IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS BATH CHAIRS AND OTHER LIKE VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY of N° 41 and 42 Jamaica Row Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS
BATH CHAIRS AND OTHER LIKE VEHICLES" to be as follows:-
In perambulators bath chairs and other like vehicles as usually constructed tho
connection of the body of the vehicle with the axle or axles of the wheels is
effected by means of springs not having a sufficient range of elasticity to effectually
prevent the transmission of shocks from the axles to the body. It consequently
happens that when the vehicle passes over a large stone or brick bat a jolting is
frequently produced unpleasant to a child and injurious to an invalid.
The object of my Invention is to obviate these inconveniences and my said
Invention consists in the use of springs of the kinds hereinafter described for
connecting the body of the vehicle to the axles so as to prevent the occurence of
shocks of the kind referred to.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a perambulator. I connect the
body of the perambulator to the axles of the vehicle by means of three principal
springs of the kind hereinafter described two of the springs being at the back of
the body of the vehicle and the third at the front. Although I find three
principal springs answer well in practice I do not limit myself thereto. I also
employ a fourth or supplementary spring as hereinafter explained.
The springs I employ as principal springs consist of strips of steel hardened and
tempered having a figure somewhat resembling the letter S. One end of each of
these springs is connected to the body of the vehicle and the other end to the axle.
By the use of steel of different thicknesses the range of elasticity may be varied
within wide limits. The supplementary spring referred to is of a nearly semi
circular shape and is fixed at one end to the underside of the body. Its other end
may at pleasure be either connected with the back axle or disconnected therefrom.
When it is connected with the axle its resistance is added to that of the principal
springs and the range of elasticity is diminished. The motion of the body on tho

page_text: axles is limited when required by means of straps. When the supplementary
spring is disconnected from the axle and the restraining straps are not used the
range of elasticity of the body is such that by gentle action on the handle of the
perambulator either when in motion or at rest an up and down motion may be
produced as soothing to a child as the rocking motion of a cradle.
Although my Invention is particularly applicable to perambulators yet it may be
applied to bath chairs and other like vehicles that is other hand propelled vehicles
such as children's double carriages.

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY DUNKLEY of No 41 and 42 Jamaica Row, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick, Perambulator and Carriage Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS
BATH CHAIRS AND OTHER LIKE VEHICLES" and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
In perambulators, bath chairs and other liko vehicles as usually constructed the
connection of the body of the vehicle with the axle or axles of the wheels, is
effected by means of springs not having a sufficient range of elasticity to
effectually prevent the transinission of shocks from the axles to the body. It
consequently happens that when the vehicle passes over a large stone or brick
bat a jolting is frequently produced unpleasant to a child and injurious to an
invalid.
The object of my Invention is to obviate these inconveniences and my said
Invention consists in the use of springs of the kinds hercin-after described for
connecting the body of the vehicle to the axles so as to prevent the occurrence of
shocks of the kind referred to.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a perambulator. I connect the
body of the perambulator to the axles of the vehicle by means of three principal
springs of the kind hereinafter described, two of the springs being at the back of
the body of the vehicle and the third at the front. Although I find three principal
springs answer well in practice I do not limit myself thereto. I also employ a
fourth or supplementary spring as herein after explained.
The springs employ as principal springs consist of strips of steel hardened and
tempered having a figure somewhat resembling the letter S. One end of each of
these springs is connected to the body of the vehicle and the other end to the axle.
By the use of steel of different thicknesses the range of elasticity may be varied!
within wide limits. The supplementary spring referred to is of a nearly semi-
circular shape and is fixed at one end to the underside of the body. Its other end
may at pleasure be either connected with the back axle or disconnected therefrom.
When it is connected with the axle its resistance is added to that of the principal
springs and the range of elasticity is diminished. The motion of the body on the
axles is limited when required by means of straps.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing, represents in side elevation and Figure 2
in end elevation a perambulator provided with springs constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 3 represents in cross section, drawn to a larger scale, one of the
axles and exhibits the manner in which the end of the spring and the stay plate
or bar are connected to the axle.
The same letters indicate the same parts.
a is the body of the perambulator and b b the axles carrying the travelling
wheels c, c. The body a of the perambulator is connected to the axles bb by means
of a pair of S shaped springs d, d at each end of the vehicle. Each spring of the
pairs of springs d, d is connected at one end to the body of the perambulator by
the bolts at 2 and at the other end to the axle b by means of a rivet e as seen in
Figure 3. The two axles b b are preserved at the required distance apart by means
of a horizontal stay plate or bar fat each side of the vehicle in the line of the
S shaped springs. The rivets e which connect the lower ends of the springs at
the axles b also serve to connect the ends of the stay plates or bars ƒto the said
axles as represented in Figure 3.

page_text: Instead of using a pair of S shaped springs at each end of the vehicle as
represented in the Drawing, a single S shaped spring may be used at the front
instead of two springs.
The motion of the body a of the perambulator on the axles b, b may be limited
by restraining straps connected to the underside of the body and to the said axles.
A supplementary nearly semi-circular spring may be used in combination with
the S shaped springs d, d for the purpose of adding its resistance to that of the
said principal springs. This additional spring is not represented in the Drawing
but when used one of its ends is connected to the underside of the body a and its
other end may be connected with the back axle b by a loop and pin or other
connection so that when required it may either be connected with the back axle or
disconnected therefrom. When connected with the axle its resistance is added to
that of the S shaped springs d d and the range of elasticity is diminished.
When the supplementary spring is disconnected from the axle and the restraining
straps are not used the range of elasticity of the body is such that by gentle
action on the handle of the perambulator either when in motion or at rest, an up
and down motion may be produced as soothing to a child as the rocking motion of
a cradle.
Although my Invention is particularly applicable to perambulators yet it may be
applied to bath chairs and other like vehicles, that is, other hand propelled vehicles
such as children's double carriages.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
Connecting the bodies of perambulatora bath chairs and other like or hand
propelled vehicles to their axles. by means of S shaped springs for the purpose and
substantially as herein before described. and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, whether the said S shaped springs be used alone or in combination with
a detachable supplementary nearly semi-circular spring at the back of the vehicle,
or with restraining straps, or with the said supplementary spring and restraining
straps as described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of September 1884.