AN IMPROVED ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, PARTS OF WHICH ARE
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Burton, of 20, Somerset Place,
New North Road, in the County of Middlesex, Ornamentist, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, PARTS OF WHICH ARE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Burton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1864.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BURTON, of 20, Somerset Place, New North Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Ornamentist, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, PARTS OF
WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE," to be as
follows:-
The improved article of furniture is generally of a quadrangular or oblong
form, with the front thereof capable of opening outwards upon hinges which
are at or near the bottom of it, so that the whole or part of such front may
incline forward and disclose a recess the entire height or width, if desirable
fitted as a portfolio or portfolios to contain drawings, sheets of paper, or other
matters. This moveable front in some cases is constructed so that a flap or
shelf may be hinged to it some distance from the floor, capable of inclining
forward at the top so as to receive an easel drawn from the body of the piece
[Price 8d.]

page_text: of furniture, and such flap or shelf may be secured at a desired angle as far
as the right angle, or the flap and front may be brought forward together.
The portfolios and easel are in some cases made separate from and inde-
pendent of the piece of furniture to which they are attached, and they are
capable of being fastened by suitable means to other articles of furniture,
such as devonports, chests of drawers, tables, or similar articles of furniture,
or they may be made in conjunction with such articles.
The improved furniture may include a desk, drawers, work-drawer, can-
terbury, cupboard, or other similar convenience, on the ends or opposite side
to that to which such portfolio or portfolios are applied. Sconces may be
applied when desired. Above the portfolio and easel I apply a sliding piece
covering them, which may be slid away into a recess beyond formed for it;
or this sliding piece instead of sliding may simply be hinged. At the top
of the article of furniture I sometimes apply a colour box, with colour
slide to pull out from the end, and at the upper part of the furniture there is
an eye to receive the leg of the easel. In some cases in place of the front
being hinged, it may slide and disclose the portfolio or portfolios.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick William Burton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM BURTON, of 20, Somerset Place, New North Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Ornamentist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, 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 Frederick William Burton, Her special licence that I,
the said Frederick William Burton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick William Burton, 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 "AN IMPROVED ARTICLE
FURNITURE, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ARTICLES OF FUR-

page_text: NITURE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Frederick
William Burton, 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 Frederick William Burton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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, that is to say:-
The improved article of furniture is generally of a quadrangular or oblong
form, with the front thereof capable of opening outwards upon hinges which
are at or near the bottom of it, so that the whole or part of such front may
incline forward and disclose a recess, the entire height or width, if desirable
fitted as a portfolio or portfolios to contain drawings, sheets of paper, or other
matters. This moveable front in some cases is constructed so that a flap or
shelf may be hinged to it some distance from the floor, capable of inclining
forward at the top so as to receive an easel drawn from the body of the piece
of furniture, and such flap or shelf may be secured at a desired angle as far as
the right angle, or the flap and front may be brought forward together. The
portfolio and easel are in some cases made separate from and independent of
the piece of furniture to which they are attached, and they are capable of
being fastened by suitable means to other articles of furniture, such as
devonports, chests of drawers, tables, or similar articles of furniture; or they
may be made in conjunction with such articles.
The improved furniture may include a desk, drawers, work drawer, canter-
bury, cupboard, or other similar convenience on the ends or opposite side to
that to which such portfolio or portfolios are applied. Sconces may be applied
when desired. Above the portfolio and easel I apply a sliding pieces covering
them, which may be slid away into a recess beyond formed for it, or this
sliding piece instead of sliding may simply be hinged. At the top of the
article of furniture I sometimes apply a color box with color slide to pull out
from the end, and at the upper part of the furniture there is an eye to receive
the leg of the easel.
In order that the Invention may be better understood, I will, by the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued
hu ma

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 show two opposite views; Figure 3, an end view; Figure 4,
a plan, and Figures 5 and 6, sections of apparatus arranged according to my
improvements, with all the parts, excepting Figure 4, shown as they would
appear when closed. In Figure 4 the top is shown with the part of it that
opens thrown back. Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, show the same with
the parts thereof in the different positions they are capable of assuming.
a, a, is the main or stationary part of the furniture, which for convenience
of shifting from one part of a room to another is supported on castors a¹, a¹.
The part b of one of the sides or fronts of the apparatus is capable of opening
outwards at its upper end by turning on hinge joints b', and behind the part b
is formed a recess A to receive drawings, sheets of paper, or other matter as a
portfolio; when this part b is closed it is retained at its upper part by means of
the bolts b, and when open, as indicated by Figures 7 and 8, it may be retained
by bolts be, acting as stops, or at other angle desired by the segments b³ which
are attached at one of their ends to the part b' of the part b, and are then held
at any desired position of which they are capable by means of the spring stops
65, 66. The stop b³ is shown separately at Figures 13 and 14, and the stop b
is shown separately at Figures 15 and 16. The part b' acts as a flap which
is connected to the part b by preference by spring stop hinges b', and when the
part is held in position at its upper end by the bolts be this flap may assume
the horizontal position indicated by Figures 10 and 11, so as to form a shelf
for various uses, or this shelf or flap may be retained at various angles by means
of the segments b and the stops ba, b, and it is formed with recesses c, c,
adapted to receive and hold the ends d', d', of the easel d when those ends are
placed within the recesses c as shown. A separate plan and sectional view of one
of the recesses c shown full size at Figures 17 and 18, and a separate front and
sort view of one of the ends d' of the casei d is shown full size at Figures 19
and 20. The easel d is supported behind by means of the leg d, which at its
upper end is hinged to the easel, and at its lower end is received into one or
other of the notches e¹ formed for it in the under side of the moveable portion e
of the top or cover. The easel d is formed with two sliding pieces d³, d³, the ends
of which slide in grooves formed for them in the side pieces of the easel. Each
of these sliding pieces also has affixed to it by hinged joints d' a flap or
shelf d³, upon one of which may rest an original Drawing, and on the other
the copy being, produced. Each of these flaps is formed with a tongue or pro-
jection to pass into one of the recesses d in the plate d', by which to retain

page_text: those flaps at the desired elevation. The easel and its parts when not in
use are placed in the recess B formed for them in the body of the apparatus
as indicated by red lines in Figure 5, and this recess, together with that
enclosed by the front b, and used as a portfolio, are covered by a hinged cover f
hinged at ; or this cover may in place of being hinged simply slide back-
wards, or it may be formed in two parts, one for the recess B, and the other
for the portfolio A. g, g, are drawers which may be used to hold colors,
brushes, color saucers, and other things; h, h, are recesses which may be
appropriated to any purpose of utility.
two drawers i
On the opposite side of the piece of furniture there are
and . The drawer j is shown to contain a folding flap which is con-
nected to the front of the drawer by hinge joints and at its side this flap 1
has connected to it by hinge joints, other pieces 12, 13, the object of which
is to give increased surface for the support of drawings, books, or other
articles rested thereon. When thus open the upper edge of the flap 1
with its additional pieces P, P, rests on and is supported by the upper edge
of that front of the piece of furniture. When this flap is not in use
the additional pieces P, PP, thereof are turned under the part 1, and together
they form a cover to the drawer j; m is a drawer in the drawer i to
hold pencils or other articles. This drawer i may also be fitted as a ladies
work drawer, or otherwise, as desired. The drawer k is provided with a
flap k¹ which is hinged at to the front of the drawer k, and it has legs 1³
hinged to it at k, and which may rest at their lower ends in one or other of
the teeth of the racks k so as to retain the flap k at a suitable inclination for
writing on. This drawer is also provided with recesses for note paper or
envelopes, a tray for pens and pencils, and places for ink and wafers, it may
however be otherwise fitted; i is a cupboard enclosed by a door i' and which
may be fitted as a canterbury for holding music or for other suitable purpose;
n and o are other cupboards enclosed by doors n' and o' respectively, and
which may be employed for any useful purpose. In some cases the part of the
piece of furniture forming the portfolio, and when desired the easel also, with
its enclosure, may be formed as a separate piece of furniture, or may be formed
separate so as to be attached to another piece of furniture such as a devonport,
a chest of drawers, or a table, or they may be constructed so as to form a
part of such or other piece of furniture. In some cases in place of the front
being hinged it may slide and disclose the portfolio or portfolios.
Having thus described my improvements and means which I adopt in carrying
the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the

page_text: adaptation or combination of parts forming articles of furniture of the
character substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Burton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
F. W. BURTON. (L.S.)