IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOW CASES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Sage at the Office of
...the Commissioners of Patents, with his- Petition, on the 21st March
1866...
I, FREDERICK SAGE, of Hatton Garden, in the City of London, Show Case
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the 'said. Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOW CASES," to be as follows:-
In the ordinary glass show cases which are placed on counters or tables in
shops or warehouses for the purpose of exhibiting goods, and yet protecting
them from dust and injury, the tops or covers are usually hinged. to the fixed
part, so that when it is desired to open the case in order to obtain access to.
the goods contained therein, it is- necessary either to hold up the lid or cover
by hand, or else to support it by means of a strut or stay. In the one case
the attendant is deprived of the use of the hand required to hold open the lid,
and in the other there is, the danger of the strut being accidentally knocked
away, in which event the glass lid or cover would. descend with a crash and
probably be broken.
The object of the present Invention is to obviate these inconveniencies, and
to adapt the glass lid.or cover to the case in such a manner that it will open
of itself when-unfastened, and will remain in. an elevated or open position
until closed by the hand. To this end the lid or cover is provided with or is
acted on by a spring or springs, or weighted cords, which will always have a
tendency to hold it open.
One method of carrying out the Invention consists in adapting to the hinge
joint of the lid or cover a twisted, flat, or rectangular spring which will always

page_text: have a tendency to straighten out, and in so doing will lift up the lid or cover
to which it is secured.
Another method consists in adapting to the hinge joint a sector rack at one
or both ends, and into which gears a pinion or pinions on the end of a spring
roller, something like an ordinary spring blind roller.
As a modification of this the pinion may be placed on the axis of the hinge
joint, and by causing a sector rack (acted on by a strong spring behind) to
gear into the pinion the latter will be made to rotate when the lid or cover
is released from its catch and will thereby be opened.
Another plan consists in adapting to the hinge joint a lever or levers, to
the outer ends of which are adapted weighted cords or india-rubber springs,
which will have the same tendency to pull open the lid or cover of the case.
As a modification of this plan the fulcrum of the lever may be placed in
advance of the hinge of the rising lid or cover, and the lever may be extended
forward under the frame of the lid, so that when the hinder end of the lever
is pulled down by the tension of a spring or weighted cord the fore end of the
lever will lift up the lid, and act as a stay or support while it is open.
Instead of raising this stay by means of a spring or weighted cord adapted to
the tail end of the lever a strong coiled spring, such as a clock spring, may
be adapted to the axle or fulcrum of the stay or lever. When this modi-
fication is adopted it will be convenient to assist the opening and raising of the
lid or cover by the hand, leaving the spring but little more to do than to
elevate the stay or strut and support it in its raised position. In whatever
way this power to open the lid be applied it will be necessary to hold down the
lid or cover by means of a spring catch in front when it is required to keep
the case closed, and when it is desired to open the case it will only be necessary
to depress or force back the spring catch by means of a projecting stud
attached thereto, and then the lid or cover will be opened either by the force
of the spring or weight acting alone on the hinder part near the hinge joint
or assisted by the hand of the attendant.