US2232263A - Sleeping car arrangement - Google Patents

Description

J. w. PATToN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT Filed Dec. 6,*1938 y WMM 212,

ATTORNEY*- v 'I Patented Feb. 1.8, 19941 UNITED STATES PzifiirN'rk orifice Edward G.v Budd Manufacturing Clim,

Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation o! Pennsylvania Application December 6, 1938, Serial No. 244,148

claiml.

This-invention relates to sleeping car arrangements, and more particularly to a novel arrangement of sleeping cat compartments.

It is an object of the invention to provide a more economical use of the space without sacrifice of accessibility to the facilities usually provided and to provide an arrangementhaving a maximum of convenience and being variable to suit varying demands of the traveling public.

l0 Theabove and other objects are attained according to the invention by arranging the sleeping compartments, each preferably intended for single occupancy, along one side of the car extending from a side aisle to the opposite side of the car, the longest dimension of the compartments extending transversely of the car from the side aisle to the oppositevside voi the car, and being provided at the aisle side with a vertical recess adapted to receive aV iully-made-up folding bedy in inoperative position for day-time service. Each compartment is of a width longitudinally of the car not substantially greater than the combined width of the bed and the toilet seat arranged alongside thereof so that the toilet may always be available even when the bed is lowered to its operative position from its vertical inoperative position.

For greatest economy the compartments are arranged in pairs separated by a common wall,

which is of less length than the walls of the compartments opposite the common wall, and termihates a substantial distance short of the aisle. Between the short inner extremity of the common wall and the adjacent ends of the aisle walls of the compartments, there are provided inclined door openings normally closed by doors which permit separate access to each of the pair of compartments. By this arrangement, a recess is provided between each pair of compartments 40 adjacent the door openings, which facilitates the passage through the aisles and `also serves to receive at certain times, the shoes or luggage oi the occupants, as desired. By this arrangement the toilet facilities are provided in each compartment adjacent the common wall and in the corner` opposite the aisle alongside a window, while when the bed is lowered to its operative position, ladequate floor space for dressing and undressing isVA provided between the toilet seat, the common wall, the door and the side of the bed. Itwill thus be seen that this arrangement provides complete privacy for the occupants, and, at the same time, uses the space very economically without unduly cramping the movements and comfort of the occupants,

(CL --315) V/ Other and further objects and advantages, and the manner in which they are attained will become apparent from the following more detailed description in which reference will 'be had to the drawing forming'a part thereof. 5

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows diagrammaticaily and in hori-v zontal sectional plan, a portion of a sleeping car embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic vertical transverse 10 sectional view through one of the compartments with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating one manner of mounting the' door toone of the compartments. Y

The invention is shown Vapplied to a sleeping car, the body of which is represented generally by the numeral I0. The car is provided with a Iusual side aisle Il along one side thereof, and

the compartments, as I2 and I3, are preferably 2o arranged in pairs, and extend from the side aisle I I to the opposite side of the car body. It is more economical of space,4 and the objects of the invention are more fully realized by arranging the two adjacent compartments I2 and I3 so that 25 they are symmetrically arranged with respect to the common wall I4 betweenA them.

The greatest dimension of each compartment extends from the side aisle I l to the opposite side wall of the car and for night time occupancy, as 30 shown in connection wtih thecompartment` I3, the movable bed IS extends horizontally along the wall I8 opposite the common wall separating the compartments; At such times, a foldable chair I1 shown in compartment I2 in operative 36 positionis folded and received under the bed I5, F01* day-time OCCUDGIICY, as shown in connection with compartment l2, the bed I5 is folded into a vertical recess 'Il provided along the aisle wall of a compartment. To permit easy movement of 40 the bed from its operative' position to its inoperative position or vice-versa, it is hinged at I9 (see Figure 2) to a short vertical partition 20 forming the lower portion of the front wall of the recess I8, and a spring 2l connected respectively to the 45 end of the bed and to the bottom of the recess serves to counter-balance the weight of the bed when it is inthe lowered position so that it is the more easily moved fromfthe. lower operative position to theinopera'tive position. When the 50 be'd is folded to its inoperative position, its bottom wall forms an extension of the front vertical wall 2l providing a smooth finished appearance to the aisle wall of the compartment for day-time occupancy. Suitable means such as a latch 22, 55

may be provided to hold the bed in its inoperative position. It will be understood that various forms of folding beds could be used, and applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific form shown.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the aisle wall is of a thickness suiilcient to house the folding bed when in its vertical position, and it is of a width longitudinally of the car sufficient only to receive the width of the bed. l

For the greater portion of its length transversely of the car, a compartment is of a width, as clearly appears from the drawing, not substantially greater than the combinedwidth of the bed I5 and the toilet seat I9, the toilet seat being arranged alongside of the bed so that it is at all times available. Other. facilities are provided in the corner formed by the common wall I4 and the outer wall of the car up to a window opening 23 (one opposite each compartment), such as a folding basin 24 arranged above the toilet seat and to the rear thereof, and a mirror 25 above the basin. Directly against the outside wall may be arranged a linen closet 26 closed by door 21.

By reference to Figure 1 it will be seen that a `wide door opening is provided between the inner end 28 of the common wall between the compartments vand the adjacent end 29 of the aisle wall, `this door opening being inclined to provide the desired width of opening 'and being normally closed by door 30. In order to control the movements of the door and to move it out of the way when in opened position, it is preferably made of two hinged sections 30a and 30h. One of these, 3M, is hinged to end 29 of the aisle wall and is of a width approximately that of the thickness of said wall, while the other engages a recess in the end 28 of the common wall Il and is provided with a suitable locking device (not shown). The door is guided in its movements by having the free end of its section 30h provided with studs 3| at top and bottom, movable in top and bottom guides 32, so that, when the door is com.- pletely open, the two sections fold against each other and against the end of the aisle wall, as shown in dotted lines as shown in Figure 1. The common wall I4 between the compartments is preferably also constructed of hinged sections which can be folded against each other and flanking one of the doors of a pair of compartments I2 and I3, as indicated in Figure 1 in dotted lines, when it is desired to throw the pair of compartments I2 and I3 into `one large compartmen-t. y v

By reason of the thickened. aisle walls and the hinging of the doors to the inner margins of the ends 29`jof the thickened walls, a recess 33 opening into-the aisle is provided, as shown in Figure 1, between the thickened aisle walls of the two adjacent compartmentsA and the doors 30; This recess has the advantage of providing a freer passage through the aisles and also serves as a space to receive, at certain times, the shoes and luggage of the occupants without obstructing the aisle. At night, for example the occupants can leave their shoes outside the doors in this space for cleaning by the porter. Also, luggage can be temporarily set into this -space by the porter where it does not obstruct the aisle.

As shown in Figure 1, supports 34 and 35 are provided to support the bed in its lowered posi- -tion although other suitable forms of support may obviously be utilized.

Further facilities may be provided, as shown in Figure 2, by providing a mirror 38 on opposite sides of one of the sections of the common partition wall i4. The air-conditioning may be taken care of by an entrance grill 31 and an exit grill 38, the entrance grill being suitably connected to theair-conditioning duct extending the length of the car, which may, in this case, be arranged over the aisle as indicated at 39. A luggage rack '4B is provided in each compartment over the window opening 23 in its outer wall.

From the foregoing description and the disclosure in the drawing, particularly by reference to the showing in the plan view of Figure 1 it will be seen that the toilet facilities are at all times available, even when the bed is in its lowered -position, and a very substantial iioor space is free for dressing and undressing. With this arrangement of individual sleeping compartments, the number of passengers that can be accommodated with complete privacy for each on a single car is greater than has heretofore been possible by any arrangement of which applicant is aware which aiforded the same degree of privacy and the same ydegree of constant availability and oonvenience of all the facilities provided in the compartment.

It will be understood, of course, that changes 'may be made in the details without departing from the spirit of the invention, and applicant does not desire to be limited in the scope of his invention beyond that required by the language of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In va sleeping car having a side aisle, a compartment readily convertible into a bedroom with a bed extending horizontally along a transverse wall thereof or into a sitting room with Ithe bed folded into the aisle wall thereof and a freely movable chair therein, and, when converted into a sitting room, having substantially its entire floor area available as full height standing room said compartment having its longest dimension, as seen in plan, extending transversely of the car from the aisle to the opposite side of the car and having a width for the greater portion of its length not substantially greater than the combined width of said bed and a toilet seat arranged to be at all times available alongside the bed, the compartment having its aisle wall thickened and having a recess in said thickened wall arranged to receive the folding fully-made-up bed therein for daytime occupancy with its bottom face ush with the inner face of the thickened aisle wall, the aisle wall being of a length for the height of a. doorway opening Just sufllcient, to receive said bed and the transverse wall at the side of a compartment adjacent said toilet seat terminating a substantial distance short of the aisle. an inclined wall including a doorway normally closed by a door extending from the inner margin of the adjacent end of said thickened aisle wall to the adjacent end of said last-named transverse wall, and a door having sections hinged together and to the inner margin of said thickened aisle wall end, the sections being foldable against each other and against the end of the thickened aisle wall when the door is open, thereby leaving the entrance passage to the compartment and the compartments each having a thickened aisle wall having a recess therein arranged to receive a fully-made-up folding bed therein with its bottom face ilush with the inner face of the thickened aisle wallJor daytime occupancy and being of a width not substantially greater than the combined width of said bed and a toilet seat arranged to be at all times available alongside of the bed, the aisle wall for the height of a doorway opening being of a width just suihcient to receive said bed, a common wall separating said compartments terminating short of the aisle wall, and inclined doorways normally closed by doors provided between the inner margin ofl said thickened aisle walls and the common wall separating the compartments, whereby a deep and f widerecess communicating with the aisle and locatedbetween the adjacent ends of the thickened, ai e walls is provided, the.v doors for said doorfwls `comprising and tothe inner margins of said thickened aisle wall ends, respectively, the sections of each door being"*fldab1e"againsteach other and against the-thickenedend of the ad-jacent aisle wall,

t theebyfleavingfthe entrancepassage and. aisle unobstructed. f,

3. In asleeping .car havingla side aisle, a compartment readily convertible .into a bedroom with a bed extending horizontally along a transverse wall thereof or into a sitting room with .the bed v folded into the aisle wall thereof and a freely movable chair therein, and, when converted into a sitting room, having substantially 'its entire* iioor area available as full heightstanding room,

said compartment havingv its longestdimension,

as seen in plan, extending transversely of the car from the aisle to the opposite side'of the car and having a width for the greater portion of its length not substantially greater than the combined widthoi said bed and a toilet seat arranged to be at all times available alongside the bed, the compartment having its aisle wall thickened and having a recess in said thickened Wall arranged to receive the folding fully-madeup bed therein yfor daytime occupancy with its bottom face flush with the inner face of the thickened aisle wall, the aisle wall being of a length for the height of a. doorway opening just sucient to receive said bed and the transverse wall at the side of the compartment adjacent said toilet seat terminating a substantial distance short of the aisle, and an'inclined wall including a doorway normally closed by a door extending from the inner margin of the adjacent end of said thickened aisle wall'to the adjacent end of said last-named transverse Wall.

4. In a sleeping car4 having aside aisle, .a pair able lchair therein,

sections hinged together-' sitting room,jhia.ving substantially its entire door area available as full-height standing room said compartments each having a thickened aisle wall having a recess therein arranged to receive a fully-made-up folding bed therein with its bottom faceilush with the inner face of the thickened aisle wall for daytime occupancy and being of a.l width not substantially greater than the combined width ofv said bed and a toilet seaty arranged-Eto be atfalllftiniesfavailable alongside of thebed, .the aisle vvt'illqfor` theheight of a doorwayy opening being of'sa width lust suflicient to receive said bed, a common wall separating said compartments terminating short f of 'the aisle walland,inclined doorways normallyy closed by -doorsprovided between the inner margin of said` thickened aisle walls and the common wall separating the compartments, whereby a deep and ywide recess communicating with the aisle and located between* the adjacent ends of the thickened-"aisle walls is provided. Y

'5,;\In a sleeping car having .a side aisle. a pair of compartments each readily convertible into a bedroom or a sitting room with a. freely movablev chair therein, and, when converted into a sitting room, having substantially its entire iloor area available as full-height standing room, said compartments each having a thickened aisle wall having a recess therein arranged to receive a fully-made-up folding bed therein with its bottom face ilush with the inner face of the thickened aisle wall for daytime occupancy and being of a width not substantially greater than the combined width of said bed and toilet facilities arranged to be at all times available alongside of the bed. the aisle Wall for the height of doorway"` opening being of a width just sufficient to receive said bed, a common wall separating said compartments terminating short ofthe aisle wall, and inclined doorways provided between thefinner margins oi said thickened wall ends and the adjacent end of the common wall separating the compartments, doors for closing said openings hinged to said aisle walls, the common wall having movable sections hinged together and to a exea end pornos flanking the door one and move the said hinged section into an out-of-the-way location.

JOHN W. PATTON.

a bedroomk or asitting room4 with a freely movand, when converted into a'.

of compartments eachreadily convertible .into-Av

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