IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE TABLES, BEDS, SOFAS, PIANOS, BILLIARD TABLES, AND OTHER ARTICLES ON SHIP-BOARD
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Pierre Joseph Riboulet and Cæsar
Lapelouze at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 19th March 1864.
We, PIERRE JOSEPH RIBOULET and CÆSAR LAPELOUZE, both of No. 27, Rue
Armeny, Marseilles, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING IN A
HORIZONTAL PLANE TABLES, BEDS, SOFAS, PIANOS, BILLIARD TABLES, AND OTHER
ARTICLES ON SHIP-BOARD," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for maintaining
in a horizontal plane tables, beds, sofas, pianos, billiard tables, and other
articles on ship-board, and consists in the employment of a ball or pivot and
socket, for the purpose of supporting the object desired to be maintained in a
horizontal plane. The ball or pivot and socket are arranged to be beneath
the weight of the article supported by it, and it is preferred that the ball or
pivot be supported by an upright from the deck, or by a curved rod fixed to a
partition or any suitable upright, whilst the socket enclosing the ball or pivot
is fixed directly to the article to be maintained in a horizontal position.
When supporting a table according to this Invention the ball is supported
by a strong upright from the deck, and the socket or brasses embracing the
ball or pivot are secured to a strong framework, the top of which is imme-
diately under the top of the table, whilst the legs of the table rest upon and
are supported by a ledge or rail forming part of the framework to which the
socket is fixed. This framework is also arranged to carry seats for the

page_text: persons sitting at the table, by which means the table, seats, and persons
sitting thereon will not partake of the movements of the vessel, but will
always be maintained in the same plane. Feet turning upon centres of motion
beneath the framework carrying the socket are arranged in such manner that
they may be let down and support the framework when it is not desired that
the table should partake of the movements of the vessel, and to prevent
motion thereto whilst persons are taking their seats at the table.
When applying the Invention to beds it is preferred to arrange them to be
supported in pairs one above the other; the pivot or ball is fixed to the
partition by a suitable curved bracket, and is placed underneath the bed
which is uppermost; this pivot or ball is enclosed by brasses or a socket
attached to the under side of the bed.
A greater or less inclination of the beds in the direction of their length, that
is to say, from head to foot, may readily be obtained in the following manner:
-For the upper bed, by the employment of a suitable moveable counter-
balance acting in the direction of the length of the bed, and for the lower bed
by a rack placed at one of its extremities, the two movements being operated
at the will of the person in bed, and independently the one of the other.
Although we have only described the application of the Invention to a table
and beds, a competent mechanic will readily make the modifications necessary
to apply it to other articles of furniture or use on ship-board.