IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING CARRIAGE HEADS OR ASSISTING TO RAISE AND LOWER THEM.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Lenny, of the Firm of Charles Lenny
and Company, of North End, Croydon, in the County of Surrey,
and of 9, Park Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Carriage
Builders, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING CARRIAGE HEADS OR ASSISTING TO RAISE AND
LOWER THEM.
و,
CE
Scaled the 6th June 1871, and dated the 11th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Lenny at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th April 1871.
I, CHARLES LENNY, of the Firm of Charles Lenny and Company, of
North End, Croydon, in the County of Surrey, and of 9, Park Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Carriage Builders, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND LOWERING CARRIAGE HEADS OR ASSISTING TO RAISE AND LOWER THEM," to be
as follows:
This Invention relates to certain construction and arrangement of
apparatus to be applied to carriages for the purpose of raising and
lowering their heads or for assisting to raise and lower them when

page_text: acted upon by the person or persons inside, and consists mainly in fitting
up the upright pillars of the head with an arrangement of springs and
levers working with the prop, which has a square end on which the
supporting joint is fitted. The cant rail half of the pillar hinge has a
projecting pin or stud connected by a link or rod with the lever arm on
the prop, so that when the cant rail or folding flap is lifted or raised by
the persons inside it immediately communicates motion to the sup-
porting joint, thereby allowing the head to fall backwards when the
springs before mentioned act against the back of the head pillars.
In some cases I reverse the arrangement of the springs, the bottom
ends of which I fix with screws or bolts to the back of head pillars,
connected with the prop I have a short arm projecting, which acts upon
the spring as the head falls, producing exactly the same results as in
the arrangement before mentioned. The lower end of the supporting
joint, the eye of which is square, is connected with the end of a steel rod
passing through a hollow prop, generally called the back rail prop, the
said steel rod being fitted in a square socket at its opposite end and
fixed to the back and front rails. The lowering of the head acting upon
the head joint causes the steel rod to be twisted, and its tendency then
will be to return to its normal condition, which it will be enabled to do
when a pressure or force is applied by the persons inside. I also apply
the steel rod to raise and lower and assist the raising and lowering of
the heads of carriages with side lights or windows by fixing one end of
the steel rod in a square socket fixed to the seat rail, the opposite end
having an arm or lever pointing upwards connected with the head
pillars with joints and levers, so that as the head is lowered the steel
rod will be twisted, which will have a tendency to prevent the head
falling.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Lenny in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LENNY, of the Firm of Charles Lenny and Company, of North End,
Croydon, in the County of Surrey, and of 9, Park Lanc, in the County
of Middlesex, Carriage Builders, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Lenny, Her special licence,
that I, the said Charles Lenny, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Charles Lenny, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING
AND LOWERING CARRIAGE HEADS OR ASSISTING TO RAISE AND LOWER THEM,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Lenny,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar mouths next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Lenny, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to certain constructions and arrangements of
apparatus to be applied to carriages for the purpose of raising and
lowering their heads, or for assisting to raise and lower them when acted
upon by the person or persons inside, and consists mainly in fitting up
the upright pillars of the head with an arrangement of springs and
levers working with the prop, which has a square end, on which the
supporting joint is fitted. The cant rail half of the pillar hinge has a
projecting pin or stud connected by a link or rod with the lever arm on
the prop, so that when the cant rail or folding flap is lifted or raised by
the persons inside it immediately communicates. motion to the sup-
porting joint, thereby allowing the head to fall backwards, when the
springs before mentioned act against the back of the head pillars..

page_text: In some cases I reverse the arrangement of the springs, the bottom
ends of which I fix with screws or bolts to the back of lead pillars,
connected with the prop I have a short arm projecting, which acts upon
the spring as the head falls, producing exactly the same results as in the
arrangement before mentioned. The lower end of the supporting joint,
the cyo of which is square, is connected with the end of a steel rod
passing through a hollow prop, generally called the back rail prop.
The said steel rod being fitted in a square socket at its opposite end and
fixed to the back and front rails, the lowering of the head acting upon
the head joint causes the steel rod to be twisted, and its tendency then
will be to return to its normal condition, which it will be enabled to do
when a pressure or force is applied by the person inside. I also apply
the steel rod to raise and lower or to assist the raising and lowering of
the heads of carriages with side lights or windows, by fixing one end of
the steel rod in a square socket fixed to the seat rail, the opposite end
having an arm or lever pointing upwards connected with the head
pillars with joints and levers, so that as the head is lowered the steel
rod will be twisted, which will have a tendency to prevent the head
falling.
My Invention will be well understood by referring to the accom-.
panying Drawings and to the following description thereof :-
:-
Figures 1 and 2, are detached views of a pillar a and cant rail or
folding flap b, jointed to it by a hinge joint c, the legs d, e, of which
are secured thereto in the usual manner. The cant rail half e of the
hinge has a projecting pin f, from which a link
depends to connect a
short arm of a double lever on the prop i with the cant rail, so that a
movement up or down of the cant rail communicates a motion to all the
parts. The movement of the cant rail 6 in opening is somewhat free at
starting by reason of the springy long arm j of the double lever being
shaped to stand away from the pillar a, but a continued movement
causes the long arm j to bear against the pillar and to offer a slight
resistance to the pressure (xerted by the person seated or standing in
the inside of the carriage, the resistance being only sufficient to enable
the flap to be raised steadily. The prop has a square upon it at %, on
which one end of the supporting joint is fitted, so that the joint
becomes bent or folded, when the flap is lifted to enable the head to be
lowered on the hinge pin m at the bottom of the pillar a, and its fall is

page_text: checked by a steel rod 12 secured to the back rail o, the free end of which
s square for the lower end of the supporting joint to fit, while its
opposite end is fixed in a socket or cap p to the inside of the back rail o
in a rigid manner, the free end being first passed through a back rail
prop q, which serves to steady it. I prefer to recess the pillar as shown
and to line it with a metal box or lining to economise space without
impairing the strength, and to permit of the spring ; lying close to the
pillar. I also provide the lower end of the spring j with a roller or
bowl to reduce friction.
Fig. 3 is a detached view of corresponding parts of a carriage head,
but in which the long arm j is made of iron and its lower end is caused
to bear against a steel spring 8 which is fastened to the pillar a as shown.
In this case the recess need not be lined because the arm j bears direct
upon the spring s.
The mode of carrying my Invention into effect is clearly shown in
Figure 4, in which the body of a landau is represented as being closed,
and in Fig. 5 in which the body is represented as being partially open,
the dotted lines showing one half of the head fully open.
Figures 6 and 7 are detached views of the back rail with the steel
rods n, n, in place; these views clearly show how the parts are arranged
for acting upon both sides of a carriage head at the same time to permit
of the head or half head descending in proper order.
It will be understood that my Invention is applicable to carriages in
which side lights or windows are arranged as well as to those that are
closed in and in which the heads or half heads are capable of being
raised and lowered. I do not in all cases employ the hinge joints c to
the tops of the pillars a, a, in connection with the steel rods n, n, and
supporting joint 1, as with some classes of carriages, such as those with a
fixed cant rail and fixed side lights, the steel rods and supporting joints
or other mechanism can be used alone. The normal condition of the
rods prevents the head falling without pressure being applied thereto.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus for Raising and Lowering
Carriage Heads or Assisting to Raise and to Lower them,"
First. The employment of apparatus as herein-before described and
shewn.

page_text: Secondly. I claim the combination of parts of mechanism when used
in the manner and for the purposes set forth, whether of the arrange-
ments shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or of the arrangement shown in Figure 3.
Thirdly. I claim the employment of steel rods in conjunction with
the supporting joints of carriage heads when such are used in the manner
and for the purposes described.
And, Fourthly. I claim the employment of steel rods, which can be
twisted in the manner herein-before referred to for the purpose of raising
or lowering or assisting to raise or lower the heads of carriages whether
such steel rods be used in the manner shown or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Lenny, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-ouc.