US1313531A - Planochaph co - Google Patents

Description

APPLICAIION HLED JAN. 28. ISIS.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

J R JW FFIIL IIIL THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

1. 0 FOWLER. CONVERTIBLE STATE ROOM AND DRAWING ROOM CAR.

5 APPLICAHON FILED JAN. 28. I915. 1,3 1 3,53 1. Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. N

III

llrlllllllllllllllu 'IIIIIIIIII! 'IIIIII J. O. FOWLER.

CONVERTIBLE STATE ROOM AND DRAWING ROOM CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-28.1915.

1 3 3 5 3 1 Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H m 1,1 F/ 0 #7 L3.

UNITED. PATENT. OFFI E- CONVERTIBLE STATE-ROOM AND DRAWIN -Bowman To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, JONATHAN 'O. FOWLER," a citizen of the United States of America, and a residentof New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented-a certain new and useful Convertible. State Room and Drawing Room- Car, of which the following is a specification, the same be-. ing a full, clear, and exact description of, the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i i

This invention relates to railway cars andparticularly to that class of passengerv coaches which are constructed with a central depressed or hang-down portion, in which are formed pockets or storage compartments which may be either spaced, or contiguous, or alined, or otherwise positioned, and which may serve to contain sleeping car berths during the day, and chairs, hand luggage, etc., at night, the covers of the said compartments being utilized to servealternately as portions of the floor of the car and assidev walls, when up-turned, to support berths when raised from the said storage compart-.

ments. i 1

The object of the invention is the creation of a structure that shall provide an intertions, compartments to contain aplurality of berths, as for instance, inclosures for two, four, eight or other number of berths-at will, which inclosures may be respectively designated as single, double, quadruple or other car sections. These inclosures consequently form collapsible or knock-downstate-rooms that may be setup at night and, if so desired, taken down in the morningthe upturned floor portions being swung down and the portable partitions being folded up and rem0vedby which means the car is rendered always ready, to be adaptable to be utilized alternately and selectively as a stateroom coach, or as a drawing-room car, or

Specification of Letters Patent.

. PatentediAug. 19, 1919.

Application filed January 28. 1915. SerialNo. 4.94 1;

else as a sleeper practically 'ofthe convention'al type. 1e: v

In order to enable the invention to be fully understoodg I shall proceed to explain the same by reference to the drawings, illust'rati'veof one embodiment of the invention,

which accompany and form a part ofthisspecification-mud in which -F1gui'e 1 represents a partial elevation of a car constructed according'to my invention ;v

Fi'g.,:1 is aepartial diagramof the floor of the same, the'representation of the floor boards belng omitted for clearness of illustra'tion; the upturned floor portions F, F and thecollapsible'state-room partitions 1, 2,1, I and J being indicated by dotted lines; Figs. 2 and 2 are views'in section taken on the line-22 Fig. .1 respectively showing the construction of the end portion of the coach. I prefer to-us'e as it appears'for and night service; V

Figs. 3 and 3 are respectively an eleva tion and vedge-view'of the collapsible partiday tion I, i, partly folded against the side of' the coach and which may be located in the car as illustrated at the right hand'of Fig. 5 and also indicated at I in Fig. 1*.

Figs. 4 and 4 are" plan diagrams of the said collapsible partition which is preferably hinged permanently to the side of the car as at i the same. being respectively illustrated in its partly unfolded position and as fully open for use; 1 Fig. 5 represents a partial horizontal section, taken at the left hand portion of Fig. 1'

on the line 5-5 thereof, of up-turned portions of the floor F, F and collapsible partitions I, i, 1' arranged as two knock-down state-rooms D, D, D, D comprising eight berths or a quadruple car section, and also indicating the car passage-way a-and the room passage-way cf, the floor portions. F being partly broken'away .to disclose "the thereunder storage compartments G;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of rip-turned. portions of the floor, F, F-constituting in one position doors or covers for the storage compartments and in another position supporting walls for the'berths together with the" supplemental head and foot-board closures f;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of ripturned portions of the floorand collapsible partitions arranged as a two berth state-room E or a single car section, and showing folding partitions J and I and head and foot-board closures f and side-board panels K and also indicating the berths H;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation, partly in section on the line 8-8 Fig. 1 indicating the various positions and movements of the lip-turned fioor portions and berths H and supplementalberthsup-.

ports P of state-room E as they would ap pear for night use;

Fig. 9 is an elevation, partly in-section on the line 99 Fig. 1 of the front face of the four berth state-room D, D' comprising a doublecar section, showing curtains L which are adapted to be hung in front of all of the berths, as atL, although omitted from most of the other views for clearness' of illustration, The view also discloses a partition .1 between two tiers of'berths;

Fig. 10 is a partial transverse section of a state-room taken on theli11e.1 010 of Figs. l and 11; Y Y 1 f Fig. 11 is a partial vertical section on the line '11-11 Fig. 10 showing state-rooms D,

D positioned in the central portion of the car where the storage compartments are located, and alsoindicating the position of the berths in their raised and lowered relations;

" Figsf12 and 13 i are detail views in per F, F, (the same being a view of the right hand postM' of Fig. 19) the floor line being designated by the line X'X and the hinge member being most clearly illustrated in Fig. 18; and

' Fig. 19 is a section taken on the line.

1919 Fig 5 illustrating three pairs of the floor sections and supports therefor in as-. sembled relation.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views. 5

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the body of a passenger coach which is preferably constructed with a central depressed or hang-down portion, as A. be provided for day use with a large open central saloon or room, at each end of which is ordinarily a passage-way, as a, which preferably leads to the usual stationary or permanent state-rooms, lavatories. etc. or dinarily located at the extreme ends of the The car may.

"ments, of for general social use, which room is indicated by the heavy lines in Fig. 1

In order to adapt my invention to this car and to effect the change of use of the coach containing the said parlor to that of knock-down state-rooms for day or night use at will, or to that of a sleeping car in a convenient and expeditious manner, I use in the presentinstance the following mechanism preferably comprising storage pockets or compartments,'as- G, located in the said hang-down portion of the car and having a plu'ralityof preferably hinged covers or superimposed floor sections, as F, F, the said covers being ordinarily hinged in pairs or in duplex relation to floor posts as M the same comprising portions of the sills or floor framing of the car, and being preferably located at each end of each storage pocket as shown in Figs. 8, 13, 1'7, 18' and 19, and the upward movement of the hinged floor sections being indicated in Fig. 8 by dotted lines.

Fig. 17 represents the several positions assumed by the various outer right hand pairs of'floo-r sections of a state-room, while the several positions assumed by the left hand pairs of floor sections and also those of the central "pairs offloor sections of a state room D, D are shown in Fig. 19, together withjthe car posts M to which they are hinged. I

Each pair of the floor portions'F, F and F,F shown in section in the latter view form the two sidewalls of the two separate state-rooms D and D when such staterooms are required for day use, the floor portions, 'of'ithe rooms being indicated by the lower portions F, F illustrated in section, When, however, that portion of the car is required to be used as a part of the drawing room or parlor, the said hinged parts F, F and F, F are folded down on theportions F, F, as is indicated by the dotted lines, the'to'p face of the upper floor portions F, F of both rooms then being in alinement with'thefloor line X.

When itfis desired to make up the said dayfs'tate-rooms 'D, D! for night use, it is only"necessary,in orderto allow the berths to be raised out of the storage compartments G, thateach pair of the floor portions hinged to each post shall be placed in vertical position, in which case all of the floor sections indicated in section will be main tained in an elevated position. I i

The, berthsH which during the day time may be contained in the storage ompartmentsG,as indicated in Figs. 8, l0 and 11,

may be raised from the same and held in posltlon for sleeping purposes at night as hereinafter set forth, after which the berths may be made up in the usual manner, ;the'

individual movable chairs,-which are used in the parlor (or, if required, in the state p g covers for the pockets are pref erably so hinged to the floor posts M atM (Figs. 13, 17, 18 and 19) as to form partitions or side walls when in verticalpositions for and between separate car sections each of which may comprise twoberths of a single car section as at E, or four berths of a doublecar section as an), D, or eight berths of a quadruple car section as at D, D, D D or the said parts may be assembled in whatever other arrangement of berths and state-rooms may bedesired.

The floor portions F, F'inay carry tracks, as at 7. lowering the berths and maintaining the same in an elevated position coi'npriseswertical gears h carried by the berths and con-v structed'and arranged to engage thesaid tracks f at each end of theberths, which tracks may extend down into the pockets G. The gears may be mountedon horizontal shafts 7t located at the interior portion of each end of the berths which shafts may carry at their extremities bevel gears k constructed and arranged to engage similar bevelgears or carried by horizontal rods m running longitudinally along'the inner sides of the berths. The tracks f are provided with grooves h inwhich 'Wo'rkT-shaped projections m extending from the endsof the berth trays. A vertical gear 'O is mounted on a short transverse horizontal shaft 0 preferably located at the front central portion of the berth which 'gear meshes with a horizontal bevel gear 0 which latter may be provided with means, as'the square orifice 0, adapted to be operated by a crank or key (Figs. '13', 14: and 15') to turn as hereinafter described the'horizontal rods m which latter engage the shafts ,h at the ends of the berths through the intermeshing bevelgears m and h*.

Upon the insertion of the key, and the shaft 0 being rotated by the gears O and O, a worm O encircling the said shaft "0 will engage at right angles a gear 0 carried by and encircling the central portion of the rod and the latter together with gears m and hand shaft It. will beturned, and the consequent revolution of the gears hworking on the track f will serve to raise or lower the berths. The saidj berths may also carry supplemental swinging supports P, as shown in Fig. 8, those of the lower A convenient means of raising and berths 1 serving to sustain the upper berths and the supports P of the upper berths being"-preferably adapted and arranged to hold the-head and foot-boards f in place as indicated in Fig. 7, the movement of thesaid supplemental supports P being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8.

""I'also'providecurtains, aS'L, which may be used in addition to my portable partition andwhichmay behung"bef.ore and in front of, any and all of the elevated berths either instate rooms or inthe open car such as are shown inFigyl before the car section D D and also before/the section D, D in Fig. 9,the said curtains being omitted in the remaining viewsfor 'clearn'es'sof illus tration'o'f the'other' parts. These curtains when employedin the open car'afi'ord protection' for the occupants of the various berths from the gaze of the public and when used in state-rooms serve to give additional privacy-for the occupants thereofand may be advantageously 1 employed in cases where the knock-down rooms are occupied in part by ladies j 9' Inorder that state-rooms may be set up in'the car and arranged so as to have a passage-way through thecenter thereof, as at a 'or"a' t one side of the compartment, as at q fa'nd also to provide room for a car passage 'way a exterior of and adjacent to the said rooms, I preferably use, in connection withjthe hinged floor portions F, F a portablepartition', asin'the present instance a structurally independent folding screen or partition as 1,41, preferably hinged to a side of the car, as by hinges i and ordinarily folded up' against the {samewhen not in use.' This partition preferably comprises an open metallic framenordoorway I to span a passageway a along the side of the car and having a door or door-way i to'which frame I is preferably secured, as by hinges, a plu-rality of folding sections 2', the ends of two adjacent partitions being preferably at tached together, as at and forming a metal folding screen. The folding partition I, imay be, however, made so as to be inclependent of the car wall, and when not in use may be deposited in the storage compartments-or temporarily set up against the'side of the car as indicated in Fig. 1 as 1 The number of folding partitions I, i may be varied as occasion may require, two of the same being indicated in Fig. 1 adjacent to the berths D, D The partition thus formed is spaced from the outer'berths D, D 'and extends to theup-turned floor portions F, F at the side of the car adjacent to thelastnam'ed berths. In this instance the inclosure of the state-room may be completed by the use of structurally independent partitions I preferably having doors or doorways z" located intermediate the opposite pairs of up-turned floor sections F, F, F,

floor sections by suitable connecting means as hereinafter described. When it is desired to use two separate state-rooms as D, D and D ,'D the central partition I" may be placed, as stated, between the said two rooms, while by the removal'of the said central partition, a state-room comprising a quadruple car section D, D, D, D will be provided, which room will comprise the two said rooms D, D, and D D having alined passage-ways a i The open spaces or interstices formed between the up-turned floor sections, the partitions I, i, I, J, I and the top of the car may be closed by the use of supplemental partition devices K placed above the said partitions, and headand foot-boards f. located above the raised floor portions, all .of: which structurally independent parts may be attached together and held in position by suitable fastening devices as by hooks 9' of one part engaging registering recesses 7' of an adjacent part as illustrated in Fig. 16.

It will be seen that in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings some of the many possible arrangements of state-rooms are indicated as for example, a completely,

closed two berth state-room as E. or B forming a single section of the car; and a four berth state-room D, D forming a double section of the car; and an eight berth state-room D, D, D D forming a quadruple section of the car, which staterooms may be furnished with curtains L hung in front of the berths at night and on opposite sides of the passage-ways a as shown in Figs. 1 and 9. h

In Fig. 5 a plan view of a quadruple stateroom is shown comprising two end vertical floor sections F of the parts D D, a part of the permanent floor of the car (1 and two horizontal floor sections F for day use, the latter being partly broken away to disclose the therebelow storage compartments G. The view also shows four central floor sections F, F between the said state-room and the room D, D; while at the other end of the latter state-room there are two upturned floor sections F (not illustrated-in this view but shown in Figs. 1 and 19) and two horizontal floor sections F. In Fig. 11 a portion of the duplex state-room D, D. with alined berths, is shown, the partition I and curtains L being omitted for clearness of illustration. In this arrangement two end up-turned floor sections F, F are shown at one end of the room, at the central portion of which aretwo central up-turned floor sections F, F, and at the other end of the state-room are two up-turned floor sections F, F (notshown). In this illustration all of the floor sections are in a vertical position to allow the berths to be raised from the storage pockets, G, It is obvious that if desired, and by the use of suitable hinged floor portions and folding partitions, a series of double state-rooms, as D, D, D D may be located adjacent to each other in order to form a car-composed entirely of knock-down state-rooms and end permanent state-rooms.

In case a two berth or single car section state-room is desired to beused for occupation by day, as at E, one floor portion F may bein a horizontalposition and another floor section F may be held in vertical position at. one end of the room, both being supported bya post M, and at the other end of the room ,the up -turned fioor section F hingedtoanother post may be employed as indicated in Figs. 5and 1 1. WVhen, how ever, the said room is required for sleeping purposes, the floor sections. F, F at one end of the same will be raised as illustrated in Fig. 8 together with the floor section F at the other end of'the room. The said floor sections of the state-room 15 may be connected so as to inclose'the beds by means of a structurally independent folding partition J and I arranged-in front of the same and having a. door ,or door-way i, the said partition being preferably spaced from the berth to provide apassage-way a in front of the same.

The collapsible sectional and folding, but rigid, portablefpartition devices I, 2', I, I and J may be attached to the edges of the lip-turned swinging floor sections F, F, or to the, side wall or fioor of the coach or to. other supporting means in any approved manner such as have already been pointed out, and. the supplemental partition devices, as panelsf and K, may be secured in their proper operative positions in a similar manner.

At certain. portions of the coach, as in the present embodiment at the ends of the open saloon and in front of and beyond the hang-down portions, and also if desired at the central part thereof, I may locate single car sections comprising ordinary but movable sleeping car chairs, as B, B which may occupy the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 during the dayand be swung at night to the position indicated by dotted lines, in order to be made up into ordinary lower berths. Above said chairs may be located if preferred. permanent conventional upper sleeping car berths, as C, which may be used in the usual manner. These single car sections may obviously be-used as small state-rooms as by being inclosed between raised floor sections F and partitions J, the chairs forming the seatsabutting the raised floor portions at night to impart stability to the parts when-they serve to support beds.

It' is obvious that, if desired, upon the es sts fioor. sections F being raised to a Q vertical position in thecompartment just, described, the lower berth maybe lifted up from the floor pocket lying beneath the said floor section in lieu of using the movable sleeping car chairs B, B, in either of which cases the ordinary upper car berth C or other suitable berth traymay serve as the upper berth. It is also manifest that such movable sleeping car seats may be placed ad- ,jacent to vertical floor portions or against it." should hapnenthatthe demand was "for state-rooms alone, the coach may be readily transformed into a state-room car exclusive'ly; in either of which cases the coach may serveas aparloror drawing-room car during the day tune. The nterior of my improved coach may thus be adjusted in the manner pointed out in order to meet the requirements ofsingle-travelers m respect to sleepingaccommodations, and also to those of passcngersin parties of various sizes who may be desirous of being isolated from other travelers eithervby dayor by night.

1 It will be noted that the essential features of novelty inmy invention consist in a convertible state-room, parlorjand sleeping car comprising knock-downstate-rooms or compartments inclosing partof theside wall of a car and; a portionofthe permanent floor .of'the coach serving as a passage-way, as a or a and' in means, as the movable sections F,'-[F- of thefloor comprising partition knock-clown walls; and in meansto support the movable floor portlonsin a hor zontal position to serve as chair or seat supports and ina vertical relation to support the beds; and also in curtains'L hung within the state-rooms and in front of theinclosed berths supported by the said movable floor sections; together with additional knockdown partition walls to complete the stateroom inclosure as J "I I,-z',,sp.acedfrom-the slde wall of the car and extending a distance v away from the vertical partition Walls formed by at least two movable floor sections F, F, by which construction compartment passage-ways, as a or a are formed by the said permanent floor portions, the upturned floor sections which may serve to support beds at night being located, intermediate the said passage way and the side wall of the car or the partition walls.

Other features of the invention comprise, in combination, (1) additional or supplemental partition devices, as f and K, to close the open spaces or interstices between the said walls and partitions and the roof of the ,car 5, and (2);fasteningdevices to hold in ,positionat willthe said up-turned floor poritions, partitions and supplemental partition devices.v a a k I wish it to be understood that I do not desire tobe limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for ob- .vious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art., ,1 What I claim asmy invention is 1.111 a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a side wall of the car, a rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition wall, and means forming with the said partition and inclosure for the.compartment located intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising movable floor portions to serve as walls and adapted to support a bed at night Withinthe compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floor to support seating devices-by day, the longitudinally disposed partition wall being spaced from the movable floor portions to provide a passage way therebetween.

- 2,-In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a side wall of the car, a-rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition wall, and means forming with the said partitionan inclosure for the compartment located intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising movable floor portions to serveas walls and adapted to supporta bed at night within the compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floor to support seating devices bytday, the longitudinally disposed partition wall being spaced from the movable-floor portions'to provide a passageway therebetween, and also supplemental partition devices located between the tops of the said partition and floor walls and the roof of the.car

In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a side wall of the car, a rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition wall, and means forming withtthe said partition an inclosure for the compartment located intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising movable floor portions to serve as walls and adapted to support a bed at night within the compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floor to support seating devices by day, the longitudinally disposed partition wall being spaced from the movable floor portions to provide a passageway therebetween, and also supplemental partition devices located between the tops of the said partition and floor walls and the roof of the car, and means to detachably fasten the said parts together at will.

4:. In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a part of the permanent floor of the car, a side wall of the car, a portable partition wall located one side of the permanent floor portion, and comprising longitudinally and transversely disposed sections, and means forming with said partition an inelosurefor the compartment located at the other and inner side of the permanent floor portion and intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising devices to serve as walls and adapted to support a bed at night within the compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floor to support seating devices by day.

5. In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a part of the permanent floor of the car, a side wall of the car, a portable transversely and longitudinally disposed partition wall, a doorway formed in the said partition wall registering with the said permanent floor portion, and means forming with the said partition an inclosure for the compartment located intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising devices to serve as Walls and adapted to support a bed at night Within the compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floorto support seating devices by day.

6. In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a side wall of the car, a portable partition wall, and means forming with the said partition an inclosure for the compartment located intermediate the car side andthe portable partition and comprising devices to serve as vertical walls and adapted to inclose a bed at night within the compartment and, when desired, forming a part of the car floor to sustain seating devices by day, in combination with devices constructed and arranged to serve as chairs by day and as a bed at night, and, when placed adjacent to the said vertical wall, to impart greater stability to the same.

7. In a passenger coach, a compartment comprising a side wall of the car, a' rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition Wall, and means adjacent to the said partition wall and forming with said partition an inclosure for the compartment located intermediate the car side and the portable partition and comprising devices to form a plurality of walls, a number of the same being adapted to serve as room inclosing devices 'both by day as well as at night, and the others as means adapted to alternately support a bed at night and to serve as a floor to support seating devices by day.

8. In a passenger coach, a knock-down state-room the center and end walls of which are formed by up-turned portions of the floor, a side wall of the room being formed by a side of the car, and means to form the other side wall comprising a rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition device the latter being adjacent to the up-turned portions of the floor.

' 9. In a passenger coach, a knock-down state-room the Walls of which are formed by a side of the car, a rigid portable longitudinally and transversely disposed partition device having a doorway at one side thereof, and intermediate devices located at the termination of the partition and extending from the partition device to the side ofthe car and comprising floor sections adapted when in vertical position to support a bed and when in horizontal position to support seating devices.

10. In a passenger coach, a knock-down state-room comprising a side wall of the car, a part of the permanent floor of the car, upturned floor sections located on each side of the latter, and a portable partition device positioned between the floor sections adjacent to the car side, and at and around the outer edges of the floor sections located farthest away from the said side of the car.

In testimony of the foregoing specification I do hereby sign the same in the city of New JONATHAN O. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

ROB. SoHwARz, C. H. HAIG.

ceplel ofsthii patent may be obtained for five cents eaeli, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Waehingten, D. 0.

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