US874846A - Combined table and desk. - Google Patents

Description

No.874,846. I PATENTED DEG.'24,1907.

- I I B. HIGGINS.

COMBINED TABLE ANDDESK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3011907.

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Qvwantoz attowog4 No. 874,846. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907. ,E. HIGGINS.

GOMBINBD TABLE AND DESK.

APPLIQATION FILED JULY 30, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. EDMUND HIQGINS, 0F SOLDIERS HOME, CALIFORNIA. I

To all. whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND I-Ireonvs, a citizen of the United States, residing at SoldiersHome in the county of Los Angeles and State of Gaiifornia, have invented a new and useful Combined Table and Desk, of which the following is a s ecification. i

This invention as reference to improvements in combined tables and desks, and is designed to. produce a desk on which. heavy volumes may be easily secured. and-read without the necessity ofbending over the desk.

The object of the invention is to produce a desk having a top which may be tilted to various degrees from the horizontal forconvens ience in reading a book placed upon the to and which may also be brought to a near y vertical position so that the top. may be utilized as an easel for artists, si 11 writersand others. In addition to, this, t e structure is so arranged as to. rovide a secret compartment not at all lia leto be found by any one unacquainted with the structure of the desk.

. The invention consists essentially in a desk body a top movable about a center so as to be tilted to a convenient inclination for reading, and the top is also movable about another center so as to be tilted into a nearly vertical position for use as an easel.

The moving top is rovided with a curtain extension so arrange as to hide the interior of the body as the top is tilted, and beneath this curtain there is arranged a secret cornpar-tment havinga cover which is accessible when the curtain is removed, While the upper wall of the secret compartment may be so formed as to in art constitute a rack for holding the top in t e inclined positions to, which it is adjustable.

The invention Wlll be fully understood from thefollowin detailed description, taken in connection wit the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this specification, in which,

Fi e 1 is a perspective view of the combined d esk and table, showing the desk structure projected; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the structure, showing the top moved to an inclination; Fig. 3 isa perspective view of the-latch mechanism. for holding the top in the inclined positions; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views. 3

Referring to the drawin s, there is shown a desk frame consistin of hollow end pedestals 1 which may, if esired, be made sufiiciently wide, to receive drawers in the usual Specification of Letters-Patent. Application. filed July so. 1907. Serial no. 386.227.

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manner, and; the pedestals; are joined a back 2 and suits leicross 3 together wlth a bottom 4 and an s el 5, aswel as a front conn ction 6, The whole structure may rest/upon casters. '1 in the usual manner.

Housed in the space between thepedestals 1s a, desk structure consisting of sides, 8 pivot: ed a heir lower n s, as show at 9,. o; a

fixe Portio of h pe st s; an hese sides are conne d: by atopa e 0 an an m: Th p t.I r0vidtuiv mental front 1 1. with a depressed portion 12forthereceptipn of stationery and the like, and this a p ning n rm cl s y a v r L Within the. receptac e. 12 may be located an inkwell 14 having a closure 15. at the. upper end. The frame'lO, is hing front corners of the sides 8 and the other end of he am i prov ded. wi h r l er mmmg .11 g id 8. f r e in. th upper Po t on of the top of the desk structure, so that when the sides 8 of the desk. structure are drawn outward the frame 10 'is carried.- th rewith and ultimately engages the tops of these sides 8, when the cover 10 and frame 13 restin an inclined position a propriate for a person seated n a chair an at about the proper height and slant for a person to $9 the desk for writing.

The body' portion is continued upward above the desk receiving portion, and. 1s provided with arc-shaped; u per ends 19 struck from a center determine by pivots 20, to be heremafter referred to. Fitted to the upper end of the body is a rectangular top 2], ha?)- ing sides with walls curved on arcs struck from the ivots 20, as shown at 22, and the curved e ges 22 rest upon the arc-shaped or curved e ges 19. At each end of the top 21 are guide plates 23 extending downward a short distance along the ends of the pedestals of the desk, so that the top is prevented; from moving longitudinally with relation to the desk, and exterior to these guides. are other side extensions 24 to which are pivoted arms ed at 16 to then these ar in m, r m unt d upon the pivots 20. The. other ends of the arms 25 are offset, as shown at 26, and curved upon a center determined by a pivot 27 I connectin the arms 25 and side extensions 24.

ow, let' it be supposed that the top. 21; of the structure, which constitutes the bookholdillg P for ad g P rpos s, smQv-ed ivots 20 as an It be clined position and may be moved in such direction until the arms 25 meet stops 28 and their motion is then arrested. However, the top may still be turned about the pivots 27, and the structure is such that when the motion of the arms 25 is arrested by the stops 28 the to may then be turned about the shorter axis dbtermined by the pivots 27 and be allowed to assume a nearly vertical position along the front of the pedestals. When in this position the top may be held by extensible brackets 29, normally housed in the pedestals and pivoted thereto at their lower ends, while the extent of projection of these brackets is determined by stops 30 carried thereby and engaging the front walls of the pedestals where the brackets project through the latter. Each bracket is provided with a knob 31 for convenient manipulation. The brackets are so constructed that when projected their upper edges are horizontal. By moving the engaging edge of the top along the upper edge of the brackets 29 away from the bod of the structure,the inclination of the wor g face of the top section of the table may be adjusted at will.

Along one edge of the working face of the top 21 1s a ledge 32 against which may rest the edge of a book, such as indicated at 33, and a cord 34 may be provided for holding the leaves of the book in position, and for other purposes, or more than one cord may be provided if so desired. When'the top is in the nearl vertical position for use as an easel the le ge,32 will serve as a sup ort for anything placed upon the easel, w e the cord or cords 34 may then be utilized to hold the paintin or sign or whatever else may be placed on t e easel, in place. I

Just above the frame 10 and housed in the body of the structure is a plate 35, between which latter and the adjustable top there remains a considerable space. This space is utilized as a. secret compartment by placing above the plate 35 a curved wall 36 having one section 37 constituting about one-half of the wall 36 hinged thereto, as shown at 38. The hinge or hinges are arranged longitudinally with reference to the wall 36, so that when the front end of the section 37 is raised access is had to the space beneath the wall 36 and between it and the late 35. Suitable latches 39 may be provi ed for holding the hin ed section or door 37 closed.

ounted in the top portion 21 at the rear edge thereof is a curta1n roller 40 carrying a curtain 41, the free end of which may be provided with hooks 42 to engage pins 43 on the body portion of the structure, so that when the top portion 21 is adjusted to various degrees of inclinations the curtain 41 will be withdrawn from the roller 40 and overs read the wall 36, thus hiding it from view an also concealing the fact that this wall covers a secret compartment. The secrecy of this compartment may be further provided for by placlng the hinges 38 on the inner or concealed side of the wall 36, so that even were an observer to see the division line between the cover section 37 and the remainder of the wall 36 there would be no intimation that this constituted a hinged section which could be opened.

The wall 36, with its hinged section 37, near each end is formed with series of ratchet teeth 44 in which normally engage pawls 45 fast on a plate .46 hinged on a rod 47 extending through the to 21. The pawl-carrying plate 46 is en age by the angle ends 48 of rods 49 suitab y supported in eyes or brackets 50 fast in the top of the structure. These rods 49 extend to'and through the front panel 51 of the top 21 and are there turned at an the pawls 45 out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 44. Now, by pulling upon the handle ends 52 of the rods 49 the top may be tilted forward as far as desired, when the rods 49 may be returned to their normal posi-.

tion, thus releasing the plate 46 and permitting the pawls 45 to drop into engagement with the teeth 44. Under these conditions the top 21 will remain in the inclined osition, being held there by the awls 45, until the latter are again released om the teeth, when the top may be further tilted. It may, however, be pushed back to its normal horizontal position without mani ulating -the rods 49, since the pawls 45 are free to move upward from the teeth. When the top is moved backward to its normalposition the roller 40, which is of the spring roller type, will rewind the curtain 41.

When it is desired to gain access to the secret compartment the curtain ma be unhooked from the pins 42 and the top ten ht to the position shown in dotted lines in ig. 2, resting on the brackets 29. The cover 37 is then exposed to view and by mani ulating the latches39 to release the cover tl ie latter may be lifted and access to the secret compartment may be had.

I claim p p 1.. The combination in a desk, of a main frame, ivot members carried thereby, the top of t e frame being arranged on a curved line struck from the center of said pivots, an adjustable top section, arms mounted on said pivots, pivotal connections between the arms and the top section, a rack carried by the mainframe, and a pawl carried by the top section and engaging said rack.

'3. The combination in a desk, of a main frame, an ad ustable top section, pivotal connections between the top section and the .main frame whereby the top section may be .pivot arms, and pawl-and-ratchet adjusting means for the top section 4. The combination in a desk, of a main frame, pivot arms carried thereby, a top section, the meeting edges of the top section and main frame being curved on an arc struck from the axis of the pivotal connections between the arms and the main frame, pawland-ratehet detents for holding the top in the adjusted positions, and brackets carried by the main frame for supporting the top when moved to one side of the main frame.

, In a desk, a main frame, a top therefor movable with relation to the main frame and from engagement with the upper endthereof, a compartment concealed between the top of the desk and the main frame and carried by said main frame, and a member connected to the desk top and movable thereby over and concealing the compartment when the said desk top is moved with relation to the main frame.

6. In a desk, a main frame, a to therefor I ter, and a concealing curtain carried by the top section and attached to the main frame and covering the compartment when the top section is moved wit 1 relation to the main frame.

7. The combination in a desk, of a main frame, an adjustable top section therefor, a compartment in the main frame concealed by the top section, a curtain carried by the top section and arranged to cover the compartment when the top section is adjusted with relation to the main frame, ratchet teeth formed in the walls of the compartment, and pawls carried by the top section and engaging said ratchet teeth 8. The combination in a desk, of a main frame, an adjustable top section therefor, a compartment in the main frame concealed by the top section, a curtain carried by the top section and arranged to cover the compartment when the top section is adjusted with relation to the main frame, ratchet teeth formed in the walls of the compartment, pawls carried by the top section and engaging said ratchet teeth, and means for operating said pawls to release the top section from engagement with the ratchet teeth, comprising rotatable rods having angle ends for moving the pawls'out of engagement with the teeth and having other angle ends exterior to the top and constituting manipulating handles. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses EDMUND HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

RICHARD W. DAWSON, WILLIAM C. REED

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