Improvements in Carriages or Carts for Children.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriages or Carts for Children.
I, JOHN GEORGE HARRISON No. 11, Noel Road Edgbaston Birmingham Manager
of Works do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide an arrangement for adjusting the shafts or
handles of carriages or carts for children, so that the said carriages or carts may be
conveniently pushed or drawn along, either by young children, taller children, or adult
persons, without stooping or other inconvenient or uncomfortable position of the
child or adult person pushing or drawing the carriage or cart.
My invention applies principaly to carriages or carts for children having two wheels
only.
To effect my purpose I joint the shafts or handles of a cart at, or near the front or
shaft end of such cart to the main side pieces thereof by means of a properly constructed
metal hinge which takes both the handles or shafts and the main side pieces of the
cart.
To the shafts or handles I affix a metal quadrant which passes within and through
a slot or channel in the main side pieces before mentioned, such quadrant having
holes, notches, grooves, or teeth, in, on, or through.
In or on the main side pieces of the cart or carriage I affix or attatch pins, wheels,
springs, screws or other contrivance to agree or correspond with the quadrant attatched
to the handles or shafts, so that when the handles or shafts are mooved on the hinge
by which they are attached to the main side pieces, the quadrant attatched to the
handles or shafts shall be held fast, and rigidly in any positions by engaging the pins
before mentioned with the corresponding holes in the quadrant, as also the screws
with the corresponding notches, the wheels with the corresponding teeth, or the springs
with the notches or teeth, thereby holding the handles or shafts at any desired angle
in relation to the main side pieces of the carriage or cart, so that the main side pieces
and consequently the seats of the carriage or cart will always remain horizontal and the
shafts or handles when being pushed or drawn higher or lower to suit the convenience
of the child or adult person pushing or drawing the carriage or cart.
I claim as new my arrangement of jointing the handles or shafts to the main side
pieces, together with the means described for keeping and holding the handles or
shafts in any position, and the advantage of adjustable handles or shafts to childrens
carriages or carts having two wheels only as herein roughly set forth.
Dated this 20th day of May 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriages or Carts for Children.
I, JOHN GEORGE HARRISON of 11 Noel Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Manager
of Works, 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 for its object, the adjustment of the shafts or handles, of two
wheeled vehicles for children, so that the said vehicles may be conveniently drawn or
pushed, by either young children, or by adult persons, without resorting to stooping,
or taking other undesirable positions.
Childrens' two wheeled vehicles, such as those commonly called mail-carts, have
their shafts or handles, arranged at fixed heights, so that a child or person has to be of
a determinate height, in order to properly draw or push them. -

page_text: According to my invention, I joint the inner ends of the shafts or handles, to the
front or fore part of the vehicle, in manner that the said shafts, admit of turning about
the said joints, as centres of motion, which thus admits of the fore parts of the said
shafts or handles, being raised or lowered, according to the height of a child or person,
requiring to push or draw the vehicle.
The adjusted positions of the shafts or handles, are secured by sectors or quadrant
arms, carried by the shafts, and affixed by pins, cottars, or clamping devices.
The adjustment of the shafts or handles, does not interfere with the plane of the
vehicle.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents in side elevation, a childrens'
two wheeled vehicle, commonly called a mail-cart, provided with adjustable shafts or
handles, mounted and constructed according to one form of my invention. It will be
seen, that the inner ends of the shafts, are independently jointed to the fronts of the
side framings of the vehicle, in manner that the said shafts, admit of moving circularly,
upon fixed points, in order to adapt them to the varying requirements of persons
pulling or pushing them.
Figure 2 represents upon an enlarged scale, an outside side elevation of the joint
connection, and affixing and steadying means, in connection with the shaft and
vehicle.
Figure 3 represents an underside plan partly in horizontal section, (on dotted
lines A B figure 2) of the said connection.
Figure 4 represents an inner side elevation of figure 2, thus better exhibiting the
fulcrum bracket, and pierced sector, with open socket.
Figure 5 represents a transverse vertical section of the sector, and affixing part of
the appliance, upon the dotted lines CD figure 4, and figure 6 represents a like
section, upon the dotted lines E F figure 4.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a is the body of the vehicle, having supporting side framings a², with extensions a³,
to near the ends of which, the shafts b, are horizontally pivoted, or jointedly
connected.
Thus, the extreme inner ends 62, of the shafts, are pinned or pivotedly connected
at c¹, to the fore extension a³, of the said side framings a², by upright fulcrum
brackets, carried by carrier plates or straps c, securely connected to the side
framings, or fronts of the side framings a.
Jointed and depending from the inner ends of the shafts, at short distances from
the joint centres or pivots, are sector or quadrant arins d, pierced with equi-distant
or other holes d², wherethrough affixing cottars or pins e, directed transversely
through the said fore parts of the side framings, pass, and thereby affix the shafts at
any angle, consistent with the length of sector.
The pierced sectors, pass through combined open sockets and guides f, and are
jointed at d³, to carrying plates or straps 63, secured upon the inner and outer sides
of the inner ends of the said shafts.
To prevent the adjustment pins e, from becoming accidentally removed from their
assigned positions, by the vibration of the vehicle, 1 line the holes wherethrough
they pass, with rubber, or like yielding material e², so that the said cottars or pins,
lie within yielding bushes, which close constantly around them.
The adjustment pins, are prevented from being lost, by connected chains.
The body of the vehicle, is mounted upon springs, carried upon the top side of
the axle 92, of the wheels g, whilst the vehicle, fore and aft, have hanging foot rest
supports of foot rests h.
Figure 7 represents another form of my invention. In this arrangement, the
adjustment pins or cottars, are carried upon the inside parts of the free ends of
springs, affixedly connected to the vehicle frame, whilst the piercings of the sector
or quadrant arms, are rectangular in figure.
a³ is the fore part of the side framing a, b is the inner end of a shaft, pivoted or
horizontally jointed at c¹, to a fulcrum bracket c², connected to a strap c, to which

page_text: the fixed end 2, of the free spring i, is attached; and which said spring, has upon
its inside face, a long stud or pin e, which takes into the long piercings d², of the
jointed sector or quadrant arm d.
The stud is removed from piercings, when adjustment is required to be made, by
a knob ³, so that by pulling the said knob, the stud is placed in a position outside
the path of the sector.
Figure 8 represents an edge view of the combined spring and stud seperately.
Figure 9 represents another form of my invention. In this arrangement the
jointed sector or quadrant arm d, is provided with teeth d², on its inner edge, which
engage with the teeth of a pinion j, which runs upon a clamping screw e, with thumb
lever e, taking upon its outer end.
The inner end of the clamping screw, has a head, which bears against the back
face of the toothed wheel or pinion j, so that by rotating the thumb lever upon the
screwed end of the clamping screw, the toothed wheel is clamped in any position.
On the shafts requiring to be placed at an angle, in order that the vehicle may be
drawn or pushed by an adult or by a child, the clamping screw is loosened, when the
necessary adjustment can be made, and the desired position affixed, by the screwing
up of the said thumb lever.
Figure 10 represents a modification of figure 9.
62 is the inner end of the shafts, da slotted quadrant arm, e a clamping screw,
passing through the fore part a², of the frame of the vehicle, and also through a
slot d', of the arm, and with the head thereof coming against the back of the said
quadrant arm. e2 is a thumb lever, which on being screwed up, clamps and rigidly
connects the inner end of a shaft, to the body framing of a vehicle.
The turning of the thumb lever in a reverse direction, loosens the said clamping
means, and allows any angular adjustment within the limit of the slot of the quadrant
arm, to be made.
The said annexed sheets of drawings, are to be considered only as selected examples
of the means of carrying out my invention, rather as invariable standards, thus for
example, the sectors or quadrant arms respectively, may be jointed and carried upon
the front framings of the vehicle, instead of being jointed and carried upon the
inner ends of the shafts, and further, that the joints may be made directly to the
framing, instead of through the intervention of fulcrum brackets.
Instead of employing quadrant arms, for adjusting, steadying, guiding, and giving
rigidity to the jointed and connected ends, adjustments and connections may be made
by a screw, with one or both ends, taking through swivelling screw boxes, connected
to shaft and vehicle framing respectively, and further the inner ends of the shafts,
may be jointed and connected at two intermediate points, by links, after the manner
of a parallel motion, thus admitting of the shafts being raised and lowered horizontally,
instead of obliquely.
I may if necessary, connect rigidly together the two shafts, by cross bars or struts,
in manner, that the said shafts move together, and are adjusted, guided, and fixed
by a single joint quadrant arm, and affixing pin or cottar.
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 Jointedly connecting the inner ends of the shafts or handles, or the inner
ends of coupled shafts or handles, of two wheeled childrens' vehicles, to the fore part
or fore framing of them, whereby the said shafts or handles, admit of being raised
or lowered, and subsequently affixed, substantially as, and for the purpose, as described
and set forth.
Secondly-Affixing or securing the inner ends of the shafts or handles, of
childrens' two wheeled vehicles, by means of jointed sectors or quadrant arms,
substantially as described and set forth in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10.
Thirdly The means herein described, of affixing or securing the said shafts or

page_text: handles in: adjusted positions, substantially as described and set forth in the several
'figures.
Fourthly:-Carrying the adjustment pin for the affixing of an adjusted arm in
position, upon the free end of a flat spring.
Fifthly The combination with the adjustment pin, and hole, wherethrough it
passes, for the affixing of the shafts in position, of a rubber lining or bush, as
set forth.
Sixthly in childrens two wheeled vehicles, the means herein described of
connecting and adjusting the shafts, or handles of them, to their body paris or
framing, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 18th day of February 1890
JOHN GEORGE HARRISON.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.