IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,
.
-
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS."-A communication from
abroad by Wilhelm Walcker, of 23, Boulovard de Strasbourg,
Paris.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th February 1870.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,.
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAIRS AND OTHER SEATS," (a communication from.
abroad by Wilhelm Walcker, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is a new description of chair, fauteuil,
bench, divan, sofa, or seat for use principally in gardens and places of

page_text: public resort, which may be jointed or fixed, and which fulfil all the
requirements of simplicity, comfort, and clegance.
The employment as caning of rush and malacca cane (jone) in a
cambered form in order to produce clasticity constitutes one of the
essential features of the Invention.
The fixed or unjointed chair or scat is supported upon uprights of
wood turned and finished as may be desired, which cross one another
and are united at the point where the scat proper is attached; theso
uprights are held fixed by metal cross pieces., The seat properly so
called is supported by these uprights by means of a square piece and of
a lever connected to another square piece. The supports or uprights
are prolonged above the scat and are attached to one other there by
rushes or rattans, which thus serve as arms to the chair. The seat
proper is composed of a wooden frame, to the two sides of which the
rushes or rattans are attached, and the latter are cambered or curved
in order to give elasticity to the seat. The jointed chair or seat has the
same form as the preceding in the principal parts, but the metal cross
piece and lever before referred to are in this, case broken in order to
admit the jointing and in consequence the folding of the uprights as
well as of the seat proper. The backs of these chairs or seats are formed
of rushes or rattans cambered so as to render them elastic. The rushes
or rattans of the seat may in certain cases be arranged in squares or
latticework perpendicularly or obliquely.
Among the different arrangements which may be adopted with the
employment of rush or-rattan as clastic caning, the radial direction of
the rattans of the scat proper should especially be mentioned. In this
ease all the inclined or cambered rushes or rattens are rays proceeding.
from the circumference and united in the centre of the seat. The
circular frame of the seat proper has upon its inner circumference a
number of holes in order to receive the ends of the rattans which
converge towards the centre. This centre is composed of a piece of
turned wood having at its base a bearing to support the rattans. Each
inner end of these rattans abuts and is supported against the centre
piece, and they are held in place by a metal washer carrying four or
more bolts, which pass through the bearing so as to receive the fixing
screws which are hidden beneath the bottom of the chair. Then after
having inserted the outer ends of the rattans into the holes in the inner
circumference of the seat frame their inner ends are drawn together

page_text: towards the centre and are there united and held by the screws and ring
before-mentioned. The length of the rushes or rattans is calculated so
as to raise the centre piece a little above the bottom properly so called,
thus compelling the rattans to be in an inclined position in order to give
them greater clasticity.
=
It will be gathered that the points of Invention are as follows:-
1st. The new system of caning composed of rushes or rattans (jonc)
cambered or curved at the extremities in order to serve directly as the
clastic agent in the seat.
2nd. The jointed arrangement of the organs of support in order to
permit the chairs or seats to be folded and so rendered easily transportable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Пer reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas James Smith,
my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
James Smith, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAIRS AND OTHER
SEATS," (communicated to me from abroad by Wilhelm Walcker, of 23,
Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris,) upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors or administra-
tors, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of

page_text: 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 immediately after the date
of the said Letters. Patent.
'
NOW KNOW YE,' that I, 'the said Thomas James Smith, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the samo is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained'
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the figures and letters marked, thereon, 1
that is to say :————
The object of this Invention is a now description of chair, fauteuil,
bench, divan, sofa or scat for use principally in gardens and places of
public resort, which may be jointed or fixed and which fulfil all the
requirements of simplicity, comfort, and elegance.
The employment as caning of rush and malacca cane (jonc) in a
cambered form in order to produce elasticity constitutes one of the
essential features of the Invention.
1
The construction of the new or improved seat will be readily under-
stood from the following description with reference to the accompanying 2
Drawings, Figures 1 and 2 of which shew a profile and face view of a
fixed scat, and Figure 3 a view of a jointed seat. The fixed or unjointed
chair or scat is supported upon uprights of wood a, a, turned and
finished as may be desired, which cross one another and are united at
the point where the scat proper is attached; these uprights are held 2
fixed by metal cross pieces c. The seat & properly so called is supported
on these uprights a by means of a square piece e and of a lever f
connected to another square picce g. This seat d is shown separately
at Figures 4 and 5 in plan view and transverse section. In Figures 1
and 2 the supports or uprights a¹ are shown prolonged in dotted lines a
above the scat, and are attached to one another there by rushes or
rattans which thus serve as arms to the chair. The seat proper dis
composed of a wooden frame, to the two sides of which the rushes or
rattans i are attached and the latter are cambered or curved in order to
give elasticity to the bottom of the scat. The jointed chair or scat scen in 3
profile in Figure 3 has the same form as the preceding in its principal
parts, but the mictal cross piece.c and lever before referred to are in
this case broken at and in order to admit the jointing, and in

page_text: consequence the folding of the uprights a'as well as of the seat proper d.
The backs of these chairs or seats are formed of rushes or rattans
cambered so as to rendered them elastic. The rushes or rattans of the
seat may in certain cases be arranged in squares, or latticework,
perpendicularly, or obliquely.
Among the different arrangements which may be adopted with the
employment of rush or rattans as elastic caning the radial direction of
the rattans of the seat proper should especially be mentioned. In this
case all the inclined or cambered rushes or rattans are rays proceeding
from the circumference and united in the centre of the scats. This
arrangement is shewn in perspective in
radial caning applied to a garden seat.
Figure 6; which represents the
Figures 7 and 8 are profile and plan views partly in section of the
bottom or seat of the chair carrying rattans or rushes rayed, inclined, or
cambered in order to produce elasticity. The circular frame of the scat
proper d has upon its inner circumference a number of holes in order
to receive the ends of the rattans i, which converge towards the centre c.
This centre c is composed of a piece of turned wood having at its base
a bearing to support the rattans or rays i. Each inner end of these
rattans abuts and is supported against the centre piece c, and they are
held in place by a metal washer e carrying four or more bolts f which
pass through the bearing 2 so as to receive the fixing screws g¹ which
are hidden beneath the bottom of the chair. Then after having inserted
the outer ends of the rattans into the holes in the inner circumferenco
of the seat frame their inner ends are drawn together towards the centre,
and are there united and held by the screws 9'. The length of the
rushes or rattans is calculated so as to raise the centro piece a little
above the bottom, properly so called, thus compelling the rattans to be
in an inclined position in order to give them greater elasticity.
It will be gathered that the points of Invention and what are desired
to be claimed are as follows:-
First. The new system of caning composed of rushes or rattans (joncs)
cambered or curved at the extremities in order to serve directly as the
elastic agent in the seat.
Secondly. The jointed arrangement of the organs of support in
order to permit the chairs or seats to be folded and so rendered easily
transportable.

page_text: And, thirdly. The system of radial caning, all substantially as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whercof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.