Improvements in the Seats of Cars, Railway Carriages, and other Vehicles, the same being also applicable for Outside Use, such as Summer or Garden Seats.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by HARRIS ANSEL WHEELER, of 8, Rookery Building,
Chicago, U.S.A.]
Improvements in the Seats of Cars, Railway Carriages, and other
Vehicles, the same being also applicable for Outside Use, such as
Summer or Garden Seats.
I, JOHN LIDDLE, of 154, St. Vincent Street, in the County of the City of Glasgow,
North Britain, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of seats in which the backs
are reversible.
The seat, which is of the usual construction, is supported on two cross bars provided
with upright projections which fit into corresponding recesses on the underside of
the seat. These cross bars have little downward extensions to the ends of which
there are connected sort of wedge-shaped cross pieces. Each of these is pivoted to
one end of a bent lever fixed to the front and back of each side of the framework of
the seat, the other end of these levers being loose and having little projections
thereon. The back of the seat is supported by arms er links as described in my
previous patent.
In reversing the back, as it is pulled forward or pushed back by means of catches
provided for the purpose, one of the arms or links comes in contact with the projection
on the bent lever on each side of the framework and the weight of the back causes
the lever to turn on its pivot and in doing this pushes the cross bars on which the
seat is resting in the opposite direction and so moves the seat simultaneously with
the.back.
Suitable stops are provided to prevent the back when reversed from going beyond
the required distance.
In order to adjust the back to any convenient angle, I have carried on the same
shaft or pivot on which the arm or lever supporting the back is carried, a quadrant
provided with teeth which gears into the teeth of another quadrant having an
upwardly projecting arm or lever, the upper end of which is provided with a spring
clip or pin which engages with a rack arrangement fixed to one of the arms of the
seat. When adjusting, the spring clip or pin is released by a little thumb piece or
other arrangement and the arm or lever to which the quadrant is connected, pushed
forward or backwards as the case may be, and this operating the other quadrant moves
the back of the seat to the required angle or incline. By the movement of the back
again it automatically returns to its normal position.
Underneath the seat frame I provide an arrangement for carrying foot rests which
can be adjusted at will to suit requirements.
Doted this 92nd day of November 1897

page_text: Improvements in the Seats of Cars, Railway Carriages, and other
Vehicles, the same being also applicable for Outside Use, such as
Summer or Garden Seats.
I, JOHN LIDDLE, of 154, St. Vincent Street, in the County of the City of Glasgow,
North Britain, Patent Agent, 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 :-
My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car seats
and more particularly to that class in which the cushion is shifted simultaneously with
a reversal of the back or a reversal and turning of the back.
An object of the present invention is to provide a car seat in which the movement
of the back in being reversed is communicated to the cushion to shift the latter easily
and without unnecessary friction and jars.
A further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the back,
whereby the position of the back may be changed to accommodate the traveler.
Another object of the invention is to provide hand controlled devices for adjusting
the back.
And a further object of the invention is to provide devices which are adapted to
be engaged by the arms supporting the back to shift the cushion whenever the back
is reversed and in such a manner as will cause the cushion to assume a position corre-
sponding to the location and inclination of the back.
With these and other ends in view, my invention consists in the peculiar construc-
tion and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying
drawings, in which―
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section on the line 1-1 of Figure 2, showing
one end of a car seat with the operative parts of my invention clearly disclosed.
Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, with
the back removed and the cushion shown in broken lines.
Figure 3 is an end view, partly in section, showing the cushion and the shifting
devices.
Referring to the drawings in which like letters of reference denote corresponding
parts in all of the figures, the seat may be of any preferred construction, that shown
in the drawings being a common form and embodying a cushion A, which is supported
upon rockers or runners B loosely arranged on the sills C, as shown in Figure 3. The
ends of the rockers or runners project over the sills, and are preferably bevelled on
their lower sides to facilitate their movement on the inwardly inclined or bevelled sills.
The sills are supported and arranged on a frame D in a suitable manner.
At each end of the seat or on the side of the car, I provide studs or pivots E to
which the shifting levers are pivoted at or about their middle. A yoke or equiva-
lent device G, is connected with each pair of levers and adapted to be shifted whenever
one of these levers is moved on its pivot and said yoke is provided with down-
wardly extending ends to which the lower ends of the shifting levers are pivotally
connected at f. At or about the middle of the yoke is an upwardly extending lug H,
which is adapted to engage a socket h in the end of the cushion.
A shaft I is journalled in bearings in the ends of the seat, beneath the cushion, and
it carries near its ends plates J of substantially segmental form, one or both of
which is provided with a rack j on its segment face.
Another shaft K is arranged
parallel to the shaft I and passes through the plates J. The back L is supported by
means of arms or links M which are connected at their lower ends to the shaft K and

page_text: to studs k on the plates J and at their upper ends these arms are connected to a
plate m secured to the lower side of the back. It will be observed that the studs k
are arranged on the plates J on the side of the shaft I opposite to the shaft K.
When the back L is reversed from the position shown in Figure 1, in which one of
the arms M is engaging one of the shifting levers F, the other arm M will engage
the other shifting lever F and force it from the vertical position shown, to an oblique
position and at the same time the movement of this lever will force the other shifting
lever into a vertical position by means of the yoke connection between the lower ends
of said levers. This movement of the levers, which is communicated to the yoke,
will shift the cushion, the lugs H engaging the socket h in the cushion, whereby the
cushion has a free movement with relation to the lug and yoke, but it is always
adjusted simultaneously with the yoke.
By
At one or both ends of the seat an adjusting lever N is pivotally secured at m to
the end of the seat and it is provided with a segmental rack O on its lower end which
engages the rack on the plate J. The upper end of this lever is provided with a
detent o, which may be spring controlled to hold the same in place and which
is arranged to engage a rack P located on the under side of the arm-rest.
releasing the detent and adjusting the lever N the inclination of the back may
be readily and easily altered and changed to suit the comforts of the traveler.
Any movement given to the lever N will be communicated through the medium of
the racks O and to the arms M and through then to the back L, whereby this back
may be finally adjusted as to its inclination, according to the desires of the traveler.
Rests Q are secured to the frame of the car seat to receive the arms Mand limit their
movement so that the back will be thrown to its proper position.
It will be understood, of course, that the arms M, the levers F, the yoke G and the
seginental plate J are duplicated at the other end of the seat, only one end being
shown in Figure 1, and a shifting lever N may be arranged at each end of the
seat if desired although for general purposes it will only be necessary to have this
lever at one end.
My improved car seat is therefore supplied with an adjustment of the back which is
hand operated and is independent of its reversal; and the car seat is also provided
with devices for automatically shifting the cushion which are independent of the
devices for adjusting the back.
It is obvious that my improved device herein before described may be embodied,
if desired, with a car seat in which the back is adapted to be turned as well as
reversed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of substantially parallel
arins supporting said back, and means for adjusting said arms to change the
inclination of said back, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms supporting said
back, a lever and connections intermediate of said lever and arins whereby the
inclination of the back may be changed by operating the lever to adjust the arms,
substantially as described.
3. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms supporting said
back, a lever pivotally secured at the end of the seat, connections intermediate of the
lever and said arms whereby the inclination of the back may be changed by operating
the lever to adjust the arms, and a device for securing said lever in position,
substantially as described.
4. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms pivotally
supporting said back, a pivoted lever and segmental rack connections between said
lever and arms for automatically adjusting the inclination of the back, substantially
as described.

page_text: 5. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms pivotally
supporting the back, segmental plates secured to the lower ends of said arms, a
toothed rack on one or both of said plates and an adjusting lever pivotally secured at
the end of the seat and provided with a segmental rack to engage the rack on said
segmental plate, substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. In a car seat, the combination with a supporting frame and a reversible back,
of supporting arms pivotally secured to said back, a shaft secured in the frame of the
seat, a segmental plate carried on said shaft and provided with a toothed rack, said
supporting arms being connected to the segmental plate on opposite sides of
its supporting shaft, and a device for rocking said segmental plate on its said
shaft to adjust the inclination of the back, substantially as described.
7. In a car seat, the combination with a supporting frame, and a reversible back,
of arms pivotally supporting said back, a shaft secured in the frame, a segmental
plate provided with a toothed rack carried on said shaft, the lower ends of one set of
the supporting arms being connected to said segmental plate on opposite sides of its
supporting shaft, a lever pivotally secured to the end of the seat and provided with a
segmental rack to engage the toothed rack on said segmental plate and means
for securing said lever in its adjusted position, substantially as described.
8. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of a rocking segmental
plate, arins supporting the back and connected to said segmental plate and means
for rocking said plate to adjust the inclination of the back, .substantially as
described.
9. In a car seat, the combination with a supporting frame and a reversible back, of
a rocking segmental plate pivotally secured in the frame of the seat, arms supporting
the back and connected at their lower ends to the segmental plate on opposite sides
of its pivot and a hand lever adapted to be operated to rock the plate and adjust the
inclination of the back, substantially as described.
10. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of a pivoted plate, arms
supporting the back and connected at their lower ends to said pivoted plate, and
shifting levers adapted to be engaged and operated by the supporting arms to shift the
cushion when the back is reversed, substantially as described.
11. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of a pivoted plate, arms
supporting the back and connected at their lower ends to said plate, shifting levers
adapted to be engaged by the arms and a yoke connecting the lower ends of said levers
and arranged to shift the cushion, substantially as described.
12. In a car seat, the combination with a. reversible back, of arms pivotally
supporting said back, a yoke engaging the cushion and levers pivotally secured at the
ends of the seat, said levers being connected with said yoke and arranged to be
engaged by the supporting arms to shift the cushion when the back is reversed,
substantially as described.
13. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms pivotally
supporting said back, a yoke engaging the cushion and piyoted levers having their
lower ends pivotally connected to the ends of the yoke and their upper ends arranged
to be engaged by the supporting arms, substantially as and for the purpose described.
14. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms pivotally
supporting said back, a yoke provided with a lug arranged to engage a socket in the
cushion, shifting levers pivotally secured at opposite ends of the yoke and having their
lower ends connected to the ends of said yoke and their upper ends arranged to be
engaged by the supporting arms, substantially as and for the purpose described.
15. In a car seat, the combination with a supporting frame and a reversible back,
of a segmental plate pivotally secured in the frame of the seat, arms supporting the
back and pivotally connected at their lower ends to the segmental plate on opposite
sides of its pivot, shifting levers having their upper ends arranged to be engaged by
the supporting arms, a yoke having its ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of
the shifting levers, a lug on said yoke adapted to engage a socket in the end of the
cushion and rests to receive and support the supporting arms, substantially as
described.

page_text: 16. In a car seat, the combination with a reversible back, of arms supporting said
back and shifting levers pivotally supported at the ends of the seat, the pivots of said
shifting levers being located above the lower ends of the arms and the upper ends of
said shifting levers being arranged to be engaged by the supporting arms,
substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of January 1898.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow.