Improvements in Travelling Shops or Caravans.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 9th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Travelling Shops or Caravans.
I, WILLIAM PEPPER, of St. John's Green, Colchester, in the County of Essex,
Garrison Sergeant Major, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in travelling shops, and is applicable to
either two-wheel vehicles or carts, or four-wheel vehicles or waggons, but there is
nothing in the nature of my invention which restricts it to these numbers of wheels.
It may be constructed as either a road or rail vehicle; and any suitable tractive
power may be applied.
In carrying the invention into effect, I abolish what would be the axle in the
case of a two wheeled vehicle, or the hind axle in the case of a four wheeled
vehicle. I provide a slot or groove which is fixed vertically to each side of the
vehicle and form a head or enlargement upon the axle-arm close up to the nave.
This head or enlargement is adapted to slide up and down the slot or groove before
mentioned, in which it is retained by the springs, one fast to the top of the arm and
the other to the underside thereof. The ends of the springs are shackled to the
body of the vehicle after the usual method. Other types of springs may be used,
but I prefer using those known as semi elliptical.
The abolition of the cross axle allows the body of the vehicle to be brought
within a comparatively speaking short distance of the ground, e.g., a foot. This
part of the body may be narrower than the rest to permit of the hind wheels being
brought close up to the vehicle.
The axle of the fore carriage may be modified in a similar manner if desired.
The vehicle is of a suitable height and fitted with a suitable roof.
The front door or doors are made to slide, but the back door is, preferably,
always a single one, and is hung upon loose hinges, so that it can be taken off and
hung in a horizontal position across the doorway so as to be used as a counter board.
Suitable devices of a simple kind are used for the purpose of supporting it in this
position, e.g., loose hooks and eyes and chains. The door is shorter than the door-
way, the space between the door and the floor of the vehicle being made up by
strong folding steps the presence of which facilitates the taking in of heavy goods.
When the door is closed and the steps folded up the vehicle is safely shut behind.
The bottom hook of the above door may be made to swivel and this, when
turned down will, with a corresponding hook on the other side of the doorway,
provide a pair of hooks on which to hook the counter board. The second hook
may also be used as a door catch.
The interior of the vehicle is fitted with suitable bins, and the like shop fittings.
These are preferably of the bin type, and are arranged in columns between uprights
to the edges of which retaining strips, or equivalent devices, are fixed to prevent
the bins being shaken out.
The front portion of the floor may be utilized as a counter for weighing up at
and for similar commercial purposes.
Dated this 11th day of September 1890.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a sectional longitudinal elevation.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a vehicle fitted with a modification of my invention.
Fig. 5 is an elevation, and Fig. 6 a transverse section taken on the line Y Z of
Fig. 5, of the groove.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the head which enters the groove, as well as of the
bearing bush.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the bearing bush detached from the head.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the axle.
The figures illustrate the application of my invention to a two-wheel vehicle.
In carrying my invention into effect, I abolish what would be the axle in any
,ordinary vehicle, and replace it by a pair of short arms or axles. As to the springs,
.I do not confine myself to any special construction, inasmuch as they may be of a
.plate, spiral, or cushion type, as may be preferred. The arms are no longer than is
necessary to pass through the nave and project beyond it far enough to engage in
vertical grooves upon the sides of the vehicle, up and down which they can freely
.slide.
"
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a, a are the short arms or axles, and b, b the
bearing bushes. As there are preferably two points of support, there is necessarily
a bush on each side of the nave.
c is an
Each arm is held to the body of the vehicle in the following manner.
enlargement or head upon the inner end of the arm a, and b' is a grooved block of
corresponding internal cross section, in which the head can slide up and down
freely, but which it fits with sufficient exactness to keep it steady.
d, d are brackets projecting from the sides of the vehicle. They are conveniently
bolted to the sides or to the underside, or partly to one and partly to the other.
They replace the ordinary scroll irons. The springs e and shackles are of the
Cordinary construction, but are duplicated for the same reason that the bushes & are,
viz., to distribute the weight fairly upon each side of the wheel. The springs may,
however, be arranged one above and one beneath the inner bush, but although this
plan dispenses with the presence of the outside spring and bush, and lessens the
projection of both arm and bracket; the arm, being supported only at its inner end,
is slightly bent upwards by the weight of the vehicle, and wears its bush taper
with the usual result. This modification is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9.
g is the downward continuation of the body of the vehicle between the arms.
The abolition of the cross-axle allows this to be brought within a, comparatively
speaking, short distance of the ground, say about a foot. This part of the body is,

page_text: preferably, narrower than the upper, so that the wheels can be brought close up to
the main body.
The axle of the fore carriage may be modified in a similar manner if desired.
The vehicle is of a suitable height, and is fitted with a suitable roof.
The front door or doors are made to slide or may be hinged. A suitable
internal fastening may be provided. The back door i is, preferably, always a single
one, and is hung with loose bands and crooks so that it can be taken off and hung
in a horizontal position across the doorway so as to be used as a counter board, as
shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. Suitable devices of a simple kind are used for the purpose
of supporting it in this position, e.g., loose hooks and eyes and chains j. The door
is shorter than the doorway, the space between the door and the floor of the vehicle
being made up by a strong folding step which when let down into the position
shewn in Fig. 1 facilitates the taking in of heavy goods. 1 are the suspension
chains for the step. When the door is closed and the step folded-up, the vehicle
may be safely shut and locked behind.
k
The bottom hook of the above door may be made to swivel; and this, when
turned down, will, with a corresponding hook on the other side of the doorway,
provide a pair of hooks on which to hook the counter board, or brackets m may be
provided. The second hook may also be used as a door catch.
The interior of the vehicle is fitted with suitable shop-fittings. n, n are bins ;
and o, o, drawers. These are arranged in columns between uprights, and retaining
strips or equivalent devices are fixed to prevent the bins being shaken out. Where
it is advisable to have shelves, as in the right hand column of Fig. 3, these are
provided with wire fronts, or guards p, which may be either loose or hinged, and
are provided with suitable retaining devices such as buttons, q.
The front portion of the floor may be utilized as a counter p' for weighing-up at,
and for similar commercial purposes.
is the axle-
Referring to Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, 6¹ is the vertical groove.
head adapted, in respect of its cross section, to engage in and slide smoothly up and
down the said groove.
s is the bearing bush to which the springs are shackled.
The dotted lines of Figs. 7 and 8 shew how the axle t engages the axle head and
bearing bush s. According to the modification now under description the wheel
revolves round the axle which is fixed in the two parts and s. Any suitable
device may be used to hold the wheel on. I prefer that the head r bearing bush s,
and axle t, should be in separate parts so as to secure economy in wear and repair.
T is the top spring shackled upon the bearing bush s in the usual way but as close
up to the wheel as is convenient. The under spring is in two parts t, t, one before
and the other behind the axle. The outer ends of these two parts are shackled to
scroll irons in the usual way. Their inner ends stand in a plane as near to the front
of the groove b¹ as practicable, and are connected by a tie u which is shackled to
the underside of the bearing bush s. The outer ends of the top spring T are
connected to the respective inner ends of the two parts t, t, by shackles v which are
scrolled according to the distance separating the planes in which the top and bottom
spring respectively stand. As the tie u is nearer to the groove than is the top
spring T, the presence of the tie has a direct tendency to prevent the axle-head
jamming in the groove under the weight of the load.
I may if desired for any reason omit the groove b¹ and the enlargements or heads c
or r from either of the constructions illustrated in the figures and described
therewith.
It should also be pointed out that my invention in any of the modifications
herein before described and illustrated is applicable to any vehicle.
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,
1. The combination of short arm, enlargement on the inner end thereof, and
vertical groove on the side of the vehicle as set forth..

page_text: 2. The general construction and arrangement of a travelling shop as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of June 1891.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.