US1578778A - Combination traveling case and toilet table - Google Patents

Description

March 30 R..R. 'rlhloRw-HLI.`

' COMBINATION TRM/BLING CASE AND TOILET TABLE INVENTOR WITNESSES GWCMM.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERTA ROHR THORNHILL, 0J? LYNCHRURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO VIRGINIA ART GOODS LEAGUE, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

COMBINATION TRAVELING CASE AND TOILET TABLE.

Application filed April 11, 1925. Serial No. 22,475.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that I, ROBERTA R. TrronN- HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbel and State of Virginia, have invented n ew and useful Improvements in Combination Traveling Cases and Toilet Tables, of which the following is a specification.

y.This invention relatesto a combination traveling case and toilet table.

The object is to provide a device especially adapted for use by railroad travelers, automobile tourists and campers which may be easily and quickly unfolded and suspended'in proper position'for use in shaving, attending the hair or otherwise completing the toilet, the said device having means for carrying all of the necessary toilet articles and preparations, etc., and displaying the same for easy removal when' deslred.

Another object is to provide a self-adjusting shelf or table adapted to assume the proper horizontal ositlon at the front of the device when un olded and suspended on a nail, tree branch or otherwise as the case may be, said shelf being adapted to support certain of the toilet articles, or other articles, as when used in camp, and to befolded up into the body of the device, when the latter isy not in use.

A final object is to provide a' neat, attractive and strong and durable device of this character, formed of suitable flexible material such as fabric or leather, which, by simply unfolding or unrolling the same, may be placed in condition for suspending the same for use, and which may, as readily, be folded up together with all the. toilet articles remaining in their respective pockets or receptacles therein, and the said shelf folded back within the same, to be properly bound' together in a small compass for easily storing the same in a handbag, satchel or suit case or in the pocket of an automobile.

A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with Athe accompanying drawing forming-a partof this specification, it being understood that while the drawing shows a practicalform of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with Athe showing thereof, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material 'and suspended and readyfor use.

.Figure 2 is a central, vertical/sectional View showmg the device extended and ready to be folded up, or to be hung up for use.

folded up and tied.

The device of the present vinvention is designed to fulfill a long felt Want by both men and women travelers, tourists and campers, comprising as it does a flexible, foldable body or casing capable of carrying any nr all the necessary articles or tools forh shaving or 'completing the'toil'et, the device bemg readily hung or suspended upon any convenient point while in use, and having a shelf to automatically position itself for holding shaving materials or tools when in u se in trains, etc., or for holdingsuch materlals or toiletl articles while in camp, etc.

The invention comprises a body member 1 formed of some suitable fabric, such as cretonne, khaki or the like, or of soft, flexible leather, if desired, the said body member being preferably of rectangular form, and substantially four times 'as long as it is wide, the lower end thereof being adapted to be extended outwardly andA suitably re- -inforced and supported to form a shelf or hem, and adaptedto permit the free and' 'easyy passage of hanger tapes or strips 6 formed preferably of the' same goods as the -/body of the device, suitably folded and stitched' into aplurality of layersto give the Figure 3 is a side elevation of the deviceA kequal panels or sections, when the same is rolled or karranged for stowingA away and not 1n use soy as to comprlse a compact bundle, the first or lower panel section being in the form of a pocket 7, closed at the sides and held within the marginal binding strips 2, and also closed along the bottom edge constituting the bottom edge o-f the ent-ire body member, the other transverse, long edge .being open for the reception of a stilfening board 8 composed of heavy cardboard, or a piece of thin wood, to comprise a shelf or t-able when held outwardly a't right angles to the body member by the aforesaid hanger strips, the lower ends of which are attached to the lower corners of the panel, as shown at 9.

The hanger strips 6 pass through the eyes or passageways 5 from front to back and may be two separate pieces joined together at their ends, it being preferable, however, to form the two hangers of a single length of material, as shown, which, if desired, may consist of some thin, strong, flexible leather or other material. When the body is extended in a straight line, as when ready for folding, there is enough slack or excess in the loop 10 above the spreader bar to permit the shelf of the lower panel to swing downwardly or in alinement with the rest of the body, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. When the said loop 10 is. engaged over a nail 11 or other support, the loop is drawn through the eyes until stops or buttons 12, suitably secured to the hangers at the proper location, engage or abut against the front face of the spreader bar, thus positioning said shelf in proper right angular relation to the body and in a. horizontal position, for the purpose of supporting toilet or other articles. When the stops or buttons are thus engaged and the`loop 10 is hung uponthe nail, the hangers are in an inclined position and the lower panel-is prevented from falling down or forwardly.

When the shelf is thus `held at right angles, the second transverse section or panel of the bodyv member becomes the bottom of the body member, and the same is provided with a pocket 13, closed at its sides and bottom and open at the top, the same having sufficient fullness to allow of distension, for the reception'vof a comb and brush or other more or less bulky articles, the upper, open edge of the pocket being provided with a suitable elastic strip -14 inicated in Figures 1 and 2, and adapted to hold the free edge of the pocket in a taut .condition whether, the pocket contains ar# ticle's or is empty.

The third transverse section or panel, or that just above the comb and brush receptacle, may carry pockets 15 of any desirable size and shape, as well as a pin cushion device while still in a wet or damp condi?.y

tion. y

The upper or fourth transverse section or panel is preferably equipped at its center wit'h .a relatively large pocket 17 for the reception of a mirror 18 adaptedto be placed in the upper, open end of said pocket which has its central portion cut out, as at 19, to

expose said mirror in a position to be most convenient to the user; and, at either side of the mirror pocket, there are other pockets 2() for containing smaller articles for the toilet. The mirror is preferably confined in its pocket by a suitable snap fastener 21, and the relatively long and narrow pockets at either side of the pin cushion are also provided with snap fasteners 22 to retain the articles therein when the device is folded up as shown in Figure 3. Themirror may be mounted permanently orl in any other manner.

The pockets on the several sections or panels are spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow the entire body to be freely folded over section upon section, in a well known manner, whether the pockets contain articles or not, the hanger strips being confined within the same, and the slack in the loop which engages thel nail or other support being taken up to allow of the straighteningy out of thel body member and lying substantially taut along the spreader bar, as will be understood.

While the hanger strips are shown connected to the spreader bar 4 at the topmost panel, it is obvious that they could be connected to the body member at an intermediate point of the length thereof, as for instance at the third transverse section or panel or between the second and third panel or section. v

When the device is folded up as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the same may be secured in such condition by a tape or strip 23, stitched or otherwise secured to the back of the panel, and at the center of the upper or fourth section or panel in the rear of thc mirror, the said section or panel being the last to be folded upon the outer side of the ot-her'sections, with the stiffening means for the shelf also comprising a stiflening means for starting the rolling or folding operation', it being the first to be folded over upon the comb and brush pocket of the second section or panel.

simple, cheaply manufactured, and strong and. durable convenience has been provided matories. etc., Where a number may room together, the device being easily and quickly unfolded and suspended with all the toilet articles or other articles held in readiness for use, the shelf or table automatically positioning itself in a horizontal plane at the lower end of the device to receive and support the different articles while in use. The spaceV within the shelf pocket either above or below the stifi'eningboard provides a convenient place in which to carry a limited amount of stationery or to etow letters, cards, etc.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A combination traveling case and table, comprising a flexible body member divided into a series of at least three panels or sections which are hinged to each other to fold one upon the other, the lower panel vor section serving as a shelf or table, eyes provided at the upper edge of the top panel, flexible hanger strips connected at their lower ends to the shelf or table and passing through said eyes to suspend the device, and stops mounted on the strips to engage said eyes when the device is suspended for holding the shelf at right angles to the remainingportion of the body member.

2. A combination traveling case and table comprising a flexible body member formed into foldable panels or sections and having pockets, the bottom kpanel or section having the form of a pocket, a stifl'ening plate adapted to be inserted in said pocket to constitute a table or shelf when supported in a horizontal position, flex-ible strips terminally connected to the corners of the shelf and extending upwardly and rearwardly to the top of the body member, a spreader bar carried by the latter and having eyes at its ends for the passage of said strips, said stripsA being joined together above the spreader bar to engage a nail or the like and having stops to abut the bar to position the shelf at right angles to the other panels w'hen thedevice is suspended.

A combination traveling case and shelf for toilet articles, comprising a body member formed of flexible material, a transverse spreader bar connected to the upper portion of the body member and having eyes adjacent to its terminals, pockets or receptacles attached to the body member for holding a mirror, pins and other toilet articles, another pocket formed in the lower end of the body member and extending'the full width thereof, a stifi'ening board adapted to fit in said pocket to constitute a table or shelf when supported at right angles to the remaining portion of theJ body member, strips joined together at one end. to engage a nail or the like and passing through the said eyes in the spreader bar, the terminals of said strips being connected to the free corners ofthe shelf and having stops to abut the front of the spreader to maintain the right angle relation between the body member and said shelf, the entire device being fOldabe into a compact roll.

` 4. A combination traveling case and table comprising a flexible body member divided into panels or sections which are flexibly connected to each other to fold one upon the other, the lower-'section or panel having a i pocket adapted to receive a stiffening means so aste form a shelf or table extending outwardly substantially at right angles to the remaining portion of the body member, and means for positively holding the shelf or table in extended fixed position and yet permitting the shelf or table to be folded against the `other panel section, said means heilig collapsible with the sections.

5. A combination traveling case and table comprising a body member made up of ianels or sections flexibly connected to each other to fold one upon the other, and a shelf or table provided with means for the flexible attachment thereof to the body member and adapted to extend outwardly substantially at right angles to the body member, and means for holding the shelf or table in extended position and yet permitting the shelf or table to be folded against the body member, said means being foldable and connected to one of the panels or sections above the lower one.

6. A combination travelling case and table comprising a flexible Ibody member made up of two or more panels or sections flexibly connected so as to fold one upon the other, the lower panel or sect-ion having a stiftening means so as to-form a shelf or table extending outwardly substantially at right angles to the other section or sections of the body member, and means for positively holding the shelf or table in extended fixed position and yet permitting the shelf or table to be folded against the other section orv sections, said means being collapsible therewith.

7. A combination travelling case and table,

comprising a body member formed of flexible material and made upA of two or more panels or sections flexibly connected section, said means being collapsible therewith, and the Whole being foldable into a.l

compact roll.

8. An article of the class described comprising a section of flexible and foldable material having a plurality of containing pockets, one end of said section being provided with stiilening means` and foldable means .for holding said stifl'ened portion substantially horizontal and at an angle to the body of the section to enable said stiffened portion to act as a supporting shelf.

i 9. An article of the class described comprising a section of foldable material adapted to be folded to form a comparatively small flat package, one face of said section being provided with a mirror-holding means and a plurality .of con-taining pockets, a 'pocket at the lower end of said section, stiffening means in said pocket and foldable means for holding the pocket thus stiffened in a substantially horizontal position and at an angle to the body of the section to enable said stiifened portion to act as a sup- 9 porting shelf.

10. An article of the class described comprising a foldable fabric section, means at one end of said section for holding the same in a suspended position, means for l holding the opposite end of said section at an angle to the body of said section when the same is suspended -to enabley said end to act as a supporting shelf, and means for stiffening said shelf portion. 3

11. An article of the class described comprising a foldable fabric strip having a plurality of pockets on one of its faces, a stifening member in one of said pockets`r and fabric sections connecting the ends of 4 said pocket with the body of the strip and adapted to hold said pocket at an angle to the body of the strip to enable said pocketto act as a support.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing 4* as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

ROBERTA ROI-IR THORNHILL.

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