folded in or out, the edges of each of the leaves C, C1, C2, C³, where
they meet and form the joint when folded in, are so curved that the joint edge of
the leaf C when raised, fits closely to the joint edge of the leaf C³, the curve of the
joints being made to agree as nearly as possible with that traversed by the ends of
the parallel acting levers E.
!A
The upper leaf C2 when folded out rests on the drawer D, which is fitted with
a movable bearing or folding carrying bar or fillet d, which is turned up by hand
over the front edge of the drawer to make up the thickness or height to which
the leaves C, C2, have been raised by the parallel motion mechanism E, F,. When
the leaves at both ends of the table are folded out, the raising of the leaves C,C³, is
not required, and the leaves simply rest. on the frame A, and on the top edges of
the drawers Dthe hinged fillet piece d being then turned down inside or outside
the drawer.
1.)
In the modification of the improved 'table shown in figures 4 to 7, a mid piece A¹
is fixed in the centre of the table frame A, and the central leaves C, C¹, are jointed
to this piece on a level with it by the 'hinges c, the extending leaves C², C³, being
folded inwards below the mid-leaves C, C The extended leaves C³, C³, are sup-
ported by drawers D, D, which are fitted in upwardly inclined slide-ways. A² in
the frame A, so that the front. edges of the drawers when pulled out are at a
suitable level to support the leaves in a horizontal position...
At the inner end of each drawer side D is fitted a swivel piece D¹ of wood or
metal which is weighted at one end, so that when the drawer is drawn out, this
piece D is tilted up on a centre pin and passes through a slot in the frame A,
and its upper end supports the mid leaf C, or C, in a horizontal position.. When
the drawer is pushed inwards, the tilting piece D¹ is canted over again by the slip a
fitted at the side of the drawer slideway. A jointed hook or catch g is fitted in a
recess in the lower side of the leaves C, C₁, and when the outer leaf C or C³ is
folded out, this catch drops and engages into a recess in the back of the drawer D
or in the frame of the table, and prevents the leaves C, C², or C'; C³ being bent
upwards at the hinge joint e² or c³ by. any weight applied at the outer edge of the
extended leaf. The jointed catches g are folded up into recesses in the leaves C, C₁,,
when the outer leaves are folded inwards.
L
Figure 4 shows the table extended by folding out only one of the leaves,
figure 6 shows the table fully extended, and figure 7 shows one of the leaves in
the act of being extended. :
t
i.
The drawers 'fitted in the inclined slideways, illustrated in figure 4. may be.
adapted to the modification of table shown in figure 1, and the horizontal sliding.
drawers shown in the latter figure, with hinged fillet pieces for holding up the.
table top when extended, may be applied to the construction of table shown in
figure 4.
4
.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my Invention
is,-
First. Constructing extension tables as herein described with a jointed top or
leaves, part of which may be folded out to enlarge the table top, while a part
remains unextended; the extended portion being raised and supported or main-
tained at the level of the unextended portion by devices substantially such as
herein described and illustrated.
Second. An extension table constructed as herein described, with a jointed top
or folding leaves, a portion of the top being fixed to the usual table framing, and a
movable portion fitted thereto by swivelling bars on which it may be raised to
bring the extended-part: to the level of the unextended part when only some of
the leaves are folded out, substantially as herein described and illustrated in
figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying: Drawings.
j
Third. In an extension table with folding leaves or top the combination of

page_text: devices for bringing the extended and unextended parts to a common level, such
devices consisting of two or more coupled cam acting levers jointed to the table
frame and acting on the under side of the movable table top, substantially as
herein described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3 and 8 to 12 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourth. In an extension table with folding leaves, the sliding drawers D fitted
with hinged fillets or similar devices and adapted to support the extended leaves
at the level of the unextended portion of the table top, substantially as herein
described and illustrated.
In Witness Whereof, I the said Alexander Thomson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON, Fel. Inst. P.A.
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ALEXANDER THOMSON (L.S.)