US938929A - Sleeping-car berth. - Google Patents

Description

A. WEST. SLEEPING APPLICATION FILED 00w. 241

GAR BERTH.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.-

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// Ill/[[774 A. WEST.

SLEEPING GAR BBRTH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, 1908. 938,929. Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. WEST.

SLEEPING OAR BERTH. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28 1908.

938,929. Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

4 SHEETSSHBET 3.

I A.v WEST. SLEEPING GAR BERTH, APPLICATION Hum 001'. 28/1908.

Patented Nov. 2 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR WEST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

SLEEPING-GAR BERTH.

Patented NovfZ, 1909.

Application filed October 28, 1908. Serial No. 459,836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleeping-Car Berths, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in sleeping car berths, and the object of my invention is to provide a berth which will greatly add to the comforts of the occupant and one in which the upper berth occupies less space, whereby more air is obtained in the car than is possible under present arrangement.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts the preferred form of which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then the inventionparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. Referring to the drawings wherein the same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever it occurs, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a berth constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on line 2, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an under side perspective view of a pair of the cushions; Fig. 4 is a view showing a form of supporting the inner pair of cushions when extended; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing such form of support; Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the cushion shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a section through said cushion and its support; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the form of sheet used in my invention; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the mattress; Fig. 10 is a detail view of the hinge construction between the two portions of the mattress; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the frame of the upper berth when open, and Fig. 12 is a central section thereof. 1 designates the outer side supports of the berth, and 2, 3 a pair of cushions hinged together by means of a hinge 4, whereby they can be arranged either at right angles, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4; out flat as shown in Fig. 1, or at any intermediate angle as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

The cushion 3 which forms the bottom of the seat is preferably provided on its under side with the inwardly projecting'strips 5, 5 at opposite sides thereof, which engage the under side of the cleats 6, 6, secured to the frame of the berth, whereby the bottom seat may be slid forward and back, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Preferably I provide the hinge 4 with a spring 7, the spring tending by its tension to straighten out the seats to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

In order to provide means for supporting the bottom cushion of the seats when they arepartly drawn out as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, I pivot on the front of the frame beneath each of the seats a bracket 8 which at its outer end is provided with an upwardly projecting pin 9 extending into a segmental slot 10 formed in a strip of metal secured to the under side of the cushion, as best shown in Fig. 6. By this construction, as the cushion 3 is slid on its support the bracket will be drawn outand returned to place, so that when the seat is partly extended its outer end will be securely supported. Vhen the seats are fully extended to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, they are supported by the edge of the opposite seat.

It is to be understood that the cushions of the opposite seat may not be constructed as above described, as ordinary removable cushions may be used and when it is desired they may be taken out, the other set of cushions substituted and the removable cushions put in the other seat.

The form of mattress which I use in connection with my berth is shown in Figs. 9 and 10 and is designated 11. From this view it will be seen that the mattress is provided on one edge with a section 12 corresponding in shape and size to the cushion 3, and this section 12 is so located in the mattress as to rest on said cushion when the mattress is in position. The section 12 is hinged to the mattress at 13 (see Figs. 9 and 10), and 14 are a pair of straps, preferably elastic, which connect together the edges of the mattress opposite the hinge.

In Fig. 8 I show a form of sheet which should be used with my mattress, said sheet being preferably provided on its edges with button holes 15 adapted to button over buttons 16 on the sides of the mattress. This sheet is composed of two sections 17 and 18 which are of the shape shown in Fig. 8 and are stitched together at 19. From the shape of these two sections it will be seen that the section 18 has three flaps 20 which are adapted to surround the section 12 of the mattress and be buttoned to the under side edges of the main mattress section adjacent the section 12. From this construction it will be seen that when a person desires to retire he can raise up the cushion 3 on the side of the berth adjacent the aisle and this will lift up the section 12 of the mattress and give the person a space within his berth where he can stand and disrobe without the necessitv of having his feet project into the aisle or sit on top of his berth as is now necessary in all sleeping cars. After the person occupying the berth has disrobed he can let down the section 3 and thus complete his berth.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I show the form of upper berth which I prefer to use. As there shown the upper berth consists of a bottom portion 23 hinged at 24 to the side of the I car and 25 are arms pivoted to the side of the car and the bottom 23, the arms being hinged together at 26 whereby they will support the outer edge of the bottom when let down and will fold, as indicated in dotted lines, when the berth is closed. 27 are a pair of doors which are hinged to the sides of the car at 28 and which form the ends of the berth when the same is opened and cover the bottom 23 when the berth is closed. From this construction it will be seen that the upper berth when closed rests flat against the side of the car and is vertical, consequently increasing the space inside the car without increasing the size of the car.

I realize that considerable variation is pos sible in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific form shown and described.

I claim I 1. In a berth for sleeping cars and the like, the combination with a pair of oppositely disposed seats, one of said seats being provided with two pairs of cushions, the cushions of each pair being hinged together, said cushions being adapted to be placed in horizontal relations to form a berth, said parts being so constructed and arranged that one of said cushions may be turned on its hinge to form a space less than the width of the seats within which the occupant of the berth may stand.

2. In a berth for sleeping cars and the like, the combination with a pair of oppositely disposed seats, one of said seats being provided with two pairs of cushions, the cushions of each pair being hinged together, said cushions being adapted to be placed in horizontal relations to form a berth, said parts being so constructed and arranged thatone of said cushions may be turned on its hinge to form a space less than the width of the seats within which the occupant of the berth may stand, a mattress adapted to be placed over the cushions, said mattress being provided with a hinged section corresponding with said last mentioned cushion.

3. In a berth for sleeping cars and the like, the combination with a plurality of cushions adapted to be placed in horizontal relation, of a mattress adapted to be placed over the cushion, one of said cushions being adapted to be raised and said mattress being provided with a hinge section corresponding to the last mentioned cushion, and a sheet formed of two sections, one of which is secured to the body of the mattress and. the other to the hinge section.

4. In a. berth for sleeping cars and the like, the combination with a pair of oppoit sitely disposed seats, one of said seats being provided with two pairs of cushions, the cushions of each pair being hinged together at their adjacent edges, supports for one of the cushions of each palr, means permitting ARTHUR WVES'I.

Vitnesses GUsTAv NOTHDURFT, F. RYAN.

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