Improvements in or connected with Ships' Berths, and Bed Bottoms and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th. Aor:, 1895.
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1836
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ships' Berths, and Bed Bottoms
and the like.
I, GEORGE ALFRED BILLINGTON; of Cambridge Street, Liverpool, in, the
County of Lancaster, Metallic Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
66
The kinds of ships' berths to which this invention has more particularly
reference, are those, used. for "steerage" passengers usually called steerage-
berths," and this invention..has mainly for its, object. to provide in connection with
this kind of, berth, improvements by which they.may; when not being used for the
ordinary purpose of sleeping. upon; converted to and used as seats and so provide
seating accommodation,,which in most ships is much wanted in the "steerage."
According, to, this invention; the. berths are made uprof. suitable metallic framing
with side and end rails,and.divisions, which.are.carried by upright metal columns
or poles, the frameworks being; supported by these. poles by wrought metal loops,
rivetted or similarly fastened thereto.. The loops are pressed into the desired form
of a four looped support by, a, suitable press;. and into theser loops, vertical rods,
forming the ends, of the framing or rails are shipped when the berths are erected..
To the framing or rails, and to the lower bars thereof, the berth bottoms are
curried or attached. The upper, berth-bottoms say of a pair of upper. and lower
berths, are so carried or supported by the upper berth frame, that they are adapted.
to move about their inner support, which constitutes a hinge, so that when the
outer edge is moved down,. the berth bottom will stand in or near the vertical
position, and the berth.below, will,, with this upper bottom,as a back,..form a seat,.
the berth, below being. the seat bottom.
The frames or rails, that is side. bars, .divisions, and end bars, are so made at
their ends that they can readily be unshipped from their position and disconnected
from the supporting loops, so that when desired, not only when the whole berths.
are to be taken down, but also for or. when the berths are to be used as seats, some
of the rails may be quickly and easily removed. The construction by which this.
action is afforded consists in having. at the ends of the framings or rails, the-
vertical rods of the framing or rails, to which horizontal or longitudinal bars are.
attached, the ends of which project above and below the horizontal upper and.
lower bars, the projection.on.. the upper end being so long that when the lower one
is fitted into the column loop, and the lower rail or bar is resting upon same, the
upper projecting part. will be within its loop, but the upper bar would be con-
siderably below said upper loop; that is to say, the construction is such that the
distance between the loops of the columns is greater than the depth of the frames,.
that is the distance over all of. the frames over the top and bottom bars; so that
when the end rods by.which, they are attached to the column are in place, the
upper.bar of the frame will be below the loop, but the rod will be. within it, whilst
the lower rail bar will be. resting on the loop below..
The division rails or frames are similarly supported as the ends and sides, they
being carried at their. ends in plates or brackets carried on and projecting .rom the:
and rails or frames

page_text: The upper berth's bottom at its outer edges may conveniently be supported by a
horn or projection at either end, which rests on the lower bar of the side frame,
and from which they can readily be lifted off; whilst the lower berth can be
equivalently or similarly supported on the lower bars of the end frames, or side
frames, and divisions.
As regards the lower berth bottoms, to render them suitable for seats or seat
bottoms, when made of wire meshwork, as of spiral coils interwoven, the coils run
lengthwise, and have within the edges of the material, elasticity; whilst the edges
are made rigid, so that the webbing or material as a whole is not elastic longitu-
dinally, this being done by providing a rigid cord or wire, or both, at each edge.
In one case, a stout wire is embraced in the convolutions of a number of wire coils,
and these edges are connected with the longitudinal side bars of the frame of the
berth bottom, by springs, by which tantness is given to the bottom transversely,
but at the same time elasticity is provided, so that in the berth bottom as a whole,
while there is sufficient rigidity, there is also longitudinal and lateral elasticity
provided in it, viz., by the longitudinal spring of the meshwork or webbing within
its edges, and by the lateral elasticity given by the springs connecting the webbing
with the side frame bars. Then, in addition to this, the ends of the bottom
material are secured to the end bars of the frame by springs, similarly as the sides;
and the ends are fastened and made rigid hy providing a continuous metallic
wrapping or clasp which is provided internally on an inturned edge with teeth or
serrations, which engage with the edge of the meshwork, bottom at its end, these
teeth or serrations in attaching this wrapping, being secured to or engaged with
the edge of the material, as the wrapper or clasp plate on the opposite side of the
wrapper is pressed towards the material. When this is closed, the wrapping is
prevented from coming disconnected from the bottom material. This wrapping
or clasp is connected to the end bar of the bottom by the springs mentioned.
The bottom material of this berth and its supporting frame bars will be in or
nearly in the same plane, but below this plane, connecting the two side bars
together, to give the frame rigidity and to act as struts, are transverse bars con-
necting the two side bars, they being bowed or bent up at the end where they are
connected with such side bars. These bars being carried at a considerable distance
below the bottom material, the material will not come in contact with them when
weight is placed upon it.
The construction of berth or bed bottom wherein metallic mesh-work, such as
interwoven spiral coils, or other material is stretched under tension in a frame,
under this invention, the side bars are made of angle iron, with a vertical web
outside and a horizontal one uppermost; and the end adjusting or tension bar
carrying the material, consists of:-a bar extending across the frame and sliding
on the upper surface of the side bars; a bar extending between the inner edges of
and even with the top webs of the side bars (between which two bars the material
is clamped or fastened); and cleats or short bars fastened to the latter bar, and
extending under and sliding below the upper webs of the side bar, and having upon
their ends within the angular recess of the side bars, an eyelet or boss with a hole
in it, through which the adjusting or tightening screws pass. The tightening
screws have their beads outside the bed frame, through wbich their shanks pass,
and on the inside of the bosses, the nuts are placed, and, are prevented from
turning when the bolt is screwed up or unscrewed by being held by the side bars
themselves. These constructions provide very simple, neat, inexpensive, and
useful features.
The construction at the opposite end of the frame, by which the material is
held, consists of an upper clamping plate, which lies upon another bar and the
upper webs of the side bars; an end bar, which is cut away at the ends so as to
lie between the adjacent edges of and level with the side bars, and cleats or strips
lying below said end plate, and the underside of the side webs of the side bars;
the said three or four parts being rivetted together, and the joint and parts making
a good, simple, and serviceable construction.

page_text: The different features of this invention in connection with other or different
kinds of berths, and other fittings, and articles, than those above specified, as well
as conjointly.
Dated this 8th day of April 1895
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Ships' Berths, and Bed Bottoms
and the like.
"
I, GEORGE ALFRED BILLINGTON, of Cambridge Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Metallic Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and.ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The kinds of ships berths to which this invention has more particularly
reference, are those used for "steerage
passengers usually called " steerage-
berths," and this invention has mainly for its object to provide in connection with
this kind of berth, improvements by which they may, when not being used for
the ordinary purposes of sleeping upon, be converted to and used as seats and so
provide seating accommodation, which in most ships is much wanted in the
steerage."
66
According to this invention, the berths are made up of suitable metallic fraining
with side and end rails and divisions,, which are carried by upright metal columns
or poles, the framework being supported by these poles by wrought metal loops,
rivetted or similarly fastened thereto. The loops are pressed into the desired
form of a four looped support by a suitable press; and into these loops,
vertical rods, forming the ends of the framing or rails, are shipped when the
berths are erected. To the framing or rails, and to the lower bars thereof, the
berth bottoms are carried or attached. The upper berth-bottoms, say, of a pair of
upper and lower berths, are so carried or supported by the upper berth frame, that
they are adapted to move about their inner support, which constitutes a hinge, so
that when the outer edge is moved down, the berth bottom will stand in or
near the vertical position, and the berth below, will, with this upper bottom as a
back, form a seat, the berth below being the seat bottom.
The frames or rails, that is side bars, divisions, and end bars, are so made at
their ends that they can readily be unshipped from their position and disconnected
from the supporting loops, so that when desired, not only when the whole berths.
are to be taken down, but also for or when the berths are to be used as seats, some
of the rails may be quickly and easily removed.
As regards the lower berth bottoms, to render them suitable for seats or seat
bottoms, when made of wire meshwork, as of spiral coils interwoven, the coils run
lengthwise, and have within the edges of the material, elasticity; whilst the edges
are made rigid, so that the webbing or material as a whole is not clastic longi-
tudinally, this being done by providing a rigid cord or wire, or both, at each edge.
In one case, a stout wire is embraced in the convolutions of a number of wire coils,
and these edges are connected with the longitudinal side bars of the frame of the
berth bottom, by springs, by which tautness is given to the bottom transversely,
but at the same time elasticity is provided, so that in the berth. bottom as a whole,
while there is-sufficient rigidity, there is also longitudinal and lateral elasticity
provided in it; viz., by the longitudinal spring of. the meshwork. or.webbing within
its edges,, and by the lateral olasticity. given, by the springs convecting the
webbing with the, side frame bars. Then, in addition to this,. the: ends.of the
bottom material are secured to the end bars of the frame by springs, similarly

page_text: .
as the sides; and the ends are fastened and made rigid by providing a con-
tinuous metallic wrapping or clasp which is provided internally on an inturned
edge with teeth or serrations, which engage with the edge of the meshwork
bottom at its end, these teeth or serrations in attaching this wrapping, being
secured to or engaged with the edge of the material, as the wrapper or clasp
plate on the opposite side of the wrapper is pressed towards the material. When
this is closed, the wrapping is prevented from coming disconnected from the
bottom material. This wrapping or clasp is connected to the end bar of the
bottom by the springs mentioned.
In the drawings there is shewn my arrangement and construction of berths as
applied to steerage berths for ships, one group of four berths being shewn. In
these drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of the berths ;
and Figure 3 a detail of berth fitting according to the invention.
a are wrought iron tube standards extending between the deck and the under-
side of the deck above, they being held or fastened at the bottom and top, in
any known suitable way. On these columns the berths are supported, there
being two sets, an upper and a lower; and the framings and all parts, are
carried by the looped sockets -shewn in detail in plan in Figure 3, such
sockets being made out of a shaped wrought metal bar, and fastened by rivets 6¹
through and to the columns, as shewn. By constructing the loops of wrought
shaped metal and fastened in the manner specified, the liability of their being
broken off or damaged by being struck, or roughly handled, is to a very large
degree obviated. The end and side frames of the berths are made up of upper
and lower metal tubes c, longitudinal intermediate thin metal strip c', and plain
thin vertical bars, which are fastened to the upper and lower bars e by wrought
metal clamps d', which span the bars c and are fastened to d, by grasping the ends
of these bars, the three edges being fastened together by rivets d. The means of
supporting the frames and connecting them with the loops b, consists in providing
wrought metal books e in the ends of the tube c, the bent down parts of such hooks
fitting within the apertures or loops of the sockets b. It will thus be seen that the
whole frame is of wrought metal and is strong, and at the same time light and
readily placed in and taken out of position. The hooks e. of the side and end
frames of one nest of berths occupy two out of the four sockets b of the four
columns, and the other loops will be occupied with the hooks of the frames of the
adjacent nests or sets of berths, if such berths are used on both sides of the berths
shown. The division frames are similar to the frames just described, and the
letters marked on these parts shewn in the drawings, correspond with those used in
connection with the frames just described. The sockets for holding or supporting
these division frames consist of plates f with holes in them to receive the
hooks e of the frame bars c, such plates being rivetted on the bars c of the end
frames.
The berth bottoms are designated h, and those shewn consist of angle iron
frames, with any suitable bottom supporting material; and they are held by simple
hoops which rest on the top of the lower bars of the berth frames, either at the
ends or at the sides; by simply lifting up the bottoms, they are thus easily moved
out of and into position when desired.
In the drawings, one of the upper berth bottoms is arranged as a hinged or
folding berth bottom h', it being supported at the inner side by a hinge h³ which is
carried from the lower bar c of the end frames, while the opposite side of this
bottom is provided with hooks ³, by which the bottom is held in its upper
horizontal position when desired, by hooking them over the lower bar c of the
outer side frames. When this bottom his unhooked and lowered into the vertical
position as shewn, and the front side frames are taken out of their sockets b, and
removed from the berth, the lower fixed berth bottom h, and the upper berth
bottom h¹, in the position shewn, form a seat, the berth bottom h' being the back;
it is, of course, assumed that an alleyway will. exist along the face of these
berths.
1
A

page_text: It will readily be seen by the construction and mode of carrying berth frames:
and bottoms, all the parts can be taken from their erected position very readily,
and stowed in a small space; and when the poles or columns a are removed also,
the "tween-deck " space can be used for any other purpose. Also, although these
frames may have their horizontal and vertical parts true when made, should the
decks of the ship, to which they are applied, be slanting, so that the tubes e would
not be truly horizontal when in place, the construction is such that the required:
amount of relative adjustment and position of the bars c and c¹ with the vertical:
bars d, can readily be made by pressing the upper and lower bars e in opposite.
directions, as the joints and methods of construction set forth will allow of
movement in this direction; but when they are in place in their sockets, they
are rigid iu this direction; whilst in other directions they are firm and sufficiently
rigid at all times.
As regards the material of which the berth bottom is made, this may be of any
suitable kind.
The construction of berth bottom according to this invention is illustrated in
Figures 4, 5 and 6.
Referring to Figures 4 and 5, is the frame of the bottom, which is of angle
bars, and represents the metal meshwork consisting of interwoven spiral coils or
springs running lengthwise of the berth bottom. This material is held at either
end in a metallic clamping device k which is held to the frame h by springs 1. At
the sides, the meshwork i is provided with a stiff wire m running between the two
end clamps and at the outer edge of the meshwork, and by this wire the material i
is held to the side bar of the frame, by springs n, one hook of which passes.
through holes in. and is fastened to the frame, and the other hook of which passes.
through the meshwork and over the wire rods m. By this construction, while
the material in itself has clasticity within the end and the side edges and
wires m, it has support laterally all along its length, whilst a general elasticity is
lent to it by the springs and n.
The bars k consist of flat tubular metal clamps k, one edge of which is closed,.
whilst the other end is open, and the upper part of the fastener is bent down and
inwards at the edge k', which edge is serrated as shewn. Before fastening the
meshwork by the clamps k, the upper part will be opened, that is raised so as to
admit the edge of the meshwork, and when the meshwork i is in position, the
clamp is pressed together and takes the position shewn in Figure 5, the teeth or
points of the edge kl, entering between and in amongst the spiral convolutions of
the meshwork, and forms a rigid and perfect fastening.
A modified arrangement of the means for lending support to the central parts of
the mesh work i of the bottom is illustrated in Figure 6. In this case the wires m
are not carried along the edge of the meshwork, but extend under such meshwork
in a diagonal direction, as shewn, from either side; and the springs n fasten the
two wires, and hold them in position, but at the same time afford the necessary
amount of elasticity. Where the hooks n fasten the wires m together, they are
looped as indicated at m', through which loops the hooks of the springs pass.
As regards the berth bottoms illustrated in Figures 4 to 6, these are not limite
to the form of berths shewn in Figures 1 to 3, but may be applied to other berths,.
and to ordinary mattresses, bed bottoms, seats, or seat bottonis, and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Ships' or like berths comprising side and end metal frames, constructed, and
carried or supported by sockets and standards or columns, substantially as herein
set forth and shewn in the drawings.
2. Ships' or like berths comprising upper and lower sets of berths having the
side and end metal frames constructed and carried as described, and an upper-

page_text: folding berth bottom-arranged and adapted to be operated and used substantially
as set forth and shewn by the drawings.
3. In a ships' or like berth of the type herein referred to, the construction of
metal, side and end frames set forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
4. In a ships' or like berth of the type herein referred to, the socket 6 con-
structed and fixed on the standards as set forth with reference to and shewn in the
drawings.
5. The improvement in berth bottoms, bed bottoms mattresses, and the like,
consisting of a framework, metallic meshwork, and stiffening wires m and springs n.;
substantially as herein set forth for the purposes specified.
6. The clamp fastening substantially as herein set forth for holding the ends of
metal meshwork, of berth bottoms, bed bottoms, mattresses; and the like..
7. The berth bottom, bed bottom, mattress or the like, consisting of the parts:
arranged and operating particularly as set forth with reference to Figures: 4 to:6
of the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of January-1896.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Fels. Chart. Inst. Patent Agents,
15, Water-Street, Liverpool.