Improved Quadrants and Stands for Convertible School Desks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Quadrants and Stands for Convertible School Desks.
We, PHILIP HENRY TAYLOR, of 2, Frenchay Villas, Eastville, Bristol,
School Furniture Manufacturer, and CHARLES DAVID HEDDEN, of 14, James
Street, City Road, Bristol, Foreman Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in quadrants and stands for convertible
school desks, and has for its object to provide means whereby desks may be
more readily adjusted to, and held at any required angle, and be locked in
position by a spring controlled bolt.
The stand which supports the quadrant is formed on a solid base to be fixed
on the bookboard of a desk in the usual manner, but at the back of the stand,
an additional arm is formed, to carry the board on which the ink wells and other
school requisites are placed, this board is fixed, and does not require its contents
to be moved when the position of the desk board is altered; on the front of the
stand a standard is erected, with a bolt or pin to form a centre for the quadrant,
a strong plate is attached to the upper side of the quadrant, and
on this the deskboard is fixed, the curved portion of the quadrant being
downwards, with three or more holes drilled in its outer edge to receive a bolt
which is placed in a box fitted near the base of the standard, the bolt is surrounded
by a spring which forces it upwards and engages it in either of the holes with
which it may come into contact. To remove the bolt from contact with the edge
of the quadrant, a lever handle is formed on the lower end of the bolt, as this
is turned over a projection at the bottom of the box, the bolt is withdrawn,
and the quadrant and desk may be turned in any direction; on the other side of
the box is a recess in which the lever is turned when it is required to lock the
bolt in either of the holes in which it has engaged, this being done, the slope
of the desk cannot be changed until the lever is released.
Desks fitted with quadrants and stands made according to this invention can
easily be adjusted and locked in position without removing the pens and stationery
from the top part of the desk.
Dated this 17th day of November 1898
J. G. WESTLAKE,
Applicants' Agent, 2, John Street, Bristol.
Improved Quadrants and Stands for Convertible School Desks.
We, PHILIP HENRY TAYLOR, of 2, Frenchay Villas, Eastville, Bristol,
School Furniture Manufacturer, and CILARLES DAVID HEDDEN, of James Street,
Price 8d.
44

page_text: City Road, Bristol, Carpenter, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in quadrants and stands for convertible
school desks, and has for its object to provide means whereby the desk tops may be
more readily adjusted, to, and. held at any required angle, and be locked in
position by a spring controlled bolt.
Our invention, and suitable means for putting the same into operation, will
be fully described in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, in
which Fig. 1 is a side view, of the quadrant and stand, with the plate which is
attached to the upper side of the quadrant turned back so that the desk top
which is fastened thereto forms a back for the adjacent seat; Fig. 2 is a
plan of the same, showing further details of the quadrant and stand; Fig. 3
is a supplementary plan of the plate which holds the desk top, showing its
exact shape; Fig. 4 is an end view of the stand in position on the book board
of a desk, with the woodwork shown in section; in this view the desk top is
placed flush with the front shelf which carries the ink wells and other school
requisites, to form a horizontal table; Fig. 5 is another view of the stand and
wood work placed in position to form a desk for writing purposes.
The same letters indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is the base of the stand with the necessary holes for bolting or screwing it
to the book board M, at the back a standard B is cast on the stand with a
bearing C to support the front shelf K, which carries the ink wells, pens, and
pencils; at the front, another standard D), preferably inclined towards the back,
is formed with a bolt E therein, on which the quadrant F is pivotted; on the
top of the quadrant, a strong plate G is placed to receive and support the desk
top L which is attached thereto; the usual back board J is shown, enclosing
any articles placed below the front shelf.
The quadrant is made to rotate freely on the bolt E, so that the desk top L
can be placed in any required position, at the lower part on the standard D,
a casing is formed to enclose a bolt H, surrounded by a strong spring h, which
keeps the bolt against the edge of the quadrant, unless it is withdrawn and
held out of contact by the lever I which is fastened to the lower end of the
bolt; a curved lower edge stop is made on the casing, and as the bolt is turned by
the lever, it is depressed, and held under the control of the lever which is placed
below the stop, as shown in Fig. 1; while the bolt is in this position the quadrant
and desk top may be turned in any direction, the lever being turned towards
the front, the spring has the control of the bolt, the end of the bolt is rounded,
so that it may engage readily in holes h1, h2, h3, &c., which are made in the edge
of the quadrant, according to the position in which the desk top is likely to be placed;
when the spring bolt is uncontrolled by the lever, immediately the desk top is
placed in position, the hole in the edge of the quadrant will be near the rounded
end of the bolt, and the spring will automatically press the bolt into the hole,
and keep it firmly in position; to further secure it and prevent it from being
surreptiously unfastened, a stop is placed on the other side of the casing, and
the lever is turned on that side, as shown in Fig. 5, which locks the bolt until the
lever is withdrawn.
With desks fitted on quadrants and stands as described, the desk tops may have
their positions altered at any time without disturbing the front shelves or
removing their contents, and the desk top forms a continuous writing surface,
which is not practicable with many of the convertible desks now in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
The construction of quadrants and stands for convertible school desks with
plates on the upper side of the quadrant to receive the desk tops, and holes in

page_text: the edge of the quadrant in which spring controlled bolts engage to hold the
quadrant and desk in position, substantially as and for the purposes described
and illustrated.
Dated this 18th day of August 1899
J. G. WESTLAKE,
Applicants' Agent, 2, John Street, Bristol.