AN IMPROVED PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND FOLDING HEADS, TILTS, COVERINGS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George North, of Lewisham Road, Greenwich, in tho
County of Kent, Coach Builder, &c., for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND FOLDING HEADS, TILTS, COVERINGS,
Sealed the 27th May 1856, and dated the 29th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George North at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
November 1855.
I, GEORGE NORTH, of Lewisham Road, Greenwich, in the County of Kent,
Coach Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for AN
IMPROVED PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND FOLDING HEADS, TILTS,
COVERINGS, AND AWNINGS OF WHEEL CARRIAGES, MARINE VESSELS, GOODS, AND
WAYS, to be as follows, viz. :-
This apparatus consists of folding supports, slides or sliders, sliding rods, and
sliding or folding frame, to which frame the folding supports and slides may be
attached, or on which they may move for the purpose of folding; also props
or rods for sustaining the whole apparatus, or an arrangement of certain parts.
thereof in a raised position. The folding supports may be curved or angular,

page_text: and provided with a sufficient number of joints to admit of their folding
laterally into the required space. Several of these supports may, when
occasion requires, be connected together and slide or fold at the same time, or
they may fold by their jointed or other connection with the parts to which
they may be attached for the purpose of folding. The said folding supports
may slide in an upright position, only, when so arranged, the sliders attached
to the ends of the folding supports may be tubes or eyes for sliding on single
rods, or they may be rollers, or otherwise formed for passing on or between
the rods or along the rave or rail or side of the vehical or way, &c.; the
sliding rods may form a frame, which frame with the folding supports may be
raised at pleasure by levers, and a kind of windlas, arranged for the purpose,
and the whole apparatus or arrangement thereof may be expanded or folded
by application of this windlas.. The frame formed by the sliding rods may be
sustained in a raised position over what it is intended to cover by props, and
thereby form a kind of portable awning; or this apparatus, or certain arrange-
ments of the parts herein mentioned, may be apply'd and used without the
supporting props, when the sliding rods or folding supports can be conveniently
attached to the place or things required to be covered, as in the case of ways,
marine vessels, &c. In the case of heads or coverings of carriages, it may be
found necessary that the folding laterally only may be required, or to fold by
sliding only, or to slide over part of the space and then fall in the ordinary
manner of carriage heads, at the back or end, as the case may be, so that by
part sliding and falling, and part falling only, the whole interior space may be
uncovered, or this operation reversed for covering the same; or the folding
supports may slide off the rod or other part, on which they may slide at one
end, and then fold laterally. Certain arrangements of this apparatus may
require straining or set joints, &c. to cause the folding supports to remain in
their required position; each case will determine these requisites, and their
mode of application. All the parts of this apparatus may be manufactured in
wood and metal, or either of these materials.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George North in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
NORTH, of Lewisham Road, Greenwich, in the County of Kent, Coach Builder,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George North, Her special licence that I, the said George North;
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Georgo
North, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agres
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise;
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for AN IMPROVED PORTABLE
APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND FOLDING HEADS, TILTS, COVERINGS, AND AWNINGS
OF WHEEL CARRIAGES, MARINE VESSELS, GOODS, AND WAYS, upon the conditions
(amongst others) that I, the said George North, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals;
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George North, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The nature of my said Invention, as already intimated in the Provisional
Specification, filed on application for the said Letters Patent, consists in an
improved portable apparatus for supporting and folding heads, tilts, coverings,
and awnings of wheel carriages, marine vessels, goods, and ways, which appa-
ratus being an arrangement or certain arrangements of curved or angular
hoops or supports, provided with eyes or sockets, rollers or slides, for the
purpose of folding, the hoops may be provided with a sufficient number of
joints in order that they may be folded lateraly into the space required; and
certain arrangements of these hoops or supports may have their ends provided
for folding with expanding joints, one end of each such joints forming a kind
of ratchit, having a circular hole to admit a grooved pivot stud passing
through, and also a peculiar formed hook provided with a thumb piece for the
purpose of turning the hook into the groove of pivot stud. When the pivot
has passed through the hole in the expanding joint, and the hook has been
turned into the groove, and the hoops or supports with the expanding joints
are so secured by the hook, the whole may be raised or lowered in the ordinary

page_text: manner of carriage heads; the ratchet, with spring stop bolt provided for
the purpose, will cause this arrangement of supports to remain in a raised or
half raised position, as may have been provided for by the situation or number
of the ratchet teeth, and by turning back the hook, this ratchet will pass freely
from the pivot stud, and admit of the whole framework being folded lateraly at
once; if the hoops are jointed for that purpose, the hoops or supports. may fold
the covering by sliding in an upright position, when their ends are provided
with eyes, rollers, or otherwise adapted to the rods or parts they are intended
to slide on, between, or upon; these hoops may also slide off the rod or rods
for the purpose of being folded lateraly. The folding of these supports may
also be effected by sliding on one rod or cord when they are suspended, by the
eye or roller being attached to their centre at top of hoop. This plan may be
adopted with success for all the purposes which the title of this Invention
denotes, and is intended to be applied. In wheel carriages, where the space to
be covered is of greater length than the higth of the hoops, this apparatus or an
arrangement thereof can be folded by sliding over a given portion of the space
and then turning or falling down so as to uncover or expose the whole interior
space to which it is attached, the falling or turning down being performed by
joints at the ends of supports, the connection of the supports with the slide or
sliding tube, eye, roller, or other slider forming this turning joint, and it may
slide between two rods and turn on the slides employed for the purpose. In
all cases, any arrangements of the supports described for this apparatus may be
kept in their upright or half-folded position by the ratchet before described, or
by long hooks, such as are described in the Drawings attached to this Specifi-
cation, or by the common set joints, such as are used for ordinary carriage
heads. The pivot stud and hook before mentioned may be successively applied
to, the end or ends of any props, supports, rods, set joints, or hooks, for
securing and making the same fast, and will be found convenient and ready
for that purpose where portability is required. The sliding rods may be round,
or angular, or curved, to suit the form of slider employed. The sliding move-
ment may be performed on a single rod, or by a cord passing through an eyo
at the top of hoop, or jointed or other supports employed in any arrangements
of the parts of this Invention. The sliding movement can also be performed
by the sliders passing between two rods. In some cases the sliding rods will
require to be elevated or supported on props. This apparatus may be strained
and kept in its required position by cords.
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I now proceed to
illustrate the same, by referring to the accompanying Drawings, as also to
particulary ascertain in what manner. the same is to be performed, reference

page_text: LOCMITION OF DRAWING
Plate 1.-Fig. 1 is a side view of an arrangement of supporting props or
hoops which may be applied to a vehicle. a*, a, a, a, are the supporting
hoops; b, b, b, are the sliding eyes for sliding on the rail f; g, g, is the rail of
vehicle; c1, c2, are hooks for holding the hoops in an upright position; d, d,
are the front hoop and prop, jointed at 1 and g; when the prop d is disengaged
at o, the hoop d will fold on the joints 1 & g to the prop a; then by disen-
gaging the hooks c 1 & c 2, the slides 61 & 6 2 may pass on the rail f to the.
slide b; then by disengaging the prop an at m, the parts marked a* and
will fold by the joints k and n, and the slides 6 1, and 6 2, and b, with the.
supporting props a, a, a, will slide to the part of the rail f marked +, and the
whole will fold down by the jointed connections i, i, i, as seen in Fig. 2, which
represents a side view of the same arrangements folded. d, d, in Fig. 2, aro.
pins or thumb screws, used to keep the slides firm when the supports are in
an upright position, as seen at Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is another view of the same
arrangement as Figs. 1 and 2, showing the manner in which the props a* are
folded; the dotted lines h, h, show the position of these props before folding..
Fig. 4 is a side view of another arrangement of this apparatus. a, a, a, are.
hoops, provided with expanding joints at their ends, which terminate in a
ratchet, provided with a circular hole for the passage of a pivot stud; B is the
expanding joints, with ratchet secured on the stud by the hook c being turned
into groove of stud. It will now be found that this arrangement may be raised
or lowered after the manner of carriage heads. o is the spring bolt stop enclosed
in a covered protection, the projecting end of this bolt fitting into the ratchet.
teeth; f is the upper part of the body of a vehicle to which this description
of apparatus may be attached, and it may be applied to vehicles of other
descriptions. Fig. 5, P and n are hoops with joints, showing the manner they
may fold lateraly, and are applicable to various arrangements of this apparatus.
Fig. 6 is a side view of pivot stud and spring stop bolt, named in Fig. 4.
o is the stay or plate to which they are secured for use; c, the shoulder against
which the ratchet plate works; e, the circular part of stud on which the same
plate turns or works; a, the groove to receive fastening book when the ratchet
plate has passed on to the stud; the ratchet being thus placed, and the hook
turned into the groove a, it will be found secure for the purpose of folding..
is the button head of pivot stud; i is the box or covering enclosing the
ratchet bolt; m is the projecting part of the bolt which enters the ratchet; nis

page_text: a thumb piece, by which the bolt may be pressed down and disengaged from the
ratchet. Fig. 7 is the fastening hook; f, the thumb piece for turning the hook,
which terminates in a rivet, and passes through the hook and plate of the
ratchet, and being burred on the other side, serves as a turning centre for hook.
Fig. 8 shows the end of expanding joints which terminate in the ratchet.
R is the ratchet plate; k, the hook fixed thereon; w is the circular hole for
pivot stud to pass through; the dotted lines show how far the hook will
enter the groove when the plate is on the stud; the semicircular dotted lino
on hook shows the part which will be under the button head of stud when in
the groove. E is the box or covering enclosing the spring bolt; m, the pro-
jecting end of bolt for stopping the ratchet; d is a slit in the box to admit of
bolt being depressed by, thumb piece. Fig. 9 showing the hook edgeways, as
seen at d. a, thumb piece of hook; e, rivet on which it turns. Nos. 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, are ends of hoops for sliding on or between rods; 1 & 6 are two
views of the same; 2. and 3 are two views of another; 4 and 5 show the
joint of. prop and end of sliding tube, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
Plate 2.-Nos. 1, 2, & 3 are sliders, which may be used for this apparatus
when only one sliding rod or cord is employed. a is the sliding rod. Fig. 1:
shows the sliders 2.and .3 attached to the centres of hoops. Fig. 2 shows
the grooved pivot stud as it may be applied to receive the end of sliding
rod, provided with fastening hook, as before described. Fig. 3 shows a mode
of raising one end of rod to facilitate the folding. d is a sliding rod; n, n,
dotted lines, showing the position of the rod d when raised or depressed, by
the cord passing over the pully roller c; a is a pin for keeping the rod
in position; g, g, the supports. Fig. 4, front view of the upper part of
support g, showing the pully wheel and space o, in which the sliding rod
moves up or 'down, as described in Fig. 3. a, the pin, as before described.
Fig. 5 shows how the hoops may slide on a single rod. Pare the hoops;
c, the cord, attached to sliding eyes, for assisting the sliding movement. No. 4,
a sliding eye, formed in the centre of support or hoop by curving a single rod
of metal.
All the parts of this Invention may be manufactured in wood and metal, or
citlier of these, or such other material as may be found available.
.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and how the same
is to be performed, I hereby declare that I claim, in respect of the said Letters
Patent granted to me by Her. said most Excellent Majesty, as aforesaid, my
Invention for an improved portable apparatus for supporting and folding
heads, tilts, coverings, and awnings of wheel carriages, marine vessels, goods,
and ways, herein-before set forth, the folding of which is effected by the

page_text: supports sliding and being jointed lateraly, the nature whereof is described in
the outset of this Specification; it being understood that I do not claim the
componant parts of the arrangements described, except as constituant parts of
my Invention, although I do not restrict myself to the precise combinations
exhibited in the Drawings, which simply illustrate the character of these
arrangements, which I consider may be found available.
In witness whereof, I, the said George North, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Signed and sealed in the presence of
ALEXANDER TATE,
78, Shepperton Cottages,
GEORGE NORTH. (L.S.)
New North Road, Islington.