Device for Operating Vehicle Hoods.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Device for Operating Vehicle Hoods.
I, GEORGE RAUCH of Robinson Avenue, Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, United
States of America, Street Car Conductor, 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 :-
This invention relates to a device by means of which the occupant of a vehicle is
enabled to easily and quickly raise or lower the hood without descending or reaching
out around the hood. The device is capable of ready attachment to various kinds
of vehicles provided with hoods adapted to be raised and lowered.
In the drawing the device is shewn applied to a vehicle of the kind that are
known as American buggies.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 a vertical cross section of the buggy body
shewing the manner of securing the hood operating device thereto, and Fig. 3 an
enlarged perspective view of a portion of the device shewing the positions of the
several parts when the hood is lowered.
A is the hood supported on the usual bows B, B, which are pivotally connected
together at their lower ends as at b, b, and pivotally supported upon suitable
supporting irons 6', 6', at the side of the buggy body. C, C, are braces of the usual
kind which engage at their upper ends with hood A or with the bows B, said braces
being jointed or hinged as at c, c, and pivotally engaged at their lower ends with
laterally extending posts or supports c¹, c'. D, D, are levers secured to opposite
ends of a transverse shaft or rod D' mounted to turn in bearings d, d, upon the
buggy body. d', d', are eyes formed in the free ends of levers D and arranged to
engage with the lower part of braces C below joints c. D2 is a handle or lever
secured to shaft D' in such a manner as to have an approximately horizontal
position when the parts are in the relative positions shewn in Fig. 1. It follows
from this construction that an upward pull of handle D' will rotate shaft D' and
levers D toward the rear thus causing levers D to exert a backward pressure upon
braces C so as to "break the braces at joints c and lower the hood until the parts
take the positions shewn in Fig. 3 and the rear one of the bows B at each side of
the vehicle rests upon the lateral post or support c'. Similarly when the hood is
down, a movement of handle D2 in a direction opposite to that just described will
operate to lift levers D and braces C from the positions shewn in Fig. 3 so as to
rotate bows B upon pivots b and back into the position shewn in Fig. 1. Obviously
this operation will raise the hood and bring the braces into the proper position to
sustain it.
"
1 have found it convenient to arrange the transverse shaft D₁ above the seat
frame E, at any suitable point such as upon the upper edge of the back of the seat,
but the position of this shaft is immaterial so far as the invention is concerned, it
being however desirable to arrange said shaft so as to cause its ends to project
beyond the sides of the vehicle body adjacent to the pivotal connections between
the lower ends of braces C and supports c. It is also preferable to form each of the
projecting ends of shaft D' with a lateral bend d², d³, this bent part being so
arranged as to drop down out of the way of the bows when the shaft is rotated to
lower the top, thus permitting the rear bows to rest upon lateral supports cat
opposite sides of the vehicle. The shaft D' may be in a single piece of metal with
levers D as shewn, but this feature of construction is immaterial.
Handle D' may
be secured to shaft D at any desired or convenient point but I find it, in practice
preferable to arrange it so as to lie adjacent to one end of the seat as shewn and not
be in the way of the occupants of the vehicle,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A device for operating vehicle hoods comprising a rock shaft adapted to be
journalled transversely upon the vehicle body, rock arms or levers extending from
opposite ends of said shaft and adapted for operative engagement with the hood
braces at opposite sides of the vehicle hood, the ends of the rock shaft being
further provided with laterally bent parts adapted to move downward below the level
of the pivotal connections of the braces with the vehicle body when the hood is
lowered, and an operating lever or handle secured to the rock shaft for actuating
the latter, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 14th day of July 1893.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.