A Portable and Interchangeable Ship's Berth or Couch and Settee.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Portable and Interchangeable Ship's Berth or Couch and
Settee.
We, THOMAS MARSH MARKHAM, Ironmonger, of 33 Spencer Street, Heaton,
Newcastle-on-Tyne and WILLIAM TURNBULL DAVIES, Contractor of Byker
Terrace, Walker both in the County of Northumberland, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a portable and interchangeable ship's berth or couch and
settee.
According to the existing systems in use each compartment forming a ship's
berth is provided with sleeping berths and a settee as separate articles of furniture.
Our invention comprises an interchangeable arrangement by which a settee can be
easily and quickly converted into a pair of sleeping berths or beds and vice versa.
Primarily to effect this object we form a frame one side of which is draped to
form a seat for ordinary use while the other side contains a mattress and the ordinary
bed material.
To render the system readily workable we provide on the frames composing the
settee and bed means for enabling them to be swung or turned partly or completely
over and retaining them in any desired position.
These means consist of pivot bearings and slide bolts or catches arranged in
convenient positions on the frame and on the walls.or sides of the compartment.
Thus a centre pivot at either end of a frame working in suitable bearings will enable
such frame to be revolved when it can then be held in any desired position by
sliding out bolts or catches on the frame into recesses or their equivalent in or on
the bulkhead or other division.
Such slide bolts or their equivalent can also be used as pivots in certain cases:
thus to convert a settee into a sleeping berth the corner catches can be disengaged
and the seat revolved so as to turn upside down when the corners can be again
secured similarly the back can be raised on its top catches or hinges as a centre
the centre pivot can then be adjusted the part revolved and secured by corner
catches as above.
:
The interchangeable parts can similarly be slung vertically for dusting and
ventilating purposes suitable hanging centres or multiple-position brackets and
runners or bearing surfaces being provided for the purpose.
The above device can be arranged with or without side frames in wood or iron
as desired.
The mattresses can be secured to the frames by hooked elastic slings to render
same easily removable.
Ornamental lee-boards run along the edges of the berths.
Increased space portability of parts and greater convenience are thus effected.
Dated thie 9th day of Nov 1809
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Portable and Interchangeable Ship's Berth or Couch and
Settee.
We, THOMAS MARSH MARKHAM Ironmonger of 33 Spencer Street, Heaton,
Newcastle-on-Tyne and WILLIAM TURNBULL DAVIES, Contractor of Byker
Terrace, Walker both in the County of Northumberland 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 :-
This invention relates to a portable and interchangeable ship's berth or couch and
settee.
We will describe our invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which
Figs. 1 & 2 show respectively cross-sections of our interchangeable ship's berth
and settee, the former figure representing the parts in position for use as sleeping
berths, the latter figure showing the same parts in position for use as a settee.
Fig. 3 shows a plan of one end of one of the interchangeable parts shown in
Figs. 1 & 2.
Like marks of reference indicate like parts in the following description.
Referring to the drawings a is a rectangular or oblong frame one side of which
is fitted with mattress furniture m the other side being fitted with fixed cushion
furniture m¹. On the mattress side a brass portable rail 2 may be fitted & india
rubber or other bands may be employed to stretch from one side of the frame a to
the other over the mattress & clothing so as to keep the latter in its position when
turned over as shown in Fig. 2. The ends of the rubber bands may be hooked to
eyes fixed in the frames. At both ends of the frames a a central sliding bolt 6 &
two lateral sliding bolts 6' are fitted and in corresponding positions in the walls of
the compartment recesses or socket holes are likewise provided into which these
bolts, when shot, are designed to protrude. To convert the sleeping device shown
in Fig. 1 into a settee for use during the day first withdraw the bolts of the upper
sleeping berth from their recesses in the end walls or divisions of the compartment
& turn the frame over using the central bolt as a pivot on which to turn the
frame. The seat furniture will now be uppermost & in this position slip in the
bolt nearest the back wall of the compartment at either end of the frame. Now
by withdrawing the central bolt 6 the upper frame can be lowered turning on the
inner bolt b¹ as a centre of motion into the position shown in Fig. 2. The lower
sleeping berth, which is identical with the upper one, has in like manner to be
turned over into the position shown in Fig. 2 which will of course be effected by
firstly withdrawing the four corner bolts, then turning the frame over on the central
bolts, when the four corner bolts must be again shot to secure the frame in its new
position with the cushioned seat uppermost as shown in Fig. 2. It will be obvious
that the conversion of the settee arrangement into sleeping berths will be effected
by a similar change of the position of the parts to that just described the central
bolts 6 being used as required for turning over the frames & the lateral bolts 6' for
securing or unlocking the corners, as occasion requires.
When the compartment is required to be cleaned out or for ventilating purposes,
the sleeping frames or couches can, if so desired, by the withdrawal of all the
sliding bolts, be entirely removed.
In Figure 4 is shown in cross sectional elevation a device wherein the frames a
furnished as aforesaid as regards bedding and cushions are mounted in outer
frames a¹. Figure 5 shows this device in plan view.
The ends or corners of these outer frames are fitted with small rollers a' which
are designed to run on runners R. Figure 6 shows in elevation an enlarged view
of one of such runners. They are to be secured at the end walls of the berth, so
that, for example, when it is required to stow away the settee and beds, the lower

page_text: bed c (see Fig. 4) can be swung upwards as indicated by the dotted radial liner so
as to lie against the wall to of the berth with its corner roller lying in, for example,
seat of the runner. The top frame or bed c¹ can then be pulled forward on its
runner, until the roller drops into seat s (see Fig. 6) when the upper bed can be
hung from this centre so as to lie in front of the lower bed.
As will be understood the frames a in Figs. 4 and 5 are arranged in the outer
frames a¹ with corner bolts at a' and with centre bolts at a¹. A small bracket 6
pivotted at a is substituted for corner bolts on this side of the frame a.
To carry
the outer ends of the frames a small hinged flap brackets 7 are placed as shown
in Figs. 4 and 5 and arranged so that they can be shut up against the wall when it
is desired to lower these frames.
If only a single berth is required in the compartment (instead of two as provided
for in Figs. 1 and 2) then the seat shown in Fig. 2 can be turned over, to form a
a bed, the back of the settee remaining in the same position as shown in Fig. 2.
Of course the lower frame will be at sufficient height from the floor to enable it
to be turned in the manner described.
Incidentally, it may be remarked, that the construction of frames described, in
cases of emergency, might enable them to be readily applied as life-saving rafts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combined portable and interchangeable arrangement of ship's berth and
settee, consisting in the provision of frames furnished on their opposite sides with
bed furniture and seat cushioning and at their ends and corners with sliding bolts,
the said bolts being designed to act and the said frames being designed as regards
interchangeability of position substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
2. The combination or arrangement of parts shown and described with reference
to Figures 4, 5 and 6 substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this 9th day of February 1893.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.