Year: 1885

page_text: I, MATTHIAS NACE FORNEY, of No. 431 Fifth Avenue, New York, in the
County and State of New York and United States of America, engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of my invention, which relates to car seats having reversible backs,
so as to be adapted to use in either direction in which the car may be moving, is to
render seats of such character more convenient and comfortable to the occupant than
heretofore, and to this end my improvements consist in certain novel devices and
combinations hereinafter fully set forth.
It is a well known fact that more or less muscular exertion is required to keep
the human body in an erect position, whether a person be sitting or standing The
portions of the body which require the most exertion to keep erect when in a sitting
posture are the neck and the loins, and in these the only bony supports consist of
the cervical and the lumbar vertebrae respectively. These are each articulated
columns, consisting of a number of superimposed bones, which are adapted to move
or turn one upon the other, and are liable to lateral flexure unless restrained by
muscular effort. The head, being a heavy object, requires considerable effort to
keep it balanced, and, consequently, any support for it, or for the neck, is conducive
to rest and comfort. Again, if the body is required to remain in a sitting
posture for any great length of time, a support for the back, in the lumbar region,
will afford relief to the muscles, which, without such support, would be more or less
exerted to keep the vertebrae erect.
My invention is designed to provide a reversible back car seat which shall afford
suitable supports, of the character above indicated, without involving the objections,
as to undue downward projection and interference with adjoining seats, which have
obtained in sundry constructions heretofore proposed, and have rendered them
unsuitable for the requirements of practical railway service. Under my invention,
the seat back is so constructed and combined with reversing mechanism that its
upper portion acts as a head rest and its lower as a support for the lumbar region
of the back of the occupant, the seat being, also, rearwardly inclined, as is
desirable for comfort, especially in vehicles. The supporting functions of the upper

page_text: and the lower portions of the back are exchanged, relatively, when reversed, and
the seat is correspondingly inclined in reverse direction, as well as moved hori-
zontally for such distance as is required to preserve its proper relation to the back
and normal distance from the adjoining seat.
In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a side view of an ordinary chair,
illustrating, by reference to an outline of a sitting human figure, the points at
which support is desirable; Fig. 2, a transverse section of a car seat of the pattern
used upon English railways illustrating the provision of supports for the head and
loins in connection with a fixed back; Fig. 3, a similar section of a reversible back
car seat of the ordinary American pattern; Fig. 4, a diagrammatic transverse
section of a car scat embodying my invention; Fig. 5, an end view of the same
with the seat and arm removed and the seat back turned to the left; Fig. 6, a
similar view with the seat back reversed; Fig. 7, a similar view with the seat
back turned half way over; Fig. 8, a front view in elevation; Fig. 9, an inverted
plan of the seat; Fig. 10, a view in perspective, of a seat frame and rockers;
Fig. 11, a section, on an enlarged scale, through a pair of the seat back arms or
links, illustrating the relation of the spring thereto, and; Fig. 12, a side view, on a
similar scale, of the intersecting portions of a pair of the seat back arms, when in
the position shown in Fig. 6.
Before proceeding to a structural description of my improvements, & fuller
explanation of the requirements which they are designed to meet may hè obtained.
by reference to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. By the relation of the rear outline of the
human body to an ordinary chair, as illustrated in Fig. 1, it will be observed that
in order to provide an effective support for the head and neck and for the lumbar
region of the back respectively, the seat back must project at the portions x and-z,
beyond the portion at y, against which the shoulder blades rest, that is, a line
touching the surfaces x, y, and z, would be concave towards the occupant of the
seat. The propriety of such construction is recognized in the seats of English
railway carriages as exemplified in Fig. 2. These have soft cushions, which project
so as to support the back at , and the upholstering is carried up to such a height
that the head can rest against it at x. The seat backs are, however, fixed and not
reversible.
· The ordinary form of car seat which is used in the United States and is shown
in Fig. 3, has its back made projecting towards the occupant at w, to afford, as far
as may be, an easy lower support. In seats of this character, however, such
projection must either be placed so high up as to fail to give support where it is
most needed, or, on the other hand, the seat back must be made very low, for the
reason that the portion which is above the projection w, and which gives the.
required height when in the position shown in full lines, will fall below the pro-
jection w, when the seat back. is reversed, as shown in dotted lines. If the
projection w, is placed lower down, the distance w, y, must be greater for a given
height of seat, and, when the back is reversed, it will extend downward a corre-
spondingly greater distance, so that the upper, (which then becomes the lower
edge, y, of the seat back) will be in the way of the passengers in the next seat
beliind. Further, if with the seat back in the position represented in full lines, a
support for the head, as indicated by the dotted line 2, should be placed at its top,
such rest would, when the seat back was reversed, assume the position al, which is
inconveniently near the floor. Again, if the support for the back should be placed
in the lower portion of the seat back, and be arranged to act alternately as a head
rest and a back rest, it would become necessary to raise the pivot v, and the seat
back arm w, v, so high'as to be in the way of the arms of the passengers. For the
reasons above stated, it has not hitherto been found practicable, under the
ordinary forms of construction of car seats with reversible backs, to provide easy
and comfortable supports for the heads and the backs of the occupants of
such seats.
It should be further noted that a slight rearward inclination of a seat is found
to add materially to its comfort, particularly in cars and other vehicles which are

page_text: subject to jarring or jolting. In a seat thus inclined, the effect of jolting is to
settle the passenger backward in the seat, while, without such inclination he tends
to slide away from the back and off the seat. With reversible seat backs, the
inclination of the seat requires to be changed with the turning of the back, and, in
reversing the back, it is, further, desirable to move the seat horizontally, in the
reverse direction to that in which the seat back is turned, so as to give greater
room to passengers in the seat behind. My improvements provide, as will herein-
after appear, means for effecting such movements of the seat simultaneously with
the reversal of the back.
The construction and operation of a car seat under my invention are illustrated
in Figs. 4 to 12, inclusive. The seat back. A, is shaped and upholstered so as to
present a support a, at top, for the head and neck of the occupant, and a similar
support al, at bottom, for the occupant's back, and is symmetrical in form, that is
to say, the supports a and a¹, correspond in size and shape, so that, when reversed,
as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and in full lines in Fig. 6, the head rest
portion a, serves to support the back, and the back rest portion a¹, acts as a head
rest, the seat back being moved into a position on the opposite side of the centre
line of the seat frame at an angle to said line equal to that which it formerly
occupied.
In order to enable the reversal of the seat back to be so effected that its upper
and lower portions shall assume the positions above indicated, and, at the same
time, to impart the desired inclination and horizontal movement to the seat B, the
seat back A, is coupled at each end by pivots a³, a³, to the upper ends of two
intersecting or crossed links or seat back arms D, D', which are fitted, respectively,
to vibrate upon fixed pivots c and c', located in line horizontally upon the seat
arms C. The seat arms are connected by a cross piece c², and are supported
upon legs or standards c³, fixed to the floor of the car. The seat B, is supported
by the links D, D', to the lower ends of which it is coupled, at each of its ends, by
pivots b. b. In reversing the seat back (see Fig. 4) the pivot a², moves in the
are a², a³, and the pivot a³, in the are a³, a³, the links D, D', swinging upon the
fixed pivots c and c³, respectively, as centres, and the seat back assumes the reversed
position shown by the dotted outline on the right. The lower movable pivots b
and b, move in the short arcs b, 63, and 61, 63, respectively, so that with the
reversal of the seat back, the right hand side of the seat is lowered, and the left
hand side raised, and the entire seat is moved horizontally towards the left, from
the position shown in full section to that in dotted lines.
Inasmuch as the jar and motion of a car would be liable to cause rattling of the
seat arms, if they come in contact at their points of intersection, which contact is
necessary in order to afford sufficient lateral stability to the scat back, proper
provision should be made to prevent rattling. Further, the ability to impart a
greater or less degree of inclination to the seat back, at will, to accommodate the
preferences of passengers in this respect, is desirable. To these ends, the seat back
arms D, D¹, are each recessed to receive a spring d, which is secured, at one of its
ends, to the arm, and, at the other or free end, bears against the bottom of the
recess (see Figs. 11 and 12) the spring being located in such position as to bear
intermediately against the other arm of the pair, as they intersect when the seat
back is in position for use. A projection d', is formed upon the spring d, at the
point where the centre lines of the arms D and D¹, intersect, and is adapted to
engage any one of a series of correspondingly formed recesses d², in the opposite
arm. The pressure of the spring against the arms prevents them from rattling,
and the engagement of its projection with one of the recesses exerts sufficient
resistance to hold the back at any desired inclination, which may be readily varied,
as desired..
It will be observed that the movement of the links D, D¹, Fig. 5, in connection
with the seat back A, is such that the distance from centre to centre of the seat
pivots b, b', is greater when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 7, than
when the back is entirely turned over, as in Figs. 4 and 5. It is, consequently

page_text: necessary, if one of said pivots be rigidly attached to the seat, that the other
should be adapted to move laterally relatively thereto. Instead, therefore, of
attaching the pivot 61 (and the corresponding pivot of the link at the other end
of the seat) rigidly to the seat, said pivots are secured to sliding pieces 64, which
are fitted to move longitudinally in 7 shaped grooves or channels at each end of
and on the under side of the seat. The slides 6, are united by a board b³, (Fig. 9).
to the opposite ends of which they are screwed, and a board 66, fastened at its
ends to the seat frame, prevents the vertical displacement of the slides from the
grooves. The pivots b', are connected, by L shaped shanks, to the slides and to
the board 65, as shown.
In lieu of connecting both the links of each pair to the seat, as above set forth,
the required horizontal and vertical traverse may be imparted to the scat by
attaching thereto one link only of each pair, and supporting the seat by a short
independent link, suspended from the fixed pivot c¹, or by a double inclined
rocker b', shown clearly in Fig. 10,, which rests upon the seat rail or the stationary
frame piece c². By connecting the arms D, to the seat by the pivots b, and
detaching the pivots b¹, from the slides 64, (see Fig. 6) the seat will be moved
horizontally and rocked vertically by the motion of the pivots.b, in the arcs b, 62,
and it will be obvious that the prolongations c¹, b¹, of the arms D, shown in
Figs. 5 and 7, and the pivots b¹, may be thus dispensed with.
As another means of effecting the same end, one side of the seat might be
supported upon an inclined plane formed upon the seat rail or fixed support of the
seat, and the other side by the seat back arms, which would impart longitudinal
and vertical movement to the seat and give it the requisite inclination in one
direction, the inclination, when the back is reversed, being obtained from the
incline on the seat 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
1. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, and
projections located at or near its. upper and lower sides, said projections being
adapted to serve alternately as rests for the head and for the lumbar region of the
back, respectively, of an occupant of the seat, when the back is reversed.
2. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, having
projecting supports at or near its upper and lower, sides, adapted to serve alter-
nately as rests for the head and for the lumbar region of the back, respectively,
of an occupant of the seat, and one or more pairs of intersecting or crossed links,
each pivoted to the seat back and to a fixed pivot.
3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, having
projecting supports at or near its upper and lower sides, adapted to serve alter-
nately as rests for the head and for the lumbar region of the back, respectively,
of an occupant of the seat, and a seat which is movable either horizontally or
vertically or both, relatively to the seat back.
4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, inter-
secting or crossed links pivoted thereto, and to a seat frame or support, and a seat
which is adapted to be moved either horizontally or vertically, or both, when the
back is reversed.
5. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a seat supporting frame, a
reversible seat back, one or more pairs of intersecting or crossed links pivoted to
said back and to the supporting frame, and a seat connected to one or more of said
links, so as to be moved either horizontally or vertically, or both, by the reversal
of the back.
6. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a movable car seat and a
lower rocker or rockers secured to said seat and acting as the support thereof.
7. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a movable car seat, a lower
rocker or rockers secured thereto, arms or links connecting said seat with a rever-

page_text: sible seat back, and a sustaining frame, these members being combined for joint
operation so that the seat shall receive a vibratory movement on its rocker, or be
moved horizontally, or both, by the reversal of the seat back.
8. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, inter-
secting or crossed links or seat back arms pivoted thereto, and a seat which is
supported by a rocker upon a fixed frame, and coupled to one of the seat back
arms so as to be moved either horizontally or vertically or both by said arm in the
reversal of the seat back.
9. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, a rocking
seat, and an arm or link connecting the seat and seat back, these members being
combined for joint operation to effect the horizontal or vertical movement, or both,
of the seat, by the reversal of the back.
10. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible sent back, and a
seat moved by a link or links coupled to the seat back, and supported by an inclino
formed upon the seat rail or support of the seat.
11. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back and a
movable seat supported directly by links or seat back arms which are pivoted at
their upper ends to the seat back and are supported upon fixed pivots between
their ends. -
12. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, a seat,
and links or seat back arms connected to the seat back and seat and to stationary
pivot supports, these members being combined for joint operation to move the seat
either horizontally or vertically, or both, by the reversal of the seat back, without
the employment of intermediate mechanisın.
13. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a reversible seat back, a pair
of intersecting or crossed links or seat back arms, and a spring interposed between
and bearing against the seat back arms to prevent rattling or to hold the seat back
at,different inclinations.
14. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of seat back arms, a
spring secured to one of said arms and having a projection on its outer face, and
a series of stops or recesses formed upon the other arm, and adapted to engage the
projection of the spring.
.
15. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a seat back, a seat, and a
pair of intersecting or crossed seat back arins located at each end of said seat one
of each pair being connected to the seat by a pivot fixed relatively to the seat and
the other by a pivot which can move laterally in relation to the fixed seat pivot.
16. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a seat, a slide or slides
movable laterally relatively thereto, and a pair of seat back arm pivots secured to
said slide.