IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING COT CARRIAGES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Trotman of Camden Town in the County of
Middlesex, Perambulator Manufacturer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING COT CARRIAGES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Trotman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1882.
THOMAS TROTMAN, of Camden Town in the County of Middlesex, Perambulator
Manufacturer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
FOLDING COT
CARRIAGES."
OF
The
The object of this invention is so to construct a folding double perambulator
that it may be converted into a cot at pleasure for out of doors or indoor use.
side frames of this carriage I construct each of four bars arranging them so that
two parallel bars (a long one and a short one) will cross two similar bars, and bo
connected together at their crossings by joint pins. The shorter bars are connected
with the longer bars at their upper ends by toggle levers which form the arm rests
of the carriage, and also by links which provide for the parallel movement of the
coupled bars. Both side frames being made in this manner I couple them together
by, say, eight cross bars. To the uppermost of these bars I secure the ends of a
length of strong canvas or carpet which forms at once the back, seats and foot
support of the carriage. The second and third cross bars counting from the top are
set in a horizontal plane and to them the carpet or other fabric is firmly secured
having been tightly drawn over them to form a seat.
Pendent from the third cross bars and hanging in the space between them is a
loose portion of the carpet which forms the foot rest. Outside of this extended
carpet or canvas fitting and below the same are two other cross bars which may
serve if desired as fixed axles to receive the wheels of the carriage, or the wheels
may be mounted on stud axles fitted with springs attached to the side frames. To
convert this double perambulator into a cot it will only be necessary to apply a
mattress thereto attaching it by straps to one or more of the cross bars which carry
the canvas or carpet fitting; or a cushion may be applied to bridge over the spaco
between the seats and thus make an extended rest for the body of the child.
In adapting the cot for indoor use, I remove the wheels and apply in place
thereof a pair of rockers which may be fitted to the wheel axles and retained in
place by screw caps or clips. When it is desired to fold up the perambulator or
cot, it will only be necessary to force up the middle joints of the toggle levers, and
the opposite ends of the side frames may then be caused to approach each other and
contract the cot or carriage to about a foot wide.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Trotman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd June
1883.
THOMAS TROTMAN of Camden Town in the County of Middlesex Perambulator
Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING COT
CARRIAGES"
The object of this Invention is so to construct a folding double perambulator,
that it may bo converted into a cot at pleasure for out of door or indoor use.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig: 1 is a side elevation of my improved cot
carriage. Fig: 2 is a plan view; and Fig: 3 is a longitudinal section of the same
arranged for outdoor use.
The carriage is mounted on two pairs of wheels A A", which run freely on their
respective axles B. B*, connected by springs to their respective back and front
frames, which constitute the folding carriage.
These frames I construct each of four bars C. C'., and D D¹, arranging them so
that two parallel bars of the frames, at each side of the carriage (a long one and a
short one) will cross two similar bars, and be connected together at their crossings
by joint pins. The longer bars C. C¹ are connected respectively with their shorter
bars D D. at their upper ends by toggle levers c. c¹. which form the arm rests of
the carriage, and also by links d. d which provide for the parallel movement of the
coupled bara-The forward and back frames being made in this manner, I couple
them together by, say, eight cross bars 1, 1°, 2. 2º, 3. 3*, 4. 4°, so as to complete
the carriage body.
The uppermost bars 1 and 1° are bolted respectively to the bars C. C'. and so
also are the cross bars 2. 2°. The cross bars 3. 3* are bolted respectively to the
parallel bars D. D'. while the cross bars 4. 4* are bolted respectively to extensions
of the coupling links d. d'.
To the bars 1. 1°. I secure the ends of length of strong canvas or carpet, E,
which forms at once the backs, seats, and foot support of the carriage.
The cross bars 2. 3. 2°. 3* are set in a horizontal plane, and to them the carpet
or other fabric is firmly secured, having been tightly drawn over them to form the
back and front seats.
Pendent from the cross bars 3 and 3*, and hanging in the space between them,
is a loose portion of the carpet, which forms the foot rest.
Below this extended carpet or canvas fitting are the wheel axles B B* which are
connected by curved springs B¹. to the front and back frames of the carriage. The
backs of the seats I stiffen by means of mill-board or its equivalent, and thus
prevent the bulging outwards of the canvas or carpet E.
F is the propelling handle bolted to the cross bars 1 and 2, and G G are flexible
side pieces secured to the folding frame to cover the spaces below the line of arm
rests.
To convert this double perambulator into a cot, it will only be necessary to
arrange it as shown in the section fig: 3, where H is a mattrass resting upon the
back and front seats, and, supported in the middle by a stiff cushion I, which
bridges over the space between the seats, and thus makes an extended rest for the
body of the child.-Fig: 4 shows in side elevation the cot carriage folded up so as
to occupy a contracted spaco. To bring the parts into this position, it will only be
necessary to force up the middle joints of the toggle levers c. c. and the frames
may then be pressed together thereby contracting the cot or carriage to about a
foot wide.
In adapting the cot for indoor use, I remove the wheels A A*, and apply in place

page_text: thereof a pair of rockers, as shown at Figures 5 and 6, which represent in plan and
elevation a folding cot carriage slightly modified from that above described, to give
additional strength to the carriage body.
This result is obtained by extending the links d. d. upwards until the links d. of
the one frame meet the links d'. of the other frame; they are then coupled together
by pins to form hinged joints.
K, K, are the rockers fitted with metal sockets k. attached to opposite sides of the
rockers to receive respectively the longer and the shorter wheel axles B, B*.
The inner ends of these sockets bear against shoulders formed on the axles to
receive the hubs of the wheels, and outside these sockets, washers are applied to the
axles, and pins are driven through them and through the axles, to retain the rockers
in place. K¹. is a tie rod for connecting the rockers together, a fly nut being fitted
thereto for drawing the rockers tightly against the shoulders of the axles and
facilitating the displacement of the rockers when no longer required for use or when
it is desired to fold up the cot carriage, as shewn at Fig: 4
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
construction of folding cot carriages" and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim :-
First Constructing the carriage body of back and front frames composed of
parallel bars connected together by toggle joints, links and cross bars as described
with reference to the drawings, the whole forming a stiff folding frame-work for
carrying a canvas or carpet lining.
Secondly: The arrangement above described with reference to Fig: 3 for
converting a folding carriage with back and front seats into a cot.
Thirdly: The mode of fitting rockers to folding cot carriages as described with
reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Trotman have hereunto set my hand
and seal the twentieth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
THOMAS MOMENT