IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' SLEEPING BERTHS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for au Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' SLEEPING BERTHS." A communication from
abroad by Dana Parks, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th October 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' SLEEPING BERTHS."
[A communication from abroad by Dana Parks, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' sleeping berths. One practical
difficulty which has been met with in attempts made to introduce self-levelling
berths into use arises from the fact that many state-rooms are but six feet between
the bulkheads, and consequently the berth must be made short when constructed
on any principle requiring end play.
The main object of the present Invention is to enable the berth to be of the
usual length while it is also perfectly self-levelling, and it consists mainly in a berth
the frame of which is suspended upon its longitudinal axis, so that it has no end
play, while the bottom is suspended upon its transverse axis and from the frame,
the result being that the frame of the berth can be made very nearly as long as the
distance between the bulkheads of the state-room, and yet ample provision be made
for causing the berth to remain horizontal, notwithstanding the rolling and pitching
of the vessel.
According to my Invention I provide a frame, and the mattress and bedding are
supported by a bottom which is capable of a limited motion within the frame
instead of being fast to it, as has been common in many self-levelling berths
heretofore.
The said frame is hung by straps to scale beams one at each end, and these beams
are secured to the bulkheads by journals, thus no end play of the frame is required,

page_text: and yet that frame is free to hang plumb from its long axis when the vessel rolls
if the berth be fore and aft, as it usually is (or when the vessel pitches if the berth
be athwartship).
To provide for the pitch of the vessel when the berth is fore and aft (or its roll
if the berth is athwartship), the bottom is also hung by straps to scale-beams, one
at each side of the frame, and secured to the latter by journals; thus, as will be
clear, the bottom may hang plumb from its short axis through the last named
journals, and also hang plumb from its long axis through the first named journals,
and thus be maintained substantially horizontal, while the effective length of the
berth may be very nearly equal to the distance between the bulkheads, and this
result is accomplished by suspending that part of the berth which sustains the
bedding (which I have called the bottom) from the frame, which is itself suspended
from the bulkheads.
To lessen the sidewise motion of the frame, or more strictly speaking to lessen
the distance necessary between the rear board of this frame and the rear walls of
the stateroom (for in reality it is the rear wall of the stateroom which ceases to
be plumb as the vessel rolls, and not the frame), the first named straps should be
jointed to the scale beam and also to the frame, and regulating straps should be
used to limit the motion of the frame, these regulating straps being each jointed at
one end to the frame, and at the other end to the bulkhead.
For a like reason the other straps should be jointed to the bottom and also to a
beam, and arms be secured to the frame and bottom; these arms also serve to make
the changes of position less apparent to the occupant. Short chains limit the
motion of the bottom on its short axis.
Friction-rolls reduce the friction of the bottom against the frame, and other
friction rolls reduce the friction of the scale-beam on its journal. A lee board may
be fast to the bulkheads.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd April 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' SLEEPING BERTHS.'
A communication from abroad by Dana Parks, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' sleeping berths.
One practical difficulty which has been met with in attempts made to introduce
self-levelling berths into use arises from the fact that many state-rooms are but six
feet between the bulkheads, and consequently the berth must be made short when
constructed on any principle requiring end play.
The main object of the present Invention is to enable the berth to be of the
usual length while it is also perfectly self-levelling, and it consists mainly in a berth
the frame of which is suspended upon its longitudinal axis, so that it has no end
play, while the bottom is suspended upon its transverse axis and from the frame,
the result being that the frame of the berth can be made very nearly as long as the
distance between the bulkheads of the state-room, and yet ample provision be made
for causing the berth to remain horizontal, notwithstanding the rolling and pitching
of the vessel.
Figure 218 a pian, and
Figure 3 is an end elevation of a berth embodying my Invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rear of the said berth.
A is the frame of the berth, and B the bottom; the mattress and bedding are
supported by the bottom B, which is capable of a limited motion within the frame A
instead of being fast to the frame, as has been common in many self-levelling berths
heretofore.
The frame a is hung by straps a to the scale beams a³, one at each end, and these
beams are secured to the bulkheads D by journals as, thus no end play of the
frame A is required, and yet that frame is free to bang plumb from its longitudinal
axis when the vessel rolls if the berth be fore and aft, as it usually is, or when the
vessel pitches if the berth be athwartship.
To provide for the pitching of the vessel when the berth is fore and aft, or for its
rolling if the berth be athwartship, the bottom B is hung by straps b to scale
beams 6', one at each side of the frame A, and secured to the latter by journals 6';
thus, as will be clear, the berth will hang plumb from its transverse axis through
the journals 62, and also hang plumb from its longitudinal axis through the
journals a², and thus be maintained substantially horizontal, while the effective
length of the berth may be very nearly equal to the distance between the bulk-
heads D, and this result is accomplished by suspending that part of the berth which
sustains the bedding (which I bave called the bottom B), from the frame A, which
is itself suspended from the bulkheads.
To lessen the sidewise motion of the frame A, or more strictly speaking to lessen
the distance necessary between the rear board of the frame A and the rear walls of
the state-room (for in reality it is the rear wall of the state-room which ceases to be
plumb as the vessel rolls, and not the frame A), the straps a should be jointed to
the beam a' and also to the frame A, and regulating straps a³ should be used to
limit the motion of the frame A, these regulating straps being each jointed at one
end to the frame A, and at the other end to the bulkhead.

page_text: For a like reason the straps 6 should be jointed to the bottom B and also to the
beam 6', and the arms 63 should be secured to the frame A and bottom B; these
arms 63 also serve to make the bottom B less sensitive to changes of the occupant's
position. The short chains 6* limit the motion of the bottom B on its transverse
axis (see Figure 1).
The friction-rollers 65 reduce the friction of the bottom B against the frame A,
and the friction-rollers a reduce the friction of the beam a¹ on its journal a³. The
lee-board F may be fast to the bulkheads.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. In a self-levelling berth the frame A, the ends of which form the head and
foot boards for the berth proper, and the bottom B suspended on separate axes, the
frame A being suspended from scale beams at the head and foot, as shown, and the
bottom of the berth being suspended from the side pieces of the said frame,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Second. In a self-levelling berth the frame suspended by means of straps from
the scale beams secured to the bulkheads by journals, in combination with the
bottom suspended by means of straps from the scale beams secured to the side
boards of the said frame by journals, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.