US554682A

US554682A - Conjuring apparatus

Info

Publication number: US554682A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 1913-02-18

Description

(No Model.)

W. HANLON. GONJURING APPARATUS.-

-No. 554,682. Patented Feb. 18, 1896.

Inventor.

\ I Q I Attorn ANDRLW BGRAHAM. PnoTo-LfmQwAsl-HNGTON. D c

iATENT- FFlCE.

TVILLIAM HANLON, OF COHASSET, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONJURING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,682, dated February 18, 1896.

Application filed January 8, 1894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HANLON, of the city of Oohasset, county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Oonj urin g Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to stage-conjuring apparatus; and it consists of certain improvements, which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus in the form of a chair or seat upon which a person may sit, and while the said chair or seat is in full View of the audience be caused to disappear. The chair or seatis so supported that it is exposed to view from all sides and from above and below as well, so that the illusion is heightened by the fact that there is no opportunity for the person to escape from the chair without being seen.

In carrying out my improvement I provide a chair or seat structure made hollow in the seat and having the compartment formed thereby provided with one or more projecting compartments, the seat compartment being adapted to receive the body of the person who is to vanish, while the arms or legs or both are caused to extend into the projecting compartments.

In my preferred form of the apparatus I form the four feet of the chair hollow, so that they form projecting compartments frcm the seat compartment. The subject then places her legs into the two front legs of the chair then lays her body down upon the bottom of the chair so as to be received in the seat-oompartment and thrusts the arms down into the compartments formed by the two rear legs of the chair. A hinged door or lid closes the seat-compartment, so that the subject cannot be seen.

A hood or temporary cover is thrown over the front of the chair when the subject is seated thereon, and while in that position the subject, while thus hidden from view, quickly gets into the hollow compartments, and when the hood or covering is removed the chair is apparently empty. To heighten the effect I have usually made the chair with very short legs and then set it upon a carrier, also hav- Serial No. 496,035. (No model.)

ing legs, which is supported on the shoulders of four men. The legs of the carrier are also hollow and come in line with the legs of the chair, so that the legs of the subject may pass through the legs of the chair and down into the legs of the carrier. The same may be done with the arms. When the apparatus is properly constructed and manipulated the effeet is most puzzling and is seldom fathomed.

My invention, while preferable in certain forms, is not confined to any special design, but comprehends all conjuring chairs in which the'seat is made hollow and provided with one or more projecting compartments, so that the limbs as well as the body of the subject may be shielded within the natural confines of a chair structure.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved conjuring-chair upon its carrier. Fig. 2 is a front sectional elevation of same on line as 00. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of my improved apparatus. Fig. 5 is a plan View of same, and Figs. 6 and '7 are elevations of still other modifications of my invention.

A is the chair proper, B is thehood or cover therefor, and O is the carrier.

Y The chair A is made of any suitable shape, highly ornamented, and is provided with a compartment D in the seat portion, which is furnished with a hinged lid .or cover E, the hinge thereof being preferably on the side adjacent to the audience.

The chair has a back F and four legs G, which are made hollow and open into the seatcompartment D, forming projectin g compartments therefrom.

The chair may have four handles H with which to lift it.

B is a hood formed of hoops B hinged to the chair at b and having a covering 13 of textile material. The hood may be thrown down in front of the chair, as indicated in dotted lines, or thrown back to expose the subject.

The carrier 0 is formed like a table with four legs I, made hollow and opening through It is also provided with four long the top.

ICO

handles .I, by which it may be lifted and supported 011 the shoulders of four men. The openings to the hollow legs I of the carrier are at each exhibition covered with tissue paper S corresponding in color to that of the carrier. The bottom of the legs G of the chair are also open, and when the chair is lifted upon the carrier the hollow legs G are placed immediately over the hollow legs I. The hood B is then turned down, and during the operation of lifting the carrier and chair upon the shoulders of the four men the subject stows herself away within the compartments of the seat and the legs of both the chair and the carrier.

It will be readily appreciated that by employing the carrier the effect may be enhanced, first, by shortening the height of the chair and making it appear small, and, second, by providing means for supporting the chair in space.

The function of the chair as a means for receiving the legs and arms of the subject is thought of for the moment and it appears as if its function were wholly to be a means for elevating the chair. In practice the subject is so adept and quick in her movements that it appears as if the vanishing was performed in an instant.

The carrier may be dispensed with if desired by simply making the legs G of the chair A deep enough or by forming the compartments as shown in other figures. IV here the carrier is used, the openings to the legs I are covered with tissue paper, as I have before stated, so that it appears as if there could be no connection between the chair and carrier, and when the subject is being received in the compartments the feet and hands are thrust through the tissue paper. The position of the subject in vanished position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 4, the chair is intended to be used without the carrier shown in Fig. 3. In this figure the chair is shaped to represent a dragon. The head portions K are made hollow and open from the seat-compartment D, and are adapted to form projecting compartments to receive the feet andlegs. The tail portions L of the dragon form rear handles and constitute two rear projecting compartments for receiving the arms. The position of the subject is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. B is the hood or cover, as in the case of Fig. 1. The head and tail portions of this chair act as handles by which the chair may be elevated and carried without the use of the carrier. The carrier of Fig. 3 may be used with this chair of Fig. 4; if desired, however. It is also evident that two of the legs of this chair may be utilized to receive the arms or legs, as in the case of Fig. 1, the remaining parts being reeeivedin the head portions K or tail portions L.

In the construction shown in Fig. 0 we have still another modification of the apparatus. In this case the chair is shown as supported on wheels. The seat is made hollow as before to form the compartment D, and the back M in this case is also made hollow, so that the subject may lie on her back in the compartment D and thrust her limbs up into the back compartment or compartments M, as indicated in dotted lines. 15 is the movable hood, as in the other cases. F is the lid or cover to the seat-compartment. In this case the arms are held alongside of the body. It is also evident that while in this case we have but a single projecting compartment opening from the seat-compartment, we may employ projecting compartments at the front, as in the other cases, to receive the arms.

In Fig. 7 is shown a construction in which the feet are received in rear-handled extensions of the chair and the arms in the hollow forefeet of the chair.

The various types of my invention disclose the one general feature of making the chair with a seat-colnpartment from which open one or more projecting compartments, the whole being adapted to receive the body and limbs within the confines of the chair structure.

In the operation the hood or shield covering is always thrown down or over the front portion of the chair and subject so as to give a shelter during the time necessary to secrete herself withinthe chair. By selecting a slender subject the chair maybe built to just rcceive her and thus be made delicate or light in appearance, so that to the audience it would not appear possible for a person to be secreted therein; also, by employing for a dress a thin but fluffy silk puffed out, a very small slender person may appear to be quite large and thus heighten the magic effect.

The opening into the compartments of the chair may be made in any suitable manner and may be formed by a cloth, flexible, or rigid cover hinged or otherwise connected.

Ido not confine myself to the details of construction or the particular kind of hood or shield, as all of these may be modified without departing from my invention.

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

1. Gonj uring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure having a hollow seat-compartment and one or more projecting compartments opening therefrom, and a movable lid or cover forming an entrance to the seatcompartment in combination with a movable hood or shielding cover adapted to be thrown over the front portion of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting in the chair.

2. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure made with a hollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lid, and provided with hollow leg or foot portions forming projecting compartments in combination with a movable hood or shielding cover adapted to be thrown over the front of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting in the chair.

3. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structureohaving a hollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lid, and provided with hollow leg or foot portions forming projecting compartments in combination with a movable hood or shielding cover adapted to be thrown over the front of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting in the chair, and a carrier also provided with hollow leg or foot portions adapted to form continuous hollow compartments with leg portions of the chair.

4. Con j uring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollow seat-compartment and hollow leg portions forming projecting compartments, in combination with a carrier formed with hollow leg portions adapted to come into line with the leg portions of the chair proper and form continuous compartments extending from the seat-compartm ent down and into the legs of the carrier.

5. Conj uring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollow seat-compartment and hollow leg portions forming projecting compartments in combination with a carrier formed with hollow leg portions adapted to come into line with the leg portions of the chair proper and form continuous compartments extendin g from the seat-compartment down and in to the legs of the carrier, and rupturable coverings over the upper openings of the hollow leg portions of the carrier to temporarily seal or hide said openings.

(3. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollow seat-compartment and hollow leg portions formingproj ectin g compart ments, in combination with a carrier formed with hollow leg portions adapted to come into line with the leg portions of the chair proper and form continuous compartments extending from the seat-compartment down and into the legs of the carrier, in combination with a movable hood or shielding-cover adapted to be thrown over the front portion of the chair to temporarily hidethe subject sitting in the chair.

7. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair structure formed hollow and having compartments arranged at angles to each other and adapted to receive the body and limbs of the subject, and provided with a lid or cover to obtain access to said compartments, in combination with a movable hood or shielding-cover adapted to be thrown over the front portion of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting in the chair.

8. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair structure formed hollow and having compartments arranged at angles to each other and adapted to receive the body and limbs of the subject, and provided with a lid or cover to obtain access to said compartments, in combination with a detachable carrier having hollow portions adapted to open into the compartments of the chair proper when the latter is placed upon the carrier.

9. Con j uring apparatus consisting of a rigid or self-supporting chair or seat structure having a horizontal hollow seat-compartment, and one or more projecting compartments opening from one or both ends thereof, amovable lid or cover forming an entrance to the seat-compartment, and a removable shield or cover adapted to temporarily hide the occupant sitting in the chair or seat structure.

10. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure having a horizontal hollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lid provided with hollow rigid supporting leg or foot portions forming projecting compartments from the end or ends of the hollow seat-compartment, and a removable shield or cover adapted to temporarily hide the occupant sitting in the chair or seat structure.

11. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a rigid chair structure formed hollow and hav ing rigid compartments arranged at angles to each other and adapted to receive the body and limbs of the subject, provided with a lid or cover to obtain access to said compartments, and a removable shield or cover adapted to temporarily hide the occupant sitting in the chair.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM HANLON. \Vitnesses ANNIE L. PHELPS, WILLIAM UUSHING WAIT.