Improvements in Seats for the Tops of Tram Cars, Omnibuses and other Vehicles, which improvements are also applicable to Outdoor Seats for Parks, Gardens and the like,
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Oct., 1899-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
Improvements in Seats for the Tops of Tram Cars, Omnibuses and
other Vehicles, which improvements are also applicable to Outdoor
Seats for Parks, Gardens and the like,
I, ROWLAND HAND TAYLOR, of No. 123, Hall Road, Handsworth, in the County
of Stafford, Cabinet Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows-
My invention consists of, the improvements hereinafter described in seats,
the said improvements being especially applicable to the reversible seats used
on the tops of tramcars omnibuses and other vehicles but are also applicable
to non-reversible or fixed seats of the said vehicles and also to out door seats
used in parks and gardens and to other like seats The object of my invention
is principally to effect in a simple and expeditious manner the covering of the
seat bottom o seat proper should the said seat proper be wet or damp from
rain, dew or fog and thereby prevent discomfort to the user of the wet or damp
seat.
I will describe my invention as applied to a reversible seat, that is, a seat
in which the frame carrying the back is pivotted to the uprights of the seat
To the frame of
so that the back can be arranged at either side of the seat.
the said removable back of the seat, I pivot or hinge two thin protecting or
covering flaps for the seat bottom the said pivots or hinges being situated a short
distance above the fixed scat bottom and opening in opposite directions. The
pivotted or hinged protecting flaps described are of such a size that when one
or other of them is turned down upon the seat bottom it covers wholly or in
great part, the said seat bottom and should the seat be wet or damp protects
When the protecting
the person using it from the said wet or damp seat bottom.
flaps or seat coverings are in their raised or out of use position, they occupy and
lose the upper part of the flame of the reversible back and are in contact o
nearly in contact and bear against stops on the said fame. When so raised
the inner faces of the said covering flaps are shielded from wet or damp by the
frame within which they lie. When the reversible back of the seat is in one
position, one of the protecting or covering flaps may be turned down upon the
seat bottom and when the position of the back is reversed the other covering
flap may be turned down upon the seat bottom so that when one covering flap
is down the other is always up
I prefer to pivot or joint the protecting or covering flaps to the frame of the
back by means of spring pivots or hinges so that when the person using the
seat rises the flap turns on its hinge and is raised from its horizontal into a
nearly vertical position by the action of its spring and passes into the back fiame
of the seat. In the case of reversible seats where two protecting or covering flaps
are used the same spring hinge or pivot may be used for both of the said spring
flaps But I do not limit myself to any particular arrangement of springs for
automatically lifting the hinged flaps into their out of use position; and although

page_text: I prefer that the said flaps be automatically raised as described, so as to ensure
the keeping of them dry within the back frame of the seat, yet the hinged flaps
may be without springs and be raised and turned into the back frame by hand
or by means of a weight at the bottom of the flap.
The double flaps hereinbefore described may be sat upon, so as to protect the
seat bottom. In this case the said flaps are lifted only when a dry seat is
required; but I prefer to arrange the parts as before described
Besides serving for its principal purpose, namely the covering of the wet
or damp seat bottom, the jointed back flap also serves when in its raised position,
as a pocket picking preventative as by the closing of the back frame by the said
jointed flap, access to the pocket of the person using the seat is prevented.
My improvements may be applied to single or double reversible seats and to
non-reversible seats for vehicles and to seats for out-door use generally, and to
other seats which may be required to be prevented from getting wet
Dated this Seventh day of February 1899.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Seats for the Tops of Tram Cars, Omnibuses and
other Vehicles, which Improvements are also applicable to Outdoor
Seats for Parks, Gardens and the like.
I, ROWLAND HAND TAYLOR, of No. 123, Hall Road, Handsworth, in the County
of Stafford, Cabinet Makei, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in seats,
the said improvements being especially applicable to the reversible seats used
on the tops of tramcars, omnibuses and other vehicles, but are also applicable
to non-reversible or fixed seats of the said vehicles and also to out-door seats
used in parks and gardens and to other like seats. The object of my invention
is principally to effect in a simple and expeditious manner the covering of the
seat bottom or seat proper should the said seat proper be wet or damp from
an, dew or fog and thereby prevent discomfort to the user of the wet or damp
seat.
I will describe my invention as applied to a reversible seat, that is, a seat
in which the frame carrying the back is pivotted to the uprights of the seat
so that the back can be arranged at either side of the seat. To the frame of
the said reversible back of the seat, I pivot or hinge two thin protecting or
covering flaps for the seat bottom, the said pivots or hinges being situated a short
distance above the fixed seat bottom and opening in opposite directions. The
pivotted on hinged protecting flaps described are of such a size that when one
or other of them is turned down upon the seat bottom it covers wholly or in
great part the said seat bottom and should the seat be wet or damp protects
the person using it from the said wet or damp seat bottom. When the protecting
flaps or seat coverings are in their raised or out of use position they occupy and
close the upper part of the frame of the reversible back and are in contact or
ncarly in contact and bear against stops on the said frame. When so raised
the inner faces of the said covering flaps are shielded from wet or damp by the
frame within which they lie. When the reversible back of the seat is in one

page_text: position, one of the protecting or covering flaps may be turned down upon the
seat bottom and when the position of the back is reversed the other covering
Hap may be turned down upon the seat bottom so that when one covering flap
is down the other is always up.
I joint the protecting or covering flaps to the fiame of the back by means
of spring pivots or hinges so that when the person using the seat rises the flap
turns on its hinge and is raised from its horizontal into a nearly vertical position
by the action of its spring and passes into the back frame of the seat.
In the case of reversible seats where two protecting or covering flaps are used
the same spring hinge or pivot may be used for both of the said spring flaps :
but I do not limit myself to any particular arrangement of springs.
Neither
do I limit myself to the use of springs for automatically lifting the hinged flaps
into their out of use position as the said flaps may be lifted by means of a weight
or weights at the bottom of the flaps.
Figure 1 of the accompanying diawings represents in front elevation, a ever-
sible seat for a tram car or the like to which seat the improvements constituting
my invention are applied; Figures and 3 are side elevations of the same with
the back in reversed positions, Figure 4 is a plan of the said seat with one of
the protecting flaps of the seat in its turned down position, and Figures 5. 6
and 7 are detail views, Figure 7 being drawn to a larger scale than the other
figures of the drawings.
Figures 8 and 9 represent in front elevation and plan respectively a double
seat to which my improvements are applied; and Figures 10, 11 and 12 represent
modifications of my invention herein after particularly described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the diawings.
I will first describe the arrangement Figures 1 to 7 both inclusive.
a is the seat proper and is the reversible back of the same jointed at & to
the crossing legs a¹, a¹ of the seat . The reversible back canes the two
protecting flaps d, d, the said protecting flaps being jointed at dd to the
arms of the said back b One of the strengthening bars at the edges of each
flap, extends beyond the joint and carries a weight (see Figures 5, 6 and 7)
by which weight the flap is preserved in its normal position, that is, within
the back as represented in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 7, the upper edge of the flap
bearing against a stop e as will be best seen by reference to the enlarged sectional
view of the broken off back b and flaps d, d represented in Figure 7
When one of the protecting flaps d is turned down, as indicated in dotted
lines in Figure 2 and represented in full lines in the plan Figure 4, so as thereby
to cover the seat proper a and protect a person occupying the seaf from wet or
damp on the seat proper a, the weight in connection with the said turned
down flap is raised, consequently on the person rising from the seat and thereby
releasing the turned down flap the latter automatically takes its normal
position, by virtue of the action of the weight, in which position the said flap
vntually constitutes a part of the back of the seat. Hence, in wet or damp
weather it is almost impossible for rain or moisture to get on the seating side of
the protecting flaps and a diy seat for passengers is at all times ensured.
In the double reversible seat Figures 8 and 9 four flaps are employed one
pair for each half of the seat, the weights for one pair of the flaps being situated
at one side or end of the seat and the weights for the other pair of flaps being
at the other end or side of the seat as will be understood by reference to the
said Figures 8 and 9.
Although I have represented the weight as arranged at one or both ends or
sides of the seat I wish it to be understood that it may be arranged under the
seat at the middle or other part thereof. Or the said weight may extend nearly
from side to side and under the seat as represented in the perspective view
of a detached seat Figure 10 with the covering flap of the said seat in its turned
down position, the aims f by which the weight is suspended being jointed to

page_text: the slightly cranked arms h, h constituting the extension of the strengthening
bais at the sides or edge of the flap d.
In Figures 11 and 12 I have represented in side elevation (partly in section)
and font elevation respectively a seat in which the protecting flaps d, d are lifted
into their normal position, by springs i, on the axis or spindle. on which the
Haps turn, the free ends or aims of each spring being fixed to the jointed pro-
tecting flaps respectively.
Although I prefer that the said flaps be automatically raised as described, so
as to ensure the keeping of them diy within the back frame of the seat, yet
the hinged flaps may be without weights or springs and be raised and turned
into the back frame by hand, spring catches or other fastenings being employed
to secure the flaps in their turned back position.
The double flaps herein before described may be sat upon so, as to protect the
seat bottom. In this case the said flaps are lifted only when a dry seat is
required; but I prefer to arrange the parts as before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
'
1 1
Besides serving for its principal purpose namely, the covering of the wet
or damp seat bottom, the jointed back flap also serves, when in its raised position,
as a pocket picking preventative as by the closing of the back frame by the said
jointed flap, access to the pocket of the person using the seat is prevented..
My improvements may be applied to non-reversible seats, that is, seats with
fixed backs for vehicles and to seats for out door use generally and to other
seats which may requie to be prevented from getting wet.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declate that I claim as my
invention of Improvements in seats for the tops of tram cais omnibuses and
other vehicles which..improvements are also applicable to out door seats for
parks, gardens and the like":
Providing the backs of, the seats with a jointed protecting flap or flaps which
in their normal or raised position occupy the space within the frame of the
back and virtually constitute a part of the said back, which protecting flap or
flaps may be turned down on to the seat and form a cover for the same whether
the said protecting flap or flaps be lifted from the. seat by hand or be automatically
lifted from the seat by means of a weight or weights or a spring or springs sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
Dated the Fourteenth day of October 1899.