Improvements in Bearing Surfaces, more especially applicable to the Sliding Seats of Rowing Boats.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1891.
Improvements in Bearing Surfaces, more especially applicable to
the Sliding Seats of Rowing Boats.
I, JOHANN CASPAR BRUNCKE, of Bremen, in the German Empire, Dentist,
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 :-
Owing to the increased demand for swift-boats many improvements have been
made in the design of sliding-seats. The old seat on the principle of a sledge very
soon had to give way to such on rolls and even here many designs were invented to
decrease the friction which still, until to day, is one of those disadvantages yet to
be done away with since even the rollers of the seats hitherto in use have had
to overcome friction in their axle-bearings.
My invention not only has the great advantage of giving a rolling motion to the
seat completely devoid of friction but also of making the frequent and unpleasant
oiling or greasing perfectly needless. The way this is done is a very simple one.
I not only allow the rollers to travel within a guide in the under firm part of the
seat but also let their axles roll against a small rail upon the upper movable part.
These axles being much smaller in diameter than the rollers, the length of the said
small rail need only be very small in comparison to the under firm guide.
The same principle which I make use of in my said invention for sliding-seats of
rowing-boats, may however, also be applied to cranes or any other machinery
requiring horizontal and easy working with limited forward and backward motion.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout different views, and in
which:-
Fig. 1 is a side-view showing the seat placed upon the under guide which is
however partly shown; the part on the right hand side being broken off.
Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the seat and guide, and
Fig. 3 is the plan.
The seat A rests on two horizontal bars a a to which are bolted the double
rails c c, being held asunder by the washers d d d' d', so as to allow the axles b b to
run between them and thus forming their bearings and guide. To the axles bb I
fix the rollers or wheels and allow them to run in the main or firm guide e
bolted to the boat or the firm scat. To prevent the seat from being jerked or lifted
bodily upward I provide a cross bar B B bolted to the same having projections B¹
which catch underneath the main-guides e e so that a disengaging of the seat can
only be attained by drawing the seat away in a horizontal direction.
Having placed the seat A in its starting position on the left-hand side of Fig. 1
the rollers and the axles will be situated, as regards the movable seat A, in
their farthest position to the right but reversed when A is moved to the right, the
difference in the travel of band in their tracks being proportionate to the
difference of their respective diameters, so that when have travelled as far as
needed to the right within the guides e, the axles will have arrived at the extent
of their travel to the left within their guides c it will therefore be necessary to
choose the size of diameters of axles band rollers y so that less than half of the
length of the seat will be required for the bearings of each axle.
In order to prevent an edging or jamming of the rollers their axles may be
coupled to each other by diagonal and longitudinal connecting rods.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In seats or carriers, subjected to alternative forward and backward motions: the
construction and use of a seat A borne by guides c upon the axles 6 of rollers or
wheels g within guides e and kept in position by a cross bar B attached to the
seat A. and having projections B¹ substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of January 1891.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.