Improved Means for Mounting Railway-carriage and other Seats, particularly such as are subject to Vibration.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 10th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 12th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Mounting Railway-carriage and other Seats,
particularly such as are subject to Vibration.
I, CHARLES RALEIGH, of Johannesburg, in the South African Republic, Milling
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to seats or lounges provided with pneumatic means for
intercepting vibration; whereby the user is afforded increased comfort, whether his
attitude be of a sitting, lounging or recumbent character.
Hitherto it has been customary to arrange the pneumatic cushion between a seat
and a frame in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position.
A
According to my invention, the seat is suspended from a supporting frame by
means of a hinge or of hinges, or other suitable joints, such as links or levers, or
by a flexible connection, so that it lies or rests upon or against a pneumatic cushion
or cushions arranged preferably behind the back portion; the cushion being in a
vertical or nearly vertical position and held in place by the supporting frame. The
seat and back portions may be hinged at the angle where the two parts meet; one or
more levers or links being employed for connecting the seat with the frame.
spring attached to the said link and furnished with a screw adjustment may be
added for ensuring the seat back being always in contact with the cushion. The
back or inclined portion of the seat is pivoted to the supporting frame at or near its
upper extremity. The cushion is retained in position by projecting portions of the
supporting frame. Suitable locking devices may be provided for preventing dis-
placement of the seat by being lifted. If desired, the seat may be provided with an
extension to form a foot rest. The upholstered portions may be made in one or
more sections removeable from the seat-frame, with a view to facilitating the carry-
ing out of repairs and renewals.
The supporting frame is preferably made of light wrought or cast iron, and, in
the case of railway-carriages may be bolted directly to the car-body; the improved
seat being readily applied to existing vehicles. Or the supporting frame may be
integral with the vehicle-frame.
An inflating pump, fitted with a removeable operating handle, may be provided
in the supporting frame-work. Rubber buffers or springs may also be applied at
suitable parts of the construction for the seat to rest upon should the pneumatic
cushion become deflated.
Where space is restricted, the back or inclined portion may be extended down-
wards and the pneumatic cushion be placed behind such downwardly extending
portion.
At certain points, such as at the hinge joints and links connecting the seat with
the supporting frame, rubber insulation may be furnished in order to absorb
vibration.
The seat and back may be formed in one piece; the hinge at their angle of con-
nection and the link for connecting the seat with the supporting frame being
Hinnensed with

page_text: When the seat is suspended from the supporting frame by means of links or
parallel bars and the seat and back are hinged together, only one suspending link
at or near the upper extremity of the back is necessary; the seat being connected
with the frame as hereinbefore explained.
Suitable means may be provided whereby the frame may be tilted more or less 5
to meet the requirements or the comfort of the occupant.
Improved Means for Mounting Railway-carriage and other Seats,
particularly such as are subject to Vibration.
I, CHARLES RALEIGH, of Johannesburg, in the South African Republic, Milling
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:-
This invention relates to seats or lounges provided with pneumatic means for
intercepting vibration; whereby the user is afforded increased comfort, whether his
attitude be of a sitting, lounging or recumbent character.
In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated my invention by way of
example in connection with the seat of a railway-carriage; Fig. 1 representing in
transverse section a seat whereof the upper extremity of the back-portion is con-
nected with the frame by means of a flexible support or suspender and a pneumatic
tube. Fig. 1 is an enlarged view of the flexible support and pneumatic tube.
Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of an alternative construction wherein the seat-
portion is hinged to the back-portion, the latter being connected with the frame by
means of a flexible hinge in the form of a volute spring. Fig. 3 is a transverse
section of a further alternative construction wherein the seat and back are supported
by means of links connected with the frame. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the frame-
work employed with the construction shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is an elevation
of the framework employed in the construction shown in Fig. 2. The framework
pertaining to the construction illustrated in Fig. 3 may be similar to that of
Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 with the addition of lugs for the attachment of the suspending
links.
Hitherto it has been customary to arrange the pneumatic cushion between a seat
and a frame in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position.
According to my invention the seat A is suspended from a supporting frame B
by means of a hinge or of hinges, or other suitable joints, such as links or levers,
or by a flexible connection C of leather or other suitable fabric, so that it lies or
rests upon or against a pneumatic cushion D or cushions arranged preferably
hehind the back-portion A'; the cushion being in a vertical or nearly vertical
position and held in place by a bracket or support d on the supporting frame B.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 14, one end of the flexible connection C
is attached at e to the upper end of the seat-back, while the other end c¹ is secured
to the frame B. The flexible portion C passes over an inflated tube C¹, the latter
being supported by a bracket Ĉ between which and the frame B the inner end of
the flexible connection or suspender is gripped. The tube C is preferably protected
by a covering C³ of suitable material. E is a buffer of rubber or other suitable
yielding material adapted to come into operation in the event of the pneumatic

page_text: cushion becoming deflated or the weight placed upon the seat being excessive. The
seat-back is maintained in close contact with the cushion by a yielding connec-
tion G, same being adjustable by means of a screw eye-bolt 9 and nut g the bolt
passing through an extension a on the seat-back A¹.
g
Referring to Fig. 2, the flexible hinge C which connects the upper extremity of
the seat-back A¹ with the frame B is in the form of a volute spring; the hinge being
made at the innermost convolution. In this construction, the seat back A is pro-
vided with a bracket by which the seat is supported in a vertical or nearly
vertical plane upon the pneumatic cushion D and whereby greater elasticity is
afforded to the seat.
The seat and back-portions may be hinged at A (Fig. 2); one or more levers
or links H, hinged at H₁ being employed for connecting the seat with the frame.
A spring G attached to a fixed eye-bolt h on the frame B and connected with the
said link by means of a screw-bolt g and nut g¹ may be added for ensuring the seat-
back A¹ being always in contact with the cushion D. Suitable locking devices
may be provided for preventing the displacement of the seat by being lifted. The
seat may be provided with an extension, such as indicated by the dotted lines A
in Fig. 2, to form a foot rest. The upholstered portions may, if desired, be made
in one or more sections, removeable from the seat-frame, with a view to facilitat-
ing the carrying out of repairs and renewals.
The supporting frame B is preferably made of light wrought or cast iron as
shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and, in the case of railway carriages may be bolted directly
to the car-body; the improved seat being readily applied to existing vehicles. Or
the supporting frame may be integral with the vehicle-frame.
For inflating the tube C¹ and cushion D a pump I, fitted with a removeable
operating handle i, is provided in the supporting framework as shown in Fig. 1.
Where space is restricted, the back or inclined portion may be extended down-
wards, and the pneumatic cushion may be placed behind such downwardly
extending portion.
At certain points, such as at the hinge joints and links connecting the seat with
the supporting frame, rubber insulation may be furnished in order to absorb
vibration.
According to the mode of construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the scat A A¹ is
suspended from the frame B by means of links K K'. When the seat and back are
formed in one piece, the link H for connecting the seat with the supporting frame
may be dispensed with, but when the seat and back are hinged together, only one
suspending link K at or near the upper extremity of the back is necessary; the
seat being connected with the frame by means of a link, such as H, which may be
furnished with a spring adjustment Ġ. In this construction it is preferred to
employ an additional buffer E¹ at the upper part of the frame.
Suitable means may be provided whereby the frame may be tilted more or less
to meet the requirements or the comfort of the occupant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. The herein described means for mounting railway-carriage and other seats,
same comprising a seat whereof the back-portion is connected flexibly with the car-
body, or with a suitable framework, and is supported against a pneumatic cushion
arranged vertically between the back-portion and the frame, substantially as and
for the purposes specified.
2. The improved means for mounting railway-carriage and other seats con-
structed or operating substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 1ª
of the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved means for mounting railway-carriage and other seats con-
structed or operating substantially as described with reference to Fig. 2 or to
Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. For suspending railway-carriage and other seats, the employment of a flexible

page_text: connection consisting of a flexible suspender C, a pneumatic tube C¹ and a support-
ing bracket C arranged or operating substantially as herein described.
5. In a railway-carriage or other seat of the character herein described, the
employment of an inflating pump such as I furnished with a detachable operating
handle substantially as and for the purposes specified.
-
---
connection consisting of a flexible suspender C, a pneumatic tube C¹ and a support-
ing bracket C arranged or operating substantially as herein described.
5. In a railway-carriage or other seat of the character herein described, the
employment of an inflating pump such as I furnished with a detachable operating
handle substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 8th day of January 1898.
For the Anglicant