Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 24th June, 1887.
RES
171
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and 823 High Holborn
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
The present invention has for its object an improved construction of chairs or seats
for the prevention of sea sickness suspended from the timbers of a ship at a single
point. The seat is attached to the said point by means of any suitable connection,
rigid or flexible, which is capable of assuming any direction with regard to the timbers
of the ship whilst passing always through the centre of suspension. It follows that
whatever inclination the vessel may take under the influence of the waves, the centre
of gravity of the system formed by the chair and the person seated in it, will always
remain in the vertical plane passing through the centre of suspension. The person
making use of the chair will always remain parallel thereto in spite of the various
positions the vessel may take up when in motion.
For the carrying out of this invention, the inventor prefers one of the following
arrangements. One method consists in attaching a ring or other convenient fastening
to the top of the frame of the chair or couch, through which is passed a cord, chain or
other flexible suspending medium, attached to a given point of the timbers of the ship.
The said cord or chain may be of any suitable dimensions, construction or material and
joined in any suitable manner to the chair and to the ship respectively. It should also be
remarked that there is but one indispensable condition to be fulfilled and which may
be attained by any known means, whether by means of ordinary ropes or by special
flexible bands of leather, india rubber, metal gut, hemp or other materials, that is, that
the suspending cord must be perfectly symmetrical around its axis without any

page_text: tendency to twist or untwist or to turn in any direction upon its axis and that in
securing it to the apparatus and to the support no such tendency must be imparted to
it. Another arrangement consists in the application to the chair frame of a rod
terminating in a ball supported in a socket attached to the vessel in such a manner
that it can move freely.
The shape of the couch or scat may vary as the principle of the invention is obviously
applicable to all sorts of seats. In one construction the frame is composed of two
pieces of half round iron at right angles to each other: they are held in place by a
threaded screw at the end of the bar for the suspending ring and enclose the seat and
hand rest which may be omitted if desired and footstep.
The samo principle described above with especial reference to seats, can be applied
to hammocks. The centres of suspension in this case must be four in number
corresponding to the four corners of the hammock. From these points descend four
cords or other supports which are secured one to each corner of the hammock, the
attachments being made in such a manner as to comply with the conditions enunciated
above, that is to say that every tendency to a rotary motion be avoided. There might
also be an installation of similar seats to those described upon the deck of a ship. In
this case the centre of suspension is from the summit of an arch or several arches the
feet of which are secured to the deck. By means of these arches; suitably modified
hammocks could also be slung on deck.
1000

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign Patents
Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and 323 High
Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The present invention has for its object, an improved construction of chairs or seats
for the prevention of sea sickness, which are suspended from the timbers of a ship at a
single point. The seat is attached to the said point by means of any suitable connection,
rigid or flexible, which is capable of assuming any direction with regard to the timbers
of the ship whilst its axis passes always through the centre of suspension. It follows
that whatever inclination the vessel may take under the influence of the waves, the
centre of gravity of the system formed by the chair and the person seated in it, will
always remain in the vertical plane passing through the centro of suspension. The
person making use of the chair will always remain parallel thereto in spite of the
various positions the vessel may take up when in motion.
The way in which I prefer to carry out my invention may be best explained by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figures 1 and 1 are two elevations at right angles to each other, which show one
method of suspending a chair.
Figures 1, 1, and 1° show the way in which said chair is stowed away, when not
in use.
Figures 1, 15, and 1b, details of construction.
Figures 2, 2, and 2°, are respectively side elevation, end elevation and plan of a
berth suspended in accordance with my invention.
Figure 3 shows a slightly different way of slinging a chair.
I may suspend the chair or other seat in a variety of ways, such as by attaching a
ring or other convenient fastening to the top of the frame which supports it, through
which is passed a cord, chain or other flexible suspending medium, attached to a given
point of the timbers of the ship. The said cord or chain may be of any suitable
dimensions, construction or material, and joined in any suitable manner to the chair,
and to the ship respectively. It should also be remarked that there is but one
indispensable condition to be fulfilled, and which may be attained by any known
means, whether by means of ordinary ropes or by special flexible bands of leather,
india rubber, metal, gut, hemp or other materials, that is, that the suspending cord
must be perfectly symmetrical around its axis without any tendency to twist or
untwist, or to turn in any direction upon its axis, and that in securing it to the

page_text: apparatus, and to the support, no such tendency must be imparted to it. The method
which I prefer however, consists in the application to the chair frame A of a rod B
terminating in a ball B1, supported in a socket C which is attached to the vessel in
such a manner, that the ball can move freely in it. The rod B of the ball pivot B' is
bent below in such a way as to form a hook B2 on which the stirrup piece D which
supports the frame of the chair, hammock, etcetera, rests. The hook B, and the
stirrup piece D are rectangular in cross section, and fit each other closely so that the
hoop D. and consequently the chair, hammock, etcetera, cannot turn round on the rod B
However, the chair hammock etcetera, and the said rod B form one rigid system
capable of turning round the centre of B¹.
The shape of the couch or seat may vary as the principle of the invention is obviously
applicable to all sorts of seats. Referring more ospecially to Figures 1 to 1", which
show the construction of frame which I prefer, it will be seen that the frame A. is
composed of two frames a and a of half round iron placed one within the other at
right angles to each other when the chair is ready for usc.
When the chair is taken down, and it is desirable that it should occupy as little
space as possible, these frames lie one within the other in the same plane.
The stirrup-piece D has at its lower extremity a stud d with a nut d' which goes
through the two frames a and a. A bolt e with a nut el goes through the two frames
at their lower ends. When the two nuts d' and e' are loosened, the one frame may be
turned with respect to the other, so as to pass from the position shown in Figures 1ª
and 1 (as for use) to that shown in Figures 1 and 1ª, in which the chair is
not used.
The form of the small boards (or hand rests) F, and that of the seat G, which only
turn in their places round points f, f, and g, g, respectively (as the dotted lines in
Figure 1 indicate) is visible in Figure 1° where, being lowered into a vertical position
they are seen in front view.
With respect to the arm-rest H it is not turned down in its place, but it is taken
out of the notches h and its extremities are introduced in the notches higher up in
the frame a and in this higher position it is allowed to turn down into the vortical
position of Figure 1°.
The foot rest I is taken out of lits place by being lifted up, and is suspended by
means of a pin or otherwise from the stud d formed by the prolongation of the stirrup
piece D. From this it will be seen that all the pieces of the chair are suspended in
the samo vortical plane, and consequently occupy very little space, when the chair is
in the position shown in Figure 1°, that is, when it is laid aside not to be used. It is
only the back J which must be taken away altogether, and put aside (sec Figure 1º)
when the chair is taken down.
Figure 1 represents the junction at the points f, g, (Figure 1b) Figure 1" shows the
way in which the arm-rest is supported (sech Figure 1). Figure 1' represents the
junction at the points K and L. As it will be soen in Figure 1', the connections
at K, L, are unfastened by pressing on the half round iron of the frame to make it
bend, and allow the hook or to come out of the slit in which it is retained.
The same principle described above with especial reference to seats, can be applied
to hammocks.
Referring to Figures 2ª to 2°. The hammock or hammocks are connected to a top
frame M. From the four corners m of this frame descend four cords or other
supports m which are secured one to cach corner of the hammock or hammocks N,
the attachments being made in such a manner as to comply with the conditions
enunciated above, that is to say, that every tendency to a rotary motion be avoided.
The centro piece m² of the top frame M passes through the stirrup pieco D, so that the
hammock can be shifted horizontally through the said piece 1) (as indicated by the
dotted lines in Figure 2). By this means the hammock maintains its horizontal
position in whatever manner the weight of the person, who occupies it, may be
distributed. The stirrup piece D is of course slung from the ball pivot B' as in
Figures 1 to 14. In Figure 3 the method of suspension is the same as for the

page_text: hammock, only the rod B of the ball pivot B¹ is attached directly to the cross piece M¹
the centre piece m³ of which is cylindrical.
There might also be an installation of similar seats to those described upon the deck
of a ship. In this case the centre of suspension is from the summit of an arch, or
several arches, the feet of which are secured to the deck. By means of these arches
suitably modified, hammocks could also be slung on deck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
In appliances for obviating sea sickness-
1. The use of seats, suspended from the beams of the ship, or from supports attached
to its deck by means of a cord or other flexible or rigid attachment, not having any
tendency to rotate, or by means of a ball and socket joint, substantially as herein
described and set forth.
2. The application of the system above set forth to the suspension of a hammock or
hammocks.
3. The improved suspended seat characterized by the same being contained and
suspended within a frame formed of one or more parts in vertical planes, and coming
together near the ring or other suspension device, which frame after the dismounting
of the arms, seat, foot-rest, or other accessory portions attached to it by screws or
otherwise, can be reduced to occupy a minimum space by folding one of its component
parts within the other.