Improvements in and relating to Seat Apparatus for Tram Cars, Omnibuses, and for other uses.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Seat Apparatus for Tram Cars,
Omnibuses, and for other uses.
We, GEORGE JENKINS MORGAN, of Fairfield, Shipley, in the County of York,
Gentleman, and GEORGE TILLOTSON, of 4, Queen Street, Shipley, aforesaid,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to seat apparatus
for tramcars, omnibuses, and for other uses.
The present invention is designed to provide means of protecting the seats
and seat backs from the weather or other injury when out of use and by a simple
operation of a part of the apparatus to place the seat in position for use; or
in cases, such as tramcars, where the seat is desired to be placed in position
for the user to face in a different direction according to the direction of travel
of the car, or other circumstances we modify the apparatus so that by a simple
movement of a part, as stated, the seat may be placed in position ready for use
in either direction, whilst when not in use the seats, or seat portion and back
of each section, or apparatus may be automatically under cover, or protected.
In carrying out our invention we provide a framing or support for the
apparatus which for public vehicles would be fixed to the floor, or roof thereof
and may consist of uprights connected and stayed by cross pieces and con-
nections so as to afford rigid support to movable seating parts. Back and
front we prefer to arrange a cross bar to support the back and the seat itself.
The back in the non-reversible seat may consist of two side supports and a
cover across the top. The seat itself is hinged to the back at the point where
they nearest approach and the back and the seat have each a case, each of which
are centred on one of two rods passing across from side support to side support.
In the movements of the side supports and cover (which together form a rocking
framing, turning on centres affixed to the fixed frame near the floor and to
the lower ends of these side supports) the seat is brought into position for use
by being pulled down by the user and automatically returns to its normal
position when the seat is left the apparatus then resuming a closed and pro-
tected position within the rocking frame: the relative movements of the seat
and back to each other and to the rocking frame being controlled by these
connections to the rods passing across the frame, as stated. These movements
are facilitated by means of springs connected to the seat and its rod and to the
back and its rod respectively and the extent of the movements of seat and back
respectively may be controlled by stops on each, or either and by tail pieces
on the lower or inner end of each, adapted to cooperate together for the purpose,
aided, if need be, by other stops.
In the case of reversible seat apparatus such as for tram cars, where the car
is not turned round but is simply run back, or in mountain railway carriages

page_text: seats and backs of each section, or apparatus may be automatically covered or
protected. is the supporting frame of this apparatus which for public vehicles
is fixed to the floor or roof m and consists of uprights connected and stayed by
cross pieces and connections so as to afford rigid support to the movable seating
parts. Back and front of the frame we affix cross bars o, o to support the
back c and the seat itself.
The back in the non reversible arrangement of seat may consist of two side
supports and a cover across the top.
In the present arrangement the seat bis hinged to the back c at the point
where those parts most nearly approach each other and the back c and the seat b
have each a case reach of which is centred on one of two rods p and w passing
across from side supports s to side supports s¹.
The seat b and back c are also hinged to their seat cases r at the point t¹ or
alternatively the seat and back c may be fixed in their respective seat cases r
independently of each other. In the movements of the side supports s and s
and cover a (which together form a rocking framing turning on centres d affixed
to the fixed frame near the floor and to the lower ends of these side supports) the
seat is brought into position for use by being pulled down by the user and
automatically returns to the normal closed and protected position in the rocking
frame; the relative movements of the seat band back to each other and to
the rocking frames and being controlled by the connections to the rods
passing across the frame as stated. These movements of the seats b to auto-
matically close are facilitated by the coiled springs v, v connected to the seat b
and its rod and to the back c and its rod wrespectively and the extent of the
movements of seat and back respectively are controlled by means of stops, and
tail pieces y on the lower or inner end of each seat case adapted to cooperate
together for the purpose. The upper part of the frame 1, I is curved at a radius
from the pivots & forming a groove e in which slide the stops a. At the point f
a portion of the underside of the groove e is cut away to enable the stops to
pass under it. On the seat b being pulled down ready for use the stops c engage
on the underside of the groove e and thereby prevent the seat or back e being
pulled from under the cover a except when the rocking frame is in its proper
position.
For reversible seat apparatus such as for tramcars which are run in either
direction without reversal, or for mountain railway cars where the seats are
required to be reversed as the view changes from side to side, or otherwise the
rocking frame serves as the enclosure, as well as the means of effecting the
reversal of the relative positions of the seats and backs. The user may thus
face either way the seat and back being in proper position for the sitter's use
of it when so seated; a reverse movement of the rock frame enabling the user
to reverse his position by leaving his seat and pulling down the part that had
served as a back "which leaves its case and becomes the seat, whilst auto-
matically the part which erstwhile acted as the seat becomes the back.
14
In the normal position the whole seat portions become packed or folded up
within the rock frame and are thereby protected from weather, injury or misuse.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The construction and use of the improved apparatus for carrying out the
operation of protecting and regulating the use of seats, the main feature of such
apparatus being that the seats are normally closed up within a protective case
and after being turned down for use resume automatically their closed position,
the frame holding the seats being reversible so as to present a seat and back
ready for use in either direction at will, the seat in one direction becoming the
back when the parts are arranged for use in the opposite direction, substantially
as set forth.