AN IMPROVED CONVERTIBLE DESK, CHURCH SEAT, AND TABLE, APPLICABLE FOR SCHOOL AND CHURCH PURPOSES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Caleb Whittenbury and
James Caleb Whittenbury, junior, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 24th February 1864.
We, JAMES CALEB WHITTENBURY and JAMES CALEB WHITTENBURY, junior,
both of High Street, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, Carpenters and
Builders, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CONVERTIBLE DESK, CHURCH SEAT, AND TABLE, APPLICABLE FOR SCHOOL AND CHURCH
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
Our improved convertible church seat, school desk, and table is so con-
structed that it may be readily and easily converted from the one article into
the other, according to the purpose for which it may be required, and is very
convenient for use in church, schools, or other rooms or areas, which may at
one time be used for preaching, for school teaching, or for purposes where a
table is required. This article consists of two bases or feet, one at either end
of the desk and seat, each foot having raised from it two uprights, the one
shorter than the other; the shorter uprights (one from each foot) support a
fixed seat or form, while the higher uprights support a broad board suitable for
a desk parallel with and at a suitable elevation from the form. This desk or
surface is hinged on the under side at a point in its breadth to the two higher
uprights before mentioned, and may be oscillated thereon, so that it may lay
down in a horizontal position on the top of the uprights, in which position it
forms a table, or it may be placed at a slope or angle suitable for a school
desk, and; further, may be placed nearly in an upright position, so as to form

page_text: a back for the form or seat, in which position it much resembles a church
pew. On the under side of the moving surface or desk is hinged a book rest,
similar to book rests in church pews, which forms a book rest for the seat
immediately behind. The movable board has two quadrants affixed to it
working on the top supports, by which quadrants it can be fixed in the
different positions mentioned, or in other positions, if desired. The book rest
assumes of itself the proper position and rests on the quadrants; at other
times it hangs under the desk or table, and offers no inconvenience for the
other purposes to which the article is applied. When used as a table it is
convenient to place two of these articles back to back, thereby forming a broad
table with a fixed form or seat on each side. In adapting this article for
either of the purposes required, it is simply necessary to release the quadrant
irons and oscillate the movable part to the position desired. To adapt it more
particularly for the school desk we sink ink vessels into the solid of the desk
or movable piece, which ink vessels wo mount on pivots, so that they always
hang perpendicularly from the pivots, in which even position the movable
piece may be disposed, and so obviate the spilling of the ink, or the removal
of the ink vessels from the desk before converting it into a table or church
seat. We apply spring covers over the recesses containing the ink vessels to
close them in when not required.