Improvements in and connected with Life-boats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Life-boats.
I, CHARLES HIBBERD of Arnold Street, South Yarra, in the Colony of Victoria,
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been devised to provide improvements in and connected with
life-boats, such life-boats being collapsable so as to occupy the smallest possible
space when placed within a passenger or other vessel. The boat is at the samo
time constructed so as to be extremely light and also capable of weathering the
roughest sea. Owing to their extreme lightness and collapsability whilst obtaining
a large carrying capacity a number of these boats may be carried without incon-
venience on a passenger vessel so that in the ovent of an accident there will be
ample room in these boats for the saving of all persons on board.
The boat is constructed with a frafmo of spring steel bands arranged cross-wise
and being closed in with canvas or other suitable flexible material rondered water-
proof in any approved manner. Additional floating power is obtained by longi-
tudinal strips of cork arranged at about the water level of the boat snid strips
being closed in with material as before. The top edge of the boat is constructed
with a plate to which a number of the metal springs are secured at one end, said
springs being also secured to a plate set along the bottom of the boat, the
longitudinal plates aforesaid extend the partial length only of the side of a boat
so that beyond such plates two or more of the steel springs will be arranged at
each side and attached to the canvas and to the plate at the bottom of the boat
so that at this portion of the boat the top edge will be flexible so as to allow a
certain amount of play when the boat is being collapsed and extended. The
longitudinal plates aforesaid are arranged to receive the rowlocks. The central
portion of the boat is provided with a longitudinal box open at the bottom which
is secured at said bottom to the spring plates aforesaid, the keel being arranged to
enter said box in such a manner that the bottom of the boat will be flush so as to
enable the boat, when collapsed and when such keel is drawn in, to occupy as
little space as possible. The keel is connected to vertical rods preferably one
near each end by which it is raised and which with holes formed in the top plate
of the longitudinal box form guides for raising and lowering same. The keel may
be locked in its position within the box by means of a sliding plate arranged at
the top of the box aforesaid. This plate is provided with slots which with pins
forin guides for its horizontal movement. The locking portion consists of a circular
bole which communicates with a slot and the vertical rod which is circular in
section has a portion reduced to a rectangular section so that whon such rod is
raised the sliding plate may be moved so that the rectangular portion of the
rod will lie in the slot the circular portion of the rod forming a shoulder to hold
same.
The sliding plate is connected at its end to a lever which has its fulcrum below
the level of such plate and having its arm extending upward to the top level
of the boat, such arm being connected by a cord for operating said sliding plate.
The boat is made collapsable in the following manner-the seats are hinged at
each side to the spring plates aforesaid and are also hinged at their centre. Hooks
are articulated to the frame of the boat and the sliding plate on a line with such

page_text: hooks is constructed with a raised slotted portion closed in at one end whilst the
other end is open. A projecting pin upon the vertical box projects through the
Paid slot in the raised portion of the sliding plate. The boat is collapsed by forcing
in the sides and causing the articulated looks to engage with the sides (near the
open end) of the grooved raised portion the sliding plate being at this time forced
to its extremity with the projecting pin within the aforesaid slot lying against the
closed in portion, the keel at this time being also drawn in and held in the manner
nforesaid.
The boat will rest on board the larger vessel collapsed in this manner and when
required for use may immediately be placed in order for sailing by simply pulling
the cord attached to the lever which action will draw forward the sliding plate
causing the circular portion of the slots to come in line with the vertical rod thus
allowing the said rods to fall and tho keel to project beneath the boat. At the
same time the collapsed sides will be released by the drawing forward of the sliding
plate which will cause tho articulated hooks to come into contact with the pin
within the slot of the raised portion which forces same over the edge of the slot,
where the said hooks will be released causing the boat to fly open due to the action
of the spring bands. The seats will at the same time fall down into position and
the boat may be lowered into the water when it will be ready for use.
The boat is provided with specially constructed onra having one of their ends
weighted so that their opposite and webbed ends will ride on the water when in
position for use, the weighted ends within the boat being painted with phosphorized
paint so as to be luminous for the purpose of shewing the locality of a boat in the
case of an accident.
Dated this 20th day of April 1898.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
95
I, CHARLES HIBBERD of Arnold Street, South Yarra, in the Colouy of Victoria,
Contractor, do horeby 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 a self-expanding collapsable life-boat occupying the
smallest possible space on a vessel and so constructed as to be extremely light,
capable of weathering a rough sea, and affording a largo carrying capacity.
Owing to their extreme lightness and collapsability a number of these boats may
be carried without inconvenience on a passenger vessel so that in the event of au
accident there will be ample room in these bonts for the saving of all persons on
board.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this specification wherein
Figure 1 represents a plan and Figure 2 a longitudinal section of the boat in
the expanded position.
Figure 3 is a mid-ship cross-section shewing the boat as collapsed in full lines
and as expanded in dotted lines, this figure being drawn to a larger scale.
Figure 4 shows a detail of the releasing gear for the spring ribs and centre
board.
The boat is constructed with a centre board casing A and ribs B formed
of spring steel bands upon which canvas or other suitable flexible material
rendered water-proof in any approved manner, is atretched to form the shell of the

page_text: boat. Additional floating power is obtained by a belt of cork C arranged
at about the water level of the bont and covered with the canvas or other
material. At the gunwale of the boat a spring band E connects a number of
the spring ribs together at their upper ends, said spring ribs being secured at their
lowor ends to plates or fanges projecting laterally from the centro board casing
and extending along the bottom of the boat. The longitudinal bands D extend
only along the middle part of the side of the boat and beyond such bands two or
more of the steel spring ribs will be arranged at each side and attached to the
canvas and to the plate at the bottom of the boat so that at this portion of the boat
the gunwale will be quite flexible so as to allow a certain amount of play when the
bont is being collapsed and expanded. The longitudinal bands D are arranged to
receive the rowlocks. The contre board casing is open at the bottom and receives
the centre board E wholly within it flush with the bottom of the boat so that the
bont when collapsed will occupy as little space as possible. The centre board is
connected to vertical rods F preferably one near each end by which it is raised
and which slide through holes in the top of the centre board casing so as to form
guides for raising and lowering the centre board. The centre board may be locked
in its raised position within the casing, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2 by
means of a sliding plate G fitted to slide on the top of the centre board casing and
provided with slots receiving fixed stnds which form guides for its horizontal
movement. The locking portion consists of keyhole-shaped slots 9 in plate G
which when the centre board is raised may be caused to engage by their narrow
slote with necks formed on the rods F. The locking plate G is connected at its
end to a hand lever I fulcrummed at h and to the upper end of which a cord may
be attached for operating said plate.
The boat is made collapsable by the ability of the spring ribs B to be bent
inwards, as shown in Figure 3, the ribs being rigidly braced when in the expanded
position by the thwarts I which are hinged at each end to the spring ribs B and
are also hinged at their centre so as to fold upwards, as shown in Figure 3, to
permit of the collapsing of the boat, the middle hinges being knee joints so that
the thwarts are rigid when extended. The boat is retained in the collapsed form
by means of hooks J jointed to the ribs and engaging in slots in blocks j fixed
upon the locking plate G, the slots being open at one end, and studs j fixed upon
the contre board casing projecting up through the said slots so that when the
locking plate G is moved longitudinally in one direction the hooks will thereby all
be simultaneously released. The boat is collapsed by raising the centre board
within its casing and locking it in this position by sliding the locking plate GRO
that its keyhole slots engage with the necks f of the rods F, and then forcing in
the spring ribs and engaging the hooks with the slots of the blocks j.
The boat will be carried in the collapsed form and when required for use may
immediately be expanded by pulling the cord attached to the hand lever
thereby sliding the locking plate G so that the circular portions of the keyhole
slots come in line with the vertical rods F thus allowing the ceutre board to fall
out and project beneath the boat, at the same time that the collapsed sides will
be released and permitted to expaud by the drawing forward of the locking plate
which will cause the disengagement of the hooks as aforesaid, whereupon the boat
will fly open by the action of the spring ribs. The thwarts will at the same
time fall down into position and the boat when lowered into the water will be
ready for use.
Tanks or lockers K for water and food are constructed along either side of the
centre board casing and serve to stiffen the frame of the boat in the longitudinal
direction. In order to render the boat solf-righting and impart additional buoyancy
in case of being swamped, cork-stuffed canvas bags L are fixed in the bow and
stern of the boat. The boat is provided with specially constructed oars having
their loom ends weighted so that their blades will ride on the water, the weighted
ends being painted with phosphorized paint so as to be luminous for the purpose
of shewing the locality of a boat in the case of accident,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this iuven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A self-expanding collapsable life-boat constructed with spring steel ribs
capable of being pressed inwards and strutted by the thwarts when expanded
substantially as specified.
2. A self-expanding collapsable life-boat constructed with spring steel ribs capable
of being pressed inwards and strutted by the thwarts, knee-jointed at the middle
and hinged to the spring ribs at the ends so as to fold upwards when the boat is
collapsed and act as struts when expanded substantially as specified.
3. A self-expanding collapsable life-boat constructed with a longitudinal centre
board casing, spring steel ribs fixed thereto capable of being pressed inwards
and strutted, when expanded, by thwarts jointed so as to fold in the manner
described.
4. In a self-expanding collapsable life-boat constructed with spring steel ribs,
means of retaining the ribs in the collapsed form and of simultaneously releasing
the ribs and likewise the centre board substantially as specified.
Dated this 27th day of August 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
63, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
63, Chancery Lane, Londou, Chartered Patent Agents.