Combined Reversible Back and Cover for Tram-car and other Seats.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1895-Accepted. 23rd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Combined Reversible Back and Cover for Tram-car and other Seats.
I, GEORGE HERBERT SWEET FARRANT, of Bemerton, Salisbury, Corn
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The
My invention relates to a combined reversible back and self-closing protective
cover for outside seats of public vehicles and other open air public seats.
object is to provide a cover to protect the seat from wet and dust, which is capable
of being raised to form a rigid back for the seat which admits of the sitter facing
either way and which is self-closing, that is to say always tends to fall down and
cover the seat so that when the latter is unoccupied it will be protected without
attention on the part of any person.
For this purpose the combined seat back and cover is arranged to work on joints
in such manner that either edge may be raised by moving the combined back and
cover about centres near the other edge. Both sets of joints are of the knuckle or
rule joint form, or otherwise provided with stops to limit the motion in order that
the seat cover at whichever side of the seat it may be raised shall afford a back
support for the sitter and the joints are so situated with regard to the vertical
through the centre of gravity of this seat back and cover when in the raised
position that the latter will not remain in that position when the seat is
unoccupied.
In order that the seat back may be reversible it is jointed to the ends of a pair of
radius links which are themselves jointed at their opposite ends to the seat standards,
the radius links being situated alongside or near the ends of the combined back and
cover, the joints connecting the latter to the links being situated near the one
longitudinal edge of the back and cover, and the joints connecting the links to the
seat being situated near the opposite edge of the seat, so that the combined back and
cover may be turned up on either set of joints as a centre.
When turned up on the first mentioned joints the radius links lie alongside the
ends of the seat and when turned up on the last mentioned joints the radius links
are turned up also and stand up alongside the ends of the seat back.
G. H. S. FARRANT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Combined Reversible Back and Cover for Tram-car and other Seats.
I, GEORGE HERBERT SWEET FARRANT, of Bemerton, Salisbury, Corn
Merchant, 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:-
My invention relates to a combined reversible back and self-closing protective
The
cover for outside seats of public vehicles and other open air public seats.
object is to protect the seat from wet and dust, by means of a cover which is
adapted to form a rigid back for the seat, admitting of the sitter facing either way,

page_text: and which is self-closing, that is to say falls and covers the seat whenever the latter
is unoccupied. For this purpose the combined seat back and cover is arranged to
work on joints in such manner that either edge may be raised by moving the
combined back and cover about centres near the other edge, both sets of joints being
of the knuckle or rule joint form, or otherwise provided with stops to limit the
motion, in order that the seat cover, at whichever side of the seat it may be raised,
shall afford a back support for the sitter.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is an end view of the seat with the cover closed, and
Figures 2 and 3 are similar views shewing the cover raised in opposite directions
to form a back admitting of the sitter facing either way.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is the seat and B the combined reversible back and self-closing cover.
In order that the seat-back may be reversible, it is jointed at C to the ends cf
a pair of radius links D which are themselves jointed at their opposite ends E to the
seat standards F, the radius links D being situated at the ends of the combined
back and cover and outside of the standards. The joints C are situated near the
one longitudinal edge of the combined back and cover B and the joints E connecting
the links to the seat standards are situated near the opposite edge of the seat A so
that the combined back and cover may be turned up on either pair of joints as a
centre.
When the combined back and cover is turned up on the joints C the radius
links D lie alongside the seat standards, as shewn in Figure 2, and when the back and
cover is turned up on the joints E the radius links D are turned up also, as shewn
in Figure 3.
The joints C are raised above the level of the seat and the iron cross-straps bare
cranked, as shewn, so as to bring the cover down close to the seat when closed and
throw the centre of gravity of the back so far in advance of the joints C as
to render the back self-closing, the joints C being provided with stops c, c, to limit
the rearward inclination of the back B, similar stops e being provided to limit the
motion about the centre E. In order to ensure simultaneous motion of both ends
of the combined cover and back, although raised at one end only, the radius links D
are preferably fast on the ends of the same rod e¹ turning in bearings in the
standards F so that both links must rise together.
When the back B is turned up, as shewn in Figure 3, the free edge of the
back rests in a groove a¹ formed in the bar a of the seat, by which the lower part
of the back is supported. The radius links D are curved, as shewn, so that when
in the position shewn in Figure 3 the centre of gravity of the back, together with
the radius links, will be in advance of the centres E so that the back will be self-
closing in this direction also. The back B is made of wooden bars b' fixed to the
iron straps b, and covered with sheet zinc 62, or other suitable material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A combined reversible back and self-closing cover for seats, jointed near one
edge to the ends of radius links whose other ends are jointed to the seat-frame
towards the opposite edge of the seat so that the combined back and cover may be
turned up at either side of the seat, the construction and arrangement being such
that it will be self-closing in either direction, substantially as specified.
Dated this 4th day of January 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.