Improvements in or relating to Folding Desks.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Folding Desks.
A communication from CARL VICTOR FRANKE, of 23, Reissigerstrasse, Dresden-
Altstadt, Saxony, German Empire, Master to the VI Town College.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to a folding desk capable of being conveniently fitted in
any suitable place or part of a room, more particularly within a window recess,
where it may be hinged or otherwise connected to the window-sill. The object it
is intended to accomplish by this arrangement is chiefly to enable persons or families
living in small apartments and having no room to spare for a complete piece of
furniture, to provide themselves with a desk or table convenient for writing and
whereon the children for example may prepare their lessons or be otherwise
occupied at work or play. The arrangement of the desk against the window is
advisable on account of the good light such a position affords, good light being
of course the great desideratum in writing as it both preserves the eyesight and
Besides
enables the body of the writer to retain a proper and healthy posture.
being suitable for children this desk is however also suitable for adults as it may
be arranged at any desired height or level and fixed to a table-top, ledge or
bracket if necessary. The attachment is effected by means of hinges which enable
the desk to be turned down when not in use, and the desk is provided with two
folding or extensible legs or supports which when the desk is not used are folded
against the inner or under surface of the writing desk. By means of these
adjustable legs both the height and the angle of inclination of the desk may be
varied to suit the requirements of the user.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Fig. 1 is a side view of the folding desk in position for use.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same in the position of rest or when out of use.
Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of Figure 1.
aare
The plate or board forming the writing desk is designated by the letter a.
the hinges whereby the said plate is attached to the window-sill or the like. The
hinge-plates mounted upon the window-sill are preferably slotted in such a
manner that the screws fixing them to the window-sill may serve to secure the
hinge and table in any desired position, instead of being confined to one point
determined by the situation of the usual hole of a size just sufficient to receive the
screw. Near the front edge of the adjustable or extensible legs bare pivotted or
hinged in such a manner that when the table or desk a hangs down when out of
use they may lie flat against the inner or under side of such table or desk as in
Figs. 2 and 4. In this position the legs are retained by any simple means such as
indiarubber rings or loops passed over the ends of the said legs. The same
purpose may be accomplished if required by guard-plates or retaining clips or the
like. The legs consist like those of the ordinary stands of statical instruments
of two parts or members sliding on or in each other and capable of being
secured in any adjusted position by means of screw; this enables the angle of
5 inclination of the desk to be varied at will. For school-children the most suitable
angle of inclination is deemed to be 1 in 6. The oblique position which the
writing book is to occupy on the desk as prescribed by the rules of hygiene, is
indicated by two guide-lines (Fig. 3), which may be marked or scored on the
"
1,1

page_text: table-surface in any suitable manner, or strips of wood or material of a different.
colour from that of the desk may be let into the wood to indicate these lines. If
preferred such strips may be laid on the table so as to form ribs, though this
inethod is not considered so good as those indicated before. If necessary the desk
may be moved to a horizontal position by correspondingly adjusting the legs, for
example when the desk is to be used by children for purposes of play.
legs in all cases should rest within the angle formed by the floor and wall as thereby
the position of the desk is rendered more secure.
The
Near the back edge of a a recess a of small depth is provided for the reception
of writing-utensils, such as pens, pencils, and the like. Ink-bottles are arrangel
ate, and one of them may contain other material than ink. The inkstands are so
suspended or balanced in their oval recesses that they at all times retain their
proper vertical position in the desk. For this purpose they are held between twa
pins or pivots projecting from the plates. One of the plates is adapted to turn
on a pivot so that the ink-bottles e may be readily removed. The arrangement
of the ink-bottles is best illustrated by the Figures 3 and 6. In these figures is
also shown a hent piece of wire d adapted to turn in eyes and the arms of which
are of an elastic or springy nature. This bent pieer or yoke in the operative
position of the desk, may be placed over the ink-bottle so that it grasps it with its
arms and thus keeps it steady. Instead of this arrangement however other adjusting
or retaining devices may be employed.
It may in many cases be desirable that the height at which the desk is fitted
hould adjustable. For this pampuse it is proposed to use two pairs of angle-
pieces or brackets in the manner illustrated in Fig. 7 and S.
"
'
The vertical
arms of these brackets e and are slotted and consequently capable of relative
displacement a screw serving to secure them in the adjusted position. To the
horizontal arm of is screwed a hinge a The horizontal slotted arm of ƒ is
secured to the window-sill or other support instead of the hinge-plate shown in
Fig. 1. According as the bracket is secured in a suspended position as shown
in Fig. 7) or in a standing position (as shown in Fig. 8) the plate or dusk a may
be fixed lower or higher than the window-sill. By these means in conjunction with
the slots of the vertical arms of the brackets the adjustment of the desk or plate
as to height is possible within wide limits.
-41
With this desk a simple and convenient book support may be combined as
not to interfere with the turning down of the desk, white when the desk is turned
up for use, the said book-stand of its own accord assumes the position most
convenient to the writer. The book-rest or support consists of two brackets
(Figs. 9 to 11) which are suspended from the right hand side or edge of a by
means of T-shaped pins gl and slots so as to be adjustable and readily removable
if required. The vertical angle-pieces consist of two parts which are so adjustable
that the arms which are to support the books may take up the proper horizontal
position, or these arms may be somewhat sloping inwards towards the apex of the
angle, the better to prevent any of the books or articles placed thereon from
falling. They may if required he adjustable in width also as is indicated in the
drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
1. A folding desk adapted for attachment to a window-sill table or other support
capable of being adjusted to the required incline for which purpose it is connected
with the window-sill or the like by hinges such as a' and provided with adjustable
legs such as hinged or pivotted to the writing-desk a in such a manner that when
not in use they may be folded flat against the underside of the desk substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
b
2. In a desk such as claimed in the preceding claim the suspension of an ink-
bottle for the purpose of enabling it to retain its proper vertical position when the

page_text: desk is being turned up or down a retaining device such as d being also provided
for retaining the ink-bottle in its operative position.
3. In a folding desk such as claimed in the first claim the arrangement of two
pairs of brackets such as e f one (f) of each pair of which may be secured to the
window-sill or other support and to the other (e) the hinges a' are secured the
vertical arms of the brackets being adjustable in relation to each other and capable
of being secured in the adjusted position whereby the desk a may also be adjusted
to the required height or level substantially as described and illustrated in
Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a folding desk such as claimed in the first claim the arrangement of two
brackets such as attached to the edge of the desk a and adjustable as to height
such brackets when hanging down in the operative position constituting a carrier
or support for books or the like substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of March 1893
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.