A Mud Guard for Hansom Cabs.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1896-Accepted, 20th June, 1896 .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Mud Guard for Hansom Cabs.
HARRY STANLEY BETJEMANN Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer 1 Robert Street
Bedford Row W.C. and HARRY GEORGE FRANK BETJEMANN Confectioner
156 Canbury Park Road Kingston on Thames do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
An automatic mud guard for hansom cabs.
The guard is made like a paralel rule and is attached to the edge of the door.
When the door is closed the guard is folded together; the opening of the door
opens the guard, by means of a bar one end of which is attached to the guard and
the other to the fixed body of the cab.
7th August 1895
HARRY STANLEY BETJEMANN.
HARRY GEORGE FRANK BETJEMANN.
We HENRY STANLEY BETJEMANN of 1 Robert Street Bedford Row in the
County of London Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer and HARRY GEORGE FRANK
BETJEMANN of 156 Canbury Park Road Kingston-on-Thames in the County of
Surrey Confectioner, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to construct a guard for the wheels of hansom
and similar cabs which shall prevent ladies' dresses from becoming soiled with
mud or dirt from the wheels when entering or alighting from such vehicles.
The guard according to this invention is made of any suitable size and material
and is constructed in such a manner as to fold against or upon the door when the
latter is closed and open out when the door is opened in the same manner as the
two portions of a parallel ruler open and close.
And in order that our said invention may be fully understood we will proceed
to explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings
in which-
Fig. 1 represents front view of a hansom cab the doors of which are fitted with
mud guards for the wheels of the said vehicle constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 2. is view of one door to an enlarged scale shewing mud guard folded.
Fig. 3. shews mud guard projected in front of the wheel.
Fig. 4 is part elevation of one of the levers.
Fig. 5 is end view of same.

page_text: 15 plan or connecting bar.
Fig. 10. is side elevation of same.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.
a is the body of the cab b. c the wheels thereof de the doors whereof d is shewn
open and e closed. ffare mud guards formed of any convenient size shape and
material preferably of a metal frame covered with leather.
The guards ff are attached to the doors d, e by levers go the said levers being
pivotted to the doors and guards in such a manner as to form a "parallel motion
whereby the guards when closed, opening, open, or closing remain parallel to the
edges of the doors.
The centre lever g¹ has attached thereto a toothed sector which sector engages
with a rack reciprocated by a bar or rod jone end of which is pivotted to the
said rack and the other end to the body of the cab a. Guides are provided
through which the rack slides to prevent any vertical or lateral motion of
the same.
The rod or bar ; is preferably made in two pieces as shewn at Fig. 2 whereof
j is a rod bar or tube having a male screw thread at one end and an eye at the
other end. The screwed portion of the rod bar or tube j engages with a nut j
which is pivotted to a bracket m secured to the body of the cab. By this arrange-
ment the fixing of the guard to the cab is facilitated as the bracket m may be
fixed anywhere between the line of the hinges and the outside of the cab body
and the length of the rod j afterwards adjusted by rotating the nut until the
guard opens out and folds up properly when the door is opened and shut
respectively.
As will be seen on reference to Fig. 6 a portion of the teeth of the rack i are
cut away this is done to allow the cab doors to open a little way before the
guards fall and to enable the guards to be rapidly lifted clear of the foot board
when the doors are closed.
When the doors are opened the racks i move a certain distance before engaging
with the sector h which allows the door to be partly opened before the guard.
is moved.
As soon as the door is nearly open the rack engages with the sector and drops
the guard. On closing the door the first movement thereof lifts the guard clear of
the footboard and folds it upon or against the door the further movement of the
door moves the rack until when the door is quite closed the tooth at the free end
of the rack engages with the last tooth on the sector as shewn at Fig. 2 and holds
the guard in its closed position a slight movement of the door being sufficient to
open or fold up the guard.
The edges of the guards when folded are just clear of one another and do not
overlap.
The rack has attached to the back thereof a stud or roller n which engages with
a groove or slot o in the lever g¹ the object of the said alot and stud being to
prevent the guard from falling when the teeth of the rack i are disengaged from
the section h.
To facilitate fixing mud guards constructed according to this invention to
existing cabs we may attach the levers g g' to strips of metal xx as shewn at
Fig. 3 by ivetting or other suitable means.
The strips can then be attached to the guards and doors of the cab by
means of screws or rivets or in any other suitable way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is :-
1. In a mud guard for hansom and similar cabs the construction and use of a
guard attached to the door of the cab by means of levers pivotted to the gua
and to the door in such a manner as to cause the edges of the guard to remain
parallel to the edge of the door substantially as and for the purpose stated.

page_text: 2. In a mud guard for hansom and similar cabs the combination of a guard f
with levers g g pivotted to the said guard and to the door of the cab the whole
combination forming a parallel motion substantially as and for the purpose
stated.
3. In a mud guard for hansom and similar cabs the combination of a guard
attached to the door of the cab by means of levers pivotted to the guard and door
in such a manner as to cause the edges of the guard to remain parallel to the
edge of the door with means for lowering the said guard when the door is opened
and for raising the same when the door is closed substantially as hereinbefore
specified.
4. In a mud guard for hansom and similar cabs the combination of a guard ƒ
attached to the door of the cab by parallel levers g g with a toothed sector h
attached to the lever g¹ and a rack i reciprocated by a rod j pivotted to the body
of the cab all substantially as herein before specified and for the purpose stated.
5. In mud guards for hansom and similar cabs the combination of levers 9 g'
with strips of metal x z pivotted thereto the said strips being adapted to be
attached to the mud guard and door of the cab respectively substantially as
herein before specified.
6. The construction of mud guards for hansom and similar cabs substantially as
shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated thie 4th day of May 1896
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C., Agent for Applicants.