A Rotary-seated Chair for Ships' Saloons, applicable also to other like uses.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Rotary-seated Chair for Ships' Saloons, applicable also to other
like uses.
1, EDWARD ROWCLIFFE BILLINGTON, of 2, Cambridge Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Wire Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my said invention to be as follows :-
This invention has mainly for its object to construct a chair of the swivelling or
rotary seated type used in ships' saloons, which shall be more comfortable than
those at present in use, and at the same time as applicable and suitable for use on
board ship as those now employed: such chair however being also applicable for
use as a railway saloon-carriage rotary-seated chair and other like purposes.
A chair constructed according to this invention, consists of the following parts :-
A seat-bottom composed of a circular frame and radially arranged and upwardly
bowed flat springs, tapered towards the centre, at which they ramify, and connected
to the frame at one end, and to a central disc or plate at the other, and provided
with and supporting a padded or upholstered covering; a base adapted to support
and hold said seat-bottom frame, and provided with a central pin or socket; a back
rest secured to said base; and a pedestal or legged frame, adapted to support said
seat-bottom base, and constructed or provided with means at the upper part
to hold said bottom base in position, and to act as a table or bearing on which it
may be rotated or turned.
A modified construction of chair, having the parts above specified, consists in
constructing the seat-bottom frame with a double set of bowed springs, one on either
side of such frame, one of such sets being provided with and supporting an
upholstered or padded covering, and the other set being without an upholstered
covering, and the whole seat-bottom being adapted to be reversed, so that either
the upholstered side, or the non-upholstered side, comes uppermost, and the said
spring frame being adapted to rest on the supporting base of the seat-bottom.
The object and purposes of this construction is, that the upholstered side serves
as a warm seat for use in colder weather or climate, whilst the non-upholstered side
serves as a cool seat for warm weather or climate.
Dated this 10th
A 1000
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Rotary-seated Chair for Ships' Saloons, applicable also to other
like uses.
I, EDWARD ROWCLIFFE BILLINGTON, of 2, Cambridge Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Wire 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 :-
This invention has, mainly, for its object to construct a chair of the swivelling
or rotary seated type used in ships' saloons, which shall be more comfortable
than those at present in use, and at the same time as applicable and suitable
for use
on board ship as those now employed; and which also shall be
applicable for use as a railway saloon-carriage rotary seated chair, and other like
purposes.
A chair constructed according to this invention consists of the following parts→
A seat-bottom composed of a circular frame and radially arranged and upwardly

page_text: bowed flat springs, tapered towards the centre, at which they ramify, and connected
to the frame at one end, and to a central disc or plate at the other, and provided
with and supporting a padded or upholstered covering; a base adapted to support
and hold said seat-bottom frame, and provided with a central pin or socket; a back
rest secured to said base; and a pedestal or legged frame adapted to support
said seat-bottom base, and constructed or provided with means at the upper part
to hold said bottom base in position, and to act as a table or bearing on which it
may be rotated or turned.
A modified construction of chair, having the parts above specified, consists in
constructing the seat-bottom frame with a double set of bowed springs, one on
either side of such frame, one of such sets being provided with and supporting
an upholstered or padded covering, and the other set being without an upholstered
covering, and the whole seat-bottom being adapted to be reversed, so that either the
upholstered side, or the non-upholstered side, comes uppermost; and the said
spring frame being adapted to rest on the supporting base of the seat-bottom.
Or, in lieu of the non-upholstered side being of the naked spring construction,
ordinary cane seating meshwork may be used. The object and purpose of this
construction is that the upholstered side serves as a warm seat for use in colder
weather or climate, whilst the non-upholstered side serves as a cool seat for warm
weather or climates.
In the drawings which serve to illustrate this invention,
Figure 1 is front elevation of a chair according to this invention;
Figure 2, is a sectional elevation on a larger scale shewing the scat-bottom
and base;
Figure 3 is a plan of the seat-bottom shewing the arrangement and construction
of the springs; and
Figure 4 is a plan shewing the base with the bottom removed.
Referring to these figures, a are the springs, consisting, as will be seen, of thin
bars of tapered form; b is a metal ring to which the outer and broader ends of the
springs are riveted or otherwise suitably attached; c is the central plate to which
the inner and narrow ends of the bars are connected; d is the upholstery stuffing,
covering the springs a, and consists of hair and a surface material of plush, or other
suitable material; e is the main frame of the bottom consisting of a .ring-
preferably of wood; is the material covering the non-upholstered side of the
bottom, and consisting, in the example of chair shewn, of cane seating meshwork;
is the inner part-forming a portion of the turntable, i are arms thereon, and kis
a ring supported by said arms, constituting the upper part of the base, and by
which the seat-bottom and the back of the chair are supported; is the portion of
the base frame forming the under part of the turntable; and m is the pivot con-
necting the upper and under part, h and k, of the base frame, and about which the
upper part of the chair rotates. o is the back of the chair, the lower ends of the
uprights of which ship into sockets p formed on the outside of the rings k of
the base frame; and is the pedestal of the chair, to the upper part of which the
under part of the turntable is connected.
7"
The springs a, it will be seen, stand substantially vertically at their bases at which
they are attached to the ring b, and above the ring, are bowed round and down
towards the horizontal plane, into the form of an arch. The upholstery covering is
fixed to the ring b in any suitable way, and the ring is secured to the main frame e
of the bottom by screws or other suitable means.
The frame e is provided with projecting ledges n and n', forming the parts of the
bottom which rest upon the upper edge of the ring k of the base frame; that is
to say, accordingly as the non-upholstered or upholstered side of the bottom is
uppermost, these respective ledges rest upon the ring k.
The upper part of the base frame, namely the ring, arms, and inner portion, and
sockets, (k, i, h, p) is of metal such as brass or malleable cast iron, whilst the back
and arms of the chair are of wood. This construction of base frame renders the
chair strong, and yet of light and pleasing appearance.

page_text: By forming the bottoms of rotary chairs of springs in combination with a com-
paratively thin covering as specified, for ships and analogous purposes, a very suitable
construction is provided, inasmuch as, it prevents such chairs retaining moisture or
damp, and the thin covering renders the passage of air through it possible, thus
providing as it were, a self-ventilating upholstered chair or seat.
In the case in which the non-upholstered side of the bottom is made of springs,
such springs may be arranged and attached to the frame e in the same manner as the
springs a.
It is to be understood that although I have illustrated a chair having a reversible
seat or bottom, when or if desired, the bottom may be a fixed one and consisting of
the combined springs and thin covering of upholstery or other equivalent soft
substances or materials.
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. A rotary-seated chair for ships or analogous uses, having a seat or bottom
consisting of radial springs a, and a covering of upholstery or other equivalent soft
material, and mounted on a base frame adapted to rotate upon a stand such as r;
substantially as described.
2. In a rotary-seated chair of the kind herein referred to, a base frame of metal
adapted to support the seat or bottom, and supporting also, at points outside said
bottom, the back of the chair, said base frame being supported upon a stand or
leg-frame and adapted to rotate thereon; substantially as set forth.
3. A rotary-seated chair of the kind herein referred to, having a reversible seat
or bottom, consisting of a ring-frame covered or spanned at both ends by radiating
springs; substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of January 1891.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.