IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Martin, of Cheapside, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Martin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 12th November 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MARTIN, of Cheapside, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Martin, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement, reference

page_text: being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:
My said Invention has for its object the simplifying of the means hitherto
used for opening and closing the heads of carriages, and from the peculiarity
of the construction and arrangement of the mechanism employed it can be
adapted to every description of carriage however varied its outline or form
may be.
In order to effect these improvements I make use of a band or cord of
metal wire rope (which I prefer), or of any material suitable for the purpose.
An open cord or band may be used, but I prefer an endless cord or band, of
which a familiar instance may be found in the common blind cord, passing
over pulleys at each end, and following any sinuous course required by the
form of the carriage. Upon the cord or band being pulled in one direction
the carriage head is opened, and upon its being pulled in the contrary direction
the head is closed.
It will be observed that the principle upon which my Invention is based
is that of tension, and that consequently the mechanism employed is much
lighter and more simple than that which is required when the principle of
compression is used, and which necessarily involves mechanical arrangements
of much greater weight and complexity.
In the front or back part of the carriage I place horizontally or vertically a'
wheel or pulley, and at the reverse or opposite end of the carriage another
wheel or pulley, upon which works an endless cord or band, suitable guide
wheels or pulleys being placed in any required positions on each side of the
carriage to adapt the said cord or band to the sinuosities thereof. On the
head of the carriage are affixed iron arms, jointed or otherwise, as may be
required, to enable them to adapt themselves to any irregularity of form. At
one end of these arms the endless, cord or band is attached, and in order to
adapt itself to the position of the cord or band and relieve the same of any
undue strain, I place on each arm a slide, to which the cord or band is also
attached, and in the case of carriages which are enclosed by doors, as landaus
or waggonettes, the upper part forming the door head, I throw this back by a
rod affixed at the upper part on a pin or stud to allow of its moving freely,
and at the lower part or hinge of the-head upon a stud-in a similar manner,
such lower stud being-placed-at-such a distance from the centre of the hinge
as shall increase the distance between their respective centres of motion, and so
gradually as the heads fall back or open, also throw, back the portion of 'the
head over the doorway. The apparatus. thus described may be actuated by
dovers or by any of the known means or combinations of mechanism most

page_text: suitable to; the peculiar construction of the carriages to which it is applied
or the position from-which it is desired the same shall be actuated..
I should here observe that the band or cord and pulleys before mentioned
are placed beneath the lining of the carriage so as to be entirely unscen by.its
occupants.
...:
I will now proceed to describe the adaptation of my Invention to a landau
of peculiar form; to which it has been found impossible to apply any of the
mechanical arrangements for opening and closing the heads of carriages
hitherto proposed or adopted.
In Sheet I. of the annexed Drawings, Figure 1 represents a landau to
which my Invention is applied, the apparatus being actuated from the box. or
driving scat. A is a wheel or pulley mounted horizontally on the lower part
of the vertical bar a, on the upper part of which is a worm pinion 6 gearing
into a worm fixed on the horizontal bar, shown in section at.c, and by which
it is actuated, a winch or handle being placed on the end of the said last-
mentioned bar; B is the cord or band which is passed round and secured to
the wheel or pulley A, passing thence over the pulleys d, e, and f, and being
carried by the guide pulleys 9, 9, 9, 9, passes round the wheel or pulley h at
the back part of the carriage; c, c; are the before-mentioned iron arms, with
the slides c', c', and D, D, are the rods before mentioned for the purpose of
throwing back the door head. The said arrangements are in the Drawing
shown only as applied to one side of the carriage, but it must be distinctly
understood that both sides of the carriage are similarly fitted.
Figure 2 represents a section of the box or driving seat, with the wheel or
pulley A mounted on the vertical bar a, and actuated by the worm on the
horizontal bar c, c; Figure 3 shows the appearance of the landau with the
heads opened and thrown back.
The Drawing on Sheet II. represents a Stanhope phaëton with my Inven-
tion adapted thereto, the variations in the arrangements of the mechanism
rendered necessary by the form of the vehicle being readily comprehensible by
persons acquainted with mechanical contrivances and arrangements. It will
be manifest that my said Invention can be readily applied to any form of
carriage whether constructed with one or two heads, and that in the latter case
by means of a very simple modification, such as will be well known to mechanics,
either head may be made to open and close separately and independently of
the other.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and the manner in which it is to be performed, I would observe in conclusion
that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise details herein-before

page_text: mentioned, as variations may be made therefrom without departing from tho
principles or main features of my Invention, and, that what I consider as
being novel and original, and therefore claim as constituting my Invention
is, the combination and arrangement of mechanism and apparatus for opening
and closing the heads of carriages herein-before substantially set forth and
described, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Martin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
E. P. H. VAUGHAN,
54, Chancery Lane,
Agent for the Patentee.
CHARLES MARTIN. (L.S.)