Year: 1888

page_text: I JAMES INGLIS of No. 227 Commissioners Street in the City of Montreal in the
Province of Quebec, Canada, 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 object of this invention is to lessen the liability of ordinary plates, dishes &c.,
to slide off a table when the surface of the table is moved over at an angle as for
instance on a ship at sea or in a railway carriage or other vehicle or place on land.
One mode of carrying out this invention consists in weaving a rubber cord or thread,
or such like material into the table cloth or covering at suitable distances apart and
arranging the rubber to project or be exposed on the surface of the table or covering
so that when the cloth is laid on the table the plates and dishes rest upon the rubber.
The friction of the plates or dishes when resting on the rubber being much greater
than it would be if resting altogether on the usual material of the table cloth or
covering the plates or dishes do not slide off when the movement of the ship or the
oscillating of a railway carriage turns the table over at an angle. Another mode of
carrying out the invention is by sewing or attaching the thin cords or bands of rubber
on to the surface of the table cloth or cover, or by having a band or bands of rubber
attached to a light frame work or to light laths or stretchers, the rubber bands which
may be of any width desired-or formed as mats-being placed at suitable distances
on and from one stretcher to the other, these stretchers with the rubber bands attached
can be made in sections to be readily placed upon the table and the stretchers fixed
to the sides of the table by clasps or hooks or in any convenient way.
Figure I on the accompanying drawing shows a section, cut through a piece of a
table cloth or cover with the strips or threads a of rubber shown woven into it, which
can be done in any known or convenient way so that the rubber a projects or is
exposed at intervals on the surface in order that the plates or dishes may rest upon
the rubber surface and owing to the increased friction have less tendency to slide off
the table when the table is heeled over than they would if resting altogether on the
ordinary material of the cloth or covering. Figure II shows a section, and Figure III

page_text: shows a plan of rubber strips or bands attached to a frame work or to stretchers c
which may be laid on to the surface of an ordinary table cover or on the bare table
alone and attached thereto by clasps or hooks d or in any convenient manner.
Figure II shows also a portion of the table top in section to which the frames e
with cross pieces of rubber are clasped. Instead of the cross pieces or strips b
of rubber being perfectly flat they may be partially of linen or cotton or other material
with a surface wholly or in part of rubber or such similar material to give the requisite
friction. The frame work with the cross pieces or tapes can be readily put on or
taken off the table as desired and may be used on ship board or on tables in railway
carriages or for sloping desks or any place where a surface is required offering
more friction than an ordinary cloth surface or the bare surface of the table would
offer to the sliding of articles placed upon them. An important advantage of this
invention is that no special construction or arrangement of the dishes or plates is
necessary and it will be manifest also that the strips or bands of rubber or such
material may be of any width from threads up to a width to practically cover the
table.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1° The use of rubber or such like material which offers considerable resistance
to sliding, in combination with table covers or material for same, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2° The use of rubber or such like material in strips or widths alone, or attached
to a light frame work or to stretchers arranged for conveniently fixing to tables
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 27th day of September 1888.