IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CARRIAGES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Phillips Thompson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th October 1882. Commu-
nicated to him from abroad by George Eugene Bartholomew and Edmond
Armant both of the city of Montreal in the province of Quebec in the
Dominion of Canada.
"
"
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord
Street Liverpool in the county of Lancaster and of 323 High Holborn in the county
of Middlesex Civil Engineer 'IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CARRIAGES
A communication to me from abroad by George Eugene Bartbolomew and Edmond
Armant both of the city of Montreal in the province of Quebec in the Dominion of
Canada
This invention relates firstly to that class of carriage gear in which the perch
connecting the front and rear axles is done away with and where the spring gear
is braced to the carriage body without the use of a platform.
Heretofore brace bars have been connected at one end to the spring gear, axle or
fifth wheel and at the other end directly to the underside of the carriage body,
their rear ends being generally out of line with their front ends, that is to say
these brace bars have been arranged in an angular position which arrangement is
very objectionable on account of the liability of the spring to roll and the inner
side of the fifth-wheel to cant downwards as the spring is depressed on account of
the same not being properly braced.
The first part of the present invention is designed to brace the spring firmly so
to prevent backward roll; to properly support the fifth wheel and to ensure its
easy and accurate movement; to afford a strong resistance to all unnatural
draught; and to allow the front wheels of the vehicle to turn completely under
the arch or frame of the vehicle without in any way interfering with the easy
working of the parts, besides materially lessening the cost and labor involved and
producing a stronger, lighter and more symmetrical vehicle than heretofore.
This part of the invention consists in the combination with a carriage spring, of
one or more coupling rods or bars connected at their front ends to said spring and
extending backwards towards the centre of the carriage body, and one or more
Гром 921

page_text: draw bars or equivalent means affixed rigidly to the underside of the carriage body
but with a part or parts projecting downward and hinged or otherwise connected
to the inner ends of the said coupling rods or bars.
The second part of the invention consists in a fifth wheel made up of two flat
or half round sections laid one on top of the other, the upper division having two
pairs of clips or projections formed on its top side between which the spring block
is held, and on the outer rim of the lower half of this fifth wheel are formed clips
or supporting straps which serve to attach the fifth wheel to the axle of the carriage
in such manner as not to interfere with the free movement of the lower half of
said fifth wheel when the front wheels are turned in either direction. Suitable
stops are secured in the proper places on said fifth wheel for regulating the travel
of its parts.
The third part of the invention has reference to an improvement in that class of
carriage seats which swing out from the rear of the vehicle in order to allow free
ingress and egress, and has for its objects to make the joints between the moving
and stationary parts less noticeable and unobtrusive to the eye; to enable the
whole back panel and seat to swing clear so as to give an opening the full width
of the vehicle; to strengthen the connection between the moving seat and the
vehicle; to do away with hinges for the parts mentioned, and also to provide ready
and efficient means for locking and unlocking the seat.
This part of the improvements consists in pivoting the rear seat board near its
front corner at one end to the carriage body, in such manner that when the seat is
swung out it will go completely to one side and leave the entire space between the
sides of the carriage open. Heretofore, such seats have been hinged at their
rear corner to the carriage body and consequently when opened out the full
width of the seat has remained in the passage to obstruct ingress or egress of the
occupant.
The pivot pin in this invention passes either wholly or partially through the
seat board, and also through a rail or block attached to the side of the carriage
body. The back panel is firmly fixed to the seat and swings with it and to this
back panel is affixed a catch which engages with a spring pawl connected to the
back sill of the vehicle, or thereabout, and this pawl is released from the catch on
the back panel through a rod and bell crank by operating a short handle located
either inside or outside of the frame of the carriage.