IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING CARPETS, OIL CLOTHS, &C., BY SAMPLES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolphus Peterson, of the City of Brooklyn, in the
County of Kings and State of New York, United States of America, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING CARPETS,
OIL CLOTHS, &C., BY SAMPLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolphus Peterson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th August 1880.
ADOLPHUS PETERSON, of the City of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and
State of New York, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR EXHIBITING CARPETS, OIL CLOTHS, &C., BY SAMPLES."
The Invention comprises the construction of a device for exhibiting carpets or
other goods by samples or sinall pieces, in such manner that the pattern on the
sample is multiplied by surrounding mirrors, and so arranged that the samples may
be of different widths and rolled in different directions across the plane of the
table placed below the mirror.
It also consists in having two independent mirrors hinged to cross pieces
arranged to slide on ways at right angles to each other, so that either of them may
be easily adjusted to or from a rigid rectangular mirror to suit any width of carpet
or other goods, and in order that the true effect when exhibiting a border or stair
carpet may be obtained, an arrangement of the mirrors is had by which the side
mirror is laid horizontal, so that the pattern is only multiplied in length and not
in width.
The various samples to be exhibited are stitched or otherwise securely fastened
to each other or on a piece of canvas, so that the edges do not ravel or turn up
and catch in travelling through the exhibitor; thus arranged they form a
continuous strip, which is rolled from one roll or drum to another across the
plane of the table and between the reflecting surfaces of the upright mirrors (the
drums being beneath the table).

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Adolphus Peterson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th March 1881.
ADOLPHUS PETERSON, of the City of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State
of New York, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
EXHIBITING CARPETS, OIL CLOTHS, &C., BY SAMPLES."
This Invention comprises the construction of a device for conveniently exhibiting
carpets, oil cloths, and other goods by samples or small pieces, in such a manner
that the pattern on the sample is multiplied by surrounding mirrors. The various
samples to be exhibited are stitched or otherwise securely fastened to each other or
on a piece of canvas, so that the edges do not ravel or turn up and catch in
travelling through the exhibitor; thus arranged the samples form a continuous
strip, which is rolled from one roll or drum to another across the plain of the table on
which the mirrors are placed and between the reflecting surfaces of the upright
mirrors, the drums for moving the sample strip being placed beneath the table.
I am aware that mirrors have long since been used for reflecting and multiplying
samples of various kinds of goods to intended purchasers in shop show cases, and
otherwise, and therefore I do not broadly claim the use of mirrors separately.
I am also aware that mirrors have been used for surrounding parallelogram
spaces for enclosing samples of carpets and other goods to reflect and multiply the
patterns, but all such devices have been inconvenient to manipulate, owing to the
samples in such cases having to be handled and used in separate pieces in the
process of exhibiting.
The object of my Invention is to obviate the necessity of handling a number of
separate samples in the process of exhibiting the same in combination with
attached or detached mirrors, and I accomplish this by combining the mirrors in
use by the novel arrangement of a roll or strip of connected samples passing from
one roller to another over the table surface and under the base of surrounding
mirrors, one or more of the mirrors being arranged so that the same may be
adjusted to the different sizes of samples, being exhibited, if necessary or desirable,
in combination with the roll of samples.
Other points of the Invention will appear more fully in the description of the
different parts of the device and their arrangement, which I will now proceed to
give by referring to the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of one style of construction, showing a
side mirror moved inwards.
Fig. 2, Sheet 1, is a sectional side view through x-x, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, Sheet 1,
is a top view of same.
Fig. 4, Sheet 1, is a slight modification of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, Sheet 1, shows a
section through x-x, of Fig. 4.
Figs. 6 and 7 are detached views showing in detail parts of Fig. 1; Figs. 8 and 9
are details of Fig. 7.
Fig. 10, Sheet 2, is a top view showing a modification in the manner of adjusting
the sliding mirror.
Fig. 11 is a section through line x-x, Fig 10; Fig. 12 shows an arrangement of
the device in which the mirrors form two separate rectangles; Fig. 13 is a section
through the line a-a, of Fig. 12, with one rectangle removed; Fig. 14 shows the
mirrors arranged so one side only is secured to the table, and the other three sides
rigidly connected to each other; Fig. 15 shows the reverse of Fig. 14, arranged
to have three sides stationary and one movable; Fig. 16 shows an arrangement
with all four reflecting sides rigidly attached to each other, the rollers over which
the patterns run being underneath the bottom edges of the mirrors.
Fig. 17 shows the arrangement of two mirrors, only one of which is stationary,
and the other on rollers so as to multiply in length only; Fig. 18 shows an

page_text: arrangement of the mirrors on rods, so that the sample roll may be run in both
directions across the table.
As before stated, the various samples of carpets or other goods of different sizes
have their ends connected, or are secured, to a band so as to form a strip or roll to
be wound on rollers, which serve to draw the samples smoothly and rapidly across
the plane of the table with their edges under the surrounding mirrors, so that they
may be conveniently exhibited to a purchaser, correctly matched out by the
reflections or multiplications of the pattern produced by the mirrors.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of Sheet 1 of the Drawings, the most preferable style of
construction and arrangement of parts for general use is shown; E is a table, over
which the strip A¹ of samples travels on a line between the upper surfaces of
auxiliary rollers F, F. It preferable to have this table an unbroken plane so as
to ensure the most perfect evenness to the sample, as any wave or unevenness
would produce a shadow and destroy the effect produced by the reflections. This
strip A¹ is fastened at one end to a roller A, and its opposite end after being passed
over the table E and under the edges of the base of the surrounding mirrors is
attached to the roller B. Each of the rollers A and B has a gear wheel C, C',
rigidly attached to one or both of their extremities; in practice these gear wheels
are not set in the same line, but arranged so that only one roller may be acted
upon at one time by the intermediate gear wheel D; this gear wheel having its
journal made longer than its box so as to allow it to be slipped back or forth to
engage with either of the wheels C or C¹ according to which way the pattern may
be required to travel. The mirror G (Figs. 1, 2, and 3) is hinged to the cross piece H,
which has a tube I attached to each of its ends on the under side; through these
tubes the rods J, J, are inserted and secured in position by nuts K, K, to serve as
rails for the tubes I supporting the cross piece H to slide on.
The mirror L (Figs. 1, 2, and 3) is hinged to a cross piece M, this cross piece
being held parallel to its opposite mirror by means of angular hooked metal sleeves
or runners N, N, attached at each end, which take into tracks N', N', one of such
tracks being attached to the underside of the cross piece H, and the other attached
to the bottom of the mirror T.
Fig. 6 shows the metal hooked sleeve N and runner N¹. It will be seen that by
this style of arrangement either the mirror G or L may be moved inward in a true
parallel line with ease, whilst the strip of carpet passes freely under their base.
Figs. 4 and 5, Sheet 1, show a modified form of arranging the mirror L. In this
case I hinge the mirror L to a cross piece a, and suspend it by resting the cross
piece on a rail bupon the top of the two adjacent mirrors as shown in the
Drawing. The object in suspending the mirror from the top is to allow the
rocking rod and mirror to be raised out of the way of the crank, and give more
room for operating, as well as to prevent the possibility of breaking the mirror
through carelessness in attempting to lower the side mirror L before drawing
back the front mirror G. In cases where I suspend the side mirror from the top, I
have a supporting post S, (Fig. 4) so as to receive and hold the cross bar a in
position while the mirror is in use. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,
the mirrors G and L are adjusted vertically, and held locked in such position by
means of a channelled nut O on a rod P, which is hinged at its opposite end, and
secured to the mirror as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. The neck of the nut O fitting in
the recess of the inclined plate Q serves to hold the mirror at any vertical position
it may be adjusted, and admits of its being slipped out so as to fold the mirror down
flat when desired. The two remaining sides of the parallelogram are formed of
mirrors T, T¹, which may be a rigid rectangle.
Figs. 10 and 11 show a modified arrangement of a simpler form, only three
mirrors being used, one of which is adjustable by means of a sliding leaf which
forms the table E.
Figs. 12 and 13 show another style of construction in which two of the
mirrors (T and T¹) may be secured to the table, and the other two (G and L) made
into a rectangle provided with angles c, c, for convenience in handling.

page_text: Figs. 14 and 17 show the device arranged to have only one mirror T attached to
the table. In Fig. 14, L, G, and T' are secured together and adapted to work to and
from the stationary mirror T; and Fig. 17 is to be used in the multiplication of a
pattern in length only, being more particularly adapted to the proper exhibition of
stair carpets and designs formed of stripes in the manner before stated.
Fig. 15 is the reverse of Fig. 14, the mirrors L, T, and T₁ being secured together
and attached to the table, so as to remain stationary and the mirror G adapted to
be adjusted in any desired position.
Fig. 16 is an arrangement having all the four mirrors securely attached to each
other, so as to form a square or parallelogram, which is designed to be used
when the patterns on the strip A¹ are all of one size. The auxiliary rollers F are
placed directly beneath the mirrors in Fig. 16, so that they do not appear in the
Drawing.
Fig. 18 shows an arrangement of the mirrors on rods with hooks at the ends, so that
they may be adjusted to form different squares as well as parallelograms, the mirrors
all being adjustable in relation to each other, the bars V in Fig. 18 serving as a
means to keep the mirrors slightly above the table, so as to permit the easy passage
of the strip of samples underneath them, and an additional set of rollers being
employed, two strips of samples may be worked, traversing the table at right
angles if desired, when the number of samples to be exhibited is found to be too
bulky for a single set of rollers.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, what I claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
1st. A sample exhibitor or pattern multiplier, having a table E and band belt or
strip A' of samples, or connected samples of carpet, oil cloth patterns, or other goods
in combination with surrounding mirrors for purposes hereinbefore described and
represented.
2nd. In a sample exhibitor, the rollers A and B for working the sample, strip
belt, or band A in combination with surrounding mirrors for the purposes herein-
before described and represented.
3rd. The novel combination and arrangement of the rigid rectangular mirror T, T¹,
with the movable front and side mirrors G and L so as to be adjusted at any
desired position, substantially in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and for the
purposes set forth.
4th. In a sample exhibitor the combination of the mirrors L and T, T¹, with a
table E arranged below them, so as to permit of the adjustment of the movable
mirrors by means of rods and tubes, and without disturbing any sample placed upon
the table E, substantially as shown and described.
5th. In a sample exhibitor, the combination of the mirrors G, L, T, T¹, with the
table E and rollers A and B, carrying the strips of samples A', all operating
substantially in the manner shown and described.
6th. The combination of the mirrors G and L and the cross pieces H and M,
to which they are hinged with the rods P terminating with a threaded end and
a grooved nut O, adapted to rest in the slotted plate Q, for the purpose of
accurately adjusting the mirrors in a vertical position, after which they may be
readily folded down and returned to their upright position, substantially as shown
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolphus Peterson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 1st day of March. in the year of our Lord 1881.