Improvements in Hinged School Desks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1894-Accepted, 28th July, 1894
Improvements in Hinged School Desks.
We JOHN BLEZARD and NORMAN BLEZARD of Guy Foundry Padiham in the
County of Lancaster, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates especially to such desks for use in Board schools and else-
where as have their tops hinged to or swivelling upon the frames or stands so that
they can be turned back when not in use.
Hitherto the desk tops have been obliged to be hinged to standards fixed at
their extreme ends in order to allow of the hinge being so arranged that the desk
top can be turned back against the fixed back rail which carries the ink pots and
thus only short desks can be made on this principle.
Our invention consists of an arrangement whereby the said desk can be so
supported upon pivots and stands that it can be extended beyond the said stands
and may also if required be provided with a central pivot or stand, and thus we
are enabled to construct a much longer desk of this kind than has hitherto
been possible.
The stand is made with a fixed bracket or plate supporting the back rail and
with an arm or projection provided with a peg or a hole for the pivotal centre of
the desk, this centre being on a level (or nearly so) with the said fixed bracket.
A loose plate for supporting the desk top is provided with a bracket made with a
hole or peg corresponding respectively with the peg or hole of the arm or pro-
jections above described and the said plate is fitted to the latter before the desk
top is screwed or fastened thereto.
The space between this pivot arm and the bracket supporting the back rail is
slotted downwards in a curve or are struck from the pivot and extending slightly
beyond the same and the desk top is recessed to allow room for the upper end of
the pivot arm and thus as the said desk top is turned up the edge thereof can pass
into the said curved slot and be supported against the end thereof. It will be
evident that this hinge can be placed at any point beneath the desk.
We form or fix a guard upon the plate which carries the desk top, the said
guard forming part of the hinge bracket and being so shaped that as the desk top
is brought down upon the stand this guard will precede it, and if a child or other
person has a finger or hand on the said stand it will prevent the same from being
trapped and injured by the desk top.
Dated this 27th day of September 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hinged School Desks.
We JOHN BLEZARD and NORMAN BLEZARD both of Guy Foundry Padiham,
0 in the County of Lancaster, Machinists, 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 especially to such desks for use in Board schools and

page_text: elsewhere as have their tops hinged to or swivelling upon the frames or stands so
that they can be turned back when not in use.
Hitherto the desk tops have been obliged to be hinged to standards fixed at their
extreme ends in order to allow of the hinge being so arranged that the desk top
can be turned back against the fixed back rail which carries the ink pots and thus
only short desks can be made on this principle.
Our invention consists of an arrangement whereby the said desk can be so
supported upon pivots and stands that it can be extended beyond the said stands
and may also if required be provided with a central pivot or stand, and thus we
are enabled to construct a much longer desk of this kind than has hitherto been
possible.
And in order that the said invention may be clearly understood we have annexed
hereunto a sheet of drawings marked with figures and letters of reference corre-
sponding with those in the following description.
Fig. 1 is an elevation in section of a school desk and seat combined, made
according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of part of the same.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detached plans of parts hereafter more particularly referred to.
The stand a is made with a fixed bracket or plate a' supporting the back rail b
and with an arm or projection a' provided with a peg, or a hole c (see detached
view Fig. 4) for the pivotal centre of the desk d, this centre being on a level (or
nearly so) with the said fixed bracket a¹ (see Fig. 1). A loose plate e for supporting
the desk top d is provided with a bracket made with a hole, or a peg c¹ (as shewn
on detached plan view Fig. 3), corresponding, as the case may be, with the peg or
the hole of the arm or projection a' above described, and the said plate e is fitted
to the latter before the desk top is screwed or fastened thereto.
The space as between this pivot arm a³ and the bracket a¹ supporting the back
rail is slotted downwards in a curve or arc struck from the pivot and extending
slightly beyond the same (see Fig. 1) and the desk top d is recessed as shewn to
allow room for the upper end of the pivot arm a³ and thus as the said desk top is
turned up the edge thereof can pass into the said curved slot (see dotted lines
Fig. 1) and be supported (if required) against the end thereof. It will be
evident, as shewn by Fig. 2, that this hinge can be placed at any point beneath
the desk.
We form or fix a guard e upon the plate e which carries the desk top d, the
said guard forming part of the hinge bracket and being so shaped (see Figs. 1
and 2) that it prevents a child or other person from inadvertently putting a
finger or hand upon the stand where without the guard it would be liable to
be trapped or injured by the fall of the desk top d.
It will be seen from Fig. I that a similar arrangement can be applied to
the seat f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improvements in hinged school desks substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
2. A desk stand provided with a projecting bracket for the pivotal centre of
the hinged part of the desk, a support for the back rail, and a suitable space
to allow of the fixing of the stand at any point in the length of the desk.
Dated this 26th day of June 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.