Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 12th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
I, ALEXANDER CRAIGHEAD THOMSON, of 113 Union Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Stationer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My Invention comprises improvements in the combining or combination of a daily
shiftingdiary with portable writing desks, or writing frames, and blotting pads, whereby
these desks, frames and pads will be made much more convenient than heretofore,
especially for general business offices and purposes.
The nature and novelty of the invention consists in forming or fitting a long small
rectangular channel or frame across the top of the desk, frame or pad, with a close
top and with three small open apertures, preferably fitted with glass, to show the day
of the week, the date, and the month, respectively, which would be printed on cards
or strips of paper or cloth, preferably in a length suitable for being rolled on rollers or
pins underneath the glass apertures. The rollers would be fitted through the sides
or ends so as to be actuated by finger knobs outside the rectangular chamber, so as
to have the day of the week and the date shifted each morning, and the name of the
month, on the first of each new month, and thus be visible to all persons using the
desk, frame, or blotting pad. This rectangular channel or chamber may be formed
in one with the desk or frame, or it may be formed separately and hinged or other-
wise attached to the desk or writing frame, or frame of the blotting pad; and when
fitted to a desk, recesses for the ink bottles may be formed in it, preferably at the
ends; or otherwise this fixed or portable diary may be mounted outside or inside the
transverse line of the ink bottles and recesses for the pens. The slanting writing
part of the desk frame, or pad might be formed with cloth or leather as usual, as a
writing surface; but for general office and business purposes, where required for
open portable writing frames or pads, this slanting writing surface would preferably
be formed with a recess, into which a quire or a few sheets of blotting paper would
be inserted to make a soft bearing surface for writing on, and might be secured in
the recess by fixed or swivelling corner plates or other equivalent, to hold the blotting
paper in its retaining recess, and which would enable the blotting paper to be taken
out and turned or renewed from time to time. When these desks or frames are
formed with a hinged folding frame or writing surface, the blotting paper might
be inserted from the inside and held in position by and over the back-board hinged or
secured by enibs, springs or other equivalent to the front folding or writing frame,
which might fold down the ends of the blotting paper to grip it over the back-board, so

page_text: as to form the writing surface outside, supported by the back-board, all in either case
preferably in a slanting direction to give a nice easy writing surface as compared with
office tables, desks, or counters as a writing desk or frame and blotting pad combined
with a diary. As an equivalent for the ends of the outer frame, pressing down and
holding the ends of the blotting paper over the inner supporting board, flat portable
light bars might be mounted right across the opposite ends of the blotting paper,
and secured by hand pinching nuts over screws and springs below to retain the bars
up while inserting or removing the blotting paper; or these bars might be hinged
at their edges or ends and folded down over the blotting pad, and secured by the said
pinching screws.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Writing Desks and Blotting Pads.
I, ALEXANDER CRAIGHEAD THOMSON, of 113 Union Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Stationer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention comprises improvements in the combining or combination of a
daily shifting diary with portable writing desks, or writing frames and blotting pads,
whereby these desks, frames, and pads will be made much more convenient than
heretofore, especially for general business offices and purposes.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory sheet of Drawings in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1, is a perspective elevation of a blotting pad fitted with a horizontal or
angled arrangement of my new combination of a daily shifting diary; and Figure 2
is a transverse section of the same as taken on the line 1 1 of Figure 1.
---
While Figures 3 and 4 represent corresponding views of a portable writing desk
as fitted with a vertical arrangement of my new combination of a daily shifting diary.
Referring to these Drawings:-
The nature and novelty of my invention consists in forming or fitting a long small
rectangular channel or frame A, preferably fitted angularly as in Figures 1 and 2, or
vertically as in Figures 3 and 4 across the top of the desk, frame or pad, with a close
top A and with three small open apertures a, a¹, a², preferably fitted with glass b, to
show the day of the week a the date a¹ and the month a² respectively, which would
be printed on cards, or strips of paper or cloth, preferably in a length suitable for
being each rolled on a couple of rollers or pins A³, underneath the glass apertures a,
or behind them as shown in the vertical arrangement of this shifting diary in
Figures 3 and 4. The rollers A² are fitted with their spindles through the sides,
ends, or top so as to be actuated by finger knobs b¹ outside the rectangular chamber A,
so as to have the day of the week and the date shifted each morning, and the name of
the month, on the first of each new month, and thus be conveniently visible to all
persons using the desk frame or blotting pad. When sets of printed cards are used
they would be fitted in their respective recesses in the case A in a set parallel to the
glass opening, and be changed daily through a door in the back or top of the case A.
This rectangular channel or chamber A, may be formed in one with the desk or frame
as shown in the Drawings, or it may be formed separately and hinged or otherwise
attached to to the desk or writing frame, or frame of the blotting pad; and when
fitted to a desk or blotting pad recesses for the ink bottles B, may be formed in it,
preferably at the ends; or otherwise this fixed or portable diary may be mounted
outside or inside the transverse line of the ink bottles and recesses B2 for the, pens.

page_text: The blotting pad or desk, would preferably be fitted with a tray or grooved recess B²
in front of the shifting diary, for holding pens or pencils, and with recesses or
chambers B¹ at the side of the ink bottles for holding wafers, stamps, or other small
articles. The slanting writing part C of the desk, frame or pad might be formed with
cloth or leather as usual; but for general office and business purposes, where required
for open portable writing frames, pads or desks, this slanting writing surface would
preferably be formed with a recess, into which a quire or a few sheets of blotting
paper would be inserted to make a soft bearing surface for writing on, and be
secured in the recess by fixed corner plates or bands of leather C or it might be
swivelling plates or other equivalent, to hold the blotting paper in its retaining recess,
and which would enable the blotting paper to be taken out preferably by pressing it
up by the finger through the hole c underneath, and turned or renewed from time to
time. When these desks or frames are formed with a hinged folding frame or
writing surface, the blotting paper might be inserted from the inside and held in
position by and over the back-board hinged or secured by snibs, springs or other
equivalent, to the front folding or writing frame which might fold down the ends of
the blotting paper to grip it over the back-board, so as to form the writing surface
outside, supported by the back-board, all in either case preferably in a slanting
direction to give a nice easy writing surface as compared with office tables, desks, or
counters as a writing desk or frame and blotting pad combined with a diary. As
an equivalent for the end plates (2 of the outer frame or lid C of the desk pressing
down and holding the ends of the blotting paper C¹ over the inner supporting board,
flat portable light bars might be mounted right across the opposite ends of the blotting
paper, and secured by hand pinching nuts over screws and springs below to retain the
bars up while inserting or removing the blotting paper; or these bars might be
hinged at their edges or ends and folded down over the blotting pad, and secured by
the said pinching screws.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
--
First. The combination of a daily shifting diary with, or attached to, a writing
desk or a writing blotting pad, substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In writing desks and in writing blotting pads, the combination of a long
rectangular channel or frame A, across the top, with three small open apertures to show
the day of the week, the date, and the month respectively, substantially as herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 12th day of January 1888