IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING CARRIAGE HEADS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Uther Burt, of Willow Row, Goswell
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Coach Maker, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR OPENING
AND CLOSING CARRIAGE HEADS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Uther Burt
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th January 1873.
I, JOHN UTHER BURT, of Willow Row, Goswell Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Coachmaker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR OPENING
AND CLOSING CARRIAGE HEADS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the opening and closing of carriage
heads. For this purpose I employ the ordinary outside joint and
connect it with the "cant" rail through the intervention of the
revolving prop by a continuation of the said outside joint, which
continuation is slightly curved and has a slot at its extreme end, which
slot works upon a bolt or screw connected with the cant rail or upper
.

page_text: part of the roof. I obtain the required movement for lowering the
head by raising the cant rail from the inside of the carriage. I also
obtain the same movement by means of a cord working over a pulley
inserted in the upper part of the pillar and attached to the end of a
lever upon the revolving prop. This cord works round the inside of the
body upon small wheels or rollers and terminates so as to be under the
coachman's control. This cord if necessary is acted upon by means of
a spring, so that the carriage head can be stopped in any required
position. The carriage head can also be lowered from the inside by
means of a short end or handle attached to the lever upon the revolving
prop.
For raising the carriage head I employ a coiled spring working in a
recess attached to or forming part of the lower part of the pillar hinge.
To this spring is attached a rod, upon the end of which is a curved
grooved lip; the upper part of the said hinge having a wheel or roller
projecting therefrom which revolves upon the said curved grooved lip
as the head is raised or lowered, and which is so arranged that when the
head is down it locks itself and cannot fly up unless lifted. Or for the
purpose of raising the carriage head I attach a spring or springs to the
upper and lower part of the pillar hinge, in which case the curved
grooved lip and the roller working thereon are dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Uther Burt in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN 2
UTHER BURT, of Willow Row, Goswell Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, Coachmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the 3
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Uther Burt, Her special licence
that I, the said John Uther Burt, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Uther Burt, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands," and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING CARRIAGE HEADS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Uther Burt,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Uther Burt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say :—
This Invention has for its object the opening and closing of carriage
heads. For this purpose I employ the ordinary outside joint and
connect it with the "cant" rail through the intervention of the
revolving prop by a continuation of the said outside joint, which
continuation is slightly curved and has a slot at its extreme end, which
slot works upon a bolt or screw connected with the cant rail or upper
part of the roof. I obtain the required movement for lowering the head
by raising the cant rail from the inside of the carriage. I also obtain
the same movement by means of a cord working over a pulley inserted
in the upper part of the pillar and attached to the end of a lever upon
the revolving prop. This cord works round the inside of the body upon
small wheels or rollers and terminate so as to be under the coachman's
control.
This cord if necessary is acted upon by means of a spring, so
that the carriage head can be stopped in any required position. The
carriage head can also be lowered from the inside by means of a short
cord or handle attached to the lever upon the revolving prop.
For raising the carriage head I employ a coiled spring working in a
recess attached to or forming part of the lower part of the pillar

page_text: hinge. To this spring is attached a rod, upon the end of which is a
curved grooved lip; the upper part of the said hinge having a wheel or
roller projecting therefrom which revolves upon the said curved grooved
lip as the head is raised or lowered, and which is so arranged that when
the head is down it locks itself and cannot fly up unless lifted. Or
for the purpose of raising the carriage head I attach a spring or springs
to the upper and lower part of the pillar hinge, in which case the
curved grooved lip and the roller working thercon are dispensed with.
Fiz. I SHOWs a part side elevation of the body of a carriage with the
head closed, and Fig. 2 shews a similar view with the head thrown
open. The other part of the carriage being similarly arranged, need
not be repeated. The same letters of reference refer to similar parts
in each Figure.
A is the body of the carriage; B, the cant rail which is hinged to the
pillar top in the ordinary manner, it is also connected to the revolving
prop C by means of a curved slotted link D. E is a coiled spring fitted
in the body of the carriage below the lower pillar hinge F, of which
it may form part. From this spring projects a short bar or rod having
at its extremity a curved or inclined surface G. H is a roller projecting
from the upper part of the lower pillar hinge F, of which it may form
part.
When the cant rail B is raised by any person either from the inside
or outside of the carriage the curved slotted link D acts upon the
revolving prop C and the jointed lever I, and causes the pillar J to turn
upon its lower hinge, at the same time the projecting roller H which
turns with it acts upon the curved surface G and depresses this, as also
the coiled spring F, until the roller H. arrives in such a position upon
the curved or inclined surface G that the carriage head lies at rest
opened, as shewn at Fig. 2, where it will remain until the head of the
carriage is raised a little either from the inside or the outside, whereby
the roller H is brought into such a position upon the curved surface
G that the coiled spring F can exert an upward pressure on the roller
in a line passing through the axis thereof, the pillar J will then be
raised up by such pressure and the closing of the head will be thus
effected.

page_text: The opening and closing of the carriage head may be effected by
means of cords or chains working over wheels or rollers arranged on
the body of the carriage, as shewn at K, K, and actuated by the coach-
man in any convenient manner.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the best
means I am acquainted with of carrying the same into practice, I
wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise
details of arrangement shown in the Drawings, as the same may be
somewhat modified without departing from the essential feature of my
Invention; but what I claim is,―
First. The arrangement of a coiled spring attached to or near the lower
part of the pillar hinge, and having a curved or inclined projection
therefrom acting in combination with a roller or other equivalent
projecting from or near the upper part of the lower pillar hinge,
substantially as and for the purposes hercin-before described.
Second. The curved slotted link for connecting the cast rail to the
revolving prop and imparting the requisite movement to the pillar,
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described.
Third. The use of a cased spring L, one end of which is connected to
the lower part of the lower pillar hinge and the other end to the upper
part thereof, arranged and operating substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Uther Burt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
WILLIAM DORMER,
Agent for the Patentee,
Moorgate House,
33, Moorgate Street,
London, E.C.
JOHN. U. BURT. (L.S.)