IMPROVEMENTS IN CHILDRENS' PORTABLE CARRIAGES OR PERAMBULATORS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas James Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1877. A com-.
munication from abroad by Jean Jacques Rinquin and Jules Roquet, of
23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, France.
"
THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHILDRENS' PORTABLE CARRIAGES OR PERAMBULATORS." [A communication from
abroad by Jean Jacques Rinquin and Jules Roquet, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg,
Paris, France.]
The object of this Invention is a portable carriage or perambulator which is
capable of two arrangements.
1st. The childrens' carriage is capable of being taken to pieces frequently and
rapidly. It is composed of three parts; 1st, of a wickerwork basket divisible in
two through the middle of the frame; 2ndly, of an ordinary hood, of an apron, and
of an ordinary seat; 3rdly, of three wheels of the same diameter.
When the carriage is put together, it has the appearance of an ordinary carriage.
When taken to pieces the whole can be put in a small compass, and its bulk
reduced to metres 0-40 × metres 0.40 x metres 0.23.
The front part of the basket is fastened to the back or basket proper by means
of two shoes of U shape placed above and beneath the frame; these two shoes are
bolted upon the front frame, and the rounded part of these shoes is fastened to the
back of the frame by means of a screw bolt or a key bolt.
To give large seat room to the carriage, the frame extends a little to the rear to
form ears.
The hood, the movable seat, and the apron, present no peculiarity.
Each of the three wheels is maintained by a double branched shoe, which
descends from each side of the nave to support the axle, and describing a semicircle
passes under the frame in a boxed staple.

page_text: The double shoe terminates in shape for the hind wheels, and in U shape for
the front wheels; it traverses the box staple in the whole of its length, and passes
beyond to be fixed to the frame by means of a spring, which lodges in a cavity of
the wood when the double shoe passes in front in it, and returns to clasp or fasten
it when the shoe is in place.
Two branches which serve to drive or guide the carriage, penetrate into sockets
of sheet or plate metal lodged in the wickerwork of the carriage, and only
exceeding the height of the carriage by about two centimetres, the branches are
secured in the sockets by means of keys.
When the carriage is taken to pieces, the front basket is lodged in the back
basket, enveloping part of one wheel, part of the two other wheels, the seat, and the
branches. The hood comes down resting simply upon the edge of the basket. The
whole may be put in a receptacle.
According to a second arrangement the fore part of this carriage is composed of
three wheels jointed together by a kind of triangle constituting the frame, which
is fastened towards the centre by means of hinges; it is thus that the right-hind
wheel when the carriage is taken to pieces, places itself against the right-hand side
of the front wheel; the left-hand one turning to the left also places itself against the
front wheel, the three wheels each having only say, Ometres 06 of nave, the three naves
when joined giving only a thickness of about 0metres 15, considering that each end of
the nave enters a little into the spokes of the wheel from edge to edge. A piece of
wood joins the two large sides of the triangle, consolidates it, and serves to
support the frame. This piece of wood gives passage in its centre to a bolt, which
joins the fore carriage and the carriage proper. Towards the end of each side of
the triangle is found another hinge, the object of which is to straighten the hind
wheel, and cause it to follow a line parallel to the front one.
The two branches or handles which serve to guide or drive the carriage are
joined at the bottom by means of an iron rod. This rod keeps the wheels apart.
The lower part of each branch follows the triangle to consolidate it, and a pin holds
the branch and the frame together. At this point of junction, a little flanged
plate facilitates the support of the horizontal end of each branch. Each branch has
also a kind of horizontal heel piece split to receive a little bolt secured upon the
end of each side of the triangle and perpendicularly to it; these branches fold near
the middle, that their length may be diminished by half when folding the carriage.
Two small rods fasten the two branches together, and limit the distance between
them.
At the place where they fold, a socket hides the folding place when the
branches are erected. The collars or bushes are raised to fold the branches.
Six iron hoops of unequal strength turning upon the same axis form by this
arrangement the seat and the hood.
A vertical hoop placed crossways upon the fore carriage has at its base a straight
part, upon which is fixed a spring, also placed transversely. Under the spring is
fixed a wooden washer. A bolt traverses the two branches of the spring, the
washer and the frame of the fore carriage, it cannot come out of the branches of the
spring, it being maintained under the frame by a thumb nut which connects the
fore carriage to the seat. Two other hoops form the main hoop of the carriage
head.
The seat is suspended by means of straps which replace the wickerwork of
ordinary carriages. To one hoop is supended a little horizontal plank which serves
as a foot rest.
The front of the carriage head is of fabric.
To give more solidity to the seat, it is fixed to the vertical upright or hoop by
means of an iron pin at each side.
Two of the intermediate hoops of the head carry for their grouping a heel piece,
pierced and traversed by a pin. When the right and left hand pins are drawn out

page_text: all the hoops fall naturally and cling so to speak to the vertical hoop. The
thumb nut can then be unscrewed, and all the hoops being superposed can be put in
a pocket or bag. The fore carriage folded as explained is placed upon the hoops as
well as the two branches also folded. The carriage thus folded has dimensions of
about 0m 50 x 0m 40 x 0m 20.