US504016A

US504016A - Voting-booth

Info

Publication number: US504016A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1910-08-29

Description

(No ModlQ P. ZUGKRII-IGrEL.

VOTING BOOTH.

Patnted Aug. 29, 1893.-

UNITED STATES T PATENT OFFICE.

PETER ZUOKRIEGEL, OF TELL CITY, INDIANA.

VOTING- BOOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 4,016, dated August 29, 1893.

Application filed October 31,1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER ZUOKRIEGEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tell City, in the county of Perry and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Booths, of which the following is a specification.

Theobject of my invention is a voting booth capable of being folded compactly, and inclosing within it when folded the folded ballot boxes, and serving as ablack board. It is especially intended for use in rural precincts in which the election is usually held in the township school-houses. It is an improvement upon the invention for which Letters Patent 7 were granted to me June 2, 1891, No. 453,528.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention relates may fully understand its construction and operation, I will first describe it in detail, referring by reference letters to the drawings forming part ofthis specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the partially unfolded booths, with the curtains removed to clearly expose the interior arrangements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, folded. Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view of the folded device.

The upper or rigid part of the unfolded booths (a series of three compartments being shown) is a shallow tray formed by the plain back. board A, the longitudinal rails, a, and end rails, a, which are rigidly secured around the edges of the board or bottom A, and the transverse ribs, a, a To the front edge of the lower longitudinal rail, a, is hinged the cover formed of a frame, b, which is rabbeted around its inner edge to receive the panel B, which has secured upon its inner face the transverse ribs, b. The top and back, when unfolded as in Fig. 1, form the back wall of the booths.

The sides of the booths are formed by the paneled frames 0, O, and the leaves D which are hinged to the lower rails of the frames 0, C, so as to fold within said frames and lie flat upon their panels, as clearly seen at the right of Fig. 1. The end paneled frames 0 are hinged upon the ribs, a and the intermediate paneled frames 0 are hinged directly upon the back A. The rib, a being the same thick- Serial No. 450,449. (No model.)

ness as the frames C permits the end paneled frames 0 to fold down fiat over them after they are first folded'flat upon the back A. The ribs, a strengthen the back board, keep it from warping, and also serve as back braces for the paneled frames 0' when unfolded; and the top panel B is also strengthened by transverse ribs, b', 12 which serve as supports for the unfolded leaves D, which, when unfolded, are held in position by hooks, d, which are pivoted to the leaves D, and engage staples, 61, secured in the panel B. Similar hooks are also pivoted to the opposite side of leaves D to engage staples secured in the inner edges of the paneled frames 0 O to hold the leaves in the folded position, as shown at the upper right hand corner of Fig. 1. But these hooks and staples may be dispensed with, as they are only convenient in holding the leaves D in the folded position until the paneled frames are folded. The shelves E are shaped at their ends to fit the paneled frames 0, O, and rest upon the lower framing rail of the said paneled frames. The ends of the shelves are also notched to pass over staples secured in the edge of the lower frame rail, which staples project above the top of the shelves when in place, as seen in the left compartment Fig. 1, to receive the hooks, e, which are pivoted on top of the shelves. The shelves are thus firmly held in position, and together with the ribs, a a brace the paneled frames 0, G, in the unfolded position.

e is a rubber band secured in the vertical stile of the paneled frames, and extending transversely across the panel for the purpose of holding the shelf E in place until the sides are folded upon it. The shelves are of thin material, so that when placed in the panel frames they come flush with the face of the frame, to permit the opposite frame to fold over. The free edges of the frames 0 are rabbeted, and at their upper corners have socured to them by eye and staple connection the curtain rods, F. The free end of these rods have downwardly-turned hooks to engage staples in the intermediate panel frames; and the free edge of one of the intermediate panel frames 0 is similarly formed and provided with a similar rod. The purpose of grooving the edges of the frames is to embed the rods when disconnected, and permit the frames to fold inwardly.

The space between the back and front and the transverse ribs, a is utilized for storing the folded ballot box G. H are hooks secured by pivot screws to the rails a, a, to engage staples in the edges of the frame, 19, for the purpose of holding the parts in the folded position; and I are hook-eyes by which the device is suspended from the wall; and for additional rigidity, if desired, the panel or back A may be rigidly secured in position. The outer face of the panel B, when folded as seen in Fig. 2 serves for a black board, being properly coated for such purpose.

To prepare the booths for voting purposes the hooks H are loosened, the top B, 1), unfolded or dropped down as seen in Fig. 1; the paneled frames 0, C, are then opened out, the leaves D unhooked, folded down against the ribs, b, If, and hooked in place, the shelves E secured in position, and the curtain rods, with the curtains depending from them, thrown up and hooked to the adjacent panels. The curtains, which are not shown, only extend a short distance below the edges of the paneled frames 0, C, so that when the booths are occupied the lower portions or limbs of the occupants are exposed.

It is obvious that many mere mechanical changes or additions may be made in my improved device, but I have shown whatl be lieve to be the simplest form of myinvention, and shall consider such obvious modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially hereinbefore set forth, of the tray, the paneled frames hinged thereto, and adapted to fold within it, the top hinged to one edge of the tray, adapted to close over the folded paneled frames, and the transverse ribs and shelves to hold the paneled side frames in the unfolded position.

2. The combination of the tray, A, a, a, the transverse ribs, a a the paneled frames 0, O, hinged respectively to the back A, and ribs, a adapted to fold one upon the other within the tray, the leaves D hinged to the lower rail of the paneled frames, and adapted to fold in upon the panels, and unfold to form lower extensions of said paneled frames, the shelves E to brace and support the frames in the unfolded position and rest within the paneled frames for folding, the curtains and .rods supporting them for closing the fronts of the booths, and the hinged top B, b, covering the tray when the parts are folded, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combinationof the tray, the paneled frames adapted to fold one upon the other within it, and leave a central space or storage cabinet, the hinged leaves D adapted to fold within the paneled frames, and unfold and form thelower extension of said frames, the hinged part B, b, having transverse ribs, 11, 19 to support the unfolded leaves, and hinged to the lower rail of the tray to fold over it when the parts are closed, the outer face of the top being, when closed, finished to serve as a black board, substantially as shown and described.

PETER ZUOKRIEGEL. Witnesses:

RUDOLPH KAERCHER, F. J. GEORGE.