US289346A - Sleeping-car - Google Patents

Description

H. HALE. SLEEPING GAR.

(N9 Model.)-

Patented'Nov 27, 1883.;

INVENTOR:

Q/V M WITNESSES: 2:.

UNrTED STATES PATENT Fries- HENRY S. HALE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLEEPiNG-CA'R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 289,346, dated November 27, 1883. Application filed August 9, 18 83. (No model.)

To aZZ 1 1710712 it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. HALE, a citi- Zcn of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State 'rooms of steamboats, and other apartments or inclosed rooms in which two or more berths are employed, one being arranged above the other, whereby certain advantages are attained, as will behereinafter explained.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of so much of asleeping-car as is necessary to illustrate my .invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a state-room having berths constructed and arranged according to my invention. i Fig. 3 is an elevation of one side of astate-rooni with the berths folded up. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detailed views.

It is well known to those familiar with the subject that great difficulty is experienced in sleeping-cars of the present construction, owing to the fact that it is impossible to provide as much distance vertically between the berths asis desired, This difficulty arisesfrom the fact that it is necessary to so construct and hinge the upper berths to the side of the car, that when let downto a horizontal position the lower face or panel of the berth oe v cupies a plane lower than the point at which the berth is hinged to the side of the car, one end of each hinge being permanently and rigidly attached to the side of the car, so that the edge of the berth to which the other members of the hinges are attached cannot rise.

Now, by the use of my invention 1 am enabled to use upper berths of substantially the same form as those now employed, the entire berth occupying substantially the same posi tion when folded as do the berths of an ordinary car; but my construction and arrangement of devices for pivoting is such that when the berth is let down its inner edge rises to such extent that the bertli, as a whole, occupies a position much higher than it would if its inner edge "were hinged directly to the side of the car, thereby affording an increased space between the upper and the lower berth.

A A are the cushions forming the back and seat of an ordinary Pullman car, which, with thecorresponding parts of a facing or opposing seat, constitute, when, placed in proper position, a lower berth.

a B represents the side of the car, and B the permanent vertical partition, of which there is a similar one between the adjacentbacks of each pair. of seats in a car. This partition extends from the back of the seat to the first deck B of the roof.

O c 0 represent, respectively, the lower surface or panel, the inner edge, and the outer edge of a berth, which, as. shown, may be of V the general form and dimensions of berths in sleeping-cars, except that each end board or rail, D, carries at its inner end a metal plate,

D, having an outwardly-projecting pivot, 61,, at its inner upper edge, and a second outwardly-projecting pivot, d, a short distance in front thereof, and as the supporting and counterbalancing devices are substantially alike at both ends of the berth, I will describe those at one end only.

The partition B is constructed with a vertical slot, 1), which is traversed by an antifriction roller, b, mounted on the pivot d.

E is a link pivoted at its upper end to the partitionB, and perforated at its lower end to receive the pivot d. s

From the above description and an examination of Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the berth is let down from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines thein ner edge of the berth rises, and therefore occupies a higher position than it would were its inner edge hinged to the side of the car, as is customary in sleeping-cars. By preference I iron or other suitable material, extending the entire length of the berth, and attached at its ends to the metal plates D 1). This counterbalance may, whenpreferred, constitute apart of the lower and inner curved side of the berth, and therefore serve its purpose withemploy a counterbalancing-weight, C, of cast out diminishing the available space within the berth; but in practice I prefer to employ a detachable bar for that purpose.

When constructed, as shown in the drawings, the berth will ordinarily occupy a position three or four inches higher than it would if hinged by its lowerinner edge to the side of the car; but this difference may be increased, if desired, by pivoting the lower ends of the supporting-links nearer to the center of the berththat is, farther than from its inner lower edge and nearer to its outer upper edge.

F F are the usual jointed supporting-links. and G is a spring-fusee connected by cord 1 with the berth, to assist in folding it.

As will be understood, the pivots d move.

outwardly at the commencement of the lettingdown movement of the berth, and continue so to move until the pivots d are in about the same horizontal plane therewith, and afterward return toward their former position as the pivots (I move upward, and I have found that this shifting of the position of the said pivots d (1 assists materially in maintaining a suitable count-erbalancing, thus greatly facilitating the folding and unfolding of the berth.

In Figs. 2 and 3, H I represent, respectively, the lower and upper berths of a state-room in a steamship. The berths may be suspended upon the lower ends of vibrating pivots of the same character as those employed in the sleeping-ear berths; but in practice I prefer to use the construction shown in Fig. at, in which K is a vibrating link expanded at its lower end, which is formedin the are of a circle and notched to engage with the upper edge of a notched plate, 7;, so that when a berth is being moved from a horizontal to a vertical position, and vice versa, the upper end of the link will be moved toward and from the vertical slot min the partition M, and as the link is thus oscillated the point at which it engages with the notched plate is is shifted toward and from the said vertical slot. A suitable counterbalancingweight maybe employed with these berths; or, when preferred, a sliding headboard may be used in substantially the same manner as is customary in wardrobe-beds. These berths may be so perfectly counterbalanced by means of the abovedescribed devices that the occupant of a state-room can, with trifling effort, fold up or let down either or both berths at will, thus increasing very greatly the available space in the state-room, as it will be readily understood that by folding both berths the entire floor of the stateroom may be-utilized for occupancy during the day and the evening. So, also, the lower berth may be let down to serve as a lounge, while the upper berth is folded out of the way, thus making a state-room much more comfortable, especially when occupied by persons with children.

By reason of the lower face or panel of the upper berth occupying, when let down, a

plane above the plane occupied by the lower edge ofthe berth when folded, I' am enabled to use berths of such width that, when folded, they shall occupy the entire space between the floor and the ceiling, and yet, when let down for occupancy, the lower berth shall be at a suitable distance from the floor, and the upper berth shallbe at a suitable distance from the lower one, which results, it is obvious, could not be obtained in case the berths were hinged by the inner edges directly to the wall of the state-room. I do not wish, however, to be limited to folding both the upper and lower berths in a state-room, because part of the benefits of my invention may be derived or attained by folding the upper berth only 5 nor do I wish to be limited to mounting or supporting the upper berth upon vibrating or otherwise movable pivots, because I may employ pivots attached to the walls of the stateroom, and entering slots formed in the end rails of the berth in such position that the berth shall be supported by the contact of the walls of the slots with the stationary pivots or with anti-friction rollers mounted upon the pivots, as indicated in Fig. 6; or, when pre ferred, the pivots, or the pivots and the anti-friction rollers, may be attached to the end rails of the berth, and traverse either curved or straight slots formed for their re ception in the partitions, the walls of the slots being, when desired, faced with metal, to form better tracks for the pivots or rollers. These slots may be either vertical or horizontal when employed for supporting the berths of astateroom, but should be horizontal, when the berth is let down, when used in connection with the berths of the sleeping-car, in order to insure that the inner edge of the upper berth shall rise when the berth is let down, in substantially the same manner as it does when suspended upon the vibrating links. So, also, the lower berth in the steamer state-room might be constructed of two or more movable cushioned portions, in substantially the same manner as is the lower berth of a sleepingcar, these sections being capable of being rearranged in the form of seats, lounges, or sofas without departihg from the spirit of my invention, or materially decreasing the amount of available floor-space in the stateroom.

Vhat I claim is 1. In combination with the lower berth, an upper berth supported upon pivots arranged between its front and rear edges, substantially as described, whereby when the berth is let down into horizontal position its inner edge is elevated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the vertical wall, (it the two pivoted berths, each having a width equal to one-half the height of the vertical wall, or thereabout, the upper berth being supported upon pivots arranged between its front and rear edges, whereby when the said upper berth is let down in horizontal position its inner edge is elevated, substantially as set forth. a

3. The combination, with the vertical Wall, of the two pivoted berths, both being supported upon pivots arranged between their front and rear edges, substantially as described, whereby when folded into vertical planes their outer surfaces shall extend continuously the entire height of the wall, and

when let down for use their inner edges shall IO be elevated, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY S. HALE.

Witnesses:

J NO. J. HENKELS,

GEO. H. RAPSON.

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