US33678A - Improved hammock - Google Patents

Description

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALTER II. FORBUSH, OF BUFFALO, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR 'FO ELIAKIM B. FORBUSH, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED HAMMOCK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,675, dated November 5, 1861.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, WALTER H. FoRBUsH, of the city of Bualo, countyof Erie, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Soldier-s Hammock 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure I is a perspective View of my improvement, showing the frame unfolded and set up and the hammock suspended. thereon. Fig. II is a top plan of the frame as folded up. Fig. III is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. IV is a side elevation of same. Fig. V is a plan of the hammock. Fig. VI is a top plan of the frame and hammock as folded up for transportation or stowage.

The nature of my invention relates to devising and constructing a folding portable framel for supporting a hammock, and in the combination of a hammock therewith in such manner that the hammock may be suspended upon the frame when desired for use, and which frame and hammock may be folded up into a small compass for transportation or stowage.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

A represents a longitudinal bottom piece of the frame, to which are hinged two transverse bottom pieces B and B by means of bolts or rivets b2. These transverse pieces are ea'ch half of the length of the bottom piece A, and may be turned upon their bolts until they lie parallel with the piece A, their contiguous ends being beveled so as to fit together, as shown in Fig. III. rlhe transverse pieces when at right angles to the bottom piece A form the base upon which the frame rests, and their length and distance apart are sufficient to give great stability and prevent it from tipping' when a person is lying in the hammock.

c c represent two expanding pieces upon which the hammock is suspended. These expanding pieces are bolted or hinged to the bottom piece A, as shown at c c', (one upon either side of the bottom piece,) so that when expanded their upper ends will be a sufficient distance apart to suspend the hammock between them, and when folded parallel with the bottom piece their ends will coincide, as shown in Figs. II, III, and IV.

D D are wire hooks, secured by staples CZ to and near the extremities of the bottom piece A, which hook or catch into staples (Z2 in the expanding pieces c c when the frame is open.

E E E E are wire hooks secured to the extremities. of the transverse pieces B B by staples e e. These hook or catch into staples e2 el on the expanding pieces, and act as guys to prevent a lateral movement of the expanding pieces. These maybe folded to the transverse pieces to which they are connected, as shown inv Figs. III, IV, and II.

F F are ropes or cords, by which the extremities of the transverse pieces are connected together when the frame is set up for use, as shown in Fig. I, and by which the ham mock may be secured to the fra-me when folded, as shown in Fig. VI.

H H are two bars made shorter than the width of the hammock-cloth and having hooks or nibs h at their ends. These bars (one at each end) pass through the hem of the canvas or hammock-cloth in a manner to gather the canvas and give it the required sack or bag, as seen in Fig. V.

G represents the hammock, made of rubber cloth, canvas, or other suitable material.

vThe ends by which it is suspended are cut circling and have a wide tabling or hein, as shown by the dotted lines g in Fig. V.

I I are straps or grummets which pass around the bars Il and through proper eyes made in the canvas, and form loops which may be readily slipped over the ends of the expanding pieces to suspend and hold the hammock. Shoulders are made on the ends of the expanding pieces, which will prevent the loops from slipping down.

The strain upon the expanding pieces c c occasioned by the weight of a person lying in the hammock is partly lengthwise of the timber and partly in the direction to draw their upper extremities toward each other, and is resisted by the hooks l) D, which receive the strain in the direction of their length. The construction of this frame is such as to bind all its parts together and bring the strain upon it in the direction of the greatest strength of the material used.

The operation of folding and securing the frame and hammock for transportation or stowage is as follows: The hammock is first taken from the frame and folded, the gathering in the ends being let out by releasing the hold of the nibs, so that it will roll up smoothly. The guys E are then unhooked and folded up against the transverse pieces, in which position they are held by entering holes made to receive them, as shown atj. The rods D are next unhooked and folded down upon the bottom piece, Where they are held by catching against the nibs 7c. The expanding pieces c c are then folded down into their places parallel with the bottom piece A. The ropes or cords F are next disconnected at one end from the transverse pieces, and the transverse pieces

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