A NEW OR IMPROVED REVERSIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE TOASTING FORK
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elijah Brookes, of Hawarden, in the County of Flint,
Engine Fitter, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED REVERSIBLE AND
ADJUSTABLE TOASTING FORK."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elijah Brookes at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th January 1881..
ELIJAH BROOKES, of Hawarden, in the County of Flint, Engine Fitter..
A NEW OR IMPROVED REVERSIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE TOASTING FORK."
My Invention consists of a new or improved reversible and adjustable toasting
forks, the parts of which are constructed and combined or arranged in the manner
hereinafter described.
'
n
I make the handle of the toasting fork hollow or tubular, and at one end of the
said hollow handle I attach a circular box or chamber in which a pinion works.
To the axis of the said pinion a cranked vertical rod projecting on the underside of
the box or chamber is connected, the bottom of the said rod carrying the horizontal
prongs of the fork. The said prongs are capable of being rotated through a semi-
circle, so as to reverse the position of the prongs, and the said prongs are also
capable of being placed at any desired inclination with respect to the handle.
The reversing of the prongs is effected in the following manner :-In the hollow
handle of the fork is a sliding rod, one end of which passes to the gripping part of
the handle, and the other end passes into the box or chamber containing the pinion
to which the axis or rod of the rotating prongs is connected. The last named end
of the sliding rod is furnished with a rack, the teeth of which gear with the teeth
of the pinion.
The sliding in one or other direction of the rod causes the semi-
rotation of the prongs, so that their points may either be presented to the person
holding the toasting fork or be turned from him. The sliding rod is moved for
reversing the prongs by means of a thumb plate on the outside of the gripping
part of the handle, the stem of the thumb plate being connected with and working
in a slot in the grip part of the handle. This slot consists of two parts not in the
same line, joined at their middle by a short cross slot. By moving the thumb plate
D

page_text: in the lower half of the slot, the rack can be made to reverse the prongs, but the
rack cannot be ungeared from the pinion so long as the thumb plate is situated in
the lower half of the slot. In order to adjust the inclination of the prongs to the
handle, it is necessary to ungear the rack from the pinion. This is effected by
moving the thumb plate to the top of the lower half of the slot, and turning the
thumb plate aside when its stem passes through the cross slot into the upper half
of the slot. By now moving the thumb plate in the said upper half of the slot,
the rack is ungeared from the pinion, and the angle or inclination of the prongs to
the handle may be adjusted. After the adjustment or setting of the prongs, the
thumb plate is returned to the lower half of the slot when the rack is reengaged
with the pinion, and is ready when required to reverse the prongs.
By the power of reversing the position of the prongs which my Invention
possesses, both sides of the food may be toasted without removing it from the
prongs, and by the power of adjustment of the prongs which my Invention
possesses, the prongs may be arranged at right angles to the handle or parallel
thereto, or inclined on one or other side of the handle at the will of the person using
the toasting fork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Elijah Brookes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th July
1881.
"
ELIJAH BROOKES, of Hawarden, in the County of Flint, Engine Fitter.
A NEW OR IMPROVED REVERSIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE TOASTING FORK."
My Invention consists of a new or improved reversible and adjustable toasting
fork, the parts of which are constructed and combined or arranged in the manner
herein after described.
I make the handle of the toasting fork hollow or tubular, and at one end of
the said hollow handle I attach a circular box or chamber, in which a pinion
works. To the axis of the said pinion a cranked vertical rod projecting on the
underside of the box or chamber is connected, the bottom of the said rod carrying
the horizontal prongs of the fork. The said prongs are capable of being rotated
through a semi-circle, so as to reverse the position of the prongs, and the said
prongs are also capable of being placed at any desired inclination with respect to
the handle.
The reversing of the prongs is effected in the following manner :-In the hollow
handle of the fork is a sliding rod, one end of which passes to the gripping part of
the bandle, and the other end passes into the box or chamber containing the
pinion.to which the axis or rod of the rotating prongs is connected. The last
named end of the sliding rod is furnished with a rack, the teeth of which gear with
the teeth of the pinion. The sliding in one or other direction of the rod causes the
semi-rotation of the prongs, so that their points may either be presented to the

page_text: person holding the toasting fork or be turned from him. The sliding rod is moved
for reversing the prongs by means of a thumb plate on the outside of the gripping
part of the handle, the stem of the thumb plate. being connected with and working
in a slot in the grip part of the handle. This slot consists of two parts not in the
same line, joined at their middle by a short cross slot. By moving the thumb
plate in the lower half of the slot the rack can be made to reverse the prongs, but
the rack cannot be ungeared from the pinion so long as the thumb plate is situated.
in the lower half of the slot.
In order to adjust the inclination of the prongs to the handle it is necessary to
ungear the rack from the pinion. This is effected by moving the thumb plate to
the top of the lower half of the slot, and turning the thumb plate aside when its*
stem passes through the cross slot into the upper half of the slot. By now moving
the thumb plate in the said upper half of the slot the rack is ungeared from the
pinion and the angle or inclination of the prongs to the handle may be adjusted.
After the adjustment or setting of the prongs the thumb plate is returned to the
lower half of the slot when the rack is reengaged with the pinion, and is ready
when required to reverse the prongs.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in plan partly in horizontal.
section, and Figures 3 and 4 in vertical section my new or improved reversible
and adjustable toasting fork; Figure 5 represents the parts in position for the
adjustment of the fork, as herein after explained, the thumb plate being
omitted.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures
of the Drawing.
a is the hollow or tubular handle of the toasting fork, a portion only. of which
is represented; and b is the grip part of the said handle. To the end of the hollow
handle a a circular box or chamber c is connected, in which a pinion d works, the
said pinion turning in bearings at the top and bottom of the box or chamber c
(see Figures 3 and 4). To this pinion d'a cranked vertical rod e projecting on the
underside of the box or chamber is secured. The rod e carries the horizontal
prongs e², e2, of the fork. In the hollow handle a, b, is a sliding rod f having at
one end a rack g which gears with the pinion d connected with the fork e, e².
The opposite end of the sliding rod f is bent at right angles, and is secured to a
thumb plate h sliding on the grip part 6 of the handle. In the said grip part b is
a slot in which the pin which connects the sliding rod f with the thumb plate h
works. This slot consists of two parts marked respectively i, k, not in the same
line, the said parts i, k, being joined at their middle by a short cross slot, as best
seen in Figure 5.
When the pin is situated in the part i of the slot the rack g of the sliding
rod fis in gear with the pinion d, and the sliding in one or other direction of the
thumb plate causes a like motion to be given to the rod f. The motion of the
rod f is transmitted through the rack and pinion g, d, to the fork e, e², and a
semi-rotation in one or other direction is thereby given to the said fork, and the
position of its prongs reversed, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 the points of the prongs are represented turned from the
person holding the toasting fork, the pin 7 of the thumb plate h being at the top of
of the slot i in one direction. In Figure 4 the fork is represented reversed, that is, a
semi-rotation has been given to it so as to present the points of the prongs to the
person holding the toasting fork, the thumb plate h having been moved in
the direction proper to bring the pin l. to the other end of the slot i in which it
works.
For the purpose of adjusting the inclination of the fork e, e², to the handle a, b,
or to set it parallel to the said handle, it is necessary to ungear the rack g from the
pinion d, as represented in Figure 5. This is effected by moving the thumb
plate h so as to bring its pin to the middle of the slot i, k. The thumb plate h

page_text: is then turned aside when the pin passes into the upper half % of the slot, and
being brought into the position represented in Figure 5 ungears the rack g from
the pinion d. The fork e, e², is now free to be turned in either direction so as to
set it at the desired inclination with respect to the handle. After the adjustment
or setting of the prongs the thumb plate h is moved so as to bring the pin into
the lower half or part i of the slot when the rack is regeared with the pinion, and
is ready to reverse the position of the prongs when required.
By the power of reversing the position of the prongs, which my Invention
possesses, both sides of the food may be toasted without removing it from the
prongs, and by the power of adjustment of the prongs, which my Invention
possesses, the prongs may be arranged at right angles to the handle, or parallel
thereto, or inclined on one or other side of the handle at the will of the person
using the toasting fork.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
the new or improved reversible and adjustable toasting fork herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the fork
proper capable of being reversed by moving it through a semi-rotation, sub-
stantially in the manner described and illustrated, and making the said fork
proper capable of being set or adjusted either parallel or at any inclination to
the handle of the toasting fork, substantially in the manner described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elijah Brookes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
ALFRED WRIGHT,
Hawarden,
Near Chester
ELIJAH BROOKES. (L.S.)