Improvements in or connected with Coal Vases or Cabinets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept.; 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Coal Vases or Cabinets.
I, WILLIAM HUMPHREYS of 57 Lanark Villas Maida Vale in the County
of Middlesex Commercial Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with coal vases or
cabinets.
A common cause of inconvenience in the use of coal vases and cabinets of
ordinary construction, even when care is exercised in taking coal therefrom is that
fine coal or dust is liable to escape from the vase or cabinet or fall from the scoop
or shovel on to the floor of the room, and as a means of obviating this defect it was
proposed to employ a narrow stationary trough along the front of the vase or
cabinet but this device was not of a practical character.
Now the object of my invention is to provide a practical and efficient means for
obviating this defect.
For this purpose I provide in the vase or cabinet beneath the coal container or
lining a chamber to receive a sliding tray or drawer which normally lies within the
vase or cabinet but which is adapted to be drawn out or projected a given distance
wheu coal is being taken from the vase or cabinet so that any fine coal or dust
falling from the vase or scoop or shovel will be received therein, and I arrange
within the tray or drawer a moveable lining which may be readily taken out and
emptied when desired.
This sliding tray or drawer may if desired be so arranged that it requires to be
pulled out or projected by hand to the necessary distance and similarly closed or
returned to its place after use but I find it more convenient to connect the tray with
the door or doors or lid of the vase or cabinet in such manner that when the latter
is or are opened and closed the tray or drawer will be automatically projected and
retracted, and this arrangement constitutes an important feature of my invention.
In adapting this feature of my invention to a vase or cabinet provided with
folding doors, I provide upon each door an eye and at each side of the tray I
provide corresponding eyes but arranged at right angles to the first and I couple
each pair of eyes by means of a curved rod furnished with loops or hooks at its ends
corresponding with the eyes and connected therewith and I thus obtain the
necessary flexible joints for connecting the ends of the rods and the doors and tray;
or I may employ any other flexible joints for this purpose.
Or I connect the folding doors or the lid by means of a flexible connection or
connections passing around guide pulleys with the back of the tray or drawer, but
this latter arrangement possesses the disadvantage that the doors or lid are required
to be opened in order to project the tray and the tray is required to be pushed in,
in order to close the doors or lid.
Dated this 11th day of December 1801
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Coal Vases or Cabinets.
I, WILLIAM HUMPHREYS of 57 Lanark Villas Maida Vale in the County
of Middlesex Commercial Traveller 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 :—
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with coal vases or
cabinets.
A common cause of inconvenience in the use of coal vases and cabinets of
ordinary construction, even when care is exercised in taking coal therefrom is, that
fine coal or dust is liable to escape from the vase or cabinet or fall from the scoop
or shovel on to the floor of the room, and as a means of obviating this defect it was
proposed to employ a narrow stationary trough along the front of the vase or
cabinet, but this device was not of a practical character.
Now the object of my invention is to provide a practical and efficient means for
obviating this defect.
For this purpose I provide in the vase or cabinet beneath the coal container or
lining, a chamber to receive a sliding tray or drawer which normally lies within
the vase or cabinet but which is adapted to be drawn out or projected a given
distance when coal is being taken from the vase or cabinet, so that any fine coal or
dust falling from the vase or scoop or shovel will be received therein, and I arrange
within the tray or drawer a moveable lining which may be readily taken out and
emptied when desired.
This sliding tray or drawer may if desired be so arranged that it requires to be
pulled out or projected by hand to the necessary distance and similarly closed or
returned to its place after use but I find it more convenient to connect the tray with
the door or doors or lid of the vase or cabinet in such manner that when the latter
is or are opened and closed the tray or drawer will be automatically projected and
retracted and this arrangement constitutes an important feature of my invention.
In adapting this feature of my invention to a vase or cabinet provided with
folding doors, provide upon each door an eye, and at each side of the tray
I provide corresponding eyes but arranged at right angles to the first, and I couple
each pair of eyes by means of a curved rod furnished with loops or hooks at its ends
corresponding with the eyes and connected therewith and I thus obtain the
necessary flexible joints for connecting the ends of the rods and the doors and tray
or I may employ any other flexible joints for this purpose.
Or I connect the lid by means of a flexible connection or connections passing
around guide pulleys with the back of the tray or drawer but this latter arrange-
ment possesses the disadvantage that the tray or drawer is required to be opened in
order to open the door or lid and the door or lid is required to be closed in order to
close the tray.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a coal vase provided with a drawer
or tray according to my invention and
Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of a coal cabinet of a modified
construction in which the drawer or tray is automatically projected by the opening
of the doors.
Figure 4 is a plan thereof and

page_text: modification.
Figure 7 is a plan thereof and
Figure 8 is a front elevation thereof.
Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of a coal vase illustrating a further
slight modification.
Figure 10 is a plan thereof and
Figure 11 is a front elevation thereof.
In the several figures of the drawings in which like parts are indicated by similar
letters of reference the usual removeable metal lining or container for the coal is
omitted for the sake of clearness.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a represents the body of the coal box or vase and
6 represents the door or lid thereof and which parts are of ordinary construction.
Beneath the coal box or vase a in a chamber or recess provided for that purpose
is fitted a tray or drawer c formed with side tongues entering corresponding grooves
in the sides of the box a so that it is capable of being drawn out by the handle or
pull c* a given distance as exemplified at Figure 4 when coal is being taken from
the box or vase a whereby any fine coal or dust falling from the box or vase a or
scoop or shovel e will be received therein the tray or drawer c being afterwards
returned to its closed or normal position as will be readily understood.
Within the sliding tray or drawer c is arranged a moveable lining or tray d which
acts as a receptacle for any falling dust or coal and which may be readily taken out
and emptied when desired and this lining or tray d acts as a holder for the scoop or
shovel e when the latter is not in use.
In the example herein before described the tray or drawer c is required to be
opened and closed separately from the door or lid 6 by hand but in the example
given at Figures 3, 4 and 5 which represents a coal vase or cabinet a provided with
a pair of folding doors b the tray or drawer c is connected with the doors in such
manner that when the latter are opened and closed, the tray or drawer c will be
automatically projected and retracted.
For this purpose upon the inner side of each door b and carried by a suitable
fitting is provided an eye b' and upon the tray or drawer c and similarly carried by
a fitting is provided near to each side thereof a corresponding eye c¹ but the eyes c¹
are arranged at right angles to those b¹.
The eyes 6' c are coupled by means of rods 6* furnished with hooks or loops at
their ends arranged at right angles to the eyes and coupled therewith and the
necessary flexible joints are thus obtained for connecting the ends of the rods 6*
with the doors and tray c but it will be understood that any other suitable flexible
joints may be employed for this purpose.
The coupling rods 6* are curved or beut so as to clear the front edge of the floor
of the coal box or vase a in their movements.
By this arrangement of parts the sliding drawer or tray c containing the scoop or
shovel e may be automatically projected or opened or retracted or closed by
opening or closing the folding doors b; or by pulling out or closing the sliding tray
or drawer c by the aid of the pull c* the doors 6 may similarly be opened or
closed.
In the example given at Figures 6, 7, and 8 in lieu of placing the sliding drawer
or tray c beneath the coal box or vase a it is arranged within a recess above the
same and the eyes care in this case carried by a downwardly projecting block or
beam fixed to the underside of the sliding tray or drawer c.
The sliding tray or drawer c by reason of the peculiar construction of the vase or
cabinet a is of smaller dimensions from front to back than in the preceding examples
and is therefore arranged to accommodate the scoop or shovel e diagonally therein,
instead of parallel therewith as in the previous examples.
In the example given at Figures 9, 10, and 11, the coal box or vase a is of similar
form to that represented at Figures 1 and 2, but in this case, instead of being
connected with the body a by means of a long hinge extending along the top edge

page_text: thereof the lid or door b is fixed upon the outer ends of radius arms 6' which at
their inner ends are mounted upon centres of motion carried by fittings 6* fixed to
the sides of the box a upon the interior thereof, and the door or lid b is thus adapted
to be opened or turned back upon the centres into the position indicated by the
dotted lines in Figure 9.
The door or lid is connected with the tray or drawer c by means of a flexible
connection * at one end attached to an eye ¹ upon the door or lid b and at the
other end attached to an eye c¹ upon the tray or drawer c, guide pulleys 66 being
provided therefor upon the body a whilst a suitable opening a' is formed in the
bottom of the body a to allow of the passage of the flexible connections there-
through.
This arrangement is however, in my opinion inferior to those herein before
described, as it possesses the disadvantage that the tray or drawer c is required to
be opened in order to simultaneously therewith, open the door or lid 6 whilst the
door or lid is required to be drawn out or closed in order to simultaneously close
the tray or drawer c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet, a tray or drawer to contain the
shovel or scoop substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet a tray or drawer located beneath
the coal container substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
3. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet, a tray or drawer provided with a
removeable lining substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
4. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet a tray or drawer, a door or doors
or lid, and suitable connections from the tray or drawer to the door or doors or lid,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
5. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet a tray or drawer, a pair of folding
doors, and bent or curved rods for coupling the doors and tray or drawer substan-
tially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
6. In combination with a coal vase or cabinet, a tray or drawer, a pair of folding
doors, suitable eyes upon the doors, and the tray or drawer, and bent or curved
coupling rods provided with hooks or loops for engaging the eyes of the doors and
tray substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 12th day of September 1892.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.