IMPROVEMENTE IN THE STAGES USED IN GREENHOUSES AND HOTHOUSES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Robinson, of Glasgow Terrace, Thames Bank,
Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of" IMPROVEMENTE
IN THE STAGES USED IN GREENHOUSES AND HOTHOUSES"
Sealed the 4th August 1857, and dated the 24th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Robinson at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th.
February 1857.
I, JOSEPH ROBINSON, of Glasgow Terrace, Thames Bank, Pimlico, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STAGES USED IN GREENHOUSES AND HOTHOUSES," to be as.
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the stages used in green-
houses and hothouses. For these purposes the stage for a greenhouse or
bothouse is preferred to be made to a slope parallel with the slope of the top
of the house, and the peculiarity of the Invention is, that the stage and plants
thereon, in placo of being fixed, may at any time be raised or lowered and.
retained at any desired distance from the top of the house. It is preferred
that the stage should be suspended on weighted cords, bands, or chains passing
over pulleys, in order that the stage may be counterbalanced, and require
comparatively little power or effort to move it up or down. The raising and.

page_text: lowering of the moveable stage may be by any convenient mechanism; it is,
however, preferred to employ a barrel to wind on and off suitable chains, bands,
or cords in connection with the stage. The stage is guided by suitable uprights
fixed in the house, and they are made hollow to contain the counterbalance
weights.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
ROBINSON, of Glasgow Terraco, Thames Bank, Pimlico, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Robinson, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Robinson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Robinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE STAGES USED IN GREENHOUSES AND HOTHOUSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Robinson, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature. of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
bo filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months.next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Robinson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner thọ same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the stages used in green-
houses and hothouses. For these purposes the stage for a greenhouse or
hothouse is preferred to be made to a slope parallel with the slope of the top
of the house, and the peculiarity of the Invention is, that the stage and plants.

page_text: thereon, in place of being fixed, may at any time be raised or lowered and
retained at any desired distance from the top of the house. It is preferred
that the stage should be suspended on weighted cords, bands, or chains
passing over pulleys, in order that the stage may be counterbalanced, and
require comparatively little power or effort to move it up or down. The raising
and lowering of the moveable stage may be by any convenient mechanism; it
is, however, preferred to employ a barrel to wind on and off suitable chains,
bands, or cords in connection with the stage. The stage is guided by suitable
uprights fixed in the house, and they are made hollow to contain the counter-
balance weights.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section, taken at the dotted lino A, B, in
Figure 2, which is a transverse section of a greenhouse or hothouse, with a
stage and apparatus for moving the same, arranged according to my Invention.
The stand c, c, is made to the same slopo as the top of the house, and the
same is to be sustained by balance weights, according to the weight of pots
and plants placed thereon. D, D, are uprights, which guide the stand when
being raised or lowered, and there are friction rollers or pulleys on axes fixed
to the stand which come against such uprights; E, E, are balance weights,
which are connected to the stand by means of chains, or by wire or other
suitable cords, such cords or chains passing over guide pulleys F, F, as shown.
In order to move the stand up or allow it to descend the chains or cords
G and H are used; one end of the cord or chain G is fixed to the stand and
the other end to the barrel I, and one end of the cord or chain H is affixed to
the stand and the other end is fixed to the barrel J. The cord or chain G in
passing to the barrel I passes over a pulley K; the cord or chain I in
proceeding from the stand passes over the pulley L, and is guided by the
pulley M to the barrel J. In order to give motion to the barrels I, J, which
are fixed on the axis of the drum N, motion is given to the drum by a cord
or chain O, which is at one end fixed to the drum N and at its other end to
the barrel P, which receives motion by a crank handle Q, and it has a ratchet
and catch to retain it from moving when the stage is in the desired position.
The cord or chain O in passing from the drum N to the barrel P is guided
by the pulley R.
I would state that the mechanical arrangement for moving the stage up and
down may be varied. In the arrangement shown, the stage and pots thereou

page_text: are not wholly counterbalanced, but preponderate, so as to cause them to
descend, the balance weights relieving or balancing such a quantity of the
whole weight as may be considered desirable. I prefer to use several balance
weights to each cord or chain, in order that more may readily be added or part
taken away at any time with facility.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is, arranging stages of
greenhouses and hothouses with apparatus to move them up and down.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Robinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August. in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.