IMPROVEMENTS IN HANSOM CABS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN MARSTON of Nos 21 to 26 Bradford Street: Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Carriage Builder do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HANSOM CABS to be as follows:-
"
My invention has reference to Hansom cabs to be driven either. from the inside
or outside and consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said Hansom
cabs in the manner hereinafter described. .
My invention has for its object to secure a balance in the body of the vehicle
whether the said vehicle is driven from the inside or outside.
In constructing a Hansom cab according to my invention the driver's seat is
made removeable and the "under carriage" of the Hansom cab (that is the wheels
axle and springs) is not connected rigidly to the body of the vehicle but is connected
thereto as hereinafter explained so that the body and "under carriage" can slide
upon one another say six or seven inches backwards or forwards for the purpose of
adjusting the position of the body with respect to the axle and thereby balance
the weight of the said body. The axle is cranked forward say six to seven inches
to permit. of, the motion between the body and "under carriage" and on the
cranked ends of the said axle the wheels are fixed as usual.
The body of the vehicle is supported at front by the front ends of the side
springs of the "under carriage" working in eyes or guides carried by scroll irons
fixed on the sides of the vehicle the said springs bearing against anti-friction
rollers in the said eyes or loops. The body of the vehicle is supported at back by
a sliding plate fixed on the back of the body and working in a guide carried by
the middle of the back spring.
1
The required change in the relative positions of the "under carriage” and body.
is effected in the following manner. On the underside of the sliding plate
described is a screw capable only of a rotatory motion. This screw works in a
screw box fixed to and situated below the guide on the back spring. in which the
sliding plate works. By means of a winch or handle applied to the square end of
the screw the fixed screw box is made to traverse the said screw and change the
position of the body with respect to the "under carriage" according as the vehicle.
is to be driven from the inside or outside and thereby secure a balancing of the
vehicle.
:
1

page_text: I JOHN MARSTON of Nos 21 to 26 Bradford Street, Birmingham 'in the County of
Warwick, Carriage Builder do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HANSOM CABS" and, in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has reference to Hansom cabs to be driven either from the
inside or outside and consists in constructing and arranging the parts of the said
Hansom cabs in the manner herein after described.
My invention has for its object to secure a balance in the body of the vehicle
whether the said vehicle is driven from the inside or outside without any
counterweight.
"
In constructing a Hansom cab according to my invention the driver's seat is
made removeable and the "under carriage" of the Hansom cab (that is the wheels,
axle and springs) is not connected rigidly to the body of the vehicle but is
connected thereto as herein after explained so that the body and "under carriage'
can slide upon one another, say, six or seven inches backwards or forwards for the
purpose of adjusting the position of the body with respect to the axle and thereby
balance the weight of the said body. The axle is cranked forward,, say, six to
seven inches to permit of the motion between the body and "under carriage" and
on the cranked ends of the said axle, the wheels are fixed as usual.
The body of the vehicle is supported at front by the front ends of the side springs
of the under carriage working in eyes or guides carried by scroll irons fixed on the
sides of the vehicle, the said springs bearing against anti-friction rollers in the said
eyes or loops. The body of the vehicle is supported at back by a sliding 'plate
fixed on the back of the body and working in a guide carried by the middle of the
⚫back spring.
The required change in the relative positions of the "under
carriage" and body is effected in the following manner. 'On the underside of the
sliding plate described is a screw capable only of a rotatory motion.
This screw works in a screw box fixed. to and situated below the guide on the
back spring in which the sliding plate works. By means of a winch or handle
applied to the square end of the screw the fixed screw box is made to traverse the
said. screw and change the position of the body with respect to the "under
carriage" according as the vehicle is to be driven from the inside or outside and
thereby secure a balancing of the vehicle without a counterweight.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation, and
Figure 2 in plan, a Hansom cab constructed according to my invention, the body
of the cab in Figure 1 being represented in its backward position for driving the
cab from the outside and the said body being represented in Figure 2^in its
forward position for driving the cab from the inside, the outside driver's seat being
removed; Figure 3 represents in side elevation some of the supporting and
adjusting parts of the cab drawn to a larger scale in the same positions as in
Figure 1 and Figure 4 represents the said parts in the positions which they occupy
when the body of the cab is in the forward position Figure 2: Figure 44 and
Figure 4 represent sections taken at right angles to one another of a portion of the

page_text: side spring and the roller carried by it and also a portion of the back spring:
Figure 5 represents a back elevation of the adjusting parts and a portion of the
back spring drawn to the same scale as Figures 3 and 4; Figure 6 represents a
side elevation of the two ends of the back spring.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
.
a is the body of the Hansom cab capable of sliding upon the "under carriage"
to the extent of about six or seven inches backwards or forwards for the purpose
of adjusting the position of the said body with respect to the axle. The said
"under carriage consists of the wheels b, b, axle c, side springs d d and back
spring e. The axle c is cranked forward at c², c to the extent of about six or seven
inches to permit of the necessary motion between the body a and under carriage
and on the cranked ends c³, c³ of the axle,c the wheels b, b are fixed. The body a
of the cab is supported at front by the front ends of the side springs d, d of the
under carriage the said ends of the springs working in eyes or guides f, f carried
by the scroll arms g, g fixed on the sides of the body a. The front ends, of the
springs d, d bear against anti-friction'rollers h in the said eyes or loops fif (see
Figures 3 and 4). By means of stops d³, d² on the front ends of the springs d, d
the forward motion of the cab body a upon the under carriage is limited. The
ends of the back spring e are furnished with stops e, e similar to those on the
forward ends of the side springs d and each end of the back spring bears on an
anti friction roller d³ (see Figures 4 and 4B) situated between the turned down
ears d³, d' on the rear end of the side spring d. Through these ears d³, da screw
bolt dis passed which constitutes the axis on which the anti friction roller
turns. The end of the back spring e passes through and occupies the space or
groove formed between the top of the roller d' and the ears d³, d³ (see Figure 4B).
This arrangement besides connecting the back spring with the side springs also
permits a slight travelling or cross motion of the ends of the back spring in the
ears d³, d on the change of figure of the said back spring, the end stops e², e² when
the back spring is in its normal position bearing against the rollers d³, d³ carried
by the ends of the side springs. The body a is supported at back by the flat
sliding plate carried by the strong shank the latter being secured on the
underside of the body a (see Figure 1). The sliding plate i works in a corre-
sponding shaped guide k on the summit of the strong bracket fixed to and
supported by the back spring e, the said guide k acting as a stop to limit the
backward motion of the body upon the under carriage as seen in Figures 1 and 3.
For the purpose of adjusting the position of the body a with respect to the under.
carriage a strong screw m is connected to the end of the shank i of the sliding
plate i and parallel with the plate i as best seen in Figures 3 and 4. The said
screw m is so connected to the shank 2 that it is capable only of a rotatory motion.
The screw m works in a screw box at n made in the fixed bracket supporting the
guide k in which the sliding plate i works. The outer end of the rotating screw m
is made square for receiving a winch or handle. By applying a winch or handle
to the square end of the screw m and turning the said screw in one or other
direction the fixed scew box n is made to traverse the said screw in one or
other direction carrying with it the body a and thereby changing the position
of the said body with respect to the under carriage.
The body of the cab is furnished with a reinoveable driver's seat p represented
in Figure 1. The said seat is fixed to the back of the body a by means of the
foot plate q having at each end and near its front edge a screw pin r. These
screw pins are passed through tubular sockets s,& fixed at the back of the body a
and secured by screw nuts screwed upon the protruding ends of the said screw..
pins r. The seat is also supported in its place by the step bar t, t connected to the
middle and back of the foot plate q of the seat.
The upper part t of the step bar carries the top step u and the lower cranked
part the bottom step v, the cranking of the lower part of the step bar per-
mitting the said bar to pass on one side of the shank of the sliding plate i
•

page_text: By means of a screwed branch x (see the detached part of Figure 1) passing
through the shank and fixed by a screw nut the step bar is fixed to the said
shank . By unscrewing the screw nuts from the pins r, r and the driver's seat p
can be removed without interfering with any of the other parts of the cab.
The dashboard carries- the rein guide y for the reins when driving from the
inside of the cab. When driving from the outside of the cab, a rein guide which
is removeable is fixed on the top of the body a.
Should it be wished to drive the cab from the outside the parts are arranged in
the manner represented in Figures 1 and 3 so as to bring the cab body back-
wards with respect to the under carriage; and should it be wished to drive the
cab from the inside the driver's seat p is removed and the body of the cab
made to take the forward position with respect to the under carriage represented
in Figures 2 and 4. Or the body of the cab may be arranged in any inter-
mediate position to suit the weight being carried by the cab. In this way, a
perfect balancing of the body of the cab can be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is of "Improvements in Hansom cabs."-
—
First The construction and arrangement of parts substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for supporting the body
of the cab upon the under carriage so that the said body and under carriage.can
slide upon one another for the purpose of adjusting the position of the body with
respect to the axle and thereby balancing the weight of the said body and rendering
the cab suitable to be driven either from the inside or outside..
Secondly-The construction and combination of parts substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for changing or
adjusting the relative positions of the under carriage and body.
Thirdly The construction of the removeable driver's seat herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.