USRE4241E - Improvement in railroad-car seats and couches - Google Patents

Description

ZfShQetS--Sheet 1.

T4. T. WOODRUFF. Car Seat and Couch.

#1171. ed.: a.;

2 Sheets-#Sheet 2. T. T. WODRUFP.

Car Seat and Couch. No. 4,241\ `Re1`ssued Jan.24,1871.

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. say six feet.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT `IN RAILROAD-CAR SEATS AND COUCHIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.

16,159, (1an-.a Demain-lr 2,. isst; Reissue No. 1,439,

dated March 17` 1863; extended seven years Reissue No. 4,241, dated January 24, 1871.

To all whom it 'may concern: f

Be it know-n that I, THEODORE T. WOOD- RUFF, formerly of Alton, Madison county, and Stateot'lllinois, butnow ot' Philadelphia., in the State of Pennsylvania, havevinvented certain new and useful Improvements in (Ionvertible Seats and Couches for Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is at'nll, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tolheaccompanying drawings, making part of this specih'cation, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section ot' a portion of arailroad-car representing the convertible seats in elevation; Fig. 2, a cross-vertical section of a car, taken at the line A a of Fig. l, and representing the seats on one side of the car and the seats converted into couches on the other side; and Fig. 3, a section representing a modification.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My said invention relates to improvements in convertible seats and couches for railroadcars, by means ot' which couches can be provided for as many persons as can be seated when arranged as seats. i

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the door ot' the car, b b the sides, c the root', and d the windows, all of which may be of the usual construction.

There is to be the usual longitudinal passage-way, e, between the sets or ranges ofseats, bounded on each side by the end frames,f, of the seats, formed in the usual manner 'with 'arm-supports. Theseats are arranged in pairs, so that each pair ot' seats, with its intermediate footway, shall together constitute the proper length for a couch-say six feet-and the spaces on each side between the sides of the car and the central passage-way are to be divided into compartments g g by cross-vertical partitions h h, extending up from the Hoor to about the usual height ofthe backs of seats. 'lhe said frames are arranged in pairs, and the cushions which rest against these partitions 0r frames for the travelers backs to lean against are made movable, so that they can be `removed at night. The distances between the back-frames are such ythat when the upright cushions are removed there will be just suiiicient space t0 form a couch of proper length- These frames, which thus support the back-cushions by day, also answer for partitions or head and i'oot boards between contiguous berths at night. Thus the important desideratnm is accomplished of transverse seats. with proper back-supports for passengers by day, convertible readily into partitioned couchesot' proper length by night. The partitions can be carried up so as to form, in combination with the lower transverse convertible berth, upperberths having partitions, which is also desirable.

Each pair or set of transverse seats j i.is so arranged that the opposite pairct' seat-cushions, with their respective frames, may be drawn toward each other and together till up that which is the foot-space by day and l'olln part of a couch by night. These seats, when drawn forward, rest at the inner side upon a ledge or support. attached to the side of the car-body, and upon small feet or their equivalent on the side toward the aisle or passageway.

The back-cushions 'n u n a of the seats are supported by the partitions or fra n1es,\and at the upper end of the back-cushions are hingejonts o, by which they are connected with the partitions or supports h, so that theyr can be let down in a nearly vertical position, as representedatp,0r turned up in a horizontal position, as represented at q. To the lower and under edge of these backs is hinged another cushioned frame, r, ot' the same width, but shorter, so that the trames r may be folded or turned up behind the backs when placed in the position represented atp,to forni backs for the seats, or turned out in the same plane with the backs two opposite seats next to the side of the car may be made without the additional frames r, and in that case there is to be an elevated cushion-frame, t', attached to and projecting from the side ot' the car, on a level with the backs when elevated, to till up the space between the when placed in a horizontal position, as represented at q, to form an elevated conch in con-` two corresponding backs when thrown up iua horizontal position, to form, in connection with them, one of vthe elevated couches, as represented at u. When the backs are elevated to a horizontal position to form upper couches they are to be secured by catches and bolts in any suitable manner.

Vhen' the seats are to be converted into couches the frames which form the seats when in the position l are to be drawn out to the p0- sition m m to form couehes,and then the backs can be removed, and, if desired, converted into elevated couches, and when the couches are to be converted into seats the backs are first to be folded, and then the t'ramesj carried back to the position l to form the sea-ts. Another elevated couch is formed above the windows in each compartment in the sides of the car by the combination of two sets of frames, each set being composed ot" two cushioned frames, e w, hinged together, as at w, so that they can be folded up, as representedat y, to be out ot' the way, the frames e'being in turn hinged by their opposite edges to partitions z, extending down from the root', and extending out from the side ot' the car; or these partitions may be continuations ot' the partitions h h. There are two such sets ot' hinged frames for each compartment, and when they are to be t'ormed into an elevated couch they are folded outin a horizontal position, as represented at a', `the two sets uniting in the middle and there secured in a suitable manner by catches or bolts. In this way, itdesired, as many as tive couches may be formed in each compartment, so that, it' preferred, the four persons occupying-the four seats of each vcompartment maybe accommodated with couches without the necessity ot' using either the lowest couch nearest the side ot' the car or the couch formed by the backs ot' the two seats farthest from the side of the ear; or, it' desired, the three eouchesin each compartment nearest the side of the car may be used as such, leaving two seats next to the passage-way e.

lt' it should be desired to make the backs n ot' the seats low, or to elevate the couches formed by the backs to a greater height, this may be eteeted by forming the hinged joint, as represented in Fig. 3, with a projecting stem, b', on each side ofthe backs. In this way the couch will be elevated above thehingejoint to the extent of the length of the stem.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim ot'invention to thespecialarrangelnent and construction of the several parts, as these may be variously modified by the substitution of equivalent means.

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

1. 1n the ordinary long passenger railway-ear', the combination ot' a series of seats arranged in pairs transversely on each side of the centrai passage-way, with diaphragms or partitions between each pair of transverse seats at such distance apart as to permit'of berths between these diaphraglns or partitions.

2. The arrangement ofthe back-frame ot'said transverse seats, so thatv the frame which supports the back-cushion by day may form also the partition between the lower couches by night.

3. The combination ot' the set of transverse seats, the supporting back-frames, and the removable back-cushions by which the proper length can be given to the couch at night and the proper support for the passengers back by day.

4. TheA employment of removable cushions which rest against the transverse back-frames by d ay to form part of a sleepin g-berth at night.

5. The combination of a pair of transverse seats and partitions on each side of the pairand the movable seat-cushions and intermediate supports between the seats, so that the opposite day seateushions on each pair may be brought together and occupy the intermediate space or footway between the seats as part of a couch.

6. The combination of the pairs of transverse seats, with partitions on each side of each pair so arranged as to form a double berth below, with the additional upper movable berths between the' partitions so arranged as to convert the night-car into acomplete day-car, furnishing an equal number with sleeping and sitting accommodations.'

7. i Forming an elevated couch above the couch formed by the backs of seats by a series of hinged frames, substantiallyas described.

T.l T. WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

WM. R. WRIGHT, J. McUoLGAN.

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