AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TABLES, CHAIRS, AND STOOLS FOR DOMESTIC, MILITARY, AND NAVAL SERVICE, AND IN THE PACKING OF THE SAME
Year: 1809

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HAKEWELL, of Beaumont Street, Devonshire Place, in the Parish of Saint
Mary-le-bone, in the County of Middlesex, Artist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of March, in the forty-ninth year of
His reign, give and grant unto me, the said James Hakewell, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and
authority, that I, the said James Hakewell, my exors, adññors, and assigns,
should and lawfully might, during the term of years therein mentioned, make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-
of-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
TABLES, CHAIRS, AND STOOLS FOR DOMESTIC, MILITARY, AND NAVAL SERVICE, AND IN
THE PACKING OF THE SAME;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said James Hakewell, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the naturo
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Hakewell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained as follows, that is to say:-

page_text: In the Drawing hereunto annexed and marked respectively Figure 1,
Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5, I have exhibited and displayed
my said improvements, and the parts thereof, together with the respective
situations, as well with regard to the construction thereof as to the disposing the
same for use or packing for carriage; or the convenient placing or stowing
the same and in all the said Figures the same letters of the alphabet denote
the same things.
Figure 1 represents a table, of which the top A, B, is attached to two
legs F, G, F, G, by hinges at F, F, and the upper extremities of the said legs
are in preference connected by means of a cross rail (tho' this rail may, if
thought fit, be dispensed with). D, E, and D, E, are two other legs framed
together by a cross rail at D, D, and another at H, H, and connected with the
first-mentioned legs F, G, F, G, by centers or joints C, C, and by straps of
girting or other fit material of due length fixed to the top rails F, F, and D, D;
and the legs D, E, D, E, are made shorter than the legs F, G, F, G, so that
when the extremities D, D, are brought towards the extremities F, F, the
cross rail D, D, shall be capable of being disposed within the cross rail F, F,
as is shewn in Figuro 5, and the place of the center C is so taken in the
length of the legs D, E, D, E, that whatever may be the lengths of the
parts C, F, and C, G, in the legs F, G, F, G, the same shall be proportionally
the lengths of the parts C, D, and C, E, in the legs D, E, D, E; (that is
to say), as the whole length F, G, is in proportion to its lower part C, G, so
shall the whole length D, E, be in proportion to its lower part C, E, in order
that the top of the table may continue level, notwithstanding the inequality of
its pairs of legs, as aforesaid.
And I do declare that the same construction and disposition of parts
may be and is used for making stools of such dimensions and strength
as may be required, and that I do usually in stools and chairs so place
and fix one or more hooks or claws in the lower part of the platform
or seat A, B, near the end B, that the said hooks or claws shall bear against
the outer face of the cross rail D, D, and relieve or take off' the strain which
would otherwise be sustained by the girting or straps between D, D, and F, F.
Figures 2 and 3 represent a chair constructed with my said improvements,
having its back I, I, K, K, attached to the legs F, G, F, G, by hinges I and I,
which afford a stop when the back is placed in the proper situation.
Figure 4 represents the chair packed up, which is effected by moving the
legs upon the center C, and the back upon the hinges I, I, and permitting the
seat A, B, to fall against and lie flat upon the framed legs D, E, D, E.
In the said operation the legs all become disposed in the same place,

page_text: the cross rail D, D, being provented from passing beyond the cross rail
F, F, by means of a stop or other suitable piece duly placed, and the back
and the seat become disposed in a place immediately upon the setts of legs,
as is manifest from the Drawings.
Figure 5 represents a table, packed together by a similar process with
Figure 1, and the interior sketch L, M, O, N, shews the chair of Figure 4
stowed or disposed in the space between the framing of the legs of the
table, and secured by the strap P, Q, and buckle R.
And, lastly, I do declare that my said improvement in construction and
packing may be varied in several respects, accordingly as circumstances may
require, in conformity with the nature and manner of performing the same, as
herein-before described and set forth, but that such variations may without
difficulty be made by any competent workman without further instructions
than are hereby given.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hakewell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and nine.