Improvements in Children's Combined Malloarts and Bassinettes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1594.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Children's Combined Malloarts and Bassinettes.
I, HARRY ISRAEL HUMPHRY, of 113, Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath,
Birmingham, Warwickshire, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to children's combined mailcarts and bassinettes of
that kind in which a single mailcart body having a fixed seat facing the shafts is
provided with a movable front seat adapted to either be lifted and drawn forward
from the mailcart body and form a seat in front of the fixed seat thereof so that the
carriage will then carry two children face to face (or by means of a flap filling the
space between the two seats the carriage forms a bassinette) or the movable seat
can be pushed back and turned down in front of the fixed seat to form a foot board
for the child sitting on the fixed seat. A combined mailcart and bassinette of this
kind is described in my Specification No. 20110 of 1892.
The objects of my present invention are firstly to simplify the combination and
arrangement of the movable parts by which the carriage is converted from a single
mailcart into a double mailcart or into a bassinetto or vice versu; secondly to
provide what is technically known as a well constructed so as to protect the legs
and feet of the occupant or occupants of the carriage when used as a single or as a
double mailcart; and thirdly to so arrange the movable front seat that the
carriage will carry one child lying down in the back part of the carriage at
the same time that another child is occupying the front or movable seat next to
the shafts.
For the purposes of my present invention I provide an ordinary single mailcart
body mounted upon by preference two large wheels and provided with two shafts
as usual by which the mailcart can be pushed or drawn along the said mailcart
body being provided with one fixed cross seat having a fixed seat back and sides
(and preferably surmounted by a hood) so that the child sits facing the shafts.
Extending downwardly from the front of this seat there is a fixed inclined board
forming the back of the well and at the bottom of this board there is another fixed
horizontal board forming the bottom of the well and there is a fixed board at each
side forming the sides of the well. At a certain distance in front of the fixed seat
and about on the same level I provide the movable seat which at or near the edge
ncarer to the fixed seat is hinged or otherwise connected to a downwardly inclined
board or other connecting piece hereinafter called the hinged front of the well as it
forms the front of the well and is at its bottom edge hinged to the bottom of the
well. The movable seat is retained in the position forming the double anail cart
or bassinette by one or more pegs or tongues or other downwardly projecting parts
or other suitable meaus on the fixed seat engaging with a fixed cross har under-
neath or by taking into eyes or loops or other fittings on the shafts or sides of the
carriage. The movable seat is or may be provided with sides as in my prior
invention herein before referred to or instead of fixing the sides to the movable
seat the sides of the body of the carriage may be continued forward along the
shafts far enough to answer the purpose of sides for the movable seat as well as
for the fixed seat.
.
When my invention above described is used as a double mailcart the movable
seat with its seat back are as above described fixed at a short distance in front of
the fixed seat and about on a level with the same, the well admitting the occupants
feet and lower part of the legs in the usual way and protecting them from cold.
To now convert the carriage into a single mailcart it is only necessary to raise the

page_text: movable seat and seat back about its front hingo or connection and then to push
it back turning the hinged front of the well about its bottom hinged-side as a centre
until the front of the well and the edge of the movable seat rest against the fixed
back of the well; the movable seat is then turned down into an inclined position
so that its fixed back part will form the foot rest for the occupant of the single
mailcart. To convert the single mailcart thus formed into a double mailcart it is
only necessary to raise the footboard otherwise the removable seat back and the
movable seat and pull them and the hinged front of the well forward until the
movable seat is in its proper position where it is retained by the means above
described.
To cover the well when the carriage is required to be used as.a bassinette there
isa flap as in my prior invention hinged to the edge of the fixed seat or to the
edge of the movable seat.
The hinged front of the well may either be made in one piece or in two or more
pieces hinged together so that the bottom piece of the front will fold on to the
bottom of the well and allow more room for the movable seat when in its inclined
position as when the carriage forms a single mailcart.
Instead of the movable seat being hinged to the front of the well as above
described these parts may be otherwise connected together as by a leather or other
strap or by a spring. The back of the movable seat may be arranged to fold
down thereon and both may fold upon the fixed seat when the carriage is used as a
single mail cart.
I will now describe how 1 arrange the movable front seat so that the carriago
will carry one child lying in the back part of the carriage at the same time that
another child is occupying the front or movable seat. I mount the movable seat
with its inclined back and sides so as to revolve upon a board or frame underneath
which board or frame is hinged or otherwise connected to the hinged front of the
well or is arranged to swing about side pivots movable along guides or is hinged
to a sliding board or well which can be moved back under the fixed seat or moved
forward in front of the same. The said hinged board or frame and the movable
seat can together be moved back and turned down in an inclined position in front
of the fixed seat to form the foot rest or drawu forward and raised level with the
fixed seat and fixed to form the seat for the second occupant. The movable seat
can be turned on the board or frame through half a revolution so that the back of
the movable seat will be towards the fixed back seat and then when the flap which
is hinged to the fixed seat is turned down there is room for a child to lie upon the
back seat and flap while another child is sitting on the movable seat facing the
shafts. Or by turning up the flap and turning the movable seat through half a
revolution until the two seats are face to face the carriage serves as a double mail-
cart. I provide suitable means for keeping the movable seat in either position
facing the shafts or facing the fixed seat such as the movable seat having a metal
ring fixed underneath it in which are two notches at the ends of the diameter and a
spring bolt on the frame or board which engages with one or other of the notches
and keeps the seat in either position.
Dated this 31st day of October 1893.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Children's Combined Malloarts and Bassinettes.
I, HARRY ISRAEL HUMPHRY, of 113, Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath, 5t
Birmingham, Warwickshire, Clerk, 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:-
This invention has reference to children's combined mailcarts and bassinettes of

page_text: that kind in which a single mailcart body having a fixed seat facing the shafts is
provided with a movable front seat adapted to either be lifted and drawn forward
from the mailcart body and form a seat in front of the fixed seat thereof so that the
carriage will then carry two children face to face (or by means of a flap filling the
space between the two seats the carriage forms a bassinette) or the movable seat
can be pushed back and turned down in front of the fixed seat to form a foot board'
for the child sitting on the fixed seat. A combined mailcart and bassinette of this
kind is described in my Specification No. 20110 of 1892.
The objects of my present invention are firstly to simplify the combination and
arrangement of the movable parts by which the carriage is converted from a single
mailcart into a double mailcart or into a bassinette or vice versa; eccondly to provide
what is technically known as a well constructed so as to protect the legs and feet of
the occupant or occupants of the carriage when used as single or as a double mail-
cart; and thirdly to so arrange the movable front seat that the carriage will carry
one child lying down in the back part of the carriage at the same time that another
child is occupying the front or movable seat next to the shafts.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a children's combined mailcart and bassinette
constructed according to this invention shewing the movable parts in the positions
which they occupy when the carriage is in use as a double mailcart or as a
bassinette;
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same and the movable parts in the positions
which they occupy when the carriage is in use as a single mailcart;
Fig. 3 is a cross section on line X X of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a plan view of part
of one of the shafts of the same;
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the same carriage but with the movable seat
arranged so that the carriage will carry one child lying down in the back part of
the carriage at the same time that another child is occupying the front or movable
seat next to the shafts ;
Fig. 4** is an inverted plan of the movable seat of the same;
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modification of my invention and Figs. 8 and 9
illustrate a further modification of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures.
I will first describe the arrangement of my invention illustrated by Figs. 1, 2,
3. and 4.
For the purposes of my present invention I provide an ordinary single mailcart
boily A mounted upon by preference two large wheels band provided with two
shafts cas usual by which the mailcart can be pushed or drawn along the said
innilcart body A being provided with one fixed cross seat a' having a fixed seat
back a and sides a a' (and preferably surmounted by a hood not shown upon the
drawing) so that the child sits on the seat a' facing the shafts c' c. Extending
downwardly from the front of this seat a¹ there is a fixed inclined board forming
the back of the well and at the bottom of this board d there is another fixed
horizontal board e forming the bottom of the well and there is a fixed board at each
side forming the sides ff of the well G. At a certain distance in front of the
fixed seat and about on the same level I provide a movable seat H which at or
near the edge nearer to the fixed seat a' is hinged or otherwise connected to a
downwardly inclined board or other connecting piece I hereinafter called the
horizontal front of the well as it forms the front of the well and is at its bottom
edge hinged to the bottom.e of the well. The movable seat H is retained in the
position shewn in Fig. 1 forming the double mailcart or bassinette by downwardly
projecting metal tongues or pegs j fixed to the underside of the movable seat Hand
at each side of the same engaging into metal eyes or loops such as k or other fittings
on the shafts c¹ c or sides of the carriage. The movable seat is or may be provided
with sides h' and back has in my prior invention hereinbefore referred to or

page_text: instead of fixing the sides h¹h to the movable seat the sides a³ at of the body A of
the carriage may be continued forward along the shafts far enough to answer the
purpose of sides for the movable seat H as well as for the fixed seat a'. There is
or may also be a rail carried round the back and sides of the movable scat Hat
a short distance above the same so as to raise the heights of the back and sides as
in my prior invention hereinbefore referred to.
When my invention is used as a double mailcart the movable seat H with its
seat back are as shewn in Fig. 1 fixed at a short distance in front of the fixed
seat a¹ and about on a level with the same the well G admitting the occupants feet
and lower part of the legs in the usual way and protecting them from cold. To now
convert the carriago into a single mailcart as shewn by Fig. 2 it is only necessary
to raise the movable seat H and its seat back h about its front hinge or
connection and then to push the seat H back turning the hinged front 1 of the
well G about its bottom hinged side as a centre until the front I of the well and
the edge of the movable seat H rest against the fixed back d of the well as shewn
in Fig. 2; the movable seat H is then turned down into an inclined position as
shewn in Fig. 2 so that its fixed back part s will form a foot rest for the occupant
of the single mailcart when sitting on the fixed seat a'. To convert the single
mailcart thus formed into the double mailcart shewn by Fig. 1 it is only
necessary to raise the foot board 3 otherwise the removable seat back and tlie
movable seat H and pull them and the hinged front I of the well G forward until
the movable seat H is in its proper position shewn by Fig. 1.where the movable
seat is retained by the downwardly projecting side tongues engaging in the side
eyes or loops as above described. One of these downwardly projecting tongues j
has or may have a cross notch in it with which the lever catch will engage
when this catch is turned as shewn in plan in Fig. 4 this catch being provided
below the loop or eye.kánd hinged to the shafts so as to lock the movable seat H
in the position stated above and shewn by Fig. 1.
To cover the well G when the carriage is required to be used as a bassinette
there is one of the well known flaps Mas in my prior invention hinged to the edge of
the fixed seat a' (see Fig. 1) or to the edge of the movable seat H this flap being
arranged to either turn back upon the seat to which it is hinged or folded down so
as to cover the well as stated above and shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The hinged front I of the well may either be made in one piece or as shewn upon
my drawings in two pieces which are marked respectively or there may be
more than two pieces 'binged together so that the bottom piece of the front I will
fold on to the bottom e of the well and thus allow more room for the movable seat I
when in its inclined position shewn by Fig. 2 than would be the case if the hinged
front of the well were made in one piece.
It will be evident that instead of the movable seat H being hinged to the front I
of the well as above described these parts may be otherwise connected together as
by a leather or other strap or by a spring.
I will now describe how I arrange the movable front seat I so that the carriage
will carry one child lying in the back part of the carriage at the same time that
another child is occupying the front or movable seat H. I mount the movable
seat H with its inclined back h³ and sides h¹² so as to revolve upon a board or
frame N underneath (see Fig. 4*) which board or frame N is at hinged or
otherwise connected to the hinged front of the well. The said hinged board
or frame N and the movable seat H can together be moved back and turned down
in the inclined position shewn by Fig. 2 in front of the fixed seat a to form the
foot rest or drawn forward and raised level with the fixed seat and fixed to form the
seat for the second occupant as shewn in Fig. 4. The movable seat H can be
turned about a centre bolt o on the board or frame N through half a revolution 80
that the back h³ of the movable seat H will then be towards the fixed seat a¹ and
then when the flap M is turned down as shewn in Fig. 4 there is room for a child to
lie upon the back seat a while another child is sitting on the movable seat H facing
the shafts; this latter child's feet resting on the fixed foot board p.carried by the

page_text: underframe of the carriage. By turning up the flap M and turning the movable
seat about its centre pivot o through half a revolution until the two seats are face
to face as in Fig. 1 the carriage serves as a double-mail cart.
I provide suitable means for keeping the removable seat Hineither position:
facing the shafts or facing the fixed seat such means for instance as the removable
seat H having a small metal ring Q (see Fig. 4** which is an inverted plan of the
seat H) in which are two notches at the ends of the diameter and there is a
spring bolt R on the frame or board N which engages with one or other of the
notches q¹ and thus keeps the seat H in either position.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modification of the arrangement of my invention
shewn by Fig. 4* in which the board. or frame N upon which the movable seat H
revolves is arranged to swing about the side pivots which are movable along
the guidest fixed to the shafts so that the board or frame N can as above described
he fixed either in the position shewn by Fig. 5 to carry the front seat, or in the
position shewn by Fig. 6 when the front seat is pushed back to form the log and
foot rest for the back seat a!.
Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate a further modification of my invention in which the board
or frame N is hinged to the front of the sliding well G this well being made as are
the wells of some other mailcarts either to slide forward to the position shown by
Fig. 8 or slide back under the fixed seat a' as shewn by Fig. 9 so that when the
well is moved forward as shewn by Fig. 8 the movable board or frame N can be.
turned up and fixed as shewn and above described to carry the revolving movable
Beat H and when the board N is turned down and the well G slided back under the
front seat a' the movable seat H will form the foot rest and leg rest for the occupant
of the fixed seat a' the back part of the seat resting on the fixed crossbar u to
maintain the parts N H in this position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a children's combined mailcart and bassinette having a single mailcart body.
made with a seat facing the shafts and a fixed well below said seat, the employment
of a movable front seat such as H hinged to the hinged front of the well and
adapted to either serve as a foot rest below the fixed seat (see Fig. 2) when the
carriage is used as a single mailcart or be turned up and moved forward and fixed
to form a seat and seat back in front of the fixed seat and thus convert the carriage
into a double mailcart or bassinette, substantially as herein before set forth and
shewn by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a children's combined mailcart and bassinette having a single mailcart body
with a fixed seat facing the shafts and a fixed well below said seat, the employment
of a movable front seat such as H adapted to be revolved on a board or frame and
fixed to either face the fixed seat or the shafts said board or frame being hinged to
the hinged front of the well so that the movable seat can be altered and used in
any of the positions substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4*
and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a children's combined mailcart and bassinette, the combination of single
body A made with fixed seat a' 'facing the shafts, fixed well G below seat a¹,
movable front seat H adapted to be revolved on board or frame N, hinged well
front connecting the board or frame N to the bottom e of. the well, so that the
board or frame N can either be turned up horizontal Fig. 4* or turned into an
inclined position in front of fixed seat, means for maintaining the board or frame N
and seat H in the horizontal position or inclined position as set forth, and flap M
hinged to the front of fixed seat a!, the whole forming a convertible children's
combined mailcart and bassinette substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by Fig. 4* of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a children's combined mailcart and bassinette having a single mailcart
body with a fixed. seat facing the shafts and a fixed well below said seat, the

page_text: employment of a movable front seat such as H adapted to be revolved on a board
or frame and fixed to either face the fixed seat or the shafts, said board or frame.
being provided with side pivots such as movable along side guides so that the
hinged board or frame and the movable seat can be altered and used in any of the
positions substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. In a children's combined mailcart and bassinette having a single mailcart body.
with a fixed seat facing the shafts and a sliding well below said seat, the
employment of a movable front seat such as H adapted to be revolved on a board
or frame and fixed to either face the fixed seat or the shafts, said board or framo
being hinged to the front of the well so that the hinged board or frame and the
movable Beat can be altered and used in any of the positions substantially as
berein before described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 31st day of July 1894.
f
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.