IMPROVEMENTS IN CABS AND CARRIAGES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Greenhill at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 1st November 1879.
THOMAS GREENHILL, of No. 30, Alfred Place, Bedford Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CABS AND CARRIAGES."
This Invention has for its object to arrange the body of a cab or carriage so that
it shall be lower to the ground than hitherto for the purpose of ingress and egress,
besides which the usual axle or wheel shaft is entirely dispensed with. And, in
addition to this, the said body of the cab or carriage can contain four persons, and
is supported on two wheels and their connections only, in the place of the ordinary
four wheeled cab or carriage.
My Invention therefore consists, firstly, in dispensing with the ordinary axle, and
secondly, in that the wheels are on gudgeons formed with or bolted to a frame or
frames connected to springs that support the body of carriage.
In this Invention the ingress and egress is through a doorway at the back of the
carriage, but that is not imperative, as any other position for the doorway may be,
used.
The mechanical arrangement of the structure is thus:-The body of the vehicle
may be formed and constructed of wood or any other material, as may be deemed
most suitable. Windows at the sides, front, and back, may be used if desired, and
panellings of an ornamental order may be formed with the body.
The roof of the body may be curved, or it may be flat to allow luggage to be
placed thereon if necessary, but it is preferred to carry the luggage at the front of the
body under the foot board that is beneath the driver's seat.
The framework of the cab or carriage according to this Invention is made of
wrought iron or steel, formed on each side of the body to curve down at the back
end and unite there underneath the body, either by welding to form one piece, or
bolted or rivetted together, while, if if it is preferred, a distance piece can be used.
Another form of frame that I herein propose is, that at the back at each side
guides shall be secured, forming dovetailed grooves into which projections connected
with the side frames shall slide up and down, and these projections may be allowed
to oscillate in grooves so as to allow of a free motion backwards and forwards, but
preserve a non lateral or non side motion.
The side frames in this case will be formed at right angles at the back ends
instead of being curved, as heretofore explained.
Another form of guide can be arranged thus:-The side frames can be formed at
the back ends with oscillating swivels that surround or enclose rods as guides, or
any other method equally available can be used.

page_text: .
The supporting of the body of the cab is by side springs that are in connection
with the side frames, which said frames are also connected together at the front by
a cross bar, and the body of the cab is further supported at that part by one, two, or
more springs. The shafts for the horse are connected to the side frames by being
inserted in recesses that are formed therewith, but any other method equally strong
can be used.
The position of the driver according to this description, particularly in relation to
the position of the luggage, is at the front end, but if preferred the driver's seat can
be at the back end as with the ordinary Hansom cab, and it must here be mentioned
that on those two positions will depend the longitudinal relative position of the
wheels on each side of the body.
The axles or gudgeons on which these two wheels revolve are formed with the
side frames, or they may be secured thereto in any suitable manner deemed best..