Untitled record

Application filed December 28, 1891. Serial No. 416,339. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jacob L. Isaacs, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and. useful Irnprove5 ment in a Combined Work-Stand, Desk, Game - Board, and Table, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciflcaio tion.

This invention relates to a “ multum in parvo,” or a multiform combination of useful and recreative devices, all within the compass of a small ornamental and portable piece 15 of furniture that is especially adapted for use in a lady’s sitting-room or boudoir, and may be used in other parts of a house, such as in a parlor or drawing room; and the invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter 20 fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a perspective view of said combination piece of furniture, and shows it with its sliding table-top in position for use. It also shows some of the depository swinging 25 cups beneath said top. Fig. II is a vertical detail section, and shows the sliding table-top, its channel-groove attachment-cleats, the laterally-projecting tenons from the stand-top, which tenons engage in the channel-grooves 30 of said cleats, and show depository cups beneath said table-top. Fig. Ill is an inverted bottom view of the sliding table-top removed from the stand, and shows the channel-groove cleats that attach it to the projecting tenons 35 of said stand, the cups that swing in and out beneath said table-top, the folding division of said top, and the hinged connection of the same. Fig. IV is an inverted bottom view of one of the leaves of said sliding table-top. 40 Fig. V is a perspective view of the stand, and shows the lid-top of said stand closed, so as to form a lady’s work-stand, in combination with which is a closed sliding backgammonboard. Fig. VI is a like view, and shows the 45 backgammon-board in the process of being slid out for the reversion of the same. Fig. VII is a perspective view, and shows the said sliding lid reversed in its seat and again closed, in which case a chess or checker board is presented for use, in. combination with 50 which it also constitutes a lady’s work-stand top. It also shows a drawer partly drawn out, which has compartments within it for the reception of needles, pins, scissors, spools, &c, that are useful in a lady’s handy and orna- 55 mental work, as also for the chessmen, checkers, dice, cards, counters, &c., used in games on the stand-top. It also shows a sliding pendent scrap-bag drawn out for use. Fig. VIII is a perspective view, and shows the stand- 60 top in which the reversible sliding backgammon and checker board is mounted, elevated on its hinges and held by the pivoted staybraces to its open position, in which, also, the mirror is disclosed. It also shows the desk, 65 which is opened for use by the elevation of said stand-top, and shows the folding hinged extension-flap of said desk unfolded for use. Fig. IX is a vertical section of the stand body and top, taken through the rear tills of the 70 desk; and Fig. X is an end detail, and shows the stand-top elevated for the use of the desk and held to its elevation by the pivoted bracestays. '

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the 75 legs, mounted on the casters 2, on which legs the body-frame 3 of the stand is mounted.

represents a sliding board which works in the channel-grooves 5 in the side cleats 6, that are secured beneath the bottom 7 of said 80 body-frame 3 of the stand.

represents a hanging scrap-bag or workbasket, the top of which is seated within and secured to the edge of the circular opening 9, from which said scrap-receptacle hangs pend- 85 ent and which is used as a depository for the lady’s work and scraps of material, the necessary accompaniment thereof.

represents a combined work and game depository drawer, which reaches back when 90 closed to a series of divisional compartments, hereinafter described, in the rear part of the device, which drawer is divided into compartments 11 for the reception of needles, pins, scissors, spools, &c., that are useful in a lady’s 95 handy and ornamental work, as also for the chessmen, checkers, dice, cards, counters, &c., used in games on the stand-top or table-top.

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An intermediate horizontal board, which at the front and sides overlaps the lower section of the body of the stand that incloses the drawer, to which lower section it is secured, 5 constitutes the desk-bottom 12.

represents the front, 14 the bapk, and 15 the sides, of the surmounting desk-body of the combination, which parts are secured together to said bottom 12.

io 16 represents a bevel-shaped folding leaf which when folded fits in a recess 17 in the front of the desk, to which it is attached in front by the hinges 18, and when used as a writing-desk the said leaf is unfolded, as 15 shown in Fig. VIII, its thick hinge-attached edge constituting a brace to hold the leaf against the pressure of the arm in writing. The SEiid leaf niay, if required, be still further supported by sliding out the drawer un20 til the front of the leaf fests thereon.

represents a partition-strip that is secured from side to side about, midway in the desk, partitioning off the front of said desk for a paper and other depository 20, and 21 is 25 the rear Ipaf of the writing-desk, which when closed forms a cpver to said depository, which 16a.f is secured to said partition-strip'19 by the hinges 22 and is narrow enough to fit between the sides 15, and when said leaf is 30 closed within the sides of the desk its upper writing-surface is on a corresponding inpljneto that of the forward leaf, so as to constitute together a convenient presentatipn for the writer. When said rear leaf 21 is eleyrited on its hinges, as shown in broken lines in Fig· VIII, it gives access to said depository 20, represents an opening in the rear part of the desk-bottom 12,extending from sidetoside of the lower body of the frame which incloses 40 the drawer, but not extending into the overhanging portion of said desk-bottom.

represents a, partition-strip that reaches from side to side of both theupper overhanging desk portion and also the lower under15 hung slightly-narrower drawer portion, the said partition-strip having aq angle-notch in its ends to allow its lower edge to pass through the opening in the rear part of the desk-bottoin and be seated against the bottom 7, on 50 which the drawer rests, the said drawer when closed only reaching back to said partitionstrip 24.

represents a depository between the partition-strips 19 and' 24 within the desk, in 55 which receptacle letters and other of the numerous adjuncts of a lady’s desk may be deposited.

represents two compartments (more or less) at one end of said receptacle for holding 6c inkstands, &c., and 27 is one of the usual tilting concave pen and pencil trays between said compartments 26 and the partition-strip 24, and the box beneath said tilting tray makes a convenient receptacle for pencils, &c. 65 28 represents a removable till located between the partition-strip 24 and the back board 14 of the desk, tlje ends of the bottom 29 of which till rest on the projecting ends 30 of the desk-bottom 12, surmounting the angle-lap provided by the increased diameter 70 of the desk over the drawer portion of the frame, and 31 are the partition-strips between the compartments in said till, which partitions are fast secured to the bottom 29 of said till. The ends of said partitions 31 are chamfered, 75 so as to fit and slide in bevel-recesses, respectively, in the partition-strip 24 and the back board 14.

represents a secret depository beneath the till 28, access to which is obtained by lifting 80 the partitions 31, which slide upward in their groove-seats and elevate the bottom of the till out qf the space between the partition-strip 24 and the back board 14 of the desk, thus disclosing the secret depository 32 beneath it, 85 thq existence of which deppsitory is riot apparent to an unitiated stranger. This part of the device is intended for a measurablysafe depository in which the lady owner of this combination piece of furniture can place 90 jewels, money, or other small valuables.

represents the lid of the desk, which is secured to the back 14 by the hinges 34. When said lid is ppened, as shown in Fig. VIII, it is or can be braced from closure by 95 the stay-braces 35, the attached ends of which are secured in their recessed seats 36 by the pivot-pins 37, and their stay-ends engage within the socket 38, that is countersunk in said lid. (See Figs. VIII and X.) When said 100 lid is to bp closed, said stay-braces are thrown back on thqir pivots and retired in their rerpcessed seats 36 in the sides 15 of the desk.

represents a mirror that is incased on the inside of said desk-lid, so that when said 105 lid is elevated said mirror is in position for use. When said lid 33 is closed, it can be secured by the lock 40, and when the drawer 10 is closed it can be secured by the lock 4Ϊ.

represents the side pieces, and 43 the no rear piece, of the miter-jointed incasement, which pieces are secured together and are secured to and project beyond the top of the lid 33, and 44 is a channel-groove within said encasement-pieces. 115 is the front miterrjointed piece, whose end joints fit to the miters of the front ends of their corresponding side pieces when closed.

represents a reversible game board or tablet whose front edge is secured in the 120 channel-groove, also 44'in the inside edge of the front piece 45 of the incasement. The side and front tenon edges 47 of said game board or tablet slide, respectively, in and into the channel-grooves 44 in the side and end 125 incasement-sections, as said game board or tablet is closed and said front incasementpiece is brought into its miter-joint position in corresponding connection with the side pieces of the same, so as to frame in the square 130 of the game-board.

represents a dividing-strip that passes

484,718 back from the middle of the front movable piece 45, and is secured to the middle of one side of the game board or tablet 46, and 49 are the alternate colored and white or alternately diversely colored front and rear series of points, such as are common to backgammon-boards, having an unmarked ground 50 between the front and rear points, on which the dice are thrown, as shown in Figs. V and VI.

represents a checker and chess board, with alternate black and white or diverselycolored checker-squares on the reverse side of the game board or tablet 46 to that on which the backgammon-board is constructed.

It will be seen that the tenon edges of the game board or tablet are flush with the backgammon-face of said board or tablet, so as when said tenons are seated in their channelgrooves with the backgammon-face upward there is provided a projecting elevation of the incasement-frame around and of the strip 48 between the divisions of the backgammonboard to confine the dice when thrown to the field on which the game is played; also, for the same reason when said game board or tablet is reversed to bring the checker and chess board uppermost the surmounting face of that side of the board, or tablet above the tenon presents said checker and chess board surface flush with the top surface of the incasing-frame, as no dice being required to be thrown in said games, no fence is required around the field on which the game is played, and it thus also presents a more convenient smooth unbroken surface when used as a work-stand by the lady. (See Figs. VII and IX.) represents four tenon-shaped projections on the outside of the incasement-frame, formed by upper rabbets 52“ and lower rabbets 52^b, which projections both ornament the same and effect a more important purpose as tenons for the attachment of the extension parts of the combination, that I will now describe.

represents the two folding leaves of a table-top, which when placed in position transpose the stand into a table, and 54 are the hinges that couple said folding leaves together, and thus provide the means for folding them into a small compass when removed from their support.

represents two L-shaped cleats that are secured on the under side of said folding leaves in the right position for their inwardly-projecting pendent flanges or hooks 56 to engage the tenons 52 on the outside of the incasement-frame when it is desired to transpose the stand into a table, in which case said leaves are unfolded into their open position, as shown in Fig. Ill, and are turned over to bring the smooth surface of the tabletop uppermost, and the said projecting pendent-hook cleats are run into engagement with two of the projecting tenons 52, one on each side of the stand. The table-top is thus securely held in its position on the stand, which stand is thus extended so as to provide room for a tete-a-tete party or a card or other 70 game party.

represent pivoted cups for holding counters, &c., in the possession of the various players, and the perforate extension-lugs 58, that carry said cups, are pivotally secured be- 75 neath the table-top near its periphery by the screws 59, which pass through the washers 60 and through the perforations of said lugs and are screw-seated in the under side of the table-top leaves. When not in use, said piv- 80 otal cups are entirely out of the way, as shown in full lines in Figs. II, III, and IV, in which ease they may still retain their counters, &c., and when required for use they are simply turned on their pivots into the position shown 85 in full lines in Fig. I and in broken lines in Fig. III. When the table-top is to be slid on its tenon-bed on top of the stand, if either of the pendent cups 57 crosses the line in way of 90 the introduction of the tenon 52 within the pendent hook-flanges 56 of the ogee cleats 55, the said cup or cups, as the case may be, are simply turned round on their pivots out of the way. I do not confine myself to the use 95 of said pivoted cups, for drawers may be secured in their places and constitute substantially the same device, or countersunk wells maybe inserted in the top of the table-top for the same purpose. 100

The cleat 48, that previously divided the two fields of the backgammon - board, when the sliding game board or tablet is reversed, so as to present the checker-board in the ascendant, then said cleat supports the middle 105 of said game board or tablet or stand - top and prevents its springing down or warping.