IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING DEVICES FOR THE ROOFS OF CARRIAGES AND PERAMBULATORS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, Proprietor of the Firm
of J. Brandt & G.W. v. Nawrocki, Patent Solicitor and Civil Engineer, of
124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCKING DEVICES FOR THE ROOFS OF CARRIAGES AND PERAMBULATORS."
A communication from Louis Schmetzer, of the City of Rothenburg-upon-
the-Tauber, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von
Nawrocki at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th
September 1881.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, Proprietor of the Firm of J. Brandt &
G. W. v. Nawrocki, Patent Solicitor and Civil Engineer, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse,
Berlin, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING DEVICES FOR THE ROOFS OF
CARRIAGES AND PERAMBULATORS." [A. communication from Louis Schmetzer, of
the City of Rothenburg-upon-the-Tauber, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.]
This Invention has for its object to secure the roofs or hoods of carriages or
perambulators in the raised position without the use of locking bars, such as are
ordinarily used with carriages, or of straps, such as used for perambulator hoods.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement, the ribs of the hood are pivotted
to plates fixed to the sides of the vehicle, and the front rib has a spring extension
beyond its pivot, provided with a stud, which as the rib is raised moves over the
plate and springs into one or other of a series of holes or recesses formed in the
plate, whereby the rib is held in the position into which it is moved, the spring
extension being sufficiently strong to hold the rib firmly but not to prevent its
being shifted up or down when force is applied thereto by hand. The other ribs
being connected to the front rib by the fabric of the hood or roof, will also be held
thereby in the raised position. Instead of providing the spring extension of the
rib with a stud, it may have a small roller which rolls over the plate when the rib
is moved, and springs into correspondingly formed recesses in the plate.
According to another arrangement, the front rib has formed or fixed on it a small
ratchet wheel concentric with its pivot, in gear with which wheel is a spring pawl,

page_text: so that on raising the rib and thus turning the ratchet wheel the spring pawl will
hold it in the position into which it is moved, while on moving the pawl out of
gear by means of a stud the rib can be thrown back again. The ribs may be
made to move back automatically by connecting one end of a spiral spring to the rib
or its ratchet wheel, while the other end is connected to the fixed pivot, so that the
spring tends to turn the ribs back.
According to another modification, instead of pivotting the ribs to fixed plates
they are pivotted to plates or bars that are themselves pivotted at one end to the
fixed plates, so that when the roof or hood has to be raised the free end of the bar
is first raised together with the pivots of the ribs into a horizontal position, and
secured there by a spring catch, after which the ribs are raised on their pivots.
When in the lowered position, the pivotted plates or bars draw the ribs inwards
into the carriage, so that the folded hood takes up less room than ordinarily. The
pivotted plates may be acted upon by spiral or other springs tending to move them
into the lowered position when they are released from the spring catch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th March 1882.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, Proprietor of the Firm of J. Brandt &
G. W. v. Nawrocki, Patent Solicitor and Civil Engineer, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse,
Berlin, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING DEVICES FOR THE ROOFS OF
CARRIAGES AND PERAMBULATORS." (A communication from Louis Schnetzer, of
the City of Rothenburg-upon-the-Tauber Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.)
This Invention has for its object to secure the roofs or hoods of carriages or
perambulators in the raised position without the use of locking bars, such as are
ordinarily used with carriages, or of straps, such as are used for perambulator hoods.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement, the ribs of the hood are pivotted
to plates fixed to the sides of the vehicle, and the front rib has a spring extension
beyond its pivot, provided with a stud, which as the rib is raised moves over the
plate and springs into one or other of a series of holes or recesses formed in the
plate, whereby the rib is held in the position into which it is moved, the spring
extension being sufficiently strong to hold the rib firmly, but not to prevent its
being shifted up or down when force is applied thereto by hand. The other ribs
being connected to the front rib by the fabric of the hood or roof, will also be
held thereby in the raised position. Instead of providing the spring extension of
the rib with a stud, it may have a small roller, which rolls over the plate when the
rib is moved and springs into correspondingly formed recesses in the plate.
According to another arrangement, the front rib has formed or fixed on it a small
ratchet wheel concentric with its pivot, in gear with which wheel is a spring pawl,
so that on raising the rib and thus turning the ratchet wheel the spring pawl will
hold it in the position into which it is moved, while on moving the pawl out of
gear by means of a stud the rib can be thrown back again. The ribs may be made
to move back automatically by connecting one end of a spiral spring to the rib or
its ratchet wheel, while the other end is connected to the fixed pivot, so that the
spring tends to turn the ribs back.
According to another modification, instead of pivotting the ribs to fixed plates
they are pivotted to plates or bars that are themselves pivotted at one end to the
fixed plates, so that when the roof or hood has to be raised, the free end of the bar
is first raised together with the pivots of the ribs into a horizontal position, and
secured there by a spring catch, after which the ribs are raised on their pivots.
When in the lowered position, the pivotted plates or bars draw the ribs inwards
into the carriage, so that the folded hood takes up less room than ordinarily. The
pivotted plates may be acted upon by spiral or other springs tending to move
them into the lowered position when they are released from the spring catch.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews a side view of a perambulator with
the above described Invention applied thereto, and Figs. 2 to 9 shew variously
modified constructions of the locking mechanism to an enlarged scale. The ribs
a, a, are pivotted to plates or cheeks d secured by screws or otherwise to the body
of the vehicle. Figs. 2 and 3 shew the simplest arrangement for locking the ribs
in the open and folded positions. The front rib a¹ has fixed to its ends spring
extensions, having studs i which enter one or other of the holes or recesses o in
the plates d, so that the rib is held in whatever position it is moved into. The
rib a' being connected to the other ribs by the covering b, they will all be held

page_text: thereby in a more or less opened position, according to the hole or recess in which
the rib a' is secured. In the arrangement at Figs. 4 and 5 the spring extension f
of the rib a¹ has a roller i which rolls over the plate d as the rib is moved, and
springs into one of the recesses o so as to hold the rib in the same manner as the
studs in the previous arrangement.
In order to effect the lowering of the hood automatically, a spiral spring g may
be employed, as at Figs. 6 and 7, one end of which is attached to the pin h, fixed
to the plate d, and serving as pivot to the rib, while the other end is connected to
the rib itself, tending to turn this in the direction of the arrow. The rib is held in
any desired position in opposition to the action of the spring by means of a spring
catch taking into notches or teeth formed on a circular enlargement of the rib.
Instead of connecting the ends of the ribs to the plates d, they can also be carried
by a loose plate or bar which is itself pivotted to the plate d, by which means the
hood when folded will occupy less space, and will consequently be more convenient
either when the vehicle is in use or for transport. This arrangement is shewn at
Fig. 1 and at Figs. 8 and 9. The ribs a are pivotted to the plate m, which in its
turn is pivotted to the plate d by the pin n, and is held in any desired position by
the spring catch p. The plate m is acted upon by a spring either such as r, Fig. 8,
or a spiral spring 8, as at Fig. 1, tending to turn the plate in the direction of the
arrow so as to lower the hood. In this case the front rib can either be fixed to the
plate m or it can be pivotted thereto and secured by the devices described with
reference to the previous arrangements.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my correspondent, I claim :-
First. The use of locking mechanism for the hoods of vehicles, consisting of a
spring extension f to the front rib a', which by means of a stud or roller, is caused
to take into recesses or holes in the plate d, substantially as herein described with
reference to Figs. 2 to 5 of the Drawings.
Second. The use of locking mechanism for the hood of vehicles, consisting of a
spring g operating in combination with the notched or ratchet shaped end of the
rib a¹, and a catch 1, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 6 and
7 of the Drawings.
Third. Mounting the ends of the ribs upon a pivotted plate m, held in position
by a spring catch p, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1, 8,
and 9 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.