Improvements in Hansom Cabs, partly applicable to Front Opening Headed Carriages
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1893.
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hansom Cabs, partly applicable to Front Opening
Headed Carriages.
I, ALFRED KNIGHT, of Royal Carriage Works, South Street, Dorchester,
Dorset, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention mainly relates to arrangement of apparatus for opening and
closing doors by the occupant or driver of a Hansom cab or other front opening
headed carriage.
The arrangement consists of a circular motion for hanging the doors by which
with an arrangement, of levers and cranks of gear concealed or not under the roof
lining and floor, or on top of roof or floor, both doors can be opened, or be closed
simultaneously by convenient handles within reach of the driver from the outside,
or by other handles on the door or doors on the outside, or on the inside for
independent opening or closing by any person from the outside, or by an occupant
from within.
The front pillars for this arrangement of circular travelling doors are upright
and more forward than the usual front pillars to give greater width of seat room
and increased floor surface for the legs of the occupants.
I am also by my invention enabled to use movable side lights, to open and shut
for ventilation without increasing the weight of the vehicle.
The invention can be applied to four wheeled back headed carriages having front
entrances behind driver's seat.
Dated this 28th day of November 1893.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alfred Knight.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hansom _Cabs, partly applicable to Front Opening
Headed Carriages.
I, ALFRED KNIGHT, of Royal Carriage Works, South Street, Dorchester,
Dorset, 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 :-
This invention mainly relates to arrangement of apparatus for opening and
closing doors by the occupant or driver of a Hansom cab, or other front opening
headed carriage.
The arrangement consists of a circular motion for hanging the doors by which
with an arrangement of levers and cranks of gear concealed or not under the roof
lining and floor, or on top of roof or floor, both doors can be opened, or be closed
simultaneously by convenient handles within reach of the driver from the outside,
or by other handles on the door or doors on the outside, or on the inside for
independent opening or closing by any person from the outside, or by an occupant
from within.
The front pillars for this arrangement of circular travelling doors are upright
and more forward than the usual front pillars to give greater width of seat room,
and increased floor surface for the legs of the occupants.

page_text: I am also by my invention enabled to use inovable side lights to open and shut
for ventilation without increasing the weight of the vehicle.
The invention can be applied to four wheeled back headed carriages having front
entrances behind driver's seat.
My invention will be clearly understood by reference to the annexed drawings.
Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams of one arrangement of mechanism of cranks and
levers for fitting in or under the roof of a Hansom cab, or of back headed four
wheeled carriage.
Figure 3 is a detailed view of an adjusting appliance for centralizing the doors
for obtaining ease of motion in opening and closing them.
Figure 4 is a modified arrangement of appliances to obtain the same results.
Figure 5 represents a Hansom cab body in section for indicating the rail on which
the doors-have-motion: --
Figure 6 is an exterior view of a Hansom cab body, and showing the amount of
side lights and door lights that can be obtained from the use of my invention, same
figure and also Figures 4 and 5 indicating the additional seat and leg room.
I purpose suspending my doors from the top but to employ a duplicate set of levers
and cranks under the floor, so that both top and bottom move under the action
of the mechanism, the lower set serving also as guides and to prevent rattling.
+
Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A is semicircular bar to be secured on or
to the roof timbers. B, B, are the movable doors suspended from the bar A by
the levers C, C, the outer ends of which pass through plates D, D, and have
rubber covered rollers E, E, for running on the bar A, said levers being screw
threaded at their ends for pinch nuts F, F, to be sett for adjusting the doors for
easy motion. The levers C, C, in pairs terminate with a single extension G, and
these are pivoted at H to a bolt. Each extension has an eye for the loose
attachment of stays I, I, the opposite ends of which are loosely pivoted to a
sliding ferrule J which is free to move on the tie bar K.
One of the levers C has a side projecting lug L for the jointing of the pull
rod M which can be carried through to the back of the cab to be within easy
reach of the driver for operation by a knob on its end, or by a pull over hand
lever P.
According to Figure 4, I dispense with the tie bar K, and instead of using a
lug L, I affix a rock lever Q to the joint pin at R and to the pull rod M respectively.
The doors B, B, are of segmental form to open, they move within the fore front,
and preferably between the inner and outer lining, thereby obviating the front
pillars being kinked, as is usual, I set them upright, and within the foot board S,
so that I obtain plenty of leg room for occupants with additional seat room by
making the seat more square than is possible where the kinked pillars are employed.
I am also enabled to obtain a front sight window, as at T, and a ventilating or
movable window at U.
I provide handles both on the inside and the outside of the doors, so that the
opening or the closing can be effected without the aid of the driver, the suspension
of the doors facilitating their movement under any and every condition.
I am aware that segmental doors are not new in the front of Hansom cabs, or
other vehicles, and the use of such doors forms no part of my invention but I
believe the suspension of such doors and the. arrangement of appliances by which
the adjustment and the motion can be obtained are novel, especially when the
segmental doors are arranged to run in between inner and outer lining of cab, and
with a duplicate set of the opening and closing appliances at the bottom as guides
and steadying devices only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The suspension of segmentally movable doors in combination with a duplicate

page_text: set of mechanism at bottom but operable in the manner and for the purposes set.
forth, and substantially as shown on the annexed drawings.
2. The particular arrangement of levers and appliances indicated at Figures 1
and 2, also the modified arrangement, shown at Figure 4, in the roof and flooring
of a Hansom cab, or back headed four wheeled vehicle, as and for the purposes.
explained.
3. The means or appliances, as at Figure 3, by which segmental moving and
suspended doors of vehicles can be adjusted.
0
LUUT
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alfred Knight.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alfred Knight.