Improvements in Dressing, Travelling, and other Bags, Portmanteaus, and the like
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dressing, Travelling, and other Bags,
Portmanteaus, and the like.
1. WILLIAM FREDERICK WILLIAMS, of 32, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W.
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to top fitted dressing bags, dental and surgical bags, and
the like, portmanteaus and other travelling bags, and has for its object to so
construct, arrange, and operate the holders or frames in which the toilet or other
requisites, fittings, or instruments, are carried that by the act of throwing back
the heads of the bag or other receptacle the holders or carriers (which are in a
horizontal position when the bag or other receptacle is closed) will be raised to the
upright position and there be firmly maintained whilst the heads are thrown
completely outwards so as to give free access to the fittings, the said carriers or
holders moving through an arc of 90 degrees, whilst the heads by which they are
operated are moved through 180 degrees. It also has for its object to cause the
heads to spring apart immediately the lock is unfastened.
The toilet or other requisites fittings or instruments are fitted in the usual pockets
or holders upon the opposite sides of frames or stands each formed of two leaves or
boards hinged together at the top and adapted to be sprung apart at the base so
as when removed from the bag or other receptacle to stand upon the dressing or
other table and hold the fittings in readily accessible and upright position for use.
The hinged leaves of this stand are provided with a contrivance whereby they may
be readily closed together, said contrivance consisting preferably of a lifting
handle upon a rotating spindle passing down between the two hinged leaves and
terminating in oppositely directed T-headed arms engaging in slotted plates fixed to
the inner sides of the hinged leaves so that by partially rotating the spindle the
leaves will be drawn together or moved apart. These stands are held in the bag
or other receptacle by being slid each into a pair of channelled standards pivoted
about the same axes as the heads so as to be adapted to lie down on or within the
bag mouth frame or to stand up vertically therefrom, said standards being connected
to the respective head frames each by a link jointed to the head frame and to a
sliding collar on the standard, or by a quadrant attached to the latter and working
through a slot in the former, or any equivalent connection whereby the head frame
in moving through 180 degrees about its hinge will be caused to move the standards
from the horizontal to the upright position and vice-versa.
In order that, when the bag or other receptacle is closed, the glass and other
fragile fittings may be protected from injury they are placed at the side of the
carrier or stand which is undermost when the bag or other receptacle is closed
and in order that these fittings shall not encroach upon the space within the mouth
of the bag or other receptacle, whether the latter is closed or open, the carrier
frame is formed with return ends at right angles to the plane of the carrier, which
ends are flanged to slip into the channelled standards so that, although said
standards are necessarily in the plane of the hinge axis of the heads, the carrier
frame is set outwards therefrom sufficiently to afford room on the inner side for the
bottles and other articles without causing them to project over the mouth or body
when the bag or other receptacle is opened.
The bag or other receptacle is provided with a handle at the side, and in order
to prevent the fittings falling out of their holders when it is carried or stood side

page_text: upwards, the faces of the heads which abut when in the closed position, are
enclosed and padded so as to form partitions which intervene between the two
sets of fittings when the heads are closed and which when the heads are thrown
outwards are quite clear of the fittings.
In order to cause the heads to spring partly open when the lock is unfastened,
and so facilitate opening the bag or other receptacle, a torsion or coile spring is
applied to act on the hinge knuckles of the heads, said spring being either passed
hrough or being coiled about the tubular tie rod connecting the bag head hinges.
Dated this:5th day of January 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Dressing, Travelling, and other Bags,
Portmanteaus, and the like.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK WILLIAMS of 32 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W.
Gentleman, 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 "top fitted" dressing or travelling bags, portmanteaus,
dental and surgical bags and the like, and has for its principal object to so operate
the holders or frames in which the toilet or other requisite fittings or instruments
are carried that by the act of throwing back the heads of the bag or other receptacle,
the holders or carriers (which are in a horizontal position when the closed bag or
other receptacle is placed ready for opening) will be raised to the upright position.
Another object of my invention is to so construct the holders or carriers just
mentioned that when raised to the upright position (whether by the act of throwing
back the heads of the bag, or separately by hand) such holders or carriers shall tend
to maintain their upright position so long as the heads of the bag remain open.
A further object is to prevent the fittings from falling out of their holders, or
the tops of one set of fittings striking against those of the opposite set when the
bag is closed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dressing bag in the open position.
Figure 2 is a cross section in the closed position.
Figure 3 is a separate view of the removable carrier for the fittings,
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of a hinge and adjacent parts of the
framework, and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bag in the open position illustrating a
modified form of the invention.
The toilet or other requisites or the instruments as the case may be are fitted in
the usual pockets or holders upon the opposite sides of two frames or stands A. A.
held in the bag or other receptacle by being slid each into a pair of channelled
standards B. B. pivoted on the same hinges c. as the bag heads C. When the
bag is closed these standards lie down on or within the bag mouth frame D. and
when it is opened they stand up vertically therefrom, the standards being brought
to these positions by the closing and opening of the respective head-frames, to
which the standards are each connected by a link E. jointed respectively to the
head frame and to a clip F. embracing and sliding on the standard B. as shown in
Figures 1. and 4.
If it be desired to limit the motion of the standards about their hinges a
shoulder b. (Figure 4) may be provided on the hinge knuckle of the standard which

page_text: by coming against the fixed part of the hinge will act as a stop to prevent the
standards passing more than a few degrees beyond the vertical position. To
prevent the bag heads swinging out further than is necessary for giving access to
the fittings stops e. may be affixed to the standards B. to limit the sliding movement
of the clips F. towards the hinge whereby also when the bag is opened as shown
in Fig. 1. the standards B. are rigidly held in the raised position.
In order that, when the bag or other receptacle is closed, the glass and other
fragile fittings may be protected from injury they are placed at that side of the
carrier or stand A. which is undermost when the bag or other receptacle is closed,
nd in order that these fittings shall not encroach upon the space within the mouth
of the bag or other receptacle when in the closed position or project over the bag
mouth when in the open position each carrier frame A. is formed with return
ends A 1 at right angles to the plane of the carrier frame which erds are flanged
as at a. to slip into the channels of the standards B. so that, although said standards
are in the plane of the hinge axis c. of the bag heads C., the carrier frame is
cranked or set outwards sufficiently to afford room on the inner side for the bottles
and other bulky articles without allowing them to project at all over the mouth or
body when the carriers are in the raised position shown in Figure 1., so that the
fittings although situated at the inner side of the carrier are at the outer side of
the vertical plane of the hinges. There is therefore no tendency of the carriers
to fall inwards even though they were not retained in the upright position by the
link connection with the bag heads, which can be dispensed with unless it is desired
for the purpose of raising the standards.
Owing also to the cranked form of the carrier frame, the latter has a broad
enough base to stand upright when removed from the standards, and placed upon
the dressing or other table, as indicated in Figure 3.
The bag or other receptacle may be provided with a haudle at the side or at top,
or both, and in order to prevent the fittings falling out of the holders when it is
carried or stood side upwards, the heads C. are closed in and padded as at G. so
as to enclose the tops of the toilet bottles and other fittings, the padded partitions G.
intervening between the two sets of fittings when the heads are closed so that the
one set cannot rub against the other. When the heads are thrown outwards the
padded parts G. pass quite clear of the fittings, so as not to obstruct access to them.
In Figure 5. I have shown a bag or case in which the carriers fold inwards in a
direction at right angles to the head or lid of the bag and are raised and lowered
by hand. In this case the padded partitions G¹ extend across the inside of the
head C' of the bag but if the carriers with the same form of bag are hinged in the
same direction as the head of the bag the partitions will then extend longitudinally
of the head. It is obvious that in certain cases a single partition will suffice.
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 a 66 top fitted "
dressing or other bag the supporting standards of the
carriers for the fittings pivoted co-axially with the bag heads and coupled to the
bag head frames by link and slide connections as described so that by the act
of opening or closing the bag heads the carriers will be raised or lowered
substantially as specified.
ג'
2. In a "
top fitted dressing or other bag the carriers for the fittings, outwardly
cranked or formed so that the fittings supported at the inner side thereof are
wholly or substantially at the outer side of the plane of the hinge axes, so that
they do not project over the bag mouth when the carriers are in the raised position
as described.
3. In a "top fitted" dressing or other bag the combination with channelled
standards pivoted about the bag head hinges, of carrier frames for the fittings
cranked or provided with return ends and flanges adapted to fit removably in the
channelled Standards as described.

page_text: 4. In a dressing or other bag having carriers for the fittings pivoted about the
bag head hinges, the closing in of the bag heads on the inner abutting faces so as to
form partitions between the two sets of fittings when the bag heads are closed
substantially as specified.
5. In a dressing or other bag in which the fittings are contained in carriers
hinged to the bag frame the employment of a partition or partitions fixed
within the bag head to hold the fittings in place when the bag is closed substantially
as specified.
Dated this 5th day of October 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.