Improvements in Buoyant Life-saving Seats for Ships.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Buoyant Life-saving Seats for Ships.
I, GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT, of 10, Dalmeny Street, Leith, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
My said invention has for its object to construct seats for ships in an improved
manner, so as to be buoyant, and available for saving life.
In carrying out my invention I make the back of the seat with a bottom
buoyant part which is connected by vertical frame bars to a top buoyant part, of
about half the size of the bottom buoyant part. To the middles of the vertical back
frame bars there are hinged bars having fixed at their outer ends a third buoyant
part, which hinged bars and third buoyant part when turned down at right angles
to the vertical back frame bars form the sitting part of the seat which in that
position is supported by front legs and by cords from the top buoyant part. When
the sitting part is turned up the third buoyant part closes against the top buoyant
part and combines with it to give as much buoyancy as the bottom buoyant part;
and the seat when placed with its ordinarily vertical bars horizontal forms a buoyant
structure instantly available for saving life in an emergency.
The seat may be made of any convenient length, that is in the direction at right
angles to the vertical frame bars, and the parts of it may be covered or upholstered
in any
suitable manner. Spars may be fixed parallel to the buoyant parts if
required to make the sitting part more complete.
Each buoyant part is an elongated structure of a rectangular or other simple
form, made with a framing of wood and fitted with cork or other suitable buoyant
Or the
material enclosed partly with wooden boards and partly with canvas.
buoyant parts may consist of hollow metallic casings. Life lines are fixed to the
seat at suitable parts, and also ropes and other appliances likely to be of use.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of May 1891.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Buoyant Life-saving Seats for Ships.
I, GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT, of 10 Dalmeny Street, Leith, in the County of
Midlothian N.B. 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:—
In doing so, I make reference to drawings
Fig. 1. Which represents an elevation of apparatus folded for use as a raft.
Fig. 2. End view of same.
Fig. 3. An elevation of apparatus opened out for use as a deck seat.
Fig. 4. Being an end view of same.
Fig. 5. Is an end view of a similar apparatus which, when folded down as in
figure, forms a double deck seat.
Fig. 6. An end view of same folded up.
Fig. 7. Shews an end view of seat having solid upper part: that is, the top
buoyant part made same as the lower.
I make the back of the seats with a bottom buoyant part A which is connected
by vertical frame bars B B B to a top buoyant part A, of about half the size of
the bottom buoyant part A².

page_text: The upper buoyant half A being hinged on half-gth bars to middle of back B
admits of this piece being folded down to form a seat, and is supported in that
position by front legs FF and by arms H H from the top buoyant part as
shewn on Figs. 3 & 4.
When the sitting part is turned up, the third buoyant part A closes against the
top buoyant part A', and combines with it to give as much buoyancy as the bottom
part A, and the seat when placed with its ordinary vertical bars horizontal forms
a buoyant structure instantly available for saving life in an emergency. They may
be made so as to form double seats as shewn by Figs. 5 and 6, where the upper
buoyant parts A and A' are both made to fold down, leaving a flat centre bar B to
form the back; or, they may be made as in end view Fig. 7 where the top buoyant
part is solid same as bottom. The seat is made entirely of wood with hinges and
fittings before described. This plan may also be adopted for the double seats.
The seats may be made any convenient length in the direction J K and may
be covered or upholstered in any suitable manner. Spars may be fixed parallel
to the buoyant parts if required to make the sitting part more complete. Each
buoyant part is an elongated structure of a rectangular or other simple form,
made with a framing of wood and fitted with cork or other buoyant material,
enclosed partly with wooden boards and partly with canvas, or the buoyant parts
may consist of hollow metallic casings.
Life lines are fixed to the seat at suitable positions and also ropes and other
appliances likely to be of use.
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 :-
"The arrangement and combination of the various parts above mentioned for
the purposes, and substantially as herein described and set forth and illustrated in
the drawings hereto annexed."
Dated this Eighth day of February 1892.
GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT.