Improvements in Apparatus to be used for the Safe Custody of Hats, Coats, Umbrellas, Walking Sticks, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Deo., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be used for the Safe Custody of Hats,
Coats, Umbrellas, Walking Sticks, and the like.
I, JAMES PORTER MAGINNIS, of 9, Carteret Street, Queen Anne's Gate, West-
minster, S.W., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in employing a suitable peg on which a hat may be
placed over or under which is hung on a pivot or hinge a suitably formed fork
or loop of metal or other material so arranged that it may be brought into position
over the brim and around the other portion of the hat so as to hold it in such
a manner that it cannot be removed from the said peg without first releasing
certain mechanism controlled by a coin or key or both. Or instead of a peg
I employ a suitably formed bracket having an opening or fork of such a shape
as to receive a hat in an inverted position resting on its brim or parallel
bars or rods may be employed for the same purpose-Immediately over the space
occupied by the hat is pivoted an arm in such a manner and of such a form that
when a hat is placed in position on the bracket or rods or other similar support
the arm can be made to descend into the cavity of the hat (or the arm may
be rigidly fixed and the bracket supporting the hat pivoted or hinged) and being
locked or otherwise secured in that position the hat cannot be removed without
first unlocking or otherwise releasing such mechanism as will permit of the
raising of the arm (or falling of the bracket or other support) free of the hat
which may then he readily removed.
In the second part of my invention I employ a peg or hook of a suitable form
to receive a coat cloak or other such garment hung on it in the usual manner.
This peg or hook is placed in such a position that it can receive on or in its
point or extremity a suitably formed cap cover or other device which be means
of a safety mechanism such as above referred to can be brought into such a
position as to prevent the removal from the peg or hook of any garment hung
thereon without first releasing the controlling mechanism. This controlling
mechanism may be the same that is used to secure the hat or each may be
worked and controlled independently of the other. In order to make this more
clear it might be supposed that the peg or hook assumed the form of the
letter C and by means of mechanism the opening could be closed so as to form
the letter it is evident that if a coat were hung on the C hook and the hook
then assumed the form the coat could not be removed untill the hook opened -
up again.
In the third part of my invention I provide a suitable receptacle to be controlled
by the same or similar mechanism for the safe custody of umbrellas walking
sticks and the like such receptacle may be constructed in the form of an ordinary
umbrella stand with a compartment reserved for each umbrella or walking stick.
Over each compartment I place a lid or cover in such a manner that when an umbrella
is placed in the apparatus and the lid closed thereon and held in that position
by a suitable safety device it cannot be removed without first releasing the con-
trolling mechanism which permits of the raising of the lid or cover and which

page_text: may be the same mechanism that is used to secure the hat or the coat or both
or it may be controlled independently of either or both that is to say I may
employ one mechanism and one controlling lock to secure the three personal
properties hat coat and umbrella or other similar articles or I may employ
separate mechanisms and separate locks for each particular purpose or any two
of them may be used in combination.
I also secure umbrellas or walking sticks by another form of apparatus in which
the said cover or lid is permanently fixed and immoveable in which case I employ
suitably shaped rings hooks or loops which can be made to embrace and support
an umbrella or walking stick at intervals along its length any one or all of
which can be made to hold the umbrella or walking stick in such a position as
to prevent its removal until the controlling mechanism allows of its release. Or
I employ a frame having a plate fixed at a suitable distance from the floor per-
forated with a row of holes to receive the lower ends of umbrellas or walking
sticks whilst above this plate is a second plate carrying rods bent into such a
form and so arranged that an umbrella or stick may be placed in position in
the frame and the rod be brought into such a position as to secure the umbrella
or stick mechanism being provided to lock the rods in that position and thus
secure the umbrella or stick I may also employ an intermediate plate with per-
forations so that the umbrella or stick may be held at three points along its
length which would be a safeguard in the case of a flexible stick. Instead of
perforated plates I may employ rings or loops of suitable material and form to
receive umbrellas or walking sticks.
In conjunction with the foregoing apparatus I propose using a locking device
such as is described in Wallingford's Specification No. 10,397 of 1897 in which
the key remains an integral part of the lock until the necessary coin has been
inserted in the slot provided when the key may be turned and the bolt shot
forward into a slotted opening in a rod or bar passing through the lock which
rod or bar forms a part of the mechanism I have described thus preventing its
movement when the koy may be removed from the lock thereby securing the
various articles placed in position in the several parts provided for them-the
key becoming the property of the owner or depositor of such articles till such
time as the holder of the key desires to release them. Having placed the key
again in the lock and withdrawn the bolt the key again becomes a fixture in
the lock the various articles may be removed and the apparatus is ready for the
next person who may require to use it. Or I may use any other lock which may
best answer the purpose.
Dated this Seventh day of January 1899.
JAMES P. MAGINNIS,
9, Carteret Street, Westminster, S.W.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be used for the Safe Custody of Hats,
Coats, Umbrellas, Walking Sticks, and the like.
I, JAMES PORTER MAGINNIS, of 9, Carteret Street, Queen Anne's Gate, West-
minster, S.W., Civil Engineer, 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 apparatus for taking charge of hats, coats, cloaks,
umbrellas, walking sticks, and other like articles, and consists in providing said
apparatus with a suitable device or devices adapted to receive any or all of such

page_text: articles and retain them until suitable mechanism, preferably of the coin-freed
type, is released by the proper person.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which :-
This
Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus constructed according to my invention
for accommodating a hat, a coat and an umbrella, or similar articles.
figure represents one set of such apparatus forming a part of a circular or straight
stand.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a front elevation and a plan, drawn to a larger
scale, of the device for securing the hat or coat.
Figures 4 and 5 show in side and front elevation respectively a modified form
of apparatus for retaining a hat, a coat and an umbrella or similar articles;
and
Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line A-B of.Figure 5.
Figures 6 and 7 show in side and front elevation respectively a modified form
of apparatus for retaining umbrellas and like articles.
In all the figures the same letters of reference indicate the same or similar
parts.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 3:
a is the stand or frame of the apparatus or it may be the wall to which the
various fixed parts of the apparatus are secured. is the bracket or rack formed
of bent wood or metal and adapted to receive a hat. This rack may however
consist of the well known arrangement of parallel brass tubes. It is held in
position by the plate . Over the rack is arranged the retaining device, which
term a guard. This guard consists of a suitably formed arm or loop c, of bent
metal or other material, which is pivoted to the stand at d. It is adapted to
be brought into position over the brim and around one end or side of the interior
of the hat and to thus hold the latter in such a manner that it cannot be removed
from the rack, without first lifting the guard to the position shown in dotted
lines in Figure 1.
The arm is provided with an extension & projecting behind the pivot d. The
free extremity of the extension is pivotally connected to a bolt or bar f, which
is capable of being locked by a suitable coin-freed or similar apparatus o in
such a position that the arm is held down, as shown in full lines in Figure 1,
whereby the hat is securely retained until the bolt is unlocked to permit said
arm to be raised.
g is a peg or hook upon which a coat, cloak or other like garment may be hung
in the usual manner. Attached to or forming part of the guard c is a cap
adapted to come over the point or extremity of the peg when the said guard
is in its lower or retaining position. It will consequently be apparent that none
of the articles suspended from the peg can be removed when the guard is in this
position, and said articles will thus he securely retained until the controlling
mechanism is released.
Instead of placing the cap h on the guard e it may be carried by a separate
arm or guard, adapted to be controlled by coin-freed mechanism independent of
that provided for the safe keeping of the hat. Instead of a cap I may employ
a pin or bolt adapted to enter a recess in the extremity of the peg 9 as will be
hereinafter described.
The receptacle for the custody of umbrellas, walking sticks and the like is
constructed somewhat in the form of an ordinary umbrella stand and has a
compartment reserved for each umbrella or walking stick. I employ two or
more brackets j, j, in which are formed holes i, i, constituting the said com-
partments. Instead of perforated brackets I may employ rings or loops of
suitable material and form to receive umbrellas and walking sticks. Over each
compartment I place a guard consisting of a ledge or flap k pivoted to the stand
or frame at 7, and capable of being placed in an approximately horizontal position,

page_text: as shown in full lines in Figure 1, or of being lifted into the position shown in
dotted lines in such figure. When an umbrella is placed in a compartment and
the corresponding flap is fixed in its lowest position, the said umbrella cannot be
removed. Rigidly secured to or forming part of the flap is an arm m extending
behind the pivot 7. The free extremity of this arm is connected to the aforesaid
bar by a link n. By this arrangement, when the said bar is locked in its upper
position, viz. that in which it holds the guard c in its retaining position, the
guard or flap is also held in its lower or retaining position and an umbrella
or the like in the compartment controlled by the flap cannot be removed until the
bar is unlocked and shifted.
In the modified construction 'shown in Figures 4 and 5, I employ a hook or
peg upon which the hat may be hung in the usual manner.
B
In this case the
guard for the hat is in the form of a fork or ring c adapted, when in its retaining
position, to embrace or partially embrace the hat. The stem of this fork is
provided with a rearward extension piece e connected to the bar ƒ controlled
by the coin freed mechanism o, all in the manner above set forth with reference
to Figures 1 to 3. In the construction now being described the hook' 9 has
a recess at its end into which a pin or projection upon an arm ³ on the
guard is adapted to enter when said guard is in its retaining position and thus
prevent the removal of a coat or like article that may be suspended from the
said hook. A recessed arm or bracket (Figure 5) is also provided, secured
to or formed integrally with the plate 6, into the recess of which the end or
handle of an umbrella or walking stick may be placed. Upon another arm c¹
on the guard c are two pins or projections which, when the guard is lowered,
fit into holes on either side of the recess and prevent lateral movement of the
guard and the removal of the umbrella. Above the recessed arm or bracket I
provide a fixed plate projecting over the umbrella and preventing the removal
of the latter vertically. The lower bracket for securing the umbrella also forms,
in the present instance, a receptacle for any water that may drip therefrom.
Instead of making use of the same controlling mechanism for the umbrella
guard as is used to secure the hat or the coat or both, I may provide said guard
with independent coin freed mechanism for controlling its position.
I may also construct a hat rack, or a series of coat pegs, or an umbrella stand,
according to my invention, each separate from either of the other devices; or
I may combine any two only of such devices together.
Figures 6 and 7 show a modified construction of my apparatus designed to
retain umbrellas or walking sticks only, in which one or more of the loops or
brackets are capable of being shifted to bring the haudle of the umbrella under
a fixed ledge k. and of being locked in such position, thus preventing the removal
of said umbrella until the controlling mechanism is operated to allow of its
release.
The ledge may be a continuous ledge combined with several apparatus for
retaining umbrellas, as represented in the drawings, where two sets or series of
apparatus are shown arranged back to back. Or a single ledge or projection
may be used. This ledge is slotted at and through the slot passes a rod or
bar pivoted to the frame a at or near its lower end. This rod carries one or
more loops or rings into or from which the umbrella or stick can be inserted
or removed when the rod is in its outward position, as indicated at the right
hand side of Figure 6. When the rod is in its inner position the umbrella will
come beneath the ledge which will then prevent the removal of the umbrella
The upper end of the rod is adapted to be engaged by the bolt of the coin-freed
locking device o when in its inner position, and thus prevent the unauthorized
removal of the umbrella in the same manner as in the above described con-
structions.
In conjunction with my improved apparatus I prefer to employ a locking device
in which the key remains an integral part of the lock until the necessary coin
has been inserted in the coin slot. when the key may be turned and the bolt

page_text: of the lock shot forward into engagement with the bar for rod which pass
through the lock, thus preventing movement of said bar, after which the key
may be removed from the lock. The various articles placed in position in the
several parts provided for them are thereby secured, and the key becomes the
property of the owner or depositer of such articles till such time as he desires
to release them. When the key is placed in the look and turned to withdraw
the bolt the said koy again becomes a fixture in the lock. The bar for rod j¹
may then be shifted and the various articles may be removed; the apparatus
being then ready for receiving fresh articles. This lock however forms no part
of my invention, and in its place I may use any other appropriate form of lock.
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:
1. An apparatus in which one or more articles of the kind herein specified can
be retained by a device which is under the control of coin-freed or similar
mechanism substantially as described.
2. An apparatus having its parts constructed arranged and combined to operate
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, or Figures 4, 5
and 5* or Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated this 19th dov of Sentember 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.