IMPROVEMENTS IN HOOD JOINTS OF PERAMBULATORS, APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Claude Edward Gibson of Birmingham in the County
of Warwick of the firm of Gibson and Birch for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN HOOD JOINTS OF PERAMBULATORS, APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Claude Edward Gibson. at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th July 1882.
•
CLAUDE EDWARD GIBSON of Birmingham in the County of Warwick of the
firm of Gibson and Birch "IMPROVEMENTS IN HOOD JOINTS OF PERAMBULATORS
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
"
My invention has for its object improvements in the hood joints of perambulators
applicable to other purposes whereby much greater simplicity is obtained with
much less complicated parts and less cost in production and the joint as a whole
is stronger and superior to the ordinary ones now in use.
One of the most ordinary joints as now made is composed of seven distinct parts
altogether apart from the end pivots and pivot plates for fastening to the
perambulator body and hood. Each of the parts has to pass through a distinct
process. The joinings of the rolled rods to the castings at the ends of which
there are altogether four-are often weak and are liable to give way especially
when there are imperfections in the end castings or otherwise.
Now my new joint as it will be commonly used is composed mainly of two solid
bars of iron, brass, steel or other suitable metal or of iron or steel coated with
brass or other inetal suitable for coating. These two solid or coated bars would
generally be of oblong shape in section the widest part or side showing itself to the
eye on the side of the perambulator. I join these two rods at their centre junction
by means of a channel case which receives one end of each rod through which I
pass two rivets or pivots which also pass through the rods one rivet or pivot
tbrough one rod and case, and the other rivet or pivot through the other rod and
case, i.e. right through the solid end of the rod whether the rod be cased or
otherwise. This channel junction may be bent out of plate metal or it may be
cast with a double curved projection at its back against which the ends of the rods

page_text: would work, to more effectively guide them in their action. The junction with the
solid ends may also be formed with a double socket slotted on one side for each leg
through which two pins would pass, or one solid end may be laid upon the other
solid end without a coupling piece and the pin passed through them or the solid
ends may be halved or slotted together. In other cases for a cheap joint one or two
coupling plates may be used to secure the joints. The two solid ends may also be
jointed together by casting double socket pivots upon the ends, suitable recesses
having been first formed in the centre ends of the bars to form the pivots. The
outer ends of my joints are also formed without any separate connecting socket the
pivot pin going through the solid end of each bar so that there cannot possibly be
any liability of the ends ever becoming detached. For the purpose however of
making a cheap and elegant finish for the ends I place caps upon them of either
sheet metal stamped or turned to the desired shape or cast with a suitable socket to
receive the ends, but in either and all cases the pivot pin passes through both the
caps and the outer ends of the bars.
I do not confine myself to bars of oblong section as they may be made oval,
round, square or other convenient shape but I prefer the oblong shape as offering
more strength with cheapness of fitting the parts together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Claude Edward Gibson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th January 1883.
CLAUDE EDWARD GIBSON of Birmingham in the County of Warwick of the
firm of Gibson and Birch "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HOOD JOINTS OF PERAMBULATORS
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
"
My Invention has for its object improvements in the hood joints of perambulators
applicable to other purposes whereby much greater simplicity is obtained with less
complicated parts and less cost in production and the joint as a whole is stronger
and superior to the ordinary ones now in use.
One of the most ordinary joints as now made is composed of seven distinct parts
altogether apart from the end pivots and pivot plates for fastening to the
perambulator body and hood. Each of the parts has to pass through a distinct
process-The joinings of the rolled rods to the castings at the ends—of which there
are altogether four-are often weak and, are liable to give way especially when
there are imperfections in the end castings or otherwise.
Now my new joint as it will be commonly used is composed mainly of two solid
bars of iron, brass, steel or other suitable metal or of iron or steel coated with
brass or other metal suitable for coating. These two solid or coated bars would
generally be of oblong shape in section ie where strength is the main considération
the widest part or side showing itself to the eye on the side of the pèrambulator:
I join these two rods at their centre junction by means of a channel case which
receives one end of each rod through which I pass two rivets or pivots which also
pass through the rods, one rivet or pivot through one rod and case and the other
rivet or pivot through the other rod and case i.e right through the solid end of the
rod whether the rod be cased or otherwise. This channel junction' may be bent out
of plate metal or it may be cast with a double curved projection at its back against
which the ends of the rods would work to more effectively guide them in their
action. The junction with the solid ends may also be formed with a double socket
slotted on one side for each leg through which two pins would pass or one solid
end may be laid upon the other solid end without a coupling piece and the pin passed
through them or the solid ends may be halved or slotted together. In other cases
for a cheap joint one or two coupling plates may be used to secure the joints. The
two solid ends may also be jointed together by casting double socket pivots upon
the ends, suitable recesses having been first formed in the centre ends of the bars
to form the pivots. The outer ends of my joints are also formed without any
separate connecting socket the pivot pin going through the solid end of each bar
so that there cannot possibly be any liability of the ends ever becoming detached.
For the purpose however of making a cheap and elegand finish for the ends I place
caps upon them of either sheet metal stamped or turned to the desired shape or
cast with a suitable socket to receive the ends, but in either and all cases the pivot
pin passes through both the caps and the outer ends of the bars.
I do not confine myself to bars of oblong section as they may be made oval,
round square or other convenient shape.
In order that my invention may be more easily carried into practical effect I
have attached hereunto a sheet of drawings showing some of the various
modifications which are possible under my invention and which I will now proceed
to explain
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a perambulator joint rods complete.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1 and Figure 5 is a section on line 1, 2.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of another modification and Figure 6 is a sido
section of Figure 3 on a similar line to that shown for Figure 5,-
•

page_text: Figure 4 is a front elevation of a third modification and Figure 7 is a side section
in a similar position to Figure 5 and Figure 6.
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are various modifications of the centre joint as will
hereafter be explained.
Figures 13, 14, 15 and 16 are separate views of some of the detail parts.
A broken off front elevation is shown of one of the old joints by Figure 17
showing the rods o and o' cast into the cast metal ends o² and o³.
In Figure 1 the bent rod A and the bent rod O each form an end of one of my
joints. The hinge at the centre is made by two pivots n and n¹ which pass right
through the solid ends of the round or other rods A. and C. These two rods are
coupled together by means of the coupling or channel piece P which is composed of
the front p', the back ps and the connecting side p³. The pivots n and n¹ also help
to connect the front and back together. When the joint is open as would be the
case when the hood of the perambulator was stretched to its utmost extent the
rod A would bear against P at p and the rod C against P at p which prevents
the rods moving too far. The outer ends of both rod A and C are pierced through
with the stem of the ornamental cap E which is shown in detail by Figure 15 and
this stem is rivetted at the under side of the foot B passing through the hole b¹ as
shown in detail at Figures 13 and 14. When iron rods coated with brass or other
metal are used for A and C I make a neat finish of the ends by the use of caps K
which are pierced with a hole k' as shown in detail at Figure 16 which completely
covers the junction of the two metals and gives quite a desirable effect to the ends
These caps may be used in combination with the centre joint Figure 17 as well as
with the other joints shown. The rod, stem, or pivot H is made of iron or soft
steel or other durable metal and the head E is cast upon the stem which is passed
downwards through the cap K and through the rod A or C and the foot B and it
is then rivetted into the countersunk recess at the under side of the said foot B.
Figure 3-is a plain simple kind of joint easily made and of chaste appearance the
centre joint R being almost in line with the rods A and C indeed it may be made
practically in line with these rods by adopting an oblong channel junction piece
instead of an oval one, but the effect of the oval is pleasing and the shape admits
of a strong connecting piece r to connect the back and front plate together as
shown in the section Figure 6. The outer ends of rods A and C are bent
round slightly out of the centre line on the same side as the connecting metal
piece so that the thrust upon the centre pivots when the hood is open and the
joint straight may always be to force it firmly against the shoulder 7. The same
effect may however be produced by bending the rods slightly out of line at the
centre joint as shown by Figure 4 in which case I should generally use a channel
junction piece S with a larger outside surface which when desirable covers or
nearly covers the bend of the rods. By reference to this joint in section Figure 7
it will be clearly seen that a thrust in the direction of the arrows would always
tend to tighten the joint against the shoulders s' and s². These shoulders need
not necessarily be on the junction piece but may be formed at the back of the
rods themselves by a slight, modification in their shape such as that shown by
Figure 19 at 8 in which case a single plate would answer as the junction piece
with countersunk or projecting heads formed at the back of the rods.
similar modification to this is shown in Figures 12 where straight rods butt at t.
In some cases too I cast the pivots t¹ and to and front plate T together by placing
the ends of the rods A and C in the mould with holes prepared in their ends. The
rods A and C may also be coupled together by one front plate w and web or
distance piece w¹ without a back plate as shown by Figures 11 and this junction
piece has the advantage of being very easily cast.
A
Figures 8, 9, and 10 show various modes of making the centre junction without
the old junction piece as shown by Figure 17 i.e with the pivot going through the
rod itself in combination with the mode of using solid coated rods with the end
caps K.
Figure 18 is a full sized section of the rods A and C in the modification

page_text: Figure 4 but I do not confine myself to the octagon shape as any other figure
such as hexagon may nearly as easily be adopted only the end caps K would
generally follow the same figure of outline i.e an octagon cap for an octagon rod
and a round cap for a round rod. The joints shown at Figures 11 and Figures 12
are of oblong section with rounded corners which gives maximum strength with
durability in this kind of joint
Figures 20 and 21 illustrate two other modifications by which there is no plate
projecting above the surface of the rods but there is some slotting necessary to the
ends of the rods as will be seen.
Having now described my said invention of improvements in the hood joints of
perambulators I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the exat
sections of rods shown on the minute details of parts as they may be varied, but
what I do claim is :-
•
First-The improved perambulator hood joints with the solid coated rods
pivoted at the centre and ends substantially as herein set forth and shown on the
accompanying drawings.
Second-The improved perambulator hood joints with the solid coated rods and
end caps in combination with the present centre joints.
Third The improved perambulator hood joints with the solid coated rods and
centre joints as herein set forth in combination with the present end joints.
In Witness whereof I the said Claude Edward Gibson have hereunto set my
hand and seal this thirteenth day of January in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.