CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1814

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WHITFIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Scale Beam Maker,
send: greeting...
WHEREAS, His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of April, in
the fifty-fourth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said William
Whitfield, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said William Whitfield, my exors,
admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend; within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARRIAGES; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
that if I, the said William Whitfield, shall not particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and canse
the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages
whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void,
as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Whitfield, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
references or description thereof, that is to say:-
Metalic naves or boxes, secured upon the arm as hereafter described,
on the inner side next the carriage having solid outsides. Figure 1st.
represents a cast nave and part of an axletree, with its securities attached.
a, a, the nave; b, the axletree; c, the screwed collar to secure the wheel upon
the axle; d, a collar fitted upon the sexagonal part of the screwed collar c,
into which, through the nave, is introduced the screw e, to prevent the collar
c removing from its place, which collar d will fit upon any of the sides of the
collar c, allowing liberty to tighten or relax the screw on the collar c. Instead
of one screw e two or more may be used if thought necessary. f.f.f.f. f. f, are
mortices to receive the spokes of the wheel, which may be made with parallel
sides, or widest at bottom, so as to dovetail in the spokes as they are drove
down by entering a woodden or an iron wedge at the end, which may be drove
up as the spokes are driven down by its pressure against the bottom of the
mortices. Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1st. a, a, the nave; b, b, b, the axle;
c, a male screwed collar, which screws into the female screw g, g, against the
solid collar h of the axle, to secure the arm in the nave; the collar c has a
step within (as shewn by the perspective Figure 5) which receives the step i
of the collar h, between which is introduced the leathern collar k (as shewn,
Figure 4). To prevent the waste of oil 1, 1, 1, are reservoirs for oil, which
may be reduced or enlarged at the will of the manufacturer. The reduction
of the arm b, b, b, at b, b, has also the advantage of retaining oil and of
reducing the friction. d is the collar (shewn Figure 6) fitted on the
sexagonal part of the screwed collar c, which receives the screw e. The dotted
lines m, m, shew where screws may be introduced, if necessary, to admit oil
into the reservoir, but it will be altogether unnecessary to have more than one.
The internal part of the nave from n" to n" may be sexagonal, or, indeed, any
regular-sided figure in which a circular spindle will work, as thereby a ready
supply of oil will be distributed over those parts; or the sides of the arm may be
flatted a little in two or three places, to answer the same purpose. Figure 3,
the arm and part of axle; h shews the groove cut in the collar h at h, to admit
oil. The collar is also undercut for the same purpose on that side next b, b.
Figure 7 represents a collar which may be used instead of c and d, in Figure 2,
having a longer bolting screw, which would enter into Figure 2 at the

page_text: dotted lines at o. Figure 8 perspective view of Figure 7, shewing two holes
on the outside, whereby it may be forced up with a forked wrench. Figure 9
is another collar, whereby d, as represented in Figure 2, will become unneces-
sary, as the bolting screw will enter into either of the grooves a, a, a, a, a, a,
to prevent its leaving its situation. Figures 5 and 9 may be any other
appropriate form besides sexagonal. The internal parts of these figures only
bind upon the arm about a quarter of an inch beyond the leathern collar, and
are enlarged from thence to the sexagonal end, the projection preventing dirt
getting to the working part. If the form be altered for Figure 5 so must a
corresponding form exist in the internal part of the Figure 6. The form of
the collar h, Figure 3, is not absolute, as it may be diminished with or
without the groves, or without the step i. If without the step i, then a plain
screwed collar, without a step, may be brought up against it, and a bolt through
it, as Figure 7, against which a collar may be brought up, screwed upon the
arm about p, Figure 3, having a groove in it near the screwed aperture,
to receive part of a leathern collar with the other part projecting towards
the former collar, against which it must press to secure the oil. This collar
must be secured when up by a bolting screw. The groove may be deepened
so as to receive the leather collar, and also a projection from the other collar,
and it is immaterial which collar has the projection or which the grove to
receive it, so as it is made to answer the purpose of securing the oil; or the
internal part of the screw'd collar may be grooved to receive a projecting
leathern collar that will press against the sides of the arm round about p,
Fig. 3. With this collar the collar h, Fig. 3, may be made shorter, & the
aperture to receive it, viz. n towards g, Fig. 2, may be made longer, whereby
play is allow'd the wheel. The form of the nave is not absolute, as those
parts where there is great thickness may be reduced, and the parts where
the mortices are situated may be extended. Screws may be run horizontally.
through the spokes from the back or front of the nave. To secure them
wrought iron or steel spokes, if preferred to wood, may be driven or screwed
into the nave. The situation and form of the mortices may be altered. The
arm b, b, may be bored from the end, entering the large reservoir l, k, the
grove of the collar h, and small holes drilled into the tube at b, b, and h, to
elicit the flow of oil, or the boring may be extended to i, and a discharging
hole placed at i. Boxes upon this principle may be made for wood naves, or
they may be made to fit into metalic naves, and there secured by screwing or
bolting them into each other. I make use of any of the metals or mixture of
metals applicable to the purpose for naves, boxes, or any other of the parts