Portable Fittings to be Used in connection with Ships' and Analogous Berths.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left 27th May 1897-Accented 31st July 1907
Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left 27th May 1897-Ancented 31st July, 1907
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Portable Fittings to be Used in connection with Ships' and Analogous
Berths.
I, WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS, of Upper Trinity Street, Bordesley, in the City
of Birmingham, Ships' Berth Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to ships' and analogous berthis, and has for its object, the
use therewith of supplementary portable fittings, such as seats, benches, mess and
other tables. The former are or may be removably fitted to the outside of a berth
or to the outside of the stanchions or pillar supports, whilst the latter is set up
within a berths space and supported by the upright pillars or stanchions surround-
ing the berth framing when turned down.
In carrying out the seat part of my improvements in connection with a turn-up
berth, I take a seat of about the length of a berth frame and I fit or provide the
inner ends of the same with brackets, and with the opposite corners of the inner
edge, provided with headed or necked studs, preferably projecting from the sides
of the ends, and taking and seating themselves within socketted brackets or their
equivalents, carried by the stanchions or pillars, which form the vertical supports
of the berths which are or may be hung from the socketted brackets carried from
inner pillars or from bulk heads or parting boards.
The seat is outwardly supported, by two end and obliquely directed stays or
rods, with their outer ends jointedly or otherwise connected to the front ends of
the seat, and with their other ends which have bulbous headed or necked studs,
engaging and seating themselves within slotted brackets carried by the front
pillars at a suitable distance above the first named brackets.
The seat comes in front of the berth when in use, or in front of a table erected
within the berth space after a berth has been turned up against the bulk head.
The table-top which may be alike unto a shallow tray, is supported at its inner
or back edge by hook brackets, which may be made to engage with horizontal
bars of a double or other lee-rail removed from the front framing of the berth and
placed at the back of the berths space, and engaging with the turned up berth
frame.
The opposite ends of the outer edge of the table top which is to be horizontally
supported at a higher level than the seat or bench, have bulbous or equivalent
studs, which engage with socketted brackets at a higher plane than those support-
ing the inner edge of the seat, but preferably from the same brackets with which
the inner ends of the oblique supporting rods engage.
To set up a table in the berths space, engage the hooked or equivalent ends with
the bars of the hung-up lee-rail or headed studs with socketted brackets carried
by inner stanchions or by bulk head or parting board, then drop the bulbous or
equivalent connections at the front into their socketted brackets.
Now place the seat inner end connections into the sockets of lower brackets,
carried by the front stanchions and drop the connection ends of the oblique rods

page_text: into higher socketted brackets of the said stanchions, when a seat in front of a
table set-up or supported within the berth space is obtained.
When the berth is required to be used then the portable table is removed and
has in front of it, a bench or sent which may be both useful for sitting upon, and
as a step for getting into a higher berth.
The table may be hung or slung from front brackets and supports, and be made
to cant over to the front and be turned underneath the berth frame, or the said
table may turn upon joints and be supported in common with the berth frame, so
as to be close underneath the berth when in use, but when the berth is folded the
table remains behind.
The front of the seat may be supported either from diagonal end rods connected
with lower socketted brackets at the foot of the stanchions or they may be supported
by legs.
When the seat is used in front of the table, then I prefer that both the seat and
table shall come within the berth space leaving the gaugway clear, and further
that instead of hanging the back end of the table on the lee front, it may, with
advantage be hung from or rest upon the end or head and foot rails coming
between the forward stanchions and the back brackets either carried by stanchions
or bulk heads.
The said end rails may carry socketted brackets, wherein bulbous or other
beaded studs and the like engage, and within the seatings of which they turn.
When the table is hung and brought forward from the berth frame it may hang
down in front and form if necessary a lee board for a bottom bed.
Dated this 95th day of August 1896.
WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
CTE SP.
UN.
Portable Fittings to be Used in connection with Ships' and Analogous
Berths.
I, WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS, of Upper Trinity Street, Bordesley, in the City
of Birmingham, Ships' Berth Manufacturer, 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 supplementary portable fittings, such as seats or
benches, and mess tables and the like, for use in conjunction with ships and
analogous berths, principally in ships forecastles and other restricted spaces.
The said seats, when used in conjunction with the tables, are removably fitted
to the outside of a berth, or to the outer stanchions or upright pillar supports of
the berth frame, and at other times they are supported within the berth space,
thus giving increased gangway room, and further, the said seats admit of being
employed as lee boards for berths, whilst the mess or like table, when in use as
such, is supported by suitable means hereinafter described, within the berth space,
and at other times is folded down and hung from a lee rail or other support, and
further the said table may be hung along the front of a berth frame to constitute a
lee-board for the same.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation, a set of
ships emigrant" berths, of the type principally used by steerage passengers, ships
crews and the like, the left hand pair of which are shown provided with removable

page_text: and portable supplementary seat and mess table fitted according to one form of
my invention.
Figure 2 is a topside plan of Figure 1.
In these figures, the seat and table are shown in the positions which they assume
when employed in conjunction with one another, with the seat coming without the
berth space, and the berth bottoms of the left hand pair of berths are shown folded
up and kept in that position by the double lee rail, from the top member of the
bottom part of which the inner side of the table is supported. The right hand
pair of berths are shown with the bottoms folded down, the table and seat removed
and the double half-lee rail in position as when the berths are in use.
Figure represents, upon an enlarged scale, an end elevation of the berth frame,
with the foot end rail partly broken away, in order to show more clearly the
mountings of the portable table and seat. Figure 4 is a topside plan of the same.
The said views show the hook connection at the back edge of the table engaging
over a bar of the lee rail supporting the folded up berth bottoms, also the studs at
the front ends thereof engaging in upper sockets on the front stanchions. They
farther show how the seat is supported at the inner side by end studs taking into
lewer sockets on the pillars and at the outer edge by pivoted and oblique stays
whose upper ends have studs or connections engaging in the same slots of the
upper sockets as the outer studs of the seat.
Figure 5 represents another end view, upon the same scale as Figure 1, but
showing the table turned down out of the way and with the seat position reversed
so as to bring the same with the berth space and leave more gangway room.
Figure 6 is a topside plan of the same.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of a pair of berths, upon the same scale as Figures 1
and 2, showing the seat applied as a lee-board to the upper berth and the table
as a lee board to the lower berth.
Figure 8 is a section, upon a further enlarged scale, of one of the upper slotted
bracket or socket of the lower berth, showing the stud on the end of the table and
the stud at the end of the diagonal seat stay seating themselves therein.
Figure 9 is a like view of one of the lower sockets, with the inner stud support
of the seat engaging therein.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the aforesaid figures
of the drawings.
a is a set of four ships berths, of the emigrant type, arranged in two-high pairs,
ench comprising fold-up berth bottoms a', pivotally mounted at their inner sides by
studs a, taking into bearings a³, carried upon the end or parting rails, which
are supported by studs on their ends taking respectively into sockets or hackets a³,
fitted to the bulk-head or wall a, and lower sletted brackets a', of the pairs of
luackets or cups a, a, fitted to the stanchions or upright pillars a, forming the
front supports of the berths, whilst studs 10 the outer sides of the said berth
bottoms, when folded down into their positions, engage in fittings or sockets all
earried on forward parts of the rails a. b is the double lee rail, the vertical bars b',
of which have sliding collars, fitted thereon, with hooks which engage over the
ungle irons of the upper and lower berth bottom framings, both when in the
positions of use and when folded up, as shown in the left hand pair of herths.
Figure 1. The lee rail in this case serves as a support for retaining the berths in
their up-turned positions.
e is a seat which is of about the same length as the berth frame and is fitted or
provided at the ends el with shoes or brackets and with the opposite inner
corners or ends provided with headed or necked studs e, taking and seating them-
selves within the lower socketted brackets a', or their equivalents, carried by the
stanchions or pillars a®.
The seat is outwardly supported at its ends by two obliquely directed stays or
diagonal rods, with their outer or lower ends e, jointedly or otherwise connected
to the front parts of the end of the seat, whilst their other and upper ends e, have
bulbous headed or necked studs, e, engaging and seating themselves within the

page_text: upper slotted brackets carried by the front pillars a at a suitable distance above
the first named and lower brackets a'.
The seat comes in front of the berth when in use, or in front of the table d,
erected within the berth space after a berth has been turned up against the bulk
head. The table top which may be alike unto a shallow tray, is supported at its
inner or back edge d', by hooks or brackets d, engaging with the horizontal bar 64
of the double or other lee-rail b, after the same has been removed from the front
framing of the berth and placed at the back of the berths space, to engage with
and support the turned up berth frames.
The opposite ends of the outer edge of the table which is horizontally supported 1
at a higher level than the seat or beuch, have bulbous or equivalent studs d
which engage with the same sockets in the brackets a, as those engaged by the
studs, in supporting the inner ends of the oblique seat-supporting rods.
To set up a table in the berth space, engage the hooked or equivalent brackets
with the bar, of the hung-up lee-rail, then drop the bulbous or equivalent
connections d³ at the front into their socketted brackets a³.
The seat inner end connections are previously or subsequently placed into the
sockets of lower brackets a', carried by the front stanchions, and the connection
ends, of the oblique rods are dropped into the higher socketted brackets a of
the said stanchions, when the seat in thon fixed in a couvenient position in front
of the table set-up or supported within the berth space.
The portable table may also be removed and the berths folded down, when the
seat, which comes in the same plane as the lower bed, may be used both as a seat
and as a step for getting into the higher berth.
Or the table may be hung down from the bar of the lee rail, out of the way,
and the seat may be turned inwards so as to come within the berth space, as
represented in Figures 3 and 6, thus leaving increased gangway room outside the
berth.
Further the studs e, at the outward corners of the seat may be engaged with
the upper sockets as, of the top herth, and the table d, may be hung by its
studs d, downwards from the upper sockets af, of the bottom berth, as represented
in Figure 7, in which position the said seat and table serve as lee boards in substitu-
tion of the double lee-rail b.
Iinstead of the front edge of the seat being supported from diagonal end rods
connected with socketted brackets on the stanchions they may be supported by
folding legs, and instead of the inner edge of the table hanging by hooks from a
lee-rail or like framing at the back of the berth space the said inner side may be
fitted with studs or equivalent connections engaging in sockets on the bulk head
or rear stanchions and further instead of hanging the back end of the table from
the lee rail it may with advantage be hung from or rest upon the end or head and
foot rails coming between the forward stanchions and the back brackets, carried
either by stanchions or bulk heads.
As a modified arrangement for supporting the seat, I may provide the ends of
the same with a fixed shoe or fitting of the form represented in elevation in
Figure 10, and in different edge views in Figures 11 and 12, and consists of a
bracket e, fitted or provided on the outer side with three studs e, e, and e, and on
the inner side with pairs of ears e³, e, between which the seat board e, is secured.
When in use as a seat, either within or without the berth space, the studs e¹ and
, lie respectively in upper and lower sockets on the front stanchions but when
used as a lee hoard, then the stud e is made to engage the upper socket, and the
stud, in the lower socket, whilst the arm carrying stud e', lies out of the way
within the berth space.
Further, instead of the seat being hung at its outer side from diagonal bars or
stays, it may be supported from underneath by props or stays connected at their
other ends to lower parts of the berth framing or to the floor of the cabin or apart-
ment whereon the herth is erected. The inner edge of the seat may also be engaged

page_text: with a bar or bracket on the bulk head of a cabin or wall of an apartment instead
of with a bar of the set-back lee-rail.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. Employing in conjunction with ships and other berths or ships furniture,
a loose seat connected at one side or part to the berth framing, and being supported
or hung at the other side or part by or from bars, stays or equivalents, connected
at one end to the seat and at the other to the berth framing, or to the floor whereon
the berth rests.
Secondly. Employing in conjunction with a berth or a series of berths, a loose
seat, supported at one side or part by studs or equivalent connections adapted to
engage with slotted sockets or equivalent brackets carried by the berth framing,
and at the other side or part by pivoted or connected bars or stays whose other or
upper ends have studs or equivalent connections engaging with slotted sockets or
other brackets carried by the berth framing, and which said seat may be also
employed as a lee-board, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 9.
Thirdly. Employing in conjunction with ships or other berths or furniture, a
loose and fitted table, one side of which is jointedly connected to or hooked over
a bar of a set-back front lee-rail or to a bar of the berth framing or made to
engage with a bar or bracket on a bulk-head or wall, and with the other end
having studs or sockets adapted to engage with sockets, studs or equivalent con-
nections carried by the berth framing, and which said table may also be employed
as a lee-board, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 9.
Fourthly. The combination with a ships or analogous berth, of a loose and fitted
seat and table, or of loose and fitted combined seat and table and loe-boards,
substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 9.
Fifthly. The improvements in portable fittings for use in connection with ships
and analogous berths, substantially as herein described and set forth.
1.
1007
WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.