Improvements in and relating to Ships' Berths.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Ships' Berths.
We EDWARD JOHN GRIFFIN, Captain in the service of the Union Steamship
Company Limited, Southampton, JAMES MACNAB, Chemist, of Lillyburn.
Milton of Campsie, Stirlingshire and WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS, Ships'
Berth Manufacturer of Trinity Street in the City of Birmingham, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to, and comprises a new or improved method and
appliances for constructing and operating the front bed-supporting frame parts of
ships berths.
By our improvements we fit a longitudinal side support, or form the bed frame
of each berth so that its frout part for the whole or any part of its length may be
made to swivel or oscillate on hinges or flexible fittings, and be secured at any
desired angle or position from 0 up to 90 degrees, in relation to the inner horizontal
part of bed frame.
This would be effected under one arrangement by taking the front longitudinal
part of the bed frame of berth, which may be say from 6 to 12 inches wide, and
mounting it at its inner longitudinal side edge to swivel or oscillate on the fixed
horizontal bed frame, such as on hinges, or by a flexible connection formed of flat
chain links or thin ribbons of spring steel or the like, so that this outer side
support may in fine weather lie horizontally to form an extension of the bed, but
in rough or choppy" weather can be oscillated or swivelled and fixed at any
desired angle or inclination and carry part of the spring mattress and bedding up
with it.
6+
To operate and fix the outer swivelling part of bed frame at any desired angle
or position according to our improvements various mechanical means would or may
be adopted, such as by having a fixed segmental quadrant at one or both ends of
the berth, and having on the flap or oscillating part of the berth a travelling roller
to work within a guide race in said quadrant and drop into slots or recesses at the
part or angle where the oscillating part of frame is desired to be placed; or rack
or ratchet teeth may be formed on the quadrant and a toothed pinion or ratchet
Or telescopic or
pawl on the oscillating part of berth working into the same.
sliding segmental tubes may be used, or screw wheel and worm gearing, travelling
chains, or equivalent mechanical appliances.
Dated the 7th March 1894.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
Improvements in and relating to Ships' Berths.
We, EDWARD JOHN GRIFFIN, Captain in the service of the Union Steamiship
Company, Limited, Southampton, JAMES MACNAB, Chemist, of Lillyburn,
Milton of Campsie, Stirlingshire and WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS, Ships'
Berth Manufacturer of Trinity Street in the City of Birmingham do hereby
מ.

page_text: declare the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, that is to say:
This invention relates to ships' berths, and is an improvement upon Letters
Patent No. 16967 dated the 28th day of October 1889, and has reference to and
comprises a new or improved method and appliances for constructing and operating
the front bed supporting frame parts or lee rails of ships berths.
By our improvements we fit a longitudinal side support, or form the bed frame
of each berth so that its front part for the whole or any part of its length may be
made to swing or turn up or down on hinges or flexible fittings, and be secured at
any desired angle or position from 0 up to 90 degrees, in relation to the inner
horizontal part of berth frame.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
same into practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended two
explanatory sheets of drawings.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a ship's berth complete, as fitted and operated in
accordance with our improvements, and Figure 2 is a plan view broken away
corresponding to Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are views corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 showing a modified
arrangement of the operating mechanism.
Figure 5 is a plan view broken away of another arrangement of the operating
mechanism, and
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are detached elevations showing the locking quadrant,
and the front folding part of berth in its vertical, horizontal, and inclined positions
respectively. While
Figure 9 is a detached view of the centre part of operating device showing a
modified arrangement of recoil acting spring.
Referring to these drawings:-The front longitudinal part A' of the bed frame
of berth, which may be say from 6 to 12 inches wide, is mounted at its inner
longitudinal side edge to swivel or oscillate on the fixed horizontal bed frame A,
such as having its end rails A² mounted loosely on hinges consisting of pins a
screwed to the outer edge of end rail A³ of the fixed part A, so that this outer
side support A¹ may in fine weather lie horizontal to form an extension of the
extended out bed, but in rough or "choppy" weather can be oscillated or swivelled
and fixed at any desired angle or inclination and carry part of the spring mattress A*
and bedding up with it.
To operate and fix the outer swivelling part A¹ of bed frame at any desired
angle or position according to our improvements various mechanical means would
or may be adopted, and in the accompanying drawings we have shown the best
practical ways which our experience recommend. In Figures 1 and 2 a fixed
segmental quadrant B is fitted to the fixed part A at one or preferably both ends
of the berth, and rack or ratchet teeth are formed on the outer end of this
quadrant B, and a ratchet pawl c is fitted on the flap or oscillating part A¹ at each
end of berth. Each pawl c is mounted to freely swivel on a pin c¹ while they are
connected through end rods c² and links e to a longitudinal rail et provided with a
hand operating catch plate or device c³.
In using the berth the longitudinal rail A" of the flap A' is turned from the
horizontal position to any angle up to 90°, and when released the pawl c will auto-
matically engage with the nearest tooth b on the quadrant B, and hold the flap A'
in this position; while by operating the catch device c on rail et the pawl c will be
released and adjusted to any other angle or position in which the flap part A' is
desired. A segmental guide race B¹ is formed in each quadrant B for a pin 6¹ in
the end of the flap part A' to move and aid in guiding the latter; and a spring die
may be used to keep the pawl c in action with the teeth b in quadrant B.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4 a hollow bar or tube B2 would be
loosely jointed to frame A on a pin at b³, and be formed with a series of slits or
notches 62 at spaced distances apart. A rod with pawl or toothed end c would

page_text: be jointed at its outer end to the longitudinal rod c¹ andɔ would slide or work
telescopically within the hollow bar B², for its pawl end c to engage in any one of
the notches and so fix the flap part A at any desired angle, in an equivalent
manner to that described in reference to Figures 1 and 2.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 to 8, a quadrant B would be formed on
the inner part A of berth, and have a series of holes or notches b formed in it at
short spaced distances apart. A cranked or bent rod c, is fitted through guide.
eyes in the flap or oscillating part A', and its ends are made to engage with.
the notches b in quadrant B. Helical springs are fitted between the stop studs d
on rod and fixed guide eyes d, so that when the end catches c of rod ct are pulled
together by hand the ends c of rod are pulled out of the holes in notched
quadrant B, and the flap part A' set to any desired position such as the angled
position shown in Figure 8, or the upright or horizontal position shown in Figures 6
and 7 respectively, and by releasing the hand catches the recoil action of the
springs will automatically press the ends c of the rod into the required notches b
in the quadrant B.
In the modification shown in Figure 9 only one spring d¹ is used and is mounted
on a rod d³ placed loosely within the rod c' which is formed tubular, so that when
the catch handles c are pulled towards each other this spring is put in compression,
and when the handles are released its recoil action will press the ends c of rod c*
into the required notches in the quadrants B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inveu-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
First. In extensible ships' berths, having the extensible part formed from the
lee rail, the method of affixing and releasing the said extension part, lee rail or
front boundary framing in and from a horizontal, vertical or any intermediate
position, substantially as and for the purpose as described and set forth.
Second. In ships' berths, the fitting of a toothed or notched quadrant or bar on
the inner part, and of a pawl or hand operated organ on the flap or hinged
oscillating front part of berth to automatically engage with said quadrant, and
secure the flap part at any desired angle or position from 0 up to 90 degrees in
relation to the inner part, substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings or the mechanical equivalents of these.
Third. In the lee rails of ships' berths, the construction and arrangement of the
parts, substantially as and for the purpose described and set forth.
Dated the 5th December 1894.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.