Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887.
I WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY of Jamaica Row Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows:
My invention consists in constructing arranging and combining in the manner
hereinafter described the parts of perambulators whereby the perambulator is made
very portable and may when not in use be made into a flat package very convenient
for transit and storage.
I make the body of the perambulator of four folding parts each of the said parts
being similar to the ordinary folding hood of a perambulator the folding curved laths
carrying the leather or other fabric being jointed at their ends to a circular plate or to
a common axis on each side of the perambulator. The laths are provided with the
usual folding joints by which the parts can be maintained in their distended position
or allowed to collapse. The said four folding parts are so connected that there is only
one separation between them the said separation being at the middle of the upper part
of the structure. The parts on each side of the separation constitute the two hoods of
the perambulator and one or both may be folded back or stretched over the perambulator.
The other two parts constitute the body of the perambulator and when the perambulator
is in use are in their stretched or distended condition.
The seats of the perambulator are suspended from the horizontal curved laths and
the bottom of the perambulator may either be made of carpet or leather or of folding
boards hinged to the middle curved lath.
I prefer to use only two wheels and to fix the pins on which they turn a short
distance below the top of the middle lath. Three or four wheels may however be
employed. When two wheels are employed a short prop may be fixed on each side of
the bottom of the middle lath to preserve the perambulator in its upright position when
not being propelled. For the purpose of propelling the perambulator an arm may be
fixed on each horizontal lath.
When the perambulator is not in use the wheels may be removed and the four parts
folded upon one another.

page_text: A nearly flat package is thereby produced the seats and bottom lying flat within the
folded parts and the wheels being placed on each side of the folded perambulator
the whole may be connected by a wrapper or cord. The opening and closing of the
perambulator is effected with great ease and rapidity and by the use of a spring snap
fastening for securing the wheels on their pins the whole operation of expanding and
preparing the perambulator for use or in collapsing it when not in use may be effected
in a few seconds.
Instead of making the body of perambulator fold in the manner described it may
fold in the following manner. I make a flat rigid bottom to the body to the ends of
which bottom folding arms are jointed the other ends of the folding arms being jointed
to the circular plate or common axis. In this case the leather or other fabric of the
body collapses somewhat after the manner of the bellows of an accordion the other two
parts constituting the hoods folding in the manner already described.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY of Jamaica Row, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in constructing, arranging and combining in the manner
hereinafter described, the parts of perambulators, whereby the perambulator is made
very portable and may when not in use be made into a flat package very convenient
for transit and storage.
I make the body of the perambulator of four folding parts, each of the said parts
being similar to the ordinary folding hood of a perambulator, the folded curved laths
carrying the leather or other fabric being jointed at their ends to a circular plate or to
a common axis on each side of the perambulator. The laths are provided with the
usual folding joints by which the parts can be maintained in their distended position
or allowed to collapse. The said four folding parts are so connected that there is only
one separation between them the said separation being at the middle of the upper part
of the structure. The parts on each side of the separation constitute the two hoods of
the perambulator and one or both may be folded back or stretched over the perambulator.
The other two parts constitute the body of the perambulator and when the perambulator
is in use are in their stretched or distended condition.
The seats of the perambulator are suspended from the horizontal curved laths and
the bottom of the perambulator may either be made of carpet or leather or of folding
boards hinged to the middle curved lath. I prefer to use only two wheels and to fix
the pins on which they turn a short distance below the top of the middle lath. Three
or four wheels may however be employed. When two wheels are employed a short
prop may be fixed on each side of the bottom of the middle lath to preserve the
perambulator in its upright position when not being propelled. For the purpose of
propelling the perambulator an arm may be fixed on each horizontal lath. When the
perambulator is not in use the wheels may be removed and the four parts folded upon
one another.
A nearly flat package is thereby produced the seats and bottom lying flat within the
folded parts and the wheels being placed on each side of the folded perambulator the
whole may be connected by a wrapper or cord.
Instead of making the body of the perambulator fold in the manner described it
may fold in the following manner. I make a flat rigid bottom to the body to the ends
of which bottom folding arms are jointed the other ends of the folding arms being
jointed to the circular plate or common axis. In this case the leather or other fabric
of the body collapses somewhat after the manner of the bellows of an accordion the
other two parts constituting the hoods folding in the manner already described.
I will now proceed to described with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation with a portion of the leather or other covering
removed, a folding or collapsible double hood perambulator constructed according to
my invention, the body and hoods being distended for use and Figure 2 represents the

page_text: same with the hoods and body in their folded or collapsed state for transit or storage.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both figures.
9.
The perambulator consists essentially of four folding parts marked respectively a, a;
bbc cand d, d the said four parts being separated only at the middle of the upper part of
the structure as represented in Figure 1. The parts a, a and b on each side of the
separation constitute the two hoods of the perambulator and the other lower parts c c
and d d constitute the body of the perambulator. The four parts a, b, c d constituting
the hoods and body of the perambulator consist of a framing composed of the folding
curved jointed lathis marked e, e the said laths carrying the leather or other covering f
On each side of the perambulator is a circular plate; one of these plates is marked
To these plates the ends of the curved lathse are jointed at has represented in
Figure 1 each end of cach lath being provided with a metal connection by which it is
jointed to the said plates by g. The plates g to which the several curved laths of the
structure are jointed and by which they are carried are supported by the carriage
springs, of the perambulator, the said plates g being connected to the said springs
by the tie or supporting rods k, k, two of which are used at each side of the perambu-
lator. The laths e, e are connected together by the ordinary folding joints 1, 1 by which
the parts a, b, c d can be maintained in their distended position as represented in
Figure 1 or allowed to collapse as represented in Figure 2. The seats of the peram-
bulator (the said seats being flexible) are supported from the middle horizontal laths e
and are indicated at m, m Figure 1 and the bottom of the body of the perambulator is
made of the same covering as that of which the body and hoods are covered, the said
bottom being strengthened if necessary. Or the bottom may be made of carpet or of
folding boards hinged to the middle curved laths. To one end of the perambulator
body, a handle p is fixed for propelling the perambulator the said handle being secured
to the horizontal lath by a screw y and to the lath below it by the screw. To admit
light to the interior of the perambulator when both hoods a, a; b, are completely
closed, windows at are made in the said hoods as seen in Figure 1.
b
One only of the hoods a a or bb may be used in its extented state, the other hood
being collapsed or both the hoods may be collapsed upon the body when an open
carriage is required.
Instead of making the hoods of such a size that when in their extended state they
nearly meet, the said hoods may be made narrower, that is, the two nearly vertical
abutting middle laths represented in Figure 1 may be omitted and each hood terminate
at the lath next below the said vertical middle lath.
In order to collapse the perambulator so as to give it the form represented in
Figure 2 the screw at 7 is removed from the handle and the joints 7, 7 of the laths e e
are folded so as to permit the parts a, a; bb; c and d d to collapse, the laths of the
folded parts of the body and hoods lying nearly parallel to one another as represented
in Figure 2 and the flexible seats and bottom lying flat within the folded parts. The
wheels,may be removed from the folded hoods and body and being placed
on each side of the folded parts a nearly flat package is formed which may be connected
by a wrapper or cord. By opening out the joints 1, the parts may be distended
and by reconnecting the handle p to the laths by the screw at 1 the perambulator is
ready for use. The opening and closing of the perambulator is effected with great
case and rapidity and by the use of.a spring snap fastening for securing the wheels on
their pins the whole operation of expanding and preparing the perambulator for use
or in collapsing it when not in use may be effected in a few seconds.
A perambulator constructed according to my invention may be provided with two,
three or four wheels; when two wheels are used short props are attached to the bottom
laths to be employed to preserve the perambulator in an upright position when not
being propelled.
Figure 3 represents in side elevation, with a portion removed, a modification of the
perambulator represented in Figures 1 and 2, the said perambulator Figure 3 being
shown in its expanded state and Figure 4 represents the same in its collapsed state.
In this modification a wooden bottom s supported upon the springs i, i is used in place
of the flexible bottom represented in Figures 1 and 2 the collapsible parts c c d d of

page_text: the said Figures 1 and 2 being omitted. The collapsible body in this arrangement is
marked a, a and the hoods a², a. The several hoops e e are jointed in this arrangement
to the arms u, u at each side of the wooden bottom s, the metal rods t, t for giving
rigidity to the hoods a, a² being jointed to the said arms. The bottom laths of the
hoods a², a² are connected to the bottom s by the side joints 12 12 the other joints I l
being of the ordinary kind. The top of one of the side joints is provided with a
handle for propelling the perambulator. By folding or opening out the joints I
and the body a and hoods a² of the perambulator can be collapsed as represented in
Figure 4 or brought into their distended state as represented in Figure 3. The middle
of the wooden bottom s is cut away and under the opening thus made a flexible well a
is secured. Into this well the feet and legs of the child or children using the
perambulator pass, the seats being placed on the wooden bottom s on either side
the well.
The springs i, i are connected to the wooden bottoms by the screw pins y, y passed
through the eyes (see Figure 4) on the said springs. When the body and hoods
have been collapsed the wooden bottom is connected to the springs i, i at a lower level
by withdrawing the screw pins y, y from the upper eyes and passing them into the
lower eyes i³, on the said springs (see Figure 3).
Figures 5 and 6 represent in side elevation a single hood perambulator made
according to my invention, Figure 5 representing the hood and body in their
expanded state for use and Figure 6 the same in their collapsed state.
The hood and body of the perambulator Figures 5 and 6 resemble one half of the
hoods and body of the perambulator last described and the parts are constructed
substantially in the same way but in place of the flexible well a rigid well or rest a²
for the legs and feet are used and the body a is supported in its expanded position by
the arm a fixed by the screw at to the wooden bottom s and to the lower lathe of the
head by the pin a. The upper part of the arm a³ constitutes a handle a for propelling
the perambulator.
In order to collapse the perambulator the screw pin a* is removed when the flexible
body a and hood a² may be folded or collapsed in the manner represented in Figure 6.
The flexible body of the several perambulators described and illustrated may be used
without a hood or hoods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in perambulators."
First-Making the body and hoods of perambulators of four folding parts capable
of being expanded for use and collapsed for transit or storage, the said parts being
constructed and combined and working substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly The modification of the double hood and flexible body and other parts of
the perambulator herein before described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawings.
-
Thirdly The arrangement or combination of the parts of the single hood and
flexible body of the perambulator herein before described and illustrated in Figures 5
and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Lastly Making the body of the perambulator flexible and collapsible in the several
ways herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, whether
the said flexible and collapsible body be used alone or in conjunction with a hood
or hoods.
WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY.