Improvements in Mail or Go-carts for Children and in Perambulators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1890-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mail or Go-carts for Children and in
Perambulators.
I WILLIAM. HENRY DUNKLEY of Jamaica Row Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the backs of the seats of mail or go-carts for children and of perambulators
whereby the children riding or occupying the cart or perambulator may either sit
back to back or face to face or with their faces in the same direction.
The said backs are so constructed that their changes of position to enable the
children to ride as described are very readily and expeditiously effected.
I will describe my invention in connection with a mail or go-cart. Instead of
attaching the back rigidly to the body of the cart as usual I provide each of the seats
with a back capable of motion through a semi-circle so that the said back can be
arranged and used at either edge of the seat. For this purpose I provide each end of
the seat back with a horizontal metal bracket which brackets turn on pins or centres
on the inner sides of the body of the cart and above and midway between each of the
seats. The upper and lower parts of the rotating back are constructed alike so that
the appearance of the back is the same whichever side is turned uppermost. The ends
of the top and bottom bars of the back are furnished with small uprights which act
as stops for limiting the motion of the rotating back in one or other direction and
also as handles for changing the position of the back.
In order to change the position of the back it is only necessary to turn it upon its
pins or centres through a semi-circle in a forward or backward direction according to
the direction in which the rider wishes to sit as before explained.
When the back has reached a vertical position its further motion is arrested by the
uprights or stops on the underside of the back bearing against one or other edge of
the fixed seat. No fixing of the back is thus necessary the back being maintained in
its proper position by the pressure of the child against it.
Although I generally apply the rotating backs to the seats of mail or go-carts
having two fixed seats yet the improved backs may be applied to mail or go-carts
having single seats.
I apply the rotating backs to the seats of perambulators substantially in the manner
herein before described with respect to mail or go-carts!
001 1
10
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mail or Go-carts for Children and in
Perambulators.
I WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY of Jamaica Row Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
my invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the backs of the seats of mail or go-carts for children and of perambulators
whereby the children riding or occupying the cart or perambulator may either sit
back to back or face to face or with their faces in the same direction.

page_text: The said backs are 50 constructed that their changes of position to enable the
children to ride as described are very readily and expeditiously effected.
I will describe my invention in connection with a mail or go-cart.
Instead of attaching the back rigidly to the body of the cart as usual I provide
each of the seats with a back capable of motion through a semicircle so that the said
back can be arranged and used at either edge of the seat. For this purpose I provide
each end of the seat back with a horizontal metal bracket which brackets turn on pins
or centres on the inner sides of the body of the cart and above and midway between
each of the seats. The upper and lower parts of the rotating back are constructed
alike so that the appearance of the back is the same whichever side is turned upper-
most. The ends of the top and bottom bars of the back are furnished with uprights
which act as stops for limiting the motion of the rotating back in one or other
direction and also as handles for changing the position of the back.
In order to change the position of the back it is only necessary to turn it upon its
pins or centres through a semi-circle in a forward or backward direction according to
the direction in which the rider wishes to sit as before explained. When the back
has reached a vertical position its further motion is arrested by the uprights or stops
on the underside of the back bearing against one or other edge of the fixed seat.
fixing of the back is thus necessary the back being maintained in its proper position
by the pressure of the child against it.
No
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section and Figure 2 in plan a mail or go-cart
provided with reversible seat backs constructed according to my invention.
In the Drawing the seat backs are represented as arranged for the occupants of the
go-cart to sit with their faces in the sanie direction looking towards the shaft end of
the go-cart, a, a; bb are the fixed seats of the go-cart and c c are the shafts of the
same; d d are the end foot rests and the middle foot rest; and i are the rotating
reversible seat hacks capable of motion through a semi-circle so that each back can
be arranged and used at either edge of its respective fixed seat a or bas represented
by the full line position and dotted line position of the said seat backs. Each back
consists of a series of cross bars and end uprights ², 2. Each end upright of the
seat backs h, i is provided with a metal bracket & turning on the pin or centre / on
the inner side of the body m of the go-cart each pair of pins or centres, being
situated above and midway between each of the fixed seats a, b. It will be seen
that the upper and lower parts of the end uprights 2, 2 of the seat backs are
constructed alike and constitute handles for altering the position of the back the said
uprights ², near the handle ends acting as stops for bearing against the edges of
the fixed seats a, b and limiting the motion of the rotary backs in one or other direction
as seen in Figure 1. No fixing of the backs is necessary the pressure of the occupants
against the said backs maintaining them in their proper position.
For the purpose of changing the position of the seat back or backs it is only
necessary to turn it or them upon the pins or centres 1, 1 through a semi-circle in a
forward or backward direction according to the direction in which the rider wishes
to sit.
When the seat backs h and í occupy the positions represented in the Drawing the
occupants of the fixed seats a and b both face the shaft end c of the go-cart, the
occupant of the seat a using the end foot rest e and the occupant of the seat b using
the middle foot rest f. When it is desired that the occupants of the seats a and b
should sit with their faces in the opposite direction, the seat backs h, i are turned upon
their pins or centres through a semi-circle in a forward direction so as to invert the
said backs as indicated by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2. The said backs are now
situated at the edges of the fixed seats a, b opposite those which they occupied in the
former position, the occupant of the seat a using the middle foot rest and the
occupant of the seat 6 the end foot rest d.
When the occupants of the fixed seats a, b wish to sit face to face the seat back i
has the position given to it represented in continuous lines and the seat back h the
position indicated in dotted lines, both occupants of the fixed seats a, b now using the
middle foot rest f.

page_text: When the occupants of the seats a b wish to sit back to back, the rotating seat
back has the position given to it indicated in dotted lines and the seat back h the
position represented in continuous lines, the occupants of the seats now using the end
foot rests e and d. In this way the children or occupants of the mail or go-cart may
either sit back to back or face to face or sit with their faces in the same direction
either looking towards or turned from the shaft end of the cart.
Instead of jointing the ends of the seat back to the inner sides of the body of the
go-cart by rigid brackets & jointed to the said sides as described and illustrated the
seat back may be jointed at each end to the sides of the body by links or jointed
cross bars as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 and marked p p the said links or
jointed cross bars p pat each end constituting a parallel motion. When the seat back
is jointed by this modified arrangement the movement of the seat back through a
semicircle to change its position with respect to the fixed seat is effected without
inverting the seat back.
Although I generally apply the reversible backs to the seats of mail or go-carts
having two fixed seats yet the improved backs may be applied to mail or go-carts
having single seats.
apply the reversible backs to the seats of perambulators substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described and illustrated with respect to mail or go-carts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention of " Improvements in mail or go-carts for children and in per-
ambulators:
23
The construction and combination of the parts of reversible seat backs for mail or
go-carts and perambulators herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing; that is to say, making the said seat backs capable of motion through
a semicircle in the ways described and illustrated, so that they can be arranged and
used at either edge of the seat, the said reversible seat backs being constructed and
combined with the body of the cart or perambulator and used substantially as described
and illustrated.
Dated the 22nd day of May 1890