Improvements in Folding Appliances to be used as Baby Baskets, also applicable for other uses, such as Work Baskets and Tables.
Year: 1892

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Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th June, 1893-Accepted, 8th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Appliances to be used as Baby Baskets,
also applicable for other uses, such as Work Baskets and Tables.
We, GEORGE HENRY NEEDHAM, of Cologne Road, Wandsworth, in the
County of Surrey, Gunmaker, and WILLIAM SMITH, of the Firm of. Stapley &
Smith, of 128 London Wall, in the City of London, Warehouseman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention refers to the construction and arrangement of folding receptacles
known as "baby baskets," although such receptacles are equally applicable to
other uses, such as for work baskets, tables, and other articles, and the construction
is such that they can be folded up when required into comparatively small
compass.
According to our invention, the frame is or may be conveniently composed of
two main supports bent away from each other in the same plane, and held in
position by being passed through clips, one near the top and another near the base
of the structure, the two main supports being secured in position by rivet or rivets
passing through both the said clips and supports. The lower portions or ends of
this frame extend outwards, are curved at their ends, and carry castors to support
the structure. The upper ends are bent in a direction corresponding with the
lower, and are provided with spring controlled hinges or supports for carrying a
folding frame or top rods. Between the top of the main supports and the upper
frame, we connect another hinged frame either to the main frame or to brackets
or arms connected thereto. This hinged frame is held in position when required
by legs corresponding in shape with the main frame and carrying castors, but these
legs are free to turn in the clips aforesaid; the upper ends of the legs are formed
with hook-parts or jaws, onto which the hinged frame snaps when opened out.
The lower hinged frame forms a support for the bottom of the basket, which may
be formed of any suitable material.
The lower and upper hinged frames may be connected by network or by any
other material suitable for the purpose.
To fold up the stand, all that is necessary is to lift the sides of the lower frame
from the jaws of the legs, turn in the movable legs parallel with the fixed frame,
bring the lower frame together and drop the sides of the upper frame, the end
springs of the hinges being first forced back; the whole appliance is then flat,
and can be stored or packed with greater facility.
When the apparatus is used as a table, all that is necessary is to lay the top of
the table on the top frame and fix it thereto by spring clips or otherwise, and when
specially designed for a table, the upper parts of the swinging legs are lengthened,
so that the jaws would grasp the sides of the top hinged frame as before described.
The clips for connecting the supports and legs before referred to may in some cases
be made of spring metal and be split or cut and the turning legs may be square
therein, so that they shall, when turned into either closed or open positions he there
retained by the spring force of the clips. The hinged frames may be turned
upwards when closed instead of downwards as herein before mentioned.
Dated this 10th day of September 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Appliances to be used as Baby Baskets,
also applicable for other uses, such as Work Baskets and Tables.
We, GEORGE HENRY NEEDHAM, of 7 Cologne Road, Wandsworth, in the
County of Surrey, Gunmaker, and WILLIAM SMITH, of the Firm of Stapley &
Smith, of 128 London Wall, in the City of London, Warehouseman, 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:-
Our invention refers to the construction and arrangement of folding receptacles
known as
baby baskets," although such receptacles are equally applicable to
other uses, such as for work baskets, tables, and other articles, and the construction
is such that they can be folded up when required into comparatively small
compass and we will now describe our invention with reference to the accom-
panying drawing, on which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the
various figures.
Fig. 1 is a sectional end view and Fig. 2 a side elevation shewing our invention
as applied to a folding basket, in its open position ready for use, Fig. 3 being a
plan view of a folding top or table for same, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section on the
line XY of Fig. 2 (drawn to a larger scale than the previous figures) to shew
one of the clips connecting the supports of the said basket.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a somewhat similar basket to that previously
shewn, excepting that in this case the basket frames fold differently, and Fig. 6 is
a transverse section through the basket frames of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view shewing a construction when specially designed for
a table.
According to our invention, the frame is or may be conveniently composed of two
main supports A A bent away from each other in the same plane, and held in
position by being passed through clips B B', one, B, near the top, and another, B¹,
near the base of the structure, the two main supports A A being secured in position
by rivet or rivets passing through the said clips and through the main supports A A.
The clips B B extend beyond the supports A A as shewn in the detached plan
view Fig. 4, and embrace legs C.C, the latter being free to turn in the extended
parts of the clips. The extended ends of the clips B B are split, thereby giving a
sufficient spring tension to retain or tend to retain the legs CC in either of two
positions, although in some cases such spring action may be dispensed with. The
lower portions or ends of the supports A A. extend outwards, are curved at their
ends to form feet, and carry castors to support the structure. The upper ends of
the supports A A. (referring to Figs. 1 and 2) are bent in a direction corresponding
with the lower ends of same, and are provided with spring controlled hinges or
supports D D for carrying a folding frame or top rods E E. In the example
shewn at Figs. 1 and 2, the frames E are pivoted to the tops of the supports A A,
the spring parts D D being fixed to the supports A A below the pivots of the
frames EE and have projecting parts which take under the said frames E E when
the latter are opened out as shewn. Between the top of the main supports A A
and the upper frame E E, we connect another hinged frame F F either to the main
frames A. A as shewn at, Figs. 5 and 6, or to brackets or arms F' connected thereto
as at Figs. 1 and 2: This hinged frame F F is held in position by the legs CC
(Figs. 1 and 2) corresponding in shape with the main frame A A, and also carrying
castors, as shewn, these legs C C being free as aforesaid to turn in the clips B B';
the upper ends of the legs CC are formed with hook-parts or jaws, onto which the
hinged frame F F snaps when opened out. The lower hinged frame F F provides
a support for the bottom of the basket, which may be formed of any suitable
material.

page_text: The lower and upper hinged frames F and E may be connected by network or
by any other material suitable for the purpose.
To fold up the stand, all that is necessary is to release the sides of the lower
frame F from the jaws of the legs CC, turn in the movable legs C C parallel with
the fixed frame A A (the dotted lines Fig. 4 shew the position the legs occupy
when so folded), bring the lower frame together (moving same in the direction of
the arrows Fig. 1), and drop the sides of the upper frame E, the end springs D of
the hinges being first forced back, so as to bring the projecting parts on same clear
of the frames E E; the whole appliance is then flat, and can be stored or pucked
with great facility.
The arrangement shewn at Figs. 5 and 6, only differs from that shewn at
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 as follows; the spring supports D D are dispensed with, the
legs CC being extended upwards to support the frames E E; the lower frames FF
are hinged directly to the supports A A, and are supported when opened by
network or other suitable material, extending between the frames E and F; to
close the structure, the frames F F are first folded upwards (see the arrows at
Fig. 6); and brought together, the frames E E are similarly folded downwards, and
then the legs C Care turned to the supports A A.
When the apparatus is used as a table, all that is necessary is to lay the top of
the table G (shewn at Figs. 1 and 3) on the top frame E E, and fix it thereto by
spring clips G G', or otherwise, and when specially designed for a table, as shewn
at Fig. 7, the upper parts of the swinging legs CC are lengthened, so that the
jaws would support the sides of the said table top G. The clips B B' for
connecting the supports and legs before referred to may in some cases be made of
spring metal and be split or cut as aforesaid, and the turning legs may be square
therein, so that they shall, when turned into either closed or open positions,
be there retained by the spring force of the clips.
The table tops may be made in sections and hinged together; at Fig. 3 the top
is made in three parts, the two side portions being hinged to the central part; and
we find in some cases it is preferable to hinge the side parts so as to be capable of
being turned in both directions, either up or down, by such hingeing devices as may
be conveniently applied, whereby either side part of the cover Fig. 3 may be lifted,
if desired, and the contents of the basket reached without removing the whole top G,
and in some cases such a table top G may be permanently fixed centrally onto, for
example, the end supports A A. The table top Fig. 7 is also jointed in three
pieces, so that when the legs C C are folded, the two side parts will fold down on
each side thereof, and thereby render the table capable of being packed away in a
very small space.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim as our improvements in folding appliances to be used as baby-baskets, also
applicable for other uses, such as work baskets and tables, is as follows:-
1. A folding stand composed of two fixed supports A A, united by clips B B',
and bent away from each other at the top and bottom, two movable legs C C,
connected by, and capable of being turned in, the clips B B', and bent similarly to
the supports A A, the upper ends of said stand, when expanded, supporting a.
receptacle or table top, and the lower ends forming feet, and when closed, the
legs C C lying side by side with the supports A. A, substantially as set forth.
2. A folding stand composed of two fixed supports A. A, united by clips B B', and
bent away from each other at the top and bottom, and two movable legs CC connected
by and capable of being turned in the clips B B and bent similarly to the
supports A A in combination with the folding frames E E and F F pivoted to the
supports AA and held in an extended position by the legs C C, with or without
the table top G, all substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
shewn with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. A folding stand composed of two fixed supports A A, clips B B¹ and legs C C

page_text: as claimed by Claim 1 in combination with the folding table top substantially
as described and illustrated with special reference to Fig. 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. In a folding stand, the spring clips B B₁ as described and shewn, connected
and combined with two fixed supports A A and extended on either side to embrace
two folding legs CC, the said clips being divided at the ends, and exerting spring
tension on the legs C C to tend to retain same in one of two positions all
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 6th day of June 1893.
WILLIAM SMITH,
G. H. NEEDHAM,
Brewer & Son,
London and Leeds, Agents.
WILLIAM SMITH,
G. H. NEEDHAM,
Brewer & Son,
London and Leeds, Agents.