US21870A - Cak-seat - Google Patents

Description

Patented-'Octv 26, 1858.

A. C. BLONDYN.

Car Seat and Couch.

No. 21,870,l

NPEIERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WQSHIHGTON. D C

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. C. BLONDYN, 0F ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.-

CAR-SEAT.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. C. BLONDYN, of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Car Seats for Enabling Them to be Readily Converted into Comfortable Sleeping-Couches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure l, is a vertical section through the improved railroad car seat, when arranged to be occupied in a sitting posture for day traveling. Fig. 2, is a front elevation of ditto. Fig. 3, is a vertical section of the same,- when altered, with its back inclined to the required position to convert it into a sleeping or reclining couch.

Similar letters in the figures refer to corresponding parts.

The nature of this invention and improvement consists in constructing the seat within a swinging frame, its backs being formed of a stuffed mattress capable of being partially wound upon a roller or small windlass, when the seat is used for sitting purposes, or extended to the full length of the frame when employed'as a couch, and so combining and arranging the bottoms of the seats, the backs and other appliances necessary to the operation of the same in relation to each other, as to enable them to form comfortable seats facing either end of the car, or inclined couches overlapping each other.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Each seat is provided with two vertical posts A, erected at the sides of the car, the same distance apart transversely, as the length of the seats, and between each pair of these posts, is suspended a swinging frame B, by bolts passing through the upper ends of the posts and entering the side pieces of the swinging frame, at points about onethird the distance of its whole from its lower end. To the upper crosspiece of this frame B, and immediately inside the side pieces of the same, are secured two bars or rods C, extending to within a short distance of the lower cross piece and passing through runners or tubes formed in the iiexible edges of a stued sacking or mattress E, the can vas cloth or other material which forms the covering of the same being secured to a Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,870, dated October 26, 18158.

small roller D, turning in suitable boxes, near the lower ends of the said side pieces, on one end of the shaft of which is formed a square shank or head, for the attachment of the corresponding socket of a crank, for enabling a rotary motion to be given the roller D, somewhat after the manner of the ordinary windlass. The upper portion of this sacking or mattress E, contains the necessary increased amount of stufiing to form a bolster or pillow for the head of the passenger, when lying down on either side, and the rods C, which pass through the runners or tubing at the sides or edges of the mattress sackmg E, are kept in their proper positions by grooved friction wheels F, turning on studs projecting from the side pieces of the swinging frame B, the grooved' peripheries of which embrace the tubing at the edges of the sacking and the rods C within the same. To the center of the upper cross bar of the mattress sucking is attached the end of a cord G, which passes through an opening in the upper cross piece of the frame B, and is attached at its opposite end to the periphery of a roller H, s ecured on a horizont-al shaft H, turning in boxes secured in, and to the frame B, on the end of which shaft is formed a square head of the required size to admit the attachment of the crank I, thereto, which is also capable of being attached to the square head of the shaft of the roller D. This shaft H, has a ratchet wheel K, near its end, which is provided with a spring pawl L, to which a pivoted bar can be hooked when it is desired to detach said pawl from entire contact with the ratchet wheel K, in winding the mattress upon the roller D.

The ends of the cushioned bottoms M, of the seats are secured to the radial arms of two sectors N, turning on studs at their apex, projecting from the side pieces of the swinging frame B. These radial arms extend from the center studs upon which they turn at obtuse radial lines, and those on one end of the seats are provided near their' outer ends with pins B, projecting from their sides, to which can respectively hooked the ends of an oscillating bar S, secured by a bolt upon which it turns at its center, to the side piece of the frame B, when it is desired to sustain the said seat bottoms hori zontally to answer the purposes of a seat. The swinging frame B, and consequently the mattress E, within it forming the backy the seat, is held in an upright position, when used in conjunction with the bottoms M, to form a seat, by a horizontal rod T, projecting from the end of a lever O, turning on a fulcrum at its center on the outside of the post A, neXt the longitudinal passage Way through the car, and having a spring at its opposite end, for forcing the horizontal rod or pin T, at the end first mentioned into a corresponding opening in the side piece of the frame B.

When it is desired to occupy the seat in a sitting posture, the upright frame B, is fastened by the spring lever rod T, just described, and the bottom M, of the same, (on the side of the frame B, corresponding with the direction in which it is desired to sit) is raised to a horizontal position, and secured by hooking the end of the oscillating lever or bar S, to the pin T, projecting from the radial arm of the sector N, to which the seat bottom on the opposite side is secured. Before these two operations are performed. however, the lower part of the sacking and mattress E, are wound upon the roller D, sufficiently to enable their upper portion to project sufficiently above the seat bottom M, to form a back of the required height to form a comfortable back rest for the passengers.

When it is desired to convert the seat into a reclining or sleeping coach, the upper end of the spring catch lever O, is depressed, so as to withdraw the rod or pin T, at its opposite end, from the opening in the side piece of the swinging frame B, and the said swinging frame B, is lowered or turned to the inclined position represented in Fig. 3, in which it is sustained by a sling or band P, passing through a loop at the upper end of the frame B, and a corresponding loop attached to the ceiling or roof of the car. The crank I, is then attached to the end of the shaft H, and by turning it, and giving motion to the roller H', the mattress E, with its bolster is drawn upward, and made to form a comfortable reclining or sleeping couch, capable ofaccommodating the passengers previously occupying the seats in a sitting posture, the angle of inclination upon which they lie being graduated as desired, by the buckle of the sling or band P, by which the head of the swinglng frame is sustained.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The combination and arrangement of the swinging frame B, extending and rolling mattress E, he roller D, shaft H, roller H', and cord G, or their equivalent, for operating said mattress, and the sectors N, to

which the seat bottoms M, are secured, by which a seat, facing either end of the car, or a reclining or sleeping couch, capable of accommodating lthe two occupants of the seat, can be obtained, the whole being constructed and operating substantially as before described.

A. c. BLONDYN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT BUIsE, JOHN I-I. BAsT.

Images