IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SCHOOL DESKS
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by DAVID HEALD and CHARLES H. FRENCH, of
Milford, New Hampshire, United States of America, Cabinet Manufacturers.]
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex; do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SCHOOL DESKS," and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of an improved desk having a black board combined there-
with, and provided with a stand capable of being taken apart and folded within the
desk as hereinafter described.
Of the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved desk.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation showing the desk detached from the stand and the
various pieces composing the stand, disjointed, and
Figure 3 is a side elevation with parts detached.
A is the body of the desk supported on the legs D D.
C is the hinged cover, the
under surface of which forms a black board, represented in position for use in Figure 1.
This blackboard cover is connected at the bottom by means of the hinges H H to
the sliding guide bar E, grooved at either end to slide back and forth along the
tongues F, which are secured one on each side preferably to the inner surfaces of the
ends of the desk.
G.G are arms pivoted at 61, one on each side of the desk and provided with slots a,
playing over the pins 6 preferably screws, in the ends of the cover C. These slotted

page_text: arms serve to support the cover when in use as a blackboard, and to hold the cover in
place when it is shut down, as shown in Figure 3.
To close the desk when in the position shown in Figure 1 it is simply necessary to
push the guide bar E along the tongues toward the back of the desk until the lower
part of the cover is in contact with the edge e of the level portion of the top of the
desk. The cover may then be shut down like the hinged lid of an ordinary desk.
The blackboard may be used with the guide bar E at any desired point along the
tongues F, the angle of inclination backward from the perpendicular varying with the
position, the slope being obviously greatest with the bar E at its extreme forward
position. The slots a are not absolutely essential, as the arms G might be pivotally
attached to the ends of the cover. The slot is however preferred as it allows the black-
board to incline farther backward from the perpendicular in any given position with
the same length of arm, than would be the case were the arms simply pivoted to the
cover.
The desk and stand are so constructed as to be very compactly packed for trans-
portation or storage. To this end the legs are jointed, being made in two pieces,
D and L, fastened together preferably by means of the screw 9. This screw may be
inserted from beneath through the part L, as shown in Figure 2, to screw into the
threaded hole in the part D, or if desired the screw may be permanently fastened to
the part D, as shown in Figure 3, the part L having a hole through which the screw
easily passes, g¹ being a separate nut which secures the two parts D and L firmly
together, P p are dowels to aid in fastening the two parts D and A. By thus making
the legs jointed they are capable of being easily packed in the desk A, when the desk
is much narrower than the height of the legs. M is a brace tightly secured to the legs
by means of the screw while the stand itself is fastened to the desk by means of the
screws and the dowels p. The back board B is also detachable, being fastened to
the back of the desk B by means of the screws m, and the pieces N, one on each side
of the desk. These pieces N are dowelled at n and n¹ into the back board B and the
top of the desk respectively. The screws f h g and mare preferably thumb screws,
which may be easily removed and secured in place, so that the various parts are thus
readily taken apart and put together. When in pieces the screws, legs, brace M, back
board B and pieces N are all so proportioned that they may be packed within the
desk A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :
1. In a desk a cover provided with supporting arms and a sliding grooved guide
bar working on tongues, whereby the cover is held at any desired point on said
tongues, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a combined desk cover and black board, of a desk provided
with tongues, a sliding grooved guide bar hinged to said cover, slotted arms pivotally
secured to said desk and pins in said cover working in said slots, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
3. In a desk a cover provided with supporting arms G G pivotally secured to
said cover and to the outside of the desk body, in combination with a sliding
grooved guide bar E hinged to the rear of said cover and working on guiding
tongues F extending from front to rear on the inside of said desk body, substan-
tially as described.
4. The combination with a combined desk cover and black-board of a desk-body
provided with tongues extending from front to rear along the inner sides of said
desk body, a guide bar hinged to the rear of said cover, and grooved at its ends
whereby it slides on said tongues, slotted arms pivotally secured to said desk, and
pins in said cover working in said slots, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
5. A desk provided with a detachable back board B, in combination with thumb
screws m and dowelled end braces N, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. A desk provided with a detachable back board detachable jointed legs and a
brace connecting said legs, the said detachable parts being relatively proportioned
to each other and to the desk, whereby they may be readily packed within said
desk, substantially as described.
7.
desk provided with detachable jointed legs secured together and to the
desk by thumb screws, whereby the parts are readily taken apart and put together
by hand, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.