IMPROVEMENTS IN TABLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Vaile, of Basinghall Street, in the City of
London, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TABLES."
Sealed the 22nd July 1864, and dated the 25th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel. Vaile at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
January 1864.
I, SAMUEL VAILE, of Basinghall Street, in the City of London,. Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TABLES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is the construction of a dining or other table, so
as to contain within itself a billiard, bagatelle, or other game table, or two or
moře game tables.
When only one game table is to be combined with the dining or other table
I fit the game table so as to slide clear inside the frame of the dining or other
table, and 'elevate and level it by means of screws and guides. When two
games are required: I construct the game table so that it may be lifted out and.
turned 'over, the second game being played on the under side of the table.
When more than two games are required. I construct a similar table or
tables and place them on the top of the lower table; thus making the same,

page_text: levelling screws and guides answer for all the tables. I also construct dining
or other tables with a permanent bottom, which I adapt as a game table.
I construct all the moveable game tables to lift out of the dining or other
table, and fit them with moveable adjusting legs, so that they may be used
separately and independently of the dining or other table if required.
The game tables when not required for use are covered with a moveable
leaf or leaves, which forms the top of the dining or other table. The dining
table may be made to expand by additional leaves in the ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Vaile in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th July 1864.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
VAILE, of Basinghall Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Vaile, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Vaile,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Vaile, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Samuel Vaile, 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: be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Vaile, do hereby déclare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:

page_text: The object of my Invention is the construction of a dining or other table so
as to contain within itself a billiard, bagatelle, or other game table, or two or
more game tables.
When only one game table is to be combined with the dining or other
table I fit the game table so as to slide clear inside the frame of the dining or
other table and elevate and level it by means of screws and guides. When
two-games are required I construct the game table so that it may be lifted
out and turned over, the second game being played on the under side of the
table. Or when two games or more than two games are required I construct
a similar table or tables and place it or them on the top of the lower table,
thus making the same levelling screws and guides answer for both or all the
game tables. I also construct dining or other tables with a permanent bottom,
which I adapt as a game table.
I construct all the movable game tables to lift out of the dining or other
table, and fit them with movable adjusting legs, so that they may be used
separately and independently of the dining or other table if required.
The game tables when not required for use are covered with a movable
leaf or leaves, which forms the top of the dining or other table. The dining
table may be made to expand by additional leaves in the ordinary manner.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side view of a dining table,
the frame C of which contains a billiard table, and below that a croquet or
other game table, arranged according to my Invention. The leaves D of the
dining table are free to be removed when it is desired to raise the billiard and
croquet tables.
view, and Figure 3
billiard and croquet tables raised. Figure 4 is a section through the line 2,2,
of Figure 3, and Figure 6 a plan shewing the arrangements I adopt for raising
the game tables.
Figure 2 is a side
a plan, shewing the
A is the billiard table, and B, the croquet or other game table; the billiard
table A may be lifted off when it is desired to use the table B; 0, 0, are
boxes at each end of the table for containing balls, mallets, and other articles.
The manner in which I prefer to raise and lower the tables A and B is
represented in Figures 4 and 6; k, k, are elevating screws fixed in sheaves 1, 1.
which are free to revolve in bearers r, r. The upper ends of the screws are
formed square to fit into corresponding recesses in metal cross bars j, shewn
detached in Figure 5, and .hereafter referred to; m is another sheave, the
axis of which is free to be moved backwards and forwards in a guide m¹ by
means of a screws worked by a key inserted in the aperture c, Figure 1; n
is a band or cord passing round the sheaves 1, 1, and over the sheave m. In
order to elevate the game tables to the height required for play, the band n is
:

page_text: tightened by means of the screw s; a handle e, Figure 2, is then applied to
one of the projections b, b, formed on the bottom of the sheaves 1, 1, and by
turning the handle the sheaves 1, 1, are also caused to turn, and as the
screws k, k, are held by the square parts thereof, which fit into recesses in the
cross bars as before mentioned, the screws k, k, are raised, and with them the
game tables equally at every part. When the tables have been raised to the
required height the screws is turned back to slacken the band n, so that each
sheave may be moved separately to adjust the table to an accurate level.
The game tables are lowered by turning the handle e in the reverse direction.
To guide the game tables while being raised and lowered, I insert in or attach
to the frame C metal grooves or guides a, a, to receive tongues i, i, carried by
the cross bars; secured to the under side of the table B; one of these bars j,
with its tongues i, i, is shewn detached in Figure 5; one of the screws kis
omitted in Figure 4, in order more clearly to shew the action of the grooves a
and tongues i. The grooves or guides a, a, may be attached to the ends of
the frame C, as well as to the sides, as shewn, and in that case the tongues i, i,
will be secured at the ends of the table B. p, p, Figure 4, are wooden or
metal cross pieces for supporting the game tables and the tension screw..
.
For croquet and other games not requiring a fine level bed, I fix a perma-
nent bottom at a convenient distance from the upper edge of the frame of the
dining or other table.
Figure 7 is a plan of a table with the game tables removed, and Figure 8, a
section through the line 3, 3, of Figure 7, shewing another arrangement for
raising and lowering the game tables, which I call the screw and guide
elevator arrangement. C, C, is the frame of a dining table; a, a, a, a, are
metal guides for guiding the ascent and descent of the game tables; p, p,p.p.
are also metal guides or sliding bars connected by cross heads m, m, and
working in grooves o, o, o, o, in metal bearers r, r; n, n, are metal bars
connecting cross-heads m, m, to screw nuts b, b; s is a shaft running the entire
length of the table, and working in bearings c, c, c, c. The shaft s is screw-
threaded at each end, as shewn at e, e, to work into the nuts b, b. To raise
the game table a handle t is connected to one end of the shaft s, and by turning
the handle the parts are raised into the position shewn by the dotted lines in
Figure 8. Instead of the wedge-shaped guides shown in Figures 7 and 8, I
sometimes employ circular or oval guides moved excentrically.
Figure 9 is a plan of an arrangement in which the game tables are raised
by means of a worm and toothed wheels. c, c, c, c, are toothed wheels
carrying elevating screws.; d, d, d, d, are double toothed wheels gearing into
the wheels c, c, c, c, and into a worm g on a driving shaft f, to which rotary

page_text: motion is imparted by turning a handle or otherwise; r, r, are bearers carrying
the shaft f, and wheels c, c, and d, d, d, d.
Although I have shewn only four elevating screws, six or eight may be
employed, according to the size of the table. I prefer in all the arrangements
to make the elevating screws telescopic.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my " Improve-
ments in Tables,"―
First, the combination of a billiard, bagatelle, or other game table, or more
than one game table, with an ordinary dining or other table, in which the game
table or tables is or are caused to slide up and down inside the frame of the
dining or other table when required.
Second, the employment of metal slides or guides in a combined billiard or
other game table or tables and a dining or other ordinary table, such slides or
guides being fitted in the frame of the dining or other table as herein-before
described.
Third, the arrangement of band gearing for elevating and lowering billiard
and other game tables, substantially as herein-before described with reference
to Figures 4 and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth, the arrangement which I have herein-before termed the screw and
guide elevator arrangement for elevating and lowering billiard and other game
tables, substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figures
7 and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth, the arrangement of worm and toothed wheel gearing for elevating
and lowering billiard and other game tables, substantially as herein-before
described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
And, sixth, constructing combined game and dining or other like tables
with a permanent bed or bottom below the ordinary leaves or top of the
dining or other like table.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Vaile, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.