Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 25th Jan., 1887.
I, GEORGE FINNEY of 4 Agnews Buildings Brunswick Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to
be as follows
-
My Invention relates to improvements in hoods, or weather screens for hansom cabs
and consists in constructing the hood of a light fabric, or material, such as waterproof
canvas, or leather that will fold up, or collapse, when not in use, against, or up to the
front proper of the cab.
According to my Invention I construct the hood of a light framework of steel, or
wood, or cane, ribs, which ribs are formed to correspond in shape with the front
opening of the cab above the doors. The ends of the ribs at each side are connected
to a boss in manner similar to the ribs of an umbrella and the outside rib of the hood
is made stronger and the ends thereof are securely attached to the boss, or form a
continuation thereof, so that the turning of the bosses causes the hood to expand, or
collapse they being provided with a suitable handle, or lever for this purpose. The
tops of the ribs are provided with slotted projections and there is also provided a steel,
or other flexible bar, or band or bands which is sufficiently flexible to accomodate itself
to the contour of the hood when expanded. One end of this flexible bar (or bars) is
connected to the outer rib of the hood and the flexible bar (or bars) passes through
and is free to slide in the slotted projections on the top of the other ribs. The inner
ends of the flexible bar, (or bars) is provided with a roller guide, or guides, which run
in provisions on the underside of the roof of the cab. The fabric constituting the
covering is so connected to the ribs preferably underneath them that the fabric will
fold in pleats when the hood is collapsed. The tension of the hood when in expansion
is secured by the flexible metal band, or bands which may be provided with stops so
that the hood may be held in any required degree of expansion. The bosses which
form the centres from which the hood springs are attached to the sides of the cab by
trunnions, or pivots.

page_text: The advantages gained by the use of a hood, or weather screen according to my
Invention are.
A very light and at the same time rigid and easily worked hood, or
weather screen is provided that will accomodate itself to the ordinary roof of any
Hansom Cab, and is easily worked by the occupant, and will take the place of the
ordinary let down window."
The fabric of which the hood is composed may be made of thin waterproof canvas
or like material of any desired colour and semi transparent and may be made of size
to extend from the front of the roof of the cab to the splashboard, so as to form when
extended an effective screen against rain, or to act as a sunshade, or windguard.
I, GEORGE FINNEY of 4 Agnews Buildings, Brunswick Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to hoods, or weather screens for hansom cabs and consists in
constructing the hood of a pliable fabric, or material such as water proof canvas, or
leather that will fold up, or collapse against, or up to the front of the cab and can be
extended.
As an example of a hood for a hansom cab, constructed and operating according to my
Invention, I form it of a light framework of steel, or other metal, or wood, or cane ribs,
which ribs are formed to correspond in shape with the front opening of the cab above the
doors. The ends of the ribs at each side are connected to a boss in manner similar to the
ribs of an umbrella and the outside rib of the hood is made stronger and the ends thereof
are securely attached to the boss, or form a continuation thereof, so that the turning of
the bosses causes the hood to expand, or collapse, a suitable handle, or lever being
provided for this purpose. The top of the ribs are provided with slotted projections
and there is also provided a steel, or other flexible bar, or band, or bands which is
sufficiently flexible to accomodate itself to the contour of the hood when expanded.
One end of this flexible bar (or bars) is connected to the outer rib of the hood and the
flexible bar (or bars) passes through and is free to slide in the slotted projections on
the top of the other ribs. The inner ends of the flexible bar, or bars is provided with
a roller guide, or guides, which run in provisions on the underside of the roof of the
cab. The fabric constituting the covering is so connected to the ribs that the fabric
will fold in pleats when the hood is collapsed. The tension of the hood when in expan-
sion is secured by the flexible metal band, or bands which is provided with a stop, or
stops so that the hood may be held in any required degree of expansion. The bosses
which form the centres from which the hood springs are attached to the sides of the
cab by trunnions or pivots.

page_text: In order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I have hereunto attached
three sheets of Drawings illustrative of my Invention in its preferred forms, and
sufficient with the following description to enable any person skilled in the art to which
it belongs to carry out and put the same into practice. The Drawings are marked
with letters and figures of reference corresponding with those in the following explana-
tion, like letters and figures being used to denote the same, or corresponding parts
throughout the Drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a hansom cab provided with a nood, or weather
screen according to my Invention in its preferred form.
Figure 2 is a front view of the hansom cab and hood shown at Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end view of a modification of the hood shown at Figure 2, as applied
to a cab with a partly glazed front.
Figure 4 is an end view showing the hood illustrated at Figure 3 in a raised
position.
"
.
Figure 5 is a detail of the side connection of the hood frame to the cab.
Figure 6 is an end view of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a detail of the interior slide and handle for lowering and raising the
hood, the handle lever being shown in position for working.
Figure 8 shows the handle lever in a locked position.
Figure 9 is a front view of the handle lever and slide.
Figure 10 illustrates a means whereby the driver can extend, or collapse the hood
from the roof trap door.
Figure 11 is a plan of the device shown at Figure 10 in its collapsed position.
Figure 12 is a plan of the device shown at Figure 10 in its extended position.
According to my Invention I provide a hansom cab A with a collapsible hood B.
I preferably construct the hood B of a light framework of steel ribs b covered with a
pliable fabric; the ribs bare formed to correspond in shape with the front opening A¹
of the cab A above the doors A2 and the pliable fabric is connected throughout its back
edge to the cab front. The ends of the ribs are connected at each side to a boss c in
manner such as shown at Figures 5 and 6 and the outside rib b¹ is made stronger and
securely fixed to the boss c, the bosses c being pivotted to the cab A on each side of
the opening A' as shown in the Drawings. The top of the ribs are provided with
slotted projections 62 and there is also provided a steel, or other flexible band d one end
of which d¹ is attached to the outer rib b¹ of the hood B the band d passing through
the slots 2 in the ribs and the other end 2 of the band d being provided with a
roller and working in a slotted guide e on the underside of the cab roof. The flexible
band d is also provided with a hand lever locking device which serves for working
the hood by means of the band d, or for locking the hood when in an open, or closed
position. This hand leverf is constructed as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9. Figure 7
shows its position when working the hood, which may be done by the hand of the
occupant of the cab, or by the driver by means of the connecting cord f¹ which is led
to a position within his reach. In the Drawing a single cord is shown which enables
the driver to draw up the hood for the ingress, or egress of the passengers. By
providing the cord in an endless form leading over a pulley at the back and front
of the cab, the driver can both expand and collapse the hood. As another means of
enabling the driver to expand and collapse the hood B I provide the band d with the
lazy-tongs device y illustrated at Figures 10, 11 and 12. One end of the lazy-tongs g
being fixed to the roof of the cab A at and the other end being fixed to the band d
at i. By this device the multiplication of levers enables the driver to expand, or
collapse the hood B by a short stroke of the handle through the trap door u.
The material, or covering of the hood B may be of leather, thin waterproof canvas,
or like material of any desired colour and may be semi-transparent, and may be made
of size to extend from the front of the roof of the cab to below the splashboard as
shown at Figure 1, so as to formn when extended an effective screen against rain, or to

page_text: act as a sunshade, or windguard and there is preferably provided in the hood a small
glazed window k.
The advantages gained by the use of a hood, or weather screen according to my
Invention are. A very light and at the same time rigid and easily worked hood, or
weather screen is provided that will accomodate itself to the ordinary roof of any
Hansom Cab, and is easily worked by the occupant and will take the place of the
ordinary let down window.
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 :
1. A hood, or weather screen for hansom cabs consisting essentially of a screen of
pliable material adapted to the rim of the front aperture of the cab and capable of
being folded up, or extended over such aperture substantially as set forth, or any mere
modification thereof.
2. A hood, or weather screen for hansom cabs constructed of a framework having Al
covering of pliable material, pivotted to the cab and capable of being extended, or
collapsed substantially as set forth or any mere modification thereof.
3. In connection with collapsible hoods, or weather screens for hansom cabs the use
of a flexible metal band with, or without a locking handle for extending and collapsing
the hood, or weather screen operating substantially as set forth.
4. In connection with collapsible, or folding hoods, or weather screens for hansom
cabs the use of a flexible metal band and a lazy-tongs device for extending and
collapsing the hood, or weather screen operating substantially as set forth.
5. The hood, or weather screen for hansom cabs constructed and adapted substantially
as set forth with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
6. The hood, or weather screen for hansom cabs constructed and adapted substantially
as set forth with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings.