IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR RAISING, SUPPORTING AND LOWERING THE HOODS OR COVERINGS OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard William Palmer and Richard Randell both of
Cheetham Manchester in the County of Lancaster Coach builders and
William Hely of Bath in the County of Somerset Coach builder for an
Invention of 6 TIEPROVEMENTO
TNT MEANS FOR RAISING SUPPORTING AND
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard William Palmer,
Richard Randell and William Hely at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 20th September 1883.
RICHARD WILLIAM PALMER and RICHARD RANDELL both of Cheetham,
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Coach-builders, and WILLIAM HELY of
Bath in the County of Somerset, Coachbuilder, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR
RAISING, SUPPORTING AND LOWERING THE HOODS OR COVERINGS OF CARRIAGES
"
Our Invention relates principally to that class of carriage which is provided
with a half hood capable of being raised and lowered such for example as the
Victoria carriage, but is also applicable to landaus and other carriages which can be
wholly enclosed at will.
.
In raising or lowering carriage heads or hoods provided with the ordinary form
of apparatus it is either necessary that two persons should act simultaneously from
the outside at each side of the carriage to avoid straining or if one person performs
the operation it must be done by degrees and slowly. We propose by means of our
Invention to obviate these disadvantages and instead of having the jointed struts
outside the hood as is usual we fit the apparatus inside thus avoiding the
piercing of the hood and presenting a more compact and less unsightly appearance
than is usual. Our apparatus as applied to the half hooded or Victoria type of
carriage consists of two arms or struts hinged together so as to form a but joint
when opened out into a straight line which relative position they occupy when the
hood is raised. The said hinged strut is pivoted at its lower end to the carriage
side near the back the outer member being united by a link to the front rib of the

page_text: hood. The said outer end of the strut is also hinged at a distance from its end
equal to the length of the said link, to the second hood rib, the ribs being pivoted
to a common centre as is usual. When the hood is up the three points of
attachment namely that of the strut to the second rib, the link to the strut and the
front rib to the link occupy the relative positions of the three angles of an
equilaterial triangle the link standing at right angles or nearly at right angles to
the front rib and to the strut. When backward pressure is applied to the front rib
it is transmitted through the links to the outer ends of the hinged struts on each
side of the hood. The outer members of the struts are thus caused to turn on
their points of attachment to the second rib whereby the struts become doubled up
at the but joint thus allowing the hood to fall back. A convenient mode of
striking the hood is to provide a cord or attachment running over the second rib to
the front rib and easily accessible to the occupant of the carriage who by pulling
at the cord causes the front rib to approach the second rib thus doubling up the
hinged strut in the manner described and allowing the hood to fall back. Similarly
the occupant can raise the hood by pushing forward the front rib until the hood is
extended and the two members of the hinged strut are in line. The hood can thus
be raised and lowered from the interior of the carriage and without requiring the'
attention of the driver or attendant and the force being applied at a point
requidistant from the struts that is to say at the centre of the hood the operation
can be performed at once and without bringing unequal strains upon the apparatus.
To keep the jointed strut in its extended position when the hood is up we employ
spring pressure preferably exerted by a coiled spring contained in two tubes which
slide telescopically and are concealed in the side of the carriage.
The arrangement herein before described as applicable to half hooded or Victoria
carriages can with slight modification be adapted to landaus and other carriages
which can be wholly or partly covered in when desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Richard William Palmer, Richard Randell and William Hely in the
Patent Office on the 19th March 1884.
RICHARD WILLIAM PALMER and RICHARD RANDELL both of Cheetham
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Coachbuilders, and WILLIAm Hely of
Bath in the County of Somerset, Coachbuilder "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR
RAISING, SUPPORTING AND LOWERING THE HOODS OR COVERINGS OF CARRIAGES
"
Our Invention relates principally to that class of carriage which is provided with
a half hood capable of being raised and lowered such for example as the Victoria
carriage, but is also applicable to landaus and other carriages which can be wholly
enclosed at will.
In raising or lowering carriage heads or hoods provided with the ordinary form
of apparatus it is either necessary that two persons should act simultaneously from
the outside at each side of the carriage to avoid straining or if one person performs
the operation it must be done by degrees and slowly. The object of our invention
is to obviate these disadvantages. In our apparatus jointed struts are pivoted at
their lower ends to the carriage body and extensions of these struts are connected
by links to the front rib of the hood. The said struts are also hinged to the second
rib of the hood the two ribs being pivoted to a common centre as is usual. When
backward pressure is applied to the front rib it is transmitted through the links to
the outer ends of the hinged struts on each side of the hood. The outer members
of the struts are thus caused to turn on their points of attachment to the second
rib whereby the struts become doubled up at the but joint thus allowing the hood
to fall back, We usually provide a cord whereby an occupant of the carriage can
draw down the hood. The occupant can raise the hood by pushing forward the
front rib until the hood is extended and the two members of the hinged strut are
in line.
to a
•
In order that our invention may be fully understood we have attached hereto a
sheet of drawings made to a scale of about four inches to the foot and marked with
letters of reference the said drawings illustrating the application of our invention
"Victoria" carriage. In the said drawings Fig: 1 is a side elevation of part
of the body of the carriage with the hood in a raised position and Fig: 2 represents
the same parts in the position assumed when the hood is down. In the said Figs
the frame-work of the hood appears without the ordinary leather covering which is
left out of the drawings in order that the method of application of our apparatus
may be better illustrated. The framework of the hood consists of four ribs a, b, c,
and, d, the three former being hinged at e to a part fixed to the carriage body as is
usual and the rib & being hinged to the rib c. A jointed strut f is hinged by one
end to a fulcrum g fixed upon the carriage body. The other end of the said strut
is hinged at h to the rib b. The said strut consists of two members which are
connected together at by means of a "but-joint" as usual. The strut takes the
place of the ordinary jointed strut which is usually applied on the outside of the
hood frame-work. A case i contains a spiral spring which tends to thrust outward
a tube k which slides in the case and encloses the upper part of the spring. The
outer end of the said tube bears against the strut and by reason of the action of
the spring tends to raise the strut. The said spring assists in raising the hood and
also by keeping the strut straight prevents the accidental lowering of the hood.
We sometimes mount the spring case in the manner indicated by the dotted
lines in order that when the hood is down the spring shall not have so great a
tendency to lift the hood. The outer end of the tube k is so jointed to the strut as
that the case and tube may accomodate themselves to the movements of the strut.
The upper end of the strut is formed with a lever extension f' which is connected
with the front rib a by means of a link which is jointed at m to a bracket upon
the said rib. The length of the said link should be equal to the length of the
lever that is to say, to the distance from the centre of the joint at n to the

page_text: rib a
centre of the joint at h and the two joints m and n should be at equal distances
from the joint e. When so proportioned the ribs a and b will fold together when
required. It will be understood that their is a corresponding arrangement on each
side of the hood. To lower the hood it is only necessary to pull inward the front
To enable this movement to be readily accomplished we provide a cord o at
the upper part of the hood the said cord being attached to the centre of the front
rib a and passing over a pulley on the top of the rib b. During this movement of
the rib a the links acting upon the levers f' turn them upon their fulcra at h
whereby the jointed struts are bent out of the straight line as indicated the parts
then assuming the positions indicated by the dotted lines. As the struts will not
then furnish rigid supports to the hood it is only necessary to continue to draw
inward the front of the hood when the hood will collapse or fold down the parts
falling into the positions indicated in Fig: 2 and the springs being compressed in
their cases.
When an occupant of the carriage wishes to raise the hood it is only
necessary to push the front rib upward and forward until the hood is extended.
This raising of the hood is assisted by the action of the springs. When the hood
is nearly extended the springs lift up the struts into their straight positions-
indicated by the full lines in Fig: 1-whereby the front of the hood is pushed out,
the final extension of the hood being effected entirely or almost entirely by the
action of the springs. The hood can thus be raised and lowered from the interior
of the carriage without the necessity for the assistance of a driver or other
attendant and as the force is applied to the centre of the front rib the operation
can be performed quickly without causing unequal strain upon the joints or parts
of the frame-work. With slight modifications the apparatus can be applied to
landaus or other descriptions of carriages which may be arranged to be wholly or
partly covered as desired as for example in some cases the apparatus may be
applied to each of two hoods meeting over the carriage. Although we prefer to fit
the struts and connected parts inside the framework of the hood in order to
improve the appearance of the carriage we do not confine ourselves to such
disposition of the parts.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of our said invention and
the manner in which we carry the same into practical effect we would have it to
be understood that we claim :-
.
First. The combination of parts forming the apparatus for effecting the raising
and lowering of carriage hoods substantially as set forth and indicated hereinbefore
and in and by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The jointed strut extended beyond the joint h and connected by means
of a hinged link with the front rib of the hood the parts being so proportioned and
arranged as that the first and second ribs can fold or come together substantially
as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
And lastly. The lever extension ƒ³ of the jointed strut for the purpose set forth
and indicated.
In witness whereof I Richard Randell for myself and on behalf of the said
Richard William Palmer and William Hely have hereunto set my hand and seal
this eighteenth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and eighty four
Signed, sealed, and, delivered
in the presence of
ARTHUR LEDGER, clerk to, Edward. K. Dutton
41 John Dalton St Manchester.
(Agent for the Patentees)
R. RANDELL (L.S.)