IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS."-A communication
from abroad by Henry Giffard, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 2nd February 1864, and dated the 7th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th August 1863.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS," a communication
to me from abroad by Henry Giffard, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to
be as follows:―
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
apparatus to be fitted on board ships for the use of voyagers subject to sea
sickness, and consists in the employment of a support, platform, or cradle sus-
pended by means of elastic cords or metal springs some distance above the
deck to allow for the vertical movement of the ship, the elastic cords or
springs allowing for the pitching of the ship without imparting motion to the

page_text: suspended platform; these elastic cords or suspensory springs are secured to
the masts or to special supports. Other elastic cords or springs disposed
horizontally, and attached to the sides of the platform and to the masts or
other suitable fixed points, serve to prevent any oscillating motion of the
platform during the rolling of the ship. The platform may either be sus-
pended above the deck line, when a ladder or flight of steps also supported by
elastic cords or springs is required to gain access to the platform, or the floor
of the platform may be level with the deck, a well or cavity being made in the
deck beneath the same to allow of vertical play. These suspended platforms
may be roofed in or left open, and provided with seats, beds, and other con-
veniences for voyagers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
HENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS," a communication to me
from abroad by Henry Giffard, of Paris, in the Empiro of France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
apparatus to be fitted on board ship for the use of voyagers subject to sea sick-
ness, and consists in the employment of a supporting platform or cradle suspended
by means of springs some distance above the deck to allow for the vertical
movement of the ship, the springs allowing for the pitching of the ship without
imparting motion to the suspended platform; these suspensory springs are
secured to the masts or to special supports. Other springs disposed horizontally
or nearly so, and attached to the sides of the platform and to the masts or other
suitable fixed points, serve to prevent any oscillating motion of the platform
during the rolling of the ship. The platform may either be suspended above the
deck line, in which case a flight of steps and a gangway also supported by springs
are required to gain access to the platform, or the floor of the platform may
be level with the deck, a well or cavity being made in the deck beneath the
same to allow of vertical play. These suspended platforms may be roofed
in or left open, and provided with seats, beds, and other conveniences for
voyagers.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a Diagram showing the principle of the
arrangement of spring for suspending the platform. A, A, A, is a flexible
elastic spring or thin blade of metal; b, c, is a cord or rod attached to one end
of the spring blade at 6, guided at the other end c, and terminating in a ring
or hook, the same arrangement being adopted for the rod or cord d, e, which
is attached to the opposite end of the spring blade A.
By superposing a number of these blade springs connected one with another
a sufficient vertical elasticity will be obtained, but such an arrangement would
be in many respects inconvenient by reason of the great altitude to which
such series of springs would have to be carried to afford the requisite amount
of vertical play, as the extension afforded by the fluxure of each spring would
ot be more than about one-third of the length of such spring when in a state

page_text: of rest. This objection applies still more forcibly to the horizontal springs for
preventing lateral oscillations in the platform.
In order to obviate these objections, and still maintain the same principle
in the application of the springs, it is proposed to adopt the modification shown
in Figure 2, in which A represents the blade springs, which are bent by the
action of the short arms of the lovers b, c, on the two ends of the springs.
These levers work on fulcra & fixed to each corner of a double frame e, which
bears the strain of the springs and of the suspended weight, and prevents by
means of suitable stops the undue flexure of the springs. The load to be sus-
pended is attached at c, and consequently the elastic play is increased in pro-
portion to the length of the levers. It is advisable that the spring blades
should present an equal resistance throughout, as it is important to reduce
their weight to a minimum, as well as the weight of their accessories. By
placing several pairs of these springs and their levers one above the other the
desired amount of play will be obtained, and by placing others on the side of
the former springs the desired strength or resistance for supporting the weight
of the platform and its occupants will be afforded should this strength not be
obtained from a single series of springs. It is preferred to tio together the
several series by transverse bars placed at each end of the frames at f, so
that in case of any of the springs in ono series breaking, the whole may still
remain supported. Allowance should also be made for the weight of each
pair of springs and their levers, the upper springs being rather stronger than
the pair below in proportion to the additional weight of the lower springs and
levers which they have to carry.
P,
Figure 3 represents the combination of several series of springs and levers
which carry the platform suspended at o by a universal joint, and which plat-
form is guided laterally by two vertical stays or masts m passing through the
guides n with or without rollers at the extremity of the bar which connects
the several pairs of springs. The platform may either be suspended above
the deck, as shown, and approached by a light bridge or gangway resting upon
a fixed flight of steps, or it may be suspended so as to be level or nearly level
with the deck, in which case a well must be formed to receive the platform
when the hull of the vessel rises.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the general construction,

page_text: arrangement, and combination of apparatus to be applied to sea-going ships
and vessels, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (Ls.)