Improvements in Envelopes or Portfolios for Containing Charts, Maps, and other Sheets.
Year: 1899

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Envelopes or Portfolios for Containing Charts,
Maps, and other Sheets.
I, GEORGE HORATIO TOWNSEND BEAMISH, of Spy Hill House, Queenstown,
County Cork, Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
My invention has for its object to provide an envelope or portfolio in which
charts, maps and like sheets can be secured in a minimum space without danger
of the sheets being damaged by folds or creases, means being also provided for
holding the sheets in the envelope or portfolio so that the said envelope or port-
folio can be opened out and the sheets selected and consulted with ease.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 shews an inside view of an envelope or portfolio constructed according
to my invention opened out flat. Figure 2 shews it partly folded. Figure 3 is
a section on the line 3-3 Figure 2, Figure 4 shews it suspended, and Figure 5
is a perspective view of the envelope or portfolio rolled up.
The said envelope
or portfolio consists of a piece of leather, American cloth, canvas, or other flexible
material A larger than the sheets to be enclosed, and provided at the top and
bottom ends with laths or battens a a³ to keep the said piece of leather or the like
distended laterally. At the bottom of the piece of leather or the like there may
be formed a pocket C into which one of the ends of each sheet can be inserted.
Flaps D may also be provided at the sides of the said piece of leather or the like
to fold over the sides of the sheets. The sheets having been placed in position
and the side flaps 1 laid over the sides of the said sheets a cylindrical rod or
tube B is laid across the sheets and secured at its ends by cords or the like to
the sides of the said piece of leather or the like A, preferably about midway
between the ends thereof, removable battens E being also laid transversely on
the sheets to keep them flat. The ends of these battens are inserted in loops a pro-
vided at the opposite edges of the said piece of leather or the like to receive them,
projections e being provided on the said battens to prevent them from becoming
accidentally displaced. The sheets being thus held in position, one part of the
said piece of leather or the like is folded over the other part with the cylindrical
rod or tube B herein before referred to in the folds as shown in Figure 4 and a
second cylindrical rod or tube l' is then placed on the folded over portion of the
said piece of leather or the like close to the cylindrical rod or tube B (as shewn
by dotted lines in Figure 4) and secured by hook 6 or the like to the cords or
the like by which the rod or tube B is attached to the body part A. The said
piece of leather or the like is then rolled up upon the said cylindrical rods or
tubes which prevent the sheets from being creased or broken. A flap A2 may
be provided at the upper end of the envelope or portfolio above the top batten a
which flap may be provided with a pocket f to contain small sheets and with
loops to hold pencils pens or the like. The said flap can be wrapped round the
other part and the whole be bound together by any convenient means such as

page_text: straps and buckles, laces or the like. In Figure 5, it is shewn as being secured
by a cord or wire y, the ends of which are secured to the ends of the lath or
batten a, and the ends of the batten 2 have notches at a therein or provided
with hooks for the engagement of this cord or wire so that it can be used for
suspending the envelope or portfolio with the one half turned up over the other
half as shewn in Figure 4 and by disengaging the cord or wire from the notches
or hooks the turned up part will fall or open out and expose the sheets. The
tubes or rods F and B may be held together and retained in position by a cord
or wire threaded through them or attached to their ends, or otherwise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An envelope or portfolio consisting of, or comprising a flexible sheet or
body part with cross battens and with tubes or rods placed inside and outside
the fold to prevent creasing of the contents when the envelope or portfolio is
rolled up substantially as, and for the purposes, herein before described.
2. In combination with. an envelope or portfolio a flexible sheet or body part
and two tubes or rods one placed inside the fold and one outside the fold sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
3. In an envelope or portfolio the combination with the flexible sheet or body
part, of a transverse batten at both the top and bottom of the said body part, a
cord or wire, connected to one of the battens, by which the envelope or portfolio
can be suspended, and notches or hooks in or on the ends of one or both battens,
with which the cord or wire can be engaged so as to retain the body part in a
folded position when suspended, substantially as herein before described.
4. An envelope or portfolio consisting of the arrangement and combination
of parts substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of Fahruary 1800
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.