Improvements in Folding Spring Carts and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 21st May, 1897-Accepted, 26th June, 1897
Improvements in Folding Spring Carts and other Road Vehicles.
I, ROBERT RIACH THOM, 12 London Road, Kilmarnock, Scotland, Minister of
the Free Church of Scotland do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
These improvements consist in a method of constructing a spring cart or other
road vehicle so that it can be easily folded to pass through a narrow doorway.
I attain this by means of a suitable folding axle, a hinged and divided bottom, a
trebly hinged front fixed at a suitable angle, and a trebly hinged back, which may
be constructed in such a way as to form a door, or, if desired, a footboard.
Dated this 10th day of October 1896.
Improvements in Folding Spring Carts and other Road Vehicles.
I ROBERT RIACH THOM 12 London Road Kilmarnock, Scotland, Minister of
the Free Church of Scotland 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 :-
My invention has reference to spring carts, governess cars, vans and other road
vehicles, and consists in a method of folding the same into small space, and so
constructing and disposing of the several parts of such vehicles that no part shall
offer any obstacle to the collapsing of the said vehicles.
I attain this end by the means and contrivances which I shall fully describe.
In order clearly to explain my invention, reference is necessary to the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 shews the construction of a folding spring cart.
Fig. 2 a compound folding axle.
Fig. 3 a cranked compound folding axle.
Fig. 4 the back folding end of governess car shewing the door.
Fig. 5 the back folding end of spring cart shewing the door.
Fig. 6 the method of construction of a folding governess car.
Figs. 7 and 8 contrivance for fastening down the bottom of spring cart.
Fig. 9 a modified form of part of the folding axle shewn Fig. 3.
Fig. 10 a folding shelf for a van or similar vehicle.
1 shall first explain my invention in its application to a spring cart as shewn in
Fig. 1. JJ indicate two side frames, to the lower side of each of which a spring K
is attached, and to this a stub axle k is fixed, upon which the wheel rotates. To
the inner end of these stub axles, one end of a compound axle L, of the description
shewn in Fig. 2 is attached. The bottom of the vehicle is formed of two flaps M
and N, each of which is hinged to one of the side frames J so as to fold upward

page_text: when the vehicle is collapsed. The side frames J J are attached to each other by
means of trebly hinged ends, the back end P being vertical or nearly so, and the
front end inclined at a convenient angle to the plane of the bottom of the vehicle.
The back end P. Fig. 5, is divided both horizontally and vertically so as to form
four parts pp and pl pl, p p being at the bottom, and hinged at p to one of the
sides of the vehicle as well as being hinged together at so as to fold together.
The parts p p are also hinged to the side frames J J at p, and together at p so
as to fold together when the vehicle is closed. pl p' are also hinged to p p in such
manner as to form a door that opens outwards as shewn by the dotted lines in
Fig. 1, the pins of the hinges ps p being removable for that purpose. pl pt can
be retained in such a position as to form a footboard by means of chains or the like.
The seat Q is removable in the usual way. The front end R is divided into two
parts, each of which is hinged at r to one of the sides, and to each other in the
middle. To one of these is fastened a splashboard which extends the whole
width of the vehicle when open, and is fastened down at its free end by a catch.
By this construction a vehicle is shewn in Fig. 1. which can be closed by removing
the seats and folding up the bottom, the ends and the compound axle. The bottom
can be rigidly fixed in the extended position by means of screw fastenings as shewn
in Figs. 7 and 8. These consist of a forked plate a fixed to the lower part of the
folding end, and of a screw bolt s' having a ring head s which is held by a staple s
or similar contrivance fixed to the under side of one half of the bottom near the
end, the said half having a flange s which retains and holds down the other half.
The bolt is slipped into the forked plate and the wing or other nut a tightened.
The compound axle L is shewn in Fig. 2, and consists of two metal plates 4, each
of which is pivotted at ¹ to one of the stub axles k, and the two of which are
pivotally connected to each other at 1. The pivots at klare formed by bolts,
which serve also to hold the bar P, and the whole can be cramped together hy
by means of handscrew nuts. At one end the pivot screw passes through a hole
in the head of the bar 12, but at the other end the hole is extended so as to form a
slot or opening. The bar may also be formed with a stud which fits into a cavity
in the stab axle for the purpose of holding the bar more firmly in position. By
slacking the hand screws the free end of the bar may be slewed round till it is
parallel with the sides of the vehicle, and can be rested on the step or on a pin or
hook for the purpose. The bars and I can then be folded so as to allow the side
frames to be closed together.
In Figs. 4 and 6 I shew the application of my invention to a governess car.
AA are the side frames which are connected by the trebly hinged ends B and C.
The bottom is constructed so as to fold upward in the same way as that of the
spring cart. E E are seats arranged longitudinally, consisting of two parts
hinged together at ee, the outer section being fixed to the vehicle, and the inner
section so hinged to the other as to fold upward. The folding part of the seat is
supported at each end by a small ledge. If the sides and ends of the vehicle are
extended upwards to form a van, which may have a canvas or other cover on the
to, shelves, Fig. 10, can be hinged to the sides in such a way as to fold upward.
Fig. 4 shews the back end of the governess car with the door which is in two
halves d d that open outwards and are each hinged at d to the folding end B, and
to each other by the hinge d. The pin d of the hinge d is removable, and is
removed when the door is to be opened. The door may also be made not in two
halves but undivided, in which case it is hinged at one side so as to open outward,
and at the other is held by any convenient fastening. To the spring a one of the
stub axles al is fixed, a similar arrangement being made on the opposite side of the
vehicle. A composite folding axle is shewn in Fig. 3, and consists of two
parts a² a which are pivotally connected to each other by a screw bolt a³ held by a
screw nut a', and each at its outer end has a round hole which fits on to the lower
end of the stub axle a¹ and is held in position by a screw nut a³.
In order to give increased stability I sometimes use a modified form of the axle
shewn in Fig. 3, in which the under limb of the stub axle a instead of passing

page_text: through a hole in the end of a' passes through a tube or barrel a Fig. 9 welded
or otherwise securely fixed to a². By raising the sections of the bottom, and
folding up the hinged parts of the seats and loosening the screw nut a', the axle
and the ends of the vehicle can be folded.
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:
1. A folding vehicle consisting essentially of two side frames which are connected
by trebly hinged ends that fold inward, a bottom divided longitudinally down
the middle into two halves, which are respectively hinged to opposite sides of the
vehicle in such a way as to fold upward, wheels that rotate on stub axles, a folding
axle, and a door in one of the folding ends; all as described and shewn.
2. A folding vehicle combining two side frames which are connected by trebly
hinged ends that fold inward, with a bottom divided longitudinally down the
middle into two halves, which are respectively hinged to opposite sides of the
vehicle in such a way as to fold upward, wheels that rotate on stub axles, a
folding axle, removable seats, and a door so constructed and hinged that it opens
outward and downward so that it can form a footboard; all as described and shewu,
with reference to Figures 1 and 5.
3. A folding vehicle combining side frames connected by trebly hinged ends that
fold inward, with a bottom divided longitudinally down the middle into two halves,
which are respectively hinged to opposite sides of the vehicle in such a way as to
fold upward, wheels that rotate on stub axles, a folding axle, a door in one of the
folding ends, and seats arranged longitudinally and hinged in such a way that a
part folds upward, all as described and shewu, with reference to Figs. 6 and 4.
4. A folding vehicle having side frames connected by trebly hinged ends that
fold inward, a bottoin divided longitudinally down the middle into two halves,
which are respectively hinged to opposite sides in such a way as to fold upward,
wheels that rotate on stub axles, a folding axle, a door that opens outward
constructed and hinged in one of the folding ends, and shelves arranged longi-
tudinally and hinged to the sides in such a way as to fold upward, all as described
and shewn.
5. For use in folding carts and like vehicles the compound folding axle
substantially as described and shewn with reference to Fig. 2.
6. For use in folding carts and like vehicles, the combination of stub axles,
folding axle and pivotting barrels, all as described and shewn, with reference to
Figs. 3 and 9.
7. For use in folding carts and like vehicles, the folding door constructed and
operating substantially as shewn and described, with reference to Fig. 4.
8. For use in folding carts and like vehicles, the folding door shewn and
described, with reference to Fig. 5.
9. For use in folding carts and like vehicles an undivided end door constructed
and operating as described.
Dated this 20th dor of May 1907
ROBERT RIACH THOM.