Improvements in or connected with Book and like Shelves or Brackets.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 31st July, 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
Improvements in or connected with Book and like Shelves or
Brackets.
I, WILLIAM MARTIN CHATTERTON, of 3, Freegrove Road, Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, Upholsterer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with book and like
shelves or brackets.
Book shelves or the like as usually constructed consist of several shelves of
wood supported by vertical sides and adapted to be hung from a nail or nails
driven into a wall and such devices in addition to being expensive to produce
are, requiring to be substantially fixed, heavy clumsy and unportable inasmuch
as they cannot be packed in a small compass for transport.
Now the object of the present invention is to construct a book and like shelf
or bracket in such manner that the disadvantages above pointed out will be
overcome.
In carrying the invention into effect a skeleton shelf is formed by means of
two rods, preferably of wood at their ends connected together, but held apart
by a transverse bar or strut of wire, and to each end of this shelf is loosely
connected at opposite corners a hanger or yoke formed of wire or other suit-
able material so arranged that it is capable of folding down onto the shelf.
To the upper extremity of each hanger or yoke is loosely connected at a
suitable point in its length, an arm or bracket which is adapted to be arranged
transversely of the shelf and the outer ends of these arms are loosely con-
nected by a longitudinal rod or bar.
The inner end of each arm is by an eye loosely connected with a plate per-
forated to receive screws or nails a screw eye or other contrivance by means of
which the device may be hung from a wall or the like.
The device is thus suspended from the arms and when the shelf is empty it
normally rests against the wall to which it is attached but when books are placed
upon the shelf the fronts of the largest books rest against the wall and the
backs thereof bear against and force outward or project the longitudinal rod or
bar within certain limits controlled by the arms whilst the smaller books are
supported by the shelf and rest against either the wall or the longitudinal rod
or bar.
:
The various bars and arms constituting the main parts of the device are
preferably formed of round wood rods which are largely made for other pur-
poses and therefore very inexpensive whilst the various loose connections may
consist of screw eyes and the other parts of wire.
The device is especially suitable for the use of persons making sea passages
inasmuch as the books are securely held against accidental displacement by the
motion of the vessel.
It will be obvious that the device may be employed as a support for articles
other than books and that the details of construction and the materials

page_text: employed may be considerably varied without departing from the principle of
the invention for example the shelf may be solid instead of skeleton or several
shelves may be employed and instead of the main parts of the device being
constructed of wood they may be of wire or other suitable material and the
yokes might be of chain if desired.
By the means hereinbefore described a simple book shelf or the like is
obtained which is inexpensive to produce, casy to fix in position and extremely
light by reason of its skeleton character and easily portable inasmuch as it is
capable of folding into a small compass.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Rooms 221-225; Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Book and like Shelves or
Brackets.
I, WILLIAM MARTIN CHATTERTON, formerly of 3, Freegrove Road, Holloway,
but at present of 6, Grafton Street, Gower Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Upholsterer, 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: —
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with book and like
shelves or brackets.
Book shelves or the like as usually constructed consist of several shelves of
wood supported by vertical sides and adapted to be hung from a nail or nails
driven into a wall and such devices in addition to being expensive to produce
are heavy clumsy-requiring to be substantially fixed and unportable inas-
much as they cannot be packed in a small compass for transport.
Now the object of the present invention is to construct a book or like shelf
or bracket in such manner that the disadvantages above pointed out will be
overcome.
In carrying the invention into effect a skeleton shelf is formed by means of
two rods preferably of wood at their ends connected together but held apart
by a transverse bar or strut of wire, and to each end of this shelf is loosely
connected at opposite corners a hanger or yoke formed of wire or other suit-
able material so arranged that it is capable of folding down onto the shelf.
To the upper extremity of cach hanger or yoke is loosely connected at a
suitable point in its length, an arm or bracket which is adapted to be arranged
transversely of the shelf; and the outer ends of these arms are loosely con-
nected by a longitudinal rod or bar.
The inner end of each arm is by an eye loosely connected with a plate per-
forated to receive screws or nails a screw eye or other contrivance by means of
which the device may be hung from a wall or the like.
The device is thus suspended from the arms and when the shelf is empty it
normally rests against the wall to which it is attached but when books are placed
upon the shelf the fronts of the largest books rest against the wall and the
backs thereof bear against and force outward or project the longitudinal rod or
bar within certain limits controlled by the arms whilst the smaller books are
supported by the shelf and rest against either the wall or the longitudinal rod
or bar.
The various bars and arms constituting the main parts of the device are

page_text: yokes might be of chain if desired.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a book shelf or bracket constructed according
to the present invention and showing the parts in the position they would
assume when the device is in use and supporting a book or books.
Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
Figure 3 is an end view thereof.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure
but showing the parts in the position
they would assume when the device is out of use that is to say when the books
are removed from the shelf.
Figure 5 is a plan of the device folded up in readiness for transport.
In the several figures of the drawing's like parts are indicated by similar
letters of reference.
a a represent two rods preferably of wood at their ends connected together
but held apart by a bar or strut of wire so as to form a skeleton shelf, and
to each end of this shelf is loosely connected at opposite corners by means of
eyes a hanger or yoke b formed of wire or it might be of other suitable
material so arranged that it is capable of folding down onto the shelf a.
To the upper extremity of each hanger or yoke is loosely connected at a
suitable point in its length by means of eyes can arm or bracket which
is adapted to be arranged transversely of the shelf and the outer ends of these
arms are loosely connected by means of eyes c* with a longitudinal rod or
bar c for the purpose hereinafter described.
The inner end of each arm c is by an eye connected to a loop or hook d
of a plate perforated to receive screws or nails by means of which it may
be fixed to a wall e or other surface or said arms c might be loosely connected
to screw eyes or other contrivances whereby the device may be hung from a
wall e or the like.
The device is thus by means of the plates d or the like suspended by the
inner ends of the arms c and when the shelf is empty it normally rests against
the wall e to which it is attached as shown more particularly at Figure 4; but
when several books are placed upon the shelf the fronts of the largest books
rest against the wall e and the backs thereof bear against and force outward or
project the longitudinal rod or bar e within certain limits controlled by the
arms as shown more particularly in Figures 1 to 3 whilst the smaller books.c
are supported by the shelf and may rest against either the wall e or the longi-
tudinal rod or bar c¹.
:
The device may be readily folded up as shown at Figure 5 by turning down
the yokes until they lie upon the shelf and at the same time turning the
arms cinto alignment so as to lie parallel with the rods a a of the shelf when
the device may be packed in a small compass for transport or storage.

page_text: ".
The various bars and arms constituting the main parts of the device are
preferably formed of round wood rods which are largely made for other pur-
poses and therefore very inexpensive whilst some of the various loose connec-
tions may consist of screw eyes and the other parts of wire.
The device is especially suitable for the use of persons making sea passages
inasmuch as the books are by the horizontal rod or bar c securely held against
accidental displacement by the motion of the vessel.
It will be obvious that the device may be employed as a support for articles
other than books and that the details of construction and the materials
employed may be considerably varied without departing from the principle of
the invention; for example the shelf may be solid instead of skeleton or by
multiplying the parts several shelves may be employed and instead of the main
parts of the device being constructed of wood they may be made of wire or
other suitable material and the yokes b might be of chain if desired.
By the means herein before described a simple book shelf or the like is
obtained which is inexpensive to produce, easy to fix in position and extremely
light by reason of its skeleton character and easily portable inasmuch as it is
capable of folding into a small compass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A book shelf or the like comprising two arms or brackets at their inner
ends pivotally connected to fittings adapted to be fixed to a wall or the like
and at their outer ends pivotally coupled by a horizontal bar, a hanger pivotally
suspended from each arm or bracket and a skeleton or other shelf pivotally con-
nected with the lower ends of the hangers the parts being so arranged that a
book of given dimensions placed in position will rest against the wall or the
like against the horizontal bar and upon the shelf substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose stated.
2. A book shelf or the like comprising two arms or brackets at their inner
ends adapted to be pivotally fixed to a wall or the like and at their outer ends
pivotally coupled by a horizontal bar yoke like hangers by their upper ends
pivotally connected to the arms or brackets at suitable points in the length
thereof two horizontal rods pivotally connected to the lower extremities of the
hangers so as to form a shelf, struts for holding apart the lower ends of the
hangers and a horizontal bar pivotally connected to the outer ends of the arms
or brackets the parts being so arranged that a book of given dimensions placed
in position will rest against the wall or the like against the horizontal bar and
upon the shelf substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
3. A book shelf or the like constructed arranged and operating substantially
as herein shown and described.
Dated or ua
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Rooms 221-225, Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Rooms 221-225, Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.