Improvements in Outdoor Seats.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improve
I, GEORGE PARROTT, of 5, Oxford Terrace, Kings End, Bicester, Oxfordshire,
Coach Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
This invention refers to outdoor seats of all kinds and is designed to supply
a supplemental seat for use in stormy weather, when the usual seat is wet or
otherwise unsuitable for use.
It consists of a box with hinged lid which is inserted at about the middle of
the part of the seat adapted for each person.
This box is furnished with grooves at each end in which slides up and down
a bar or sill, to which two flaps are hinged. At back of each flap a lug is fixed
which engages with slots in the box. These lugs and slots prevent the flaps
from being drawn out too far and also act as guides.
A leather strap with forked ends, or a chain, is attached to the sill and passes
out through the opening of the lid, which lid has a lever attached to its hinged
When the strap is pulled
side connected to a spring underneath the seat.
upwards, the lid flies open, the flaps and sill rise and fold over the seat and lid,
thus affording a dry sitting place for a passenger. When a person sitting rises
from the seat, the spring draws back the lid, which in turn lifts the flap over
it and causes both the flaps and the sill attached to them to fall back into the
box.
When in the box, the flaps are kept dry by the lid, and any water falling
over the edges of the lid will not touch them. The box is supported on two
rails which replace the usual rails of the seat. It can be fitted to seats of the
usual pattern employed on tram cars and the like. It can be made wholly or
partly of wood or metal.
1
1000
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Patent Agent, 33, Cannon Street, E.C..
Improvements in Outdoor Seats.
I, GEORGE PARROTT, of 5, Oxford Terrace, Kings End, Bicester, Oxfordshire,
Coach Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
11 11 and
designed to

page_text: a supplemental seat"for use in stormy weather, when the usual seat is wet or
otherwise unsuitable for use.
>
It consists of a box with hinged lid which is inserted at about the middle of
the part of the seat adapted for each person.
This box is furnished with grooves at each end in which slides up and down
a bar or sill, to which two flaps are hinged. At the back of each flap a lug is fixed
which engages with slots in the box. These lugs and slots prevent the flaps
from being drawn out too far and also act as guides.
A leather strap with forked ends, or a chain, is attached to the sill and passes
out through the opening of the lid, which lid has a lever attached to its hinged
side connected to a spring underneath the seat. When the strap is pulled
upwards, the lid flies open, the flaps and sill rise and fold over the seat and lid,
thus affording a dry sitting place for a passenger. When the person sitting rises
from the seat, the spring draws back the lid, which in turn lifts the flap over
it and causes both the flaps and the sill attached to them to fall back into the
box.
When in the box, the flaps are kept dry by the lid, and any water falling
over the edges of the lid will not touch them. The box is supported on two
rails which replace the usual rails of the seat. It can be fitted to seats of the
usual pattern employed on tram cars and the like. It can be made wholly or
partly of wood or metal.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a seat such as is usually used on tramcars,
busses and similar vehicles, the back thereof being omitted.
Fig. 2 is a plan, shewing the hinged lid, spring for actuating same and strap
for raising the supplementary seat.
A is the box for holding the supplementary seat; B the hinged lid thereof;
C are the grooves at each end of the box in which the bar or sill D slides; E are
the flaps hinged to the bar D, which when raised to their highest position fold
'over and form the dry seat as shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1. F are the lugs
attached to each flap E close to where the latter are hinged to the sill D. The
lugs travel up and down slots in the sides of the box A and act as guides during
the movement of the' sill D and flaps e. On coming in contact with the under
side of the rails at the top of the box A they serve to open out the flaps to an
extent sufficient to enable the supplementary seat to be sat upon. G is the
leather strap whose forked ends attached to the sill D and the free end of which
protruding from beneath the lid 6 enables the dry seat to be readily raised for
use.
As stated the whole of the parts of my invention may be made of metal or
wood but I prefer to construct the lid B of wood in order to prevent it being
bent by rough usuge, and so possibly failing to act.
By the construction of seats as described it will be seen that the upper sur-
faces of the supplementary seat cannot become wet, as when the seat is closed
within the box any rain or other moisture passing down beneath the lid into the
box will fall clear of the flaps, or under the most adverse circumstances will
only come into contact with the outer or lower surfaces thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is;-
1. In an outdoor seat wherein a supplementary seat or covering is provided
for use when the ordinary seat is unsuitable, a box having a hinged lid grooved
and slotted ends and sides and fitted with a spring attached to the lid to cause
the flaps forming the supplementary seat immediately they are released, to
assume an upright or partly upright position and fall by gravity into the box...
2. In a seat such as in the preceding claim, the use of a flap or
to a sill capable of vertical movement within a box or receptacle, said flap or
flaps hinged

page_text: flaps being fitted with lugs to cause it or them to assume a horizonal or nearly
horizontal position on being drawn out to the required extent.
3. The hereinabove described arrangement of outdoor seat for automatically
removing and covering the supplementary seat when not in use constructed and
operating as explained with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 18th Tune 1900
JAMES G. STOKES,
Chartered Patent Agent,
4, Danes Inn, Strand, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.