Improvements in Card Tables.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 24th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 30th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Card Tables.
I WILLIAM GRAY Jr. of 2 Royal Circus Edinburgh, Advocate do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a table for card playing, from which the
cards can be much more easily lifted than is the case with tables at present in use.
For this purpose I make the surface flexible and easily depressed, so that, when one
edge of a card is depressed by the finger, the opposite edge is raised up so as to
allow of its being lifted from the table. In order to do this, I may take an ordinary
card table, and fix an approximately vertical projecting ledge all round it. Over this
ledge I stretch or place a sheet of rubber or other flexible and more or less elastic
material, for example, many kinds of cloth will be found suitable. This sheet, being
stretched over the ledge, has a layer of air or other suitable gas under it, and the
table itself under the layer. If desired, this layer may be at greater or less pressure
than the pressure of the atmosphere. Instead of using a table, I may use only a
framework (open or closed) over which the sheet can be strapped or placed. This
framework may be fixed on a stand to be used by itself, or it may be inade so as to be
placed on any other table.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1896.
I WILLIAM GRAY Jr. of 2 Royal Circus Edinburgh Advocate 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 my invention is to provide a table for card playing from which the
cards can be much more easily lifted than is the case with tables at present in use.
For this purpose I make the surface flexible and easily depressed, so that when one
edge of a card is depressed by the finger the opposite edge is raised up so as to allow
of its being lifted from the table. In order to do this I may take an ordinary card
table and fix an approximately vertical projecting ledge all round it. Over this ledge
I stretch or place a sheet of rubber or other flexible and more or less elastic material,
for example, many kinds of cloth will be found suitable. This sheet being stretched
over the ledge has a layer of air or other suitable gas under it, and the table itself
under the layer. If desired this layer may be at greater or less pressure than the
pressure of the atmosphere. Instead of using a table I may use only a framework
Diced

page_text: (open or closed) over which the sheet can be stretched or placed. This framework
may be fixed on a stand to be used by itself or it may be made so as to be placed on
any other table.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the application of my invention to a circular table.
Figure 1 is a vertical section along a diameter of the table.
Figure 2 is a plan.
с
a is the body of the table having a ledge b round its circumference. c is a sheet
of india rubber of other flexible and more or less elastic material stretched or placed
smoothly over the ledge b. This sheet may be fixed round the ledge by any convenient
means; for example by means of india-rubber solution or by binding it with several
turns of cord passing round the ledge. It is not necessary that the air space
between a and c should be completely enclosed except where the pressure is different
from that of the atmosphere, in which case a valve for regulating the pressure may
be fixed in the body a at any convenient point. If the pressure is to be that of the
atmosphere the body a need not be solid but simply a framework or it may be
dispensed with altogether, the ledge being sufficient to hold the sheet c. It is
obvious that the table thus made may either have a stand of its own or may be placed
on another 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:
A card table the surface of which consists of a flexible and more or less elastic
inaterial stretched or placed over a layer of air or other gas substantially as
described.
Dated this 2 d dre if Cantambar 1007