IMPROVEMENTS IN CON- STRUCTING AND FITTING THE SEATS OF SHIPS AND OTHER SEATS TO RENDER PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Stephens Copeman, of Downham Market, in the
County of Norfolk, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CON-
STRUCTING AND FITTING THE SEATS OF SHIPS AND OTHER SEATS TO RENDER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Stephens Copeman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th January 1882.
<<
EDWARD STEPHENS COPEMAN of Downham Market in the County of Norfolk,
Gentleman. IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND FITTING THE SEATS OF SHIPS
AND OTHER SEATS TO RENDER THEM AVAILABLE AS LIFE RAFTS IN CASE Of
NEED."
The object of my Invention is to construct and fit the deck and other seats of
ships and also boat seats and seats for piers and other places in such manner that
they can readily be converted into life rafts in case of need.
For this purpose I may make the body or frame of the seats of wood or other
material or inaterials of sufficient buoyancy being either filled with cork or made
air and water tight and in convenient lengths say from 10 to 30 feet or more
according to circumstances. They are closed in on all sides and the bottom is by
preference rounded off at the ends. They may be likened to a narrow decked
barge or punt. In the body of the seat thus constructed I may form one or more
boxes or receptacles for food or other purposes, these boxes being provided with
watertight lids and I prefer the boxes to have an opening or openings at the
bottom, similarly provided with a watertight lid so that the contents may be got
at whichever way uppermost the seat is launched as a raft. In the top of the seat
body I make one or more sockets or bearings for spars to be used as masts and
across the said body I form recesses or holes for the reception of horizontal spars as
hereinafter described when the seat is to be converted into a raft. Along the
upper edge of the seat I can hinge at the front a light frame which may be made
C
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page_text: with advantage of longitudinal laths or bars of wood. This frame in its normal
position rests upon the seat body and forms the seat proper. At the back of the
seat body I hinge a similar frame which in its normal position may either lie
above or below the first described frame or fall back or be held up by a longi-
tudinal bar passing through loops or holes in the elbows or arms of the seats which
I make at each end, and at other places if necessary, or it may be otherwise held
up so as to form the seat back. The seats may be conveniently secured in place
on vessels or boats at sea, by metal bars passed transversely through them and
into or through the bulwarks or other parts or through staples in the deck or
otherwise; or be merely lashed thereto and the spars above referred to may be
connected to the outer ends of these bars by passing the bars through holes in the
spars; the spars would then form foot boards to the seats.
When it is required to convert the scats into a raft the spars are released and
some of them are then pushed horizontally into the transverse recesses or holes
before described in the seat bodies and lashed thereto, each spar entering recesses
or holes in two seat bodies so as to connect them together; the two seat bodies are
also connected together by ropes. The two hinged frames before described of each
scat are then moved into a horizontal position so as to rest upon the horizontal
spars. The two seats thus connected together by spars and ropes now form a
small raft which may be lowered into the water. When in the water, or before,
any number of these small rafts may be lashed or connected together so as to form
a large raft which may be provided with masts by inserting some of the spars into
the sockets already described. Two or more of these seats might also be lashed to
a ships boat either outside or inside and would thus form a life boat. Ropes for
lashing the seats together may be conveniently kept in the transverse recesses in
the seat bodies, and alsos ecured to rings or staples round the outer edges of the
seats. The seats will of course be provided at various parts with such rings, hooks
or other like devices as may be considered desirable. They might also have a
compressed air chamber and a screw propeller so that when the chamber is charged,
the seat raft might be utilized to carry a line to the shore.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Stephens Copeman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th July 1882.
EDWARD STEPHENS COPEMAN of Downham Market in the County of Norfolk,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND FITTING THE SEATS OF
SHIPS AND OTHER SEATS TO RENDER THEM AVAILABLE AS LIFE RAFTS IN CASE
OF NEED."
The object of my Invention is to construct and fit the deck seats and other seats
of ships and also boat seats and seats for piers and other places in such manner
that they can readily be converted into life rafts in case of need. For this purpose
I make the body of the seats in convenient lengths, say, from 10 to 30 feet or more
according to circumstances, and in order to obtain the necessary buoyancy I prefer
to construct them with watertight compartments and to make them of steel or iron,
or of wood, lined with zinc or copper in the form of tanks fitting into such com-
partments, or of other suitable material or materials.-The bottom is by preference
rounded off at the ends and the whole seat body may be likened to a narrow
decked barge or pontoon. In the seat body I make one or more sockets or
bearings for masts and across the body I form recesses or holes for the reception
when the seat is to be converted into a raft of horizontal spars or baulks of wood
or other material as hereinafter described. These spars inay be round or square or
partly round or square. Upon the seat body I place a light frame forined by
preference of longitudinal bars of wood which frame forms the seat proper; it may
either be loose, that is to say, capable of being lifted off the seat body, which I prefer,
or it may be connected to the seat body by hinges at the front which will permit
of its being turned over and connected to the spars or baulks when the seat has to
be converted into a raft. The back of the seat may either be permanently fixed in
position to the seat body or it may be connected to the seat body by upright bars
with hinges arranged as hereinafter described; or if no back is required to the seat
a second light frame either loose or hinged to the back of the seat body may lie
upon the body. The spars or baulks, so long as the seat is required as a seat, may
be lashed on either side of the body or in any other convenient position; the same
remark applies to the masts, sails, oars, &c. In the back rail of the seat I form one
or more holes to receive rowlocks.
When it is required to convert the seats into a raft, two (or three) of the seats
are placed opposite each other at a distance equal to about the width of two of the
loose frames; the loose frames are lifted off and the spars or baulks are inserted
transversely of the seat bodies into the recesses before described, each spar entering
a recess in each of two seat bodies so as to connect them together and the spars
may be held down by bolts or otherwise; the two scat bodies may also be con-
nected together by hooks or other suitable contrivances. The loose frames are then
placed side by side upon the spars between the seat bodies so as to form a deck
and are lashed to the spars or otherwise secured.
The two seats thus connected together with the frames between them now form
a small raft and may be lowered into the water, before this is done the seat
backs may be lowered on their hinges, and they should be again raised when the
raft is in the water to form a protection at each side; ropes carried from one to
another make a protection at the ends. When in the water, or before, any number
of these small rafts inay be lashed or connected together so as to form a large
raft.

page_text: The seats will of course be provided at various parts with such rings, hooks,
lifelines or other liko devices as may be considered desirable.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front view, Figure 2 an end view
and Figure 3 a top view of a seat constructed according to my Invention.-Figure 4
is a top view and Figure 5 an end view showing two of these seats converted into
a raft Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views on a larger scale of one of the hinges of the
seat back.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a is the seat body made with water-tight com-
partments as indicated by dotted lines a' or otherwise made sufficiently buoyant.
Each compartment may have a small tube inserted at the top as shown at q and
extending down to within about half an inch of the bottom; a pump may be
attached to this tube in case of need to pump the compartment dry. The tube is
fitted with a screw cap.
The body a is rounded off at the ends as shown so as
to somewhat resemble a narrow decked barge or pontoon covered in at the top-
One or more of the compartments may be fitted with water tight removable lids
so as to form receptacles for food or other purposes-bb are sockets for masts.
cc are the transverse recesses to receive the spars; there may be two or more of
these recesses as thought best according to the length of the seat; or if preferred
the recesses may be dispensed with in which case the spars, when the seat is
converted into a raft, will lie across the top of the seat body and be attached
thereto with clamps or ropes. dd are the spars which together with the masts,
oars &c. may be lashed to the body of the seat on deck or be placed out of the way
behind the scat. c is a light frame placed upon the body a; it may be either
loose as shown or be hinged to the front of the body. f is the back which is
shown as formed of a single rail supported by iron bars g hinged at h or otherwise
attached to the seat body. are sliding sleeves which are moved up or down
to liberate the hinges or make them rigid as required. The top rail contains
holes to receive rowlocks. is a hook to connect the seat to another seat when
a raft is to be formed, or instead of or in addition to these hooks I form the
spars with chocks or projecting pieces as indicated at to fit the back and front
of the seat body am m are bolts sliding in staples on the body to hold down
the spars d when in place or instead of these bolts I may use clamps hooks or
other suitable devices-n n are rings at the back and front of the seat through
which a rope or life line is carried as shown. are tubs for food and water.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5 in which the same letters as those in Figures 1,
2 and 3 indicate the same parts, it will be seen that two seat bodies a a are placed
opposite each other and are connected by the spars d d and by the hooks (or by
the projecting pieces 1') the spars lying in the recesses cc and being held down
by the bolts m m; springs m¹ prevent the bolts slipping back-The two frames e e
are placed upon the spars between the two bodies a to form the deck and are
lashed to the spars as shown-Masts o o are inserted into the sockets b. Ropes PP
are carried from rings in the ends of the back rail of the one seat to corresponding
rings of the other; these ropes and the backs f f forming a sort of hand rail all
round This raft formed from two (or more) seats may be connected, as shown at
the right hand of Figure 4 to another similar raft and in the same way as many
rafts may be connected together as thought desirable.
In some cases I extend the seat body a a few inches behind tho back rail ƒ as
indicated by the dotted lines ss in Figures 2 and 3; the back rail should then bo
a fixture. In other cases I divide the seat body longitudinally into two distinct
bodies which may be hinged together at their upper part so that they will open to
double the width. I may also permanently fix two of my seats together on deck,
back to back, or otherwise, at a suitable distance apart to receive the frames e e
between them.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim :-
First Constructing seats substantially as described so that they can be converted
into a life raft in the manner explained.

page_text: Second Constructing buoyant seat bodies with watertight compartments and
rounded ends and closed in on all sides so as to be like a decked barge or pontoon,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Third Constructing seats with recesses such as those shown at c c for the
purpose described.
Fourth Constructing buoyant seat bodies with seats formed of movable frames
substantially as described which form the deck between the said bodies when
converted into a life raft in the manner explained.
In witness whereof I the said Edward Stephens Copeman have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Sixth day of July One thousand eight hundred and
eighty two.
EDW. S. COPEMAN. (L.S.)