Improvements in Folding Seats and in Life-saving Appliances connected therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Folding Seats and in Life-saving Appliances
connected therewith.
We, JAMES GILFILLAN, and JOHN HARPER, of Rosehill, Bowling, in the
County of Dumbarton, North Britain, Wrights, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is
to say :-
Our said invention comprises an improved construction of folding seat which may
be used on board ship, and which has combined with it certain parts readily available
for saving life in an emergency.
Our improved seat consists of two simply but strongly constructed rectangular
frames hinged together, and having combined with them a seat piece which folds
within the frames when they are folded, and assumes a suitable horizontal or nearly
horizontal position when the frames are opened. The scat piece is in the form
of a shallow box or tray adapted to contain a life-belt or life-jacket and provided
with appliances for speedily releasing the same when required.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to
be hereinafter referred to and showing a folding and life-saving scat as made with
our improvements.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is an elevation of the seat in its closed state,
Figure, 2, is a side elevation of the seat as open and Figure, 3, is a vertical
section also with the seat open. Figures, 4, and, 5, are a plan and section of the
seat piece as without the life-belt. Figures 6, and 7, are a face view and longitudinal
section of the life belt as opened. Figure, 8, is an enlarged detail view of part
of the life belt and seat piece; and Figures, 9, and, 10, are enlarged detail views
showing the mode of connecting parts of the frames of the seat. In these
drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
The seat is made with two rectangular frames an outer one consisting of a pair
of side bars, A, connected by a bottom cross bar, B, and an inner frame, consisting
of a pair of side bars, C, connected by a bottom cross bar, D, whilst the upper
parts of the two frames are connected by one top cross bar, E. The inner
frame CD, is sufficiently narrower and shorter than the outer frame, A B, to fit
within the latter when the frames are folded together as shown in Figure, 1. The
frames may be of wood or of metal or other suitable material, but when of wood
the top cross bar, E, has a hole bored longitudinally through it in which there is
placed a metal tube, F, (or it might be a solid rod) the ends of which extend through
the side bars, C, A, of the frames, as best seen in section in Figure, 9. At each
end' a nut, G, is screwed on the tube, F, in recesses on the outer sides of the inner
bars, C, and by means of the nuts and tube the bars are bound firmly to the top
bar, E, and are tied through it to each other. The top bar, E, is by preference of
oval section as shown in Figure, 3, and it is fixed in an inclined position relatively
to the side bars, C, by means of dowels, H, so as to be in a convenient position to
serve as a back support when the seat is in use. The ends of the tube, F, project
far enough beyond the inner frame bars, C, to pass through holes inade for them in
the outer frame bars, A, and nuts, J, are screwed on their outer ends into recesses
in the outer sides of the bars, A, to secure those bars to the tube, the bars being
however free to turn on the tube ends as on hinges. The top cross bar, E,
is a convenient handle for carrying the seat by; and if the seat is open it will close
automatically on being lifted by the top cross bar. The bottom cross bars, B, D,
Do

page_text: are fixed to the pairs of side bars, A, and C, respectively as shown in Figure, 10,
by means of a rod or tube, F, passing through each cross bar and the side bars, and
fixed by nuts, G, screwed on the ends.
The seat piece, K, is in the form of a shallow box or tray made with a bottom
consisting by preference of strong canvas and thin wood; and the sides form_a
light but stiff frame with rounded corners, which are strengthened by quadrants, L,
of solid wood, these quadrants as hereinafter explained leaving the interior of the
tray-like piece of a suitable form to receive the life-belt. The seat piece, K, is
made of a width to fit in between the side bars, C, of the inner frame, being sup-
ported on a cross bar or tube, M, the ends of which extend into sockets in metal
bearing pieces fixed in the side bars, A. Near the back end of the seat piece, K,
metal journals, N, are fixed to its sides, and these journals project into and work in
grooves formed in the side bars, C, one of which grooves, P, is shown in Figure, 3.
When the seat is open the seat piece, K, is inclined slightly downwards towards the
back, and any water getting in can drain off through eyelets, Q, provided for the
purpose and also strengthening the bottom.
The life belt consists of a number of flat pieces, R, of cork which are by
preference strengthened by thin plies or veneers of wood on one side. The cork
pieces, R, are connected by two pairs of straps, S, each passing alternately over and
under the pieces as shown to allow of the pieces hinging upon each other in any
direction; and the straps, S, may be of any suitable elastic make to render the
life-belt expansible. When the life-belt is placed in the seat piece, K, it is folded
in a manner to bring the ends to the middle, the neck and waist straps are folded
inside and the whole is secured by a wooden or metal lath, T, to which a curvature
has been given to make it tend to spring out when secured in a flattened state upon
the life-belt. The lath, T, is secured by inserting one end into a notch or indent in
the inner side of the frame at one end of the seat piece, its other end being secured
by a pin, U, entered through the frame at the other end of the seat piece into an
eye in a small metal fitting V, fixed to the underside of the lath. When the life-
belt is wanted, the pin, U, which is held by a cord is pulled out, whereupon the
lath, T, springs out and sets free the life-belt. The life-belt is at the same time
partly opened by the action of a stretched elastic strap, W, fixed to the end of the
seat piece, and having its other end hooked on a pin on the edge of the outer cork
piece, as will be understood from Figure, 8. The life-belt is made with the usual
hollows, X, for the arms of a user; and when the life-belt is folded these
hollows, X, fit more or less closely the quadrants, L, at the corners of the seat
piece, K.
The bottom cross bar, B, of the outer frame of the seat, has attached to it at its
middle a metal pin, Y, intended to be inserted in a metal socket piece, Z, fixed in a
deck or floor as shown in Figure, 1. Such socket pieces may be fixed along near
a dining table to determine the distances apart of the seats, or otherwise
fixing their positions, the seats being however capable of being turned on
the pins, Y.
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 combination of parts forming as a whole our improved folding and
life-saving seat substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
2. The improved construction of folding seat consisting of two frames hinged
together at the top, and one folding within the other, and a seat piece supported
by and turnable on a cross bar connected to one frame and having journals working
in grooves in the other frame substantially as herein before described.
3. The mode of connecting the side bars (A, C) of the frames by means
of metal tubes or rods passing through the cross bars (B, D, E) substantially as
hereinbefore described.

page_text: 4. The construction and adaptation of the seat piece for holding a life-belt or
life-jacket substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The application of the spring holding lath (T) and elastic strap, W,
stantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
sub-
6. The mode of connecting together the pieces (R) of the life-belt or life-jacket
with interlaced elastic straps (S) substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
Dahi fifth day of Anril 1891
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.