Improvements in or relating to Road Vehicles, adapted to be Propelled by Self Contained Motors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Road Vehicles, adapted to be
Propelled by Self Contained Motors.
I, JOHN JAMES HENRY STURMEY of No. 19 Hertford Street, Coventry in the
County of Warwick, Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to road vehicles adapted to be propelled by self contained
motors, which vehicles are also denominated horseless carriages or
"auto cars,"
and it relates especially to auto cars intended for the carrying of goods.
My invention consists in an improved method of and means for loading and
unloading such vehicles.
"
In carrying the same into practice I employ a suitable drum, windlass or the
like and connect it to the motor so that it may be revolved thereby. I prefer
to arrange that the motor may be thrown out of connection with the driving gear
and into connection with the drum, windlass, or the like or
" vice versa by one
operation of, say, a lever actuating a sliding clutch. A rope, chain, or the like is
connected by one end to the drum or the like and the other end thereof is adapted
to be connected to the goods. The goods may be hauled up or let down a suitable
slide reaching from the floor of the vehicle to the ground. Or I may joint four
poles by their ends to the four corners of the vebicle and adapt the other ends to
engage with each other so forming a pyramid and carry a pulley over which the
rope, chain or the like is passed; and I arrange the said poles to fold down out
of the way, in or on the vehicle when not in use. Or I may employ a crane made
in two parts connected by a vertical joint which allows the free end of the crane
to be brought over almost any point within a certain area. In this case the drum
or the like may be mounted on the outer end of the crane and be driven from the
motor through suitable connections adapted to allow for the movements of the two
parts of the crane.
The rope, chain or the like is attached to, and is adapted to be wound upon and
unwound from, the drum or the like as before. A suitable brand or other brake
may be applied in any convenient manner to the winding gear.
To hold the vehicle still while loading or unloading, one or more of the wheels
may be provided with a suitable brake, or it or they may be scotched by shaped
blocks, which may be adapted to be drawn together so as to even raise the said
wheel or wheels from the ground. Or legs attached at one end to the vehicle
may be caused to engage with the ground by their other ends in various directions
and so hold the vehicle steady.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1895.
W. BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Road Vehicles, adapted to be
Propelled by Self Contained Motors.
I, JOHN JAMES HENRY STURMEY, of 19 Hertford Street, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to road vehicles adapted to be propelled by self-contained
motors which vehicles are also denominated horseless carriages or
autocars," and
it relates particularly to autocars intended specially for the carrying of goods.
My invention consists in providing such vehicles with means whereby the motor
can be utilized for loading or unloading the vehicles as well as for propelling them.
For this purpose I may employ on the vehicle a suitable drum, windlass or other
elevating contrivance and connect it to the motor in such a manner that the motor
may be thrown out of connection with the propelling gear and into connection with
the drum, windlass or other elevating contrivance and "vice versa " at one operation.
Any suitable means may be provided for keeping the vehicle steady during the
loading or unloading operation.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying diawings which illustrate several applications thereof given by way
of example.
Like reference numerals refer to similar parts in the several figures.
Figure I (Sheet 1) is a general view showing the body 2 of a vehicle adapted to
be propelled by a self-contained motor of any suitable description. At the forward
end is mounted a drum, windlass or the like 3 adapted to be connected to the
motor by any suitable gearing 4 so that it may be revolved thereby when required;
any suitable device such as a lever 5 being adapted to actuate a sliding clutch, fast
and loose pulleys or other arrangement for throwing the gear into or out of connection
with the motor. A chain, 1ope or the like 6 has one end provided with a hook 7
or is otherwise adapted to be connected to the goods while the other end may be
connected to the drum or the like, or it may be wound around the same so that it
may be drawn thereby, when the free end is pulled, in the well known manner.
The goods may be hauled up or let down a suitable slide 8 reaching from the floor
of the vehicle to the ground.
As a modification of this method the arrangement shown in Figure II on the
same sheet may be employed. The top of the slide 8 is provided with jaws 9 or is
otherwise adapted to be attached to the vehicle so that it will not shift materially
upwards or otherwise when placed in position. Mounted in suitable bearings
under the upper part of the slide is a transverse shaft 10 having fixed thereto at
each end a chain wheel 11. A similar pair of wheels 12 is mounted near the
bottom of the slide and over these wheels are arranged pitch chains 13 carrying
hooks or carriers 14. The shaft 10 is, like the drum 3, adapted to be connected to
the motor by any suitable gearing 4. Goods to be raised on to the vehicle are
placed against the lower part of the slide and the gear 4 thrown into operation.
The travelling hooks 14 then engage with the goods and cause them to travel up
the slide on to the vehicle.
Figure II on Sheet 2 is a similar view showing four poles 15 jointed to the four
corners of the body 2 of the vehicle by ball and socket joints 16. The poles might
be jointed to the corner of the floor of the vehicle and any other suitable joints
than ball and socket joints might be employed. The other ends of the poles are
provided with slightly outwardly turned points and are adapted to be encircled by

page_text: a ring 17, thus forming a skeleton pyramid from the apex of which is suspended
a pulley 18 over which the rope, chain or the like 6 is passed. Winding gear 3
and driving gear 4 are employed as in the first method and in many cases it will
be useful to employ a slide such as 8 in Figure I. When the apparatus is not
required for use the ring 17 and pulley 18 may be removed and the poles folded
down into the rests 19.
On Sheet 3 Figure IV is a side elevation showing a crane made in two parts
according to my invention and Figure V is a rear view showing the application
of the same to the body of a vehicle. The front part 20 of the crane is connected
to the rear part 21 by the vertical joint 22 and the rear part (and thus the whole)
can turn on the vertical joint 23 so that the pulley 18 suspended from the free
extremity of the crane can be brought over almost any point within an area circum-
scribed by the full reach of the crane as the two parts 20, 21 are of approximately
the same radial length. The drum 3 is fixed on a shaft 24 mounted at the outer
end of the rear part of the crane. On the same shaft 24 is fixed a pulley 25
geared with a similar pulley 26 by a belt or the like 27. The pulley 26 is con-
nected to the bevel wheel 28 which is operated by the two bevel wheels 29 rotating
with the sleeve 30. The fourth bevel wheel 31 and the gear wheel 4 are adapted
to rotate on the shaft 33 and to be moved lengthwise thereon by the lever 5 in any
well-known manner. The wheel 4 is connected to the motor in any suitable
manner so that when the wheel 31 is thrown into gear, the drum 3 is rotated
through the bevel wheels and belt gearing. The rope, chain or the like 6 is passed
over the pulley 18 and through the guide 34 on to the drum 3 to which its end
may be fixed or around which it may be coiled, and its free end then be passed
through the guide 35. The sleeve 30 being concentric with the joint 23, the
shaft 24 being mounted on the rear part of the crane, and the rope, chain or the
like 6 being passed through the guide 34 or the guides 34 and 35 on the rear part
of the crane, the apparatus will be free to operate in almost any position of the
crane. A suitable band or other brake may be applied to a drum fixed to the
pulley 26 or other part of the winding gear.
As a modification of this arrangement the more simple crane or davit 21 shown
in Figure VI on Sheet 2 may be employed. This is attached to the side of the
vehicle and is free to turn in the sleeve 23. The rope, chain or the like 6 is passed
over the pulley 18, through the guide 36 attached to the davit 21 and the guide 34
attached to the sleeve 23, thence around a pulley 37 to the drum 3. With this
construction, as with the last, the pulley 18 can be brought into a position outside
the base of the vehicle to pick up the goods and then turned into a position to
deposit them into the vehicle or vice versa.
To hold the vehicle stationary while loading or unloading, one or more of the
wheels 38, 39 may be scotched by a suitable brake, or, as shown in the side
elevation Figure VII on Sheet 4 by shaped blocks 40, 41 which may be adapted
to be drawn together by a screw device such as 42, so as to even raise the wheel
or wheels from the ground as shown with respect to wheel 39. Or, as shown in
the side elevation Figure VIII on Sheet 4, legs such as 43 jointed at one end 44
to the vehicle may be caused to engage with the ground by their other, preferably
pointed, ends 45 in various directions and so hold the vehicle steady.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A self-propelled road vehicle of the kind or class herein specified provided
with means whereby the propelling power can be utilized for loading or unloading
the vehicle.
2. In a self-propelled road vehicle the combination with the motor of a drum,
windlass or similar contrivance and means for enabling the said motor to be thrown
into gear therewith or with the driving mechanism of the vehicle substantially as
described and for the purpose specified.

page_text: 3. A self-propelled road vehicle provided with means for utilizing the motor for
loading and unloading substantially as described with reference to one or other of
the figures of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1896.
G. DOUGLAS LEECHMAN,
18 Hertford Street, Coventry, Patent Agent for the Applicant.