IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas William Fuller, of Leamington, in
the County of Warwick, Coach Builder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES:"
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 24th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas William
Fowler at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th March 1868.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM FULLER, of Leamington, in the County of
Warwick, Coach Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner
herein-after described the parts of carriages whereby ladies or other
persons may ascend to the roof seats from the interior of the
carriage.
My Invention is especially applicable to omnibusses, but is also
annlicable to all such close carriages as have roof seats.

page_text: Besides being applicable to new carriages my Invention may readily
be applied to carriages already built.
In constructing a carriage according to my Invention I form at
the front of the carriage a series of steps, the upper steps being
situated in the boot, and the lowest step being situated in the body
of the carriage and constituting the end seat in the body of the
carriage. In the front end of the carriage is a door which when
opened inside the carriage discloses the upper steps in the boot, and
opens that end of the carriage out of which the lady or person is
to pass to the roof seats. The roof of the carriage over the door
described is provided with a hinged flap which when raised makes
the passage from the carriage more convenient, and when shut down
constitutes the roof seat. Four steps are sufficient, the bottom step
inside the body of the carriage forming a seat; the second and third
steps are situated in the boot. The top step is formed by turning
back the top of the boot, that is, that portion of the boot which forms
the footboard for the roof seat. When the door described is shut and
the roof flap and the top of the boot are turned down the carriage
resembles an ordinary carriage. When it is wished to pass out of
the carriage to the roof seats the door described is opened, the roof
flap is turned back, and the footboard on the top of the boot is also
folded back. There is now a convenient passage by means of the
steps to the roof seats, and by closing the said door and folding down
the flap on the roof and the top of the boot the carriage resembles
both externally and internally an ordinary carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas William Fuller in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIAM FULLER, of Leamington, in the County of Warwick, Coach a
Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the

page_text: thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas William Fuller, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas William Fuller, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas William
Fuller, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas William Fuller, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas William Fuller, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner
herein-after described the parts of carriages whereby ladies or other
persons may ascend to the roof seats from the interior of the carriage.
My Invention is especially applicable to omnibuses, but is also
applicable to all such close carriages as have roof seats. Besides being
applicable to new carriages my Invention may readily be applied to
carriages already built.
In constructing a carriage according to my Invention I form at the
front of the carriage a series of steps, the upper steps being situated in
the boot and the lowest step being situated in the body of the carriage,
and constituting the end seat in the body of the carriage. In the front
end of the carriage is a door which when opened inside the carriage
discloses the upper steps in the boot and opens that end of the carriage
out of which the lady or person is to pass to the roof seats. The roof
of the carriage over the door described is provided with a hinged flap
which when raised makes the passage from the carriages more con-

page_text: venient and when shut down constitutes the roof seat. Four steps are
sufficient, the bottom step inside the body of the carriage forming a
seat. The second and third steps are situated in the boot. The top
step is formed by turning back the top of the boot, that is, that portion
of the boot which forms the footboard for the roof seats. When the
door described is shut and the roof flap and the top of the boot are,
turned down the carriage resembles an ordinary carriage. When it is;
wished to pass out of the carriage to the roof seats the door described is
opened, the roof flap is turned back, and the footboard on the top of
the boot is also folded back. There is now a convenient passage by
means of the steps to the roof seats, and by folding down the footboard.
flap and then closing the end door and folding down the flap. on the
roof the carriage resembles both externally and internally an ordinary.
carriage.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in perspective an omnibus or close carriage
provided with roof seats constructed according to my Invention%;
Figure 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section; and Figure 3 a
plan of the body of the same, the parts constituting my Invention being
in their normal or closed positions; Figure 4 represents a vertical,
longitudinal section of the same in which the parts are opened and
in the positions proper to permit ladies or other
persons to pass from
the interior of the omnibus or carriage to the roof seats. In the
perspective view, Figure 1, the parts are also shown open. The same
letters of reference are employed to indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
a is the body of the omnibus, and a is the floor of the same. In
the front end of the body a is a door b opening inwards, as seen in
Figure 4. The steps by which the ascent to the roof seats from the
interior of the carriage is obtained are marked c, d, e, f. The lowest
step c is situated in the body a of the carriage, and constitutes the end
seat of the carriage. The second and third steps d, e, are situated in
the boot h. The top step fis formed by the top of the boot, the middle
part or flap f of which is jointed to the side of the boot and is capable

page_text: of being turned back in the manner represented in Figures 1 and 4.
When the flap f* is folded down as represented in Figures 2 and 3, it
constitutes with the part f the footboard for the roof seats g. That
part of the roof seats g over the door b is provided with a hinged flap g³,
which when raised in the manner represented in Figures 1 and 4 makes
the passage from the carriage more convenient, and when shut down
as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 forms a portion of the roof seats g.
When the parts of the omnibus or carriage are in the respective positions
represented in Figures 2 and 3, and it is wished to ascend to the roof
seats g, g, the parts of the carriage are made. to take the respective
positions represented in Figures 1 and 4, that is to say, the door b at
the front end of the carriage is opened and the footboard f" is raised
or turned back, and the roof flap g is also raised or turned back. There
is now a convenient passage from the interior of the carriage to the
roof seats g, g%, by means of the steps c, d, e, f. After the ladies or
persons have ascended to the roof seats the footboard f is folded down,
then the door b is closed, and finally the roof flap g is folded down,
when the parts of the omnibus or carriage assume the positions repre-
sented in Figures 2 and 3, and the said omnibus or carriage resembles
both internally and externally an ordinary omnibus or close carriage
provided with roof seats. Before ascending the steps to the roof seats
it is necessary to remove the cushion from the end seat c, which
then constitutes the lowest step.
The parts of the omnibus or carriage which I have not described are
of the ordinary kind and constitute no part of my Invention.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention, but I claim as my Invention the improvements in
carriages herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, forming at the front end of omnibuses or other
close carriages provided with roof seats a door opening inwards and
forming at the front of the carriage a series of steps, the said door
and steps, and the roof seats over the said door being constructed and
arranged substantially as described and illustrated, whereby ladies or

page_text: other persons may ascend to the roof seats from the interior of the
omnibus or carriage.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas William Fuller, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
Witness,
FRANK HILL SIMPSON,
Leamington.
THOMAS WILLIAM FULLER. (L.s.)