IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING PERAMBULATORS BATH CHAIRS AND SIMILAR CARRIAGES to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN GIRDLEY JONES of 48 Dow Street Broughton Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Coachbuilder do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING PERAMBULATORS BATH CHAIRS
AND SIMILAR CARRIAGES to be as follows:-
"
It consists in connecting the front wheel or wheels with the back handle by
which the vehicle is pushed so that the person pushing the perambulator or bath-
chair can steer it at the same time without lifting the front wheel or wheels off
the ground.
To effect this I affix the front wheel or wheels of the vehicle to a disc or wheel of
wood or metal, or a metal bar (or metal strips bent or cast in a suitable form) which
is bolted by a centre bolt to the front portion of the bottom of the vehicle so as to
revolve freely upon the bolt. I then take the two ordinary levers which support
the handle and instead of fixing them permanently to the end and bottom of the
vehicle I loosely pivot the extreme ends (one or both) to the disc or wheel, one
near each edge, or to the ends of the metal bar (or I run a chain or band of metal
or other suitable material round the edge of the disc or wheel each end of which
I connect to a lever.
I pivot the ordinary handle upon a centre stay fixed to the back end of the
perambulator or other vehicle, and insert the other end of the levers loosely into
the bottom of each end of the handle (which I strengthen with a metal plate for
the purpose) so that it will work freely to and fro upon the centre stay.
Now, upon the handle being turned on the centre stay the rigid levers commu-
nicate the motion to the front disc (wheel or bar) which turns with the wheel or
wheels thus giving the person pushing the perambulator or bathchair a complete
steering command over the front of the vehicle. For the better guidance of the
levers I screw two suitable slides over them under the bottom of the vehicle.
I also fix a spring catch to the bottom of the vehicle so as to keep the disc, wheel
or bar with the wheels square to the front when not being pushed.
In addition to perambulators and bathchairs I reserve the right to apply this
Invention to any similar vehicle to which it may be suitable.
Dated the 23rd day of April 1884

page_text: I, JOHN GIRDLEY JONES, of 48 Dow Street, Broughton, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Coachbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of my Inven-
tion for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING PERAMBULATORS, BATH
CHAIRS AND SIMILAR CARRIAGES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
It consists in connecting the front wheel or wheels,' with the back handle by
which the vehicle is pushed, so that the person pushing the vehicle can steer it at
the same time without lifting the front wheel or wheels off the ground.
To effect this I affix the two front wheels or wheel of the vehicle, to a disc or
wheel of wood or metal, (or a metal bar, or metal strips bent or cast in a suitable
form) which is bolted by a centre bolt to the front portion of the bottom of the
vehicle, so as to revolve freely upon the bolt.
I then take the two ordinary levers which support the handle, and instead of
fixing them permanently to the end and bottom of the vehicle, I loosely pivot the
extreme ends to the disc or wheel; one near each edge, (or to the ends of the
metal bar, or I run a chain or band of metal or other suitable material round the
edge of the disc or wheel each end of which I connect to a lever)..
I pivot the ordinary handle upon a centre stay fixed to the back end of the
perambulator or other vehicle, and insert the other end of the levers loosely into
the bottom of each end of the handle (which I strengthen with a metal plate for
the purpose) so that it will work freely to and fro upon the centre stay. Now,
upon the handle being turned upon the centre stay, the rigid levers communicate
the motion to the front disc, wheel or metal bar, which turns with the wheels or
wheel, thus giving the person pushing the vehicle a complete steering command
over the front of it. For the better guidance of the levers I screw two suitable
slides over them under the bottom of the vehicle. I also fix a spring catch to the
bottom of the vehicle so as to keep the disc or wheel, with the wheels square to the
front when not being turned. In addition to perambulators and bathchairs,
I reserve the right to apply the Invention to any similar vehicle to which it may
be adapted.
:
In order that the foregoing may be better understood, I send herewith a sheet
of drawings. In this Figs 1 & 2 represent a plan of the bottom, and side elevation
of a bassinette, Figs 3 and 4 the manner in which the chain is used and the metal
bar. In all the figures, a indicates the disc or wheel, b the place where the wheels
are affixed, c the centre bolt, d the levers, e the centre stay for the handle, f the
juncture of the levers and the handle, g the slides, h the spring catch, i the chain,
and the metal bar.
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
1st The apparatus, substantially as described and shown hereinbefore and in the
accompanying drawing, for the purpose set forth.
.
2nd. The use of a disc or wheel, substantially as described and shown herein-
before and in the accompanying drawing, for the purpose set forth.
3rd The use of two moveable levers substantially as described and shown
herein before and in the accompanying drawing, for the purpose set forth.

page_text: th The use of a moveable handle, pivoted from the centre substantially as
described and shown hereinbefore and in the accompanying drawing for the
purpose set forth.
5th The use of a centre pivot to the handle, substantially as described and
shewn hereinbefore and in the accompanying drawing, for the purpose set
forth.
6th The use of a chain for communicating the motion from the levers to the disc
or wheel, substantially as described and shewn hereinbefore and in the
accompanying drawing for the purpose set forth.