AN IMPROVED COMBINED WRITING CASE AND DESK
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Joseph Fitzgerald at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1876.
JAMES JOSEPH FITZGERALD, of Great Pulteney Street, Golden Square, in the City
of Westminster, Fancy Leather and Dressing Case Maker. "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED WRITING CASE AND DESK."
The object of my Invention is to produce a writing desk and writing case in
combination and arranged in such a manner that the two articles are made to
assume the form and appearance of a piece of furniture in miniature, the internal
parts of which are so constructed and arranged that all the articles required for
writing are enclosed therein and access thereto may be obtained by opening doors,
drawers, or slides adapted to various parts of the piece of furniture.
In carrying out my Invention I adopt the form of a cottage or cabinet pianoforte,
which I place on a base of sufficient length, breadth, and depth to contain the
desk on which the operation of writing may be carried on when the desk is
drawn out.
This desk is made in the form of a shallow box provided with a lid or cover
which is capable of being lifted up. The box contains a pencil, penholder, pen-
knife, scissors, ink eraser, tweezers, paper knife, 12 inch rule, blotting case, tablets,
and other useful articles, and the under side of the lid or cover is provided with
cross tapes so as to form a register to hold visitors' or other address cards, opened
letters, and other similar articles.
A second drawer is adapted to that part of the instrument usually occupied by
the manual, and contains places to receive pens and penholders, inkstand, matchbox,
and lighter, postage and receipt stamps, pen wipers, scaling wax, and almanack.
The upper part of the body of the instrument is divided into compartments to
receive note and letter paper, and envelopes of various sizes and shapes, gun bottle,
and other useful articles. A compartment is also reserved to receive unopened
letters, which, in the temporary absence of the owner, may be dropped by the
attendants through an opening made for the purpose in the lid of the instrument,
which is hinged to the back as in ordinary pianofortes.
In the lower part of the body of the instrument and at each side or end there
are spaces to receive drawers to contain money, keys, or other small articles and
small account books or memorandum and note books. These drawers or the spaces
containing them are closed in by means of doors at each end of the instrument so
that access cannot be obtained to these parts until the doors are opened. These
Prica 2dl

page_text: doors are provided on their inner sides with pockets to hold address cards, postago,
or receipt stamps, or other similar articles, and they may be secured by means of
suitable fastenings, but I prefer to effect this object by means of pins fixed to the
lower edge of one of the partitions which form the compartments in the upper part.
These partitions are made moveable vortically, and the pins at the lower end take
into holes in the upper edge of each of the doors and prevent them from being
opened until the corresponding partition in the upper part is lifted up so as to draw
out the retaining pin. These doors may be still further secured by means of other
pins, which, being attached to spring levers, will enter the lower edge of the door,
and will be kept in place when the top or cover is down, but will be released from
the doors by the force of the spring when tho lid is lifted up. A pair of candle
brackets with scones to receive wax tapers or wax matches are fixed to the front
of the article to render it more complete.
The lid or top of the instrument, the writing desk in the base, and the drawer
in the position of the manual, are secured by means of locks or other suitable
fastenings. As the upper part of the instrument contains little else than plain note
paper and envelopes it may not be considered necessary to secure this part by lock
and key, a spring fastening may therefore be used instead of a lock.
I have enumerated the usual articles or fittings of a writing case or desk and I
have allotted them to certain parts of the piece of furniture, but I do not intend to
limit myself thereto as other articles may be introduced, and some of those above
named may, if desired, be omitted. Their arrangement may also be varied to suit
the taste of the purchaser.