IMPROVE- MENTS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES IN REGARD TO OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OR HOODS OF THOSE HAVING MOVEABLE HEADS OR HOODS, AND OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES GENERALLY
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Offord, of Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Coach Builder, and Shepard William Iale, of Paddington,
in the said County, Coach Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES IN REGARD TO
OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OR HOODS OF THOSE HAVING MOVEABLE
HEADS OR HOODS, AND OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS OF PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES GENERALLY."
Scaled the 5th May 1868, and dated the 3rd February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Offord and
Shepard William Hale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 3rd February 1868.
We, JOSEPH ОFFORD, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Coach Builder, and SHEPARD WILLIAM HALE, of Paddington, in the
said County, Coach Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES
IN REGARD TO OPENING AND CLOSING THE HEADS OR HOODS OF THOSE HAVING
MOVEABLE HEADS OR HOODS, AND OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS OF PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES GENERALLY," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in raising and lowering
and thereby opening and closing the heads or hoods of carriages and
vehicles, and opening and closing the doors of carriages and vehicles.

page_text: We mount by means of suitable bearings over or under the driving
seat or other convenient place, in a horizontal or vertical position, a small
windlass or pulley which we rotate by key or handle so as to actuate a
cord or chain which passes round a pulley secured to one part of the
roof, as for instance, in front of the hind part of a landau, the end of
which cord is fastened to the front or convenient portion of the other
half of the head of a landau carriage. We open the head or hood by
putting india-rubber or other springs under or over the hoop sticks so
that when the cord is released by the windlass being turned in the
contrary direction the springs immediately draw the head or hood, and
when down the cord can be put entirely out of the way by the aid of
two disconnecting hooks or other suitable joints. When the head of a
landau is closed we can fasten it with a head lock which has a thumb-
piece working on a screw round a circular boss. In an ordinary open
or half-head carriage we raise the head or hood by merely attaching the
cord to the front hoop stick. To prevent accidents arising from the doors
of carriages being left open we attach a small cord on the top of the door
by which the coachman can at once close the door without leaving his
seat. In the case of railway carriages we purpose to prevent the doors
being pulled off by making them so as to open either way according to
the way the train is going, that is to say, we make them with two
dovetailed pillars on each side of the door, two locks, and two sets of
hinges to each door.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Offord and Shepard William Hale in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
OFFORD, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Coach Builder,
and SHEPARD WILLIAM HALE, of Paddington, in the said County,
Coach Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Joseph Offord and Shepard William
Hale, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Offord and Shepard

page_text: William Hale, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Joseph Offord and Shepard William Hale, our 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
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES IN REGARD TO OPENING AND
CLOSING THE HEADS OR HOODS OF THOSE HAVING MOVEABLE HEADS OR HOODS
AND OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARRIAGES AND
VEHICLES GENERALLY," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Joseph Offord and Shepard William Hale, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Joseph Offord and Shepard Williamı
Hale, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The nature and object of the said Invention comprises, first, improve-
ments in raising and lowering and thereby opening and closing the heads
or hoods of carriages and vehicles; and, secondly, opening and closing
the doors of carriages and vehicles.
We mount by means of suitable bearings in horizontal or vertical
position over or under the driving seat or in any other convenient place
a small windlass or pulley which we cause to rotate by key or handle
so as to actuate a cord or chain which passes round a pulley secured to
one part of the roof, as for instance in front of the hind part of a landau,
one end of which cord is fastened to the front or other convenient position
of the other half of the head of a landau carriage. We open the head
or hood by putting india-rubber or other springs under or over the hoop
sticks so that when the cord is released by the windlass being turned
in the contrary direction the springs immediately draw the head or hood
down, and when down the cord can be put entirely out of the way by
the aid of two disconnecting hooks or such other suitable joint as may

page_text: be most convenient. When the head of a landau is closed in order to
fasten it we prefer to have a head lock provided with a thumb-piece
working on a screw round a circular boss or rib. In ordinary open or
half-head carriages we raise the head or hood by merely attaching the
cord to the front hoop stick, and we attach india-rubber springs to the
hoop sticks for lowering it, as above described in the case of the landau.
It is obvious that the improvements above described with reference to
opening and closing carriage heads can be applied to railway waggon
and truck covers and the covers of vehicles generally. To prevent
accidents arising from the doors of carriages being left open we attach
a small cord on the top of the door by which the coachman can at once
close the door without leaving his scat. For opening and closing tho
doors of carriages, especially the doors of railway carriages, we purpose
to prevent the doors being pulled off by making them so as to open
cither way according to the way the train is going, that is to say, we
make them with two pillars on cach side of the door, two locks on either
side, and for each door two sets of hinges. It is evident the improve-
ments above described as applicable to ordinary carriage doors might be
applied to railway carriage doors.
.
Having thus particularly described the nature and objects of the said
Invention, we now in further compliance with the said condition in the
aforesaid Letters Patent contained, proceed to particularly describe and
ascertain in what manner the same is to be performed or carried out in
practice, which we shall do by reference to the accompanying Drawings,
as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows my Invention as applied to a landau carriage. W, the
windlass, which may be jointed at J so as to fold down out of the
way of the driver; C, C, the cord or chain; H, hind half of head or
hood, the hoop sticks of which are provided with springs, so that when
the cord C, C, is released the hood folds back; II, front half of head or
hood the hoop sticks of which are provided with springs, so that when
the cord C, C, is released the hood folds back; P, pulley attached to the
hind half of head or hood and round which the cord C, C, passes;
P, fastener attached to front half of head or hood and to which the end
of the cord C, C, is attached. The dotted lines shew the position of the
cord when the landau is open, the position of the front hood when the
landau is closed, and of the hind hood when open.

page_text: These details can be modified to suit various descriptions of hooded
carriages or vehicles.
Fig. 2 shews a horizontal section of my improved door for railway
and other carriages and the mode of adjustment when the carriage is
moving in the direction shewn by the arrow, the door being partly open,
the dotted lines shewing the position of the door when shut.
Fig. 3 the same when the carriage is moving in the opposite direction,
as shown by arrow. The same letters of reference are used in both cases.
D, the door; a, a, b, b', the pillars on either side of the door, a being
hinged to a' by hinge or joint h, and being hinged to 6' by hinge or
joint, these pillars being provided with locks or other fastenings to
secure them together when required, and a lock or fastening is also fitted
on either side of the door so as to secure it to a' or ' as required. In
Fig. 2, when the door D is fastened to 6', and b' is not locked to b,
a being locked to a', the door upon being required to be opened, if
unlocked from a', swings upon ' in the direction shewn in Fig. (2).
In Fig. 3, the door D is fastened to a', and a¹ is not locked to a, b being
locked to b', then the door upon being required to be opened, if unlocked
from 6', swings upon in the direction shewn in Fig. (3).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put
into operation, we hereby declare that we claim the improvements in
raising and lowering carriage heads or hoods and in opening and shutting
doors, the nature and objects whereof are set forth in these Presents
by the words preceeding the words "Description of the Drawings."
In witness whereof, wc, the said Joseph Offord and Shepard William
Hale, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-ninth
day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
Vitness,
JOSEPH OFFORD.
(L.S.)
SHEPARD WILLIAM HIALE. (L.S.)
Vitness,
ALEX. P. WRIGHT,
JOSEPH OFFORD.
(L.S.)
SHEPARD WILLIAM HALE. (L.S.)
Secretary to the Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross.