IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTENSION TABLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Sawyer, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTENSION TABLES."—A com-
munication from Franklin Osgood, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, of the United States of
Amamica
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Sawyer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 6th May 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
SAWYER, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, send greeting.

page_text: Queen Victoria to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it is a communication to me from Franklin Osgood, of
Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, of the
United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Sawyer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, to be as follows; reference being had to
the Drawings which accompany and form part of this Specification:-
The first portion of this Specification gives a descripton of the Inven-
tion sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.
The Invention relates to the disposition of the auxiliary leaves by
which the surface of an extension table is enlarged or diminished as
occasion requires. It is well-known that in such extension tables as are
in most common use the auxiliary leaves or panels are made detachable
from the table frame, and have to be placed in and removed from the
table whenever changes in the extent of table surfaces are required, and
although many constuructions have been devised to obviate this
objectionable feature by 'so combining the auxiliary leaves with the
table, that they may be brought into and carried from the table top
without removal from the frame, such tables have been found too
expensive, too complicated in mechanism, or too fragile for practical
use.
The object of this Invention has been to obtain a construction in
which the auxiliary or supplemental leaves may be folded into the table
frame when not in use, and the table be as simple, firm, and efficient in
construction as the common extension tables with removable leaves.
Also
The Invention consists in the employment of auxiliary leaves hinged
to and folding up with the main leaves of the table, the main leaves
being hinged at such distance above the top of the table frame into
which the auxiliary leaf or leaves may be folded when not in use.
in combination with such folding leaves the employment of supporting
and connecting hinges, the upper surfaces of which are above the plane
of the top of the frame to support the supplemental leaves in position
when the table is extended. Also in the employment of a center piece
or frame provided with pockets into which the supporting hinges shut
when the table is reduced to its normal size.
1

page_text: The Drawings represent in Figure 1, a table embodying the first
portion of this Invention; in Figure 2, a side elevation with the extension
leaves opened on one side of the center piece and closed upon the
opposite side; Figure 3 is a cross section taken on one side of and
looking toward the center piece.
a, a, denote pieces at each end of the table forming in connection
with the legs the main frame or support for the table leaves; b, a
center frame forming with each end frame and connecting. hinges
supports for the auxiliary and main leaves at the opposite ends of the
table when extented; c, c, are the main leaves making up with the drop
leaves; d, d, the ordinary table surface.
.
Instead of hinging or applying the leaves c upon a plane with the top
of the frame a in the usual manner, the hinges e are so applied to the
frame that the main leaf at each end of the table is brought a considerable
distance above the frame a, as seen in Figure 2. This leaves a space
between the lower surface of each leaf c and the top of the frame for the
reception of extension leaves f. There are two of these leaves f shewn
at each side of the center piece b, and these two leaves are hinged
together, and the outer one to the main leaf c; when folded they lay
under the main leaf c, as seen at the right of Figure 2, and to unfold
the same the main leaf is turned up into an upright position. and the
extension leaves are then turned on their hinges and drawn out from
the main leaf as will be readily understood. Each end frame a is
connected with the center frame by long extension hinges or hinged
plates g, as seen in Figure 1, and the frame 6 is provided with pockets h
into which these hinges close when the table is shut up or is unextended.
When either frame a is drawn away from the frame 6 these hinges are
drawn out from their pockets and the parts of each into line, as seen in
Figure 1, and the upper surface of each hinge is on the plane of the
lower surface of the main leaves, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, so that
when the leaves f are drawn out and let down upon the hinge g, they
will be supported by said hinges on a level with the main leaves, and
the upper surface of the center frame 6, as seen in Figure 2, when the
leaves are folded, and the frames a and b closed together, the supporting
hinges g will enter the pockets, thus allowing the main leaves to come
up(flush against the center frame.
It will be obvious that only a single folding leaff may be used on one
or both sides of the center frame, or that three or more may be used instead
#
:[

page_text: of two, the space between the main leaf and the top of the frame a being
made in accordance with the number and thickness of the leaves to be
folded therein.
When the leaves arc folded all the parts are in a very compact
position, and the table has no unsightly or cumbersome appendages, and
when extended if forms a very light and firm table, and the parts arc
brought from one position to the other with ease and with the very
ordinary skill possessed by common domestics.
The second portion of these improvements represent in Figure 4 of
the accompanying Drawings an under side view of the improved
extension table partly extended; in Figure 5 an end view of the same;
and in Figure 6, a detail sectional view taken through the line x, x,
Figure 4. This the second portion of these improvements has for its
object so to improve folding leaved extension tables as to make a
more permanent and substantial center frame for the support of the
center leg or legs which support the center of the table when extended,
and at the same time giving a greater extension when required, and
making it more easy to extend and close up, and permanently fastening
one side of the table in its place while the other side is extended; and it
consists in making the end rail in three or four parts (according to the
amount of extension required) in combination with one or more strips
permanently attached to the central part or parts of the end rails, and
also in combination with one or two strips or bars permanently attached
to the under edge of the central part or parts of the end rails to which
the central leg or legs are attached.
A, A, are the legs of the table which are attached to the end rails C
and side rails B in the ordinary manner. The end rails C are made in
three or four pieces or divisions according to the length of extension
required. The Drawings of this the second portion of these improvements
represent them as being made in four parts c², c², c³, c, but the
parts c², c³, may be so made as to form one part where only a limited
extension is required.
D, Figure 4, are the end folds which are hinged to each other and to
the parts c¹, c, of the end rails; and E, E, are the central folds which
are also hinged to each other and to the central parts. Both folds D
and E are hinged to the central parts c², c³, of the end rails C by double
jointed hinges F, so that. they may be folded up closely; G¹, G²,

page_text: G³, G*, are the leaves of the side extension, the leaf G² being connected
to the leaf G³ by flexible hinges and dowel pins, and the leaves G³, G³, G³,
being connected to each other by ordinary joint hinges. The leaf G
being connected to the side rail B by hinges enables the leaves to be
folded together as they are shown at Figure 5, the leaves G³ and G*
folding into recesses formed in the end rails C for this purpose.
The end rails C when raised up are held in position by a spring
rack H, the lower ends of which enter notches formed in the rails B, and
which when the leaves are lowered pass under said rails, as shown in
Figure 5. I, I, represent narrow leaves which are permanently attached
to the central parts or divisions c³, c³, of the end rails C, one leaf I
however being all that is required when the end rails C are formed in
three parts; J, J, are strips or bars attached to the under edges of the
central legs K, K, are attached as they are shown in Figures 4 and 5;
L are buttons which are pivoted to the edges of one of the strips or
bars J, and which may be turned up to confine part of the folds E when
their full extension is not required; M are loose leaves which rest upon
the central folds E and form the central part of the top when the table
is fully extended.
When the table is folded the parts of the end rails C are secured to
each other by hooks and staples N, as shown in Figure 5.
T 11
1 T
C
1