An Improved Toy Carriage.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Toy Carriage.
I, GEORGES CARETTE, of Nuremberg Bavaria in the Empire of Germany, Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The improved toy-carriage constructed according to this invention is represented
in the accompanying drawing. By means of a helical spring which is adapted to be
wound up this carriage is moved alternately forwards and backwards as long as the
tension of the said spring lasts. Upon the carriage can be placed toy-figures or the
like which are not shown in the drawing.
In this drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of the carriage with its several
parts.
Figure 2 is an upper view of the same.
Figure 3 shows the connection of the above-mentioned spring with the driving
crank, and
Figure 4 the device designed for putting the spring under tension.
Use is made of a long helical wire-spring a which is so arranged upon the carriage-
frame A that the greatest part of its length extends in the longitudinal direction of
the carriage, it can therefore be made very long in order to enable its action to last
a long time. As shown in Figure 2, this spring is bent at one extremity, and an iron
core extends through its entire length for the purpose of preventing a change in its
position.
At the free extremity of the spring is provided a device for putting the latter under
tension. This device comprises a small ratchet wheel c Figure 4 to which the said
spring is secured by soldering or otherwise. With the teeth of the ratchet-wheel
engages a pawl or plate spring d which has for its object to prevent the backward
movement of the said wheel and which is attached to the carriage frame. By turning
the small cranked handle e connected with the ratchet wheel the spring a is put under
tension to the desired degree. As the iron core is but loosely inserted in this spring
it does not participate in the turning movement of the same.
As indicated in Figure 3, the other end of the spring is firmly connected with the
crank 6 by soldering or in any other suitable manner, whilst the iron core passes
freely through the crank journal. Accordingly the crank can perform without
obstruction the turning movement imparted to it by the spring a after the latter has
been wound up.
By a rod f the aforesaid crank is put in connection with a toothed segment g.
This segment engages with a pinion arranged upon the same axis as the toothed
wheel which latter gears with another pinion upon the axle of the wheels B of
the carriage. In this arrangement the crank b is made shorter than the radius of
the toothed segment g, or at least shorter than the distance from the centre of the
segment to the point where the rod f is attached to the same.
When the spring a has been put under sufficient tension by turning the cranked
handle e, and the carriage is then left to itself, the spring will at once commence to
act upon the crank b, and turn the latter, thereby causing the rotary movement of
the toothed gearing g, h, i, k and the wheels B of the carriage. Whilst however the
crank will continue to turn in one direction, because the spring always acts in the
same direction, the toothed gearing g, h, i, k will move to and fro, as the crank b is
shorter than the radius of the toothed segment. For this reason the carriage will
move only a short time in one direction, and will then return on the same way, its
movement being continued until the tension of the spring a ceases or has been
reduced to such an extent that it does not possess sufficient force to drive the carriage.

page_text: Upon the carriage may be placed toy figures of any kind. These figures are not
shown in the drawing because they are in no direct connection with the actuating
mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
.
First. For automatically moving a toy carriage A forwards and backwards, the
arrangement of a helical spring a which is put under tension by means of a cranked
handle e together with a ratchet wheel c and a pawl or spring d at one end and
which is connected at its other end with a crank 6 of the driving mechanism,
substantially as described.
Second. For the forward and backward movement of a toy-carriage A, the
employment of a mechanism comprising a crank b, a connecting rod a toothed
segment g, and one or more toothed wheels, h, i, k, the wheel k being placed upon
the axle of the wheels B of the carriage, substantially as described.
Doted this 2nd dox of Ton 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.