Improvements in or relating to Waterproof Devices or Apparatus for Protecting the Lower Limbs of Passengers, or the Seats, when Unoccupied, on the Outside of Vehicles from the Weather.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1900-Accepted, 20th Oct.,
1900
Improvements in or relating to Waterproof Devices or Apparatus
for Protecting the Lower Limbs of Passengers, or the Seats, when
Unoccupied, on the Outside of Vehicles from the Weather.
I, JOHN ALEXANDER GAMBLE, of 136, Aigburth Road, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Fruit Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to waterproof devices or apparatus for covering the lower
limbs of passengers in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars, omnibuses,
dogcarts and other vehicles. It comprises a waterproof apron, and an arrange-
ment whereby the apron can be stowed away when not required for use, the
arrangement being such that the apron is wound round a spring roller so that
the waterproof material can be unwound from the roller, and extended over the
lower limbs of the passengers to protect them from the weather, or when released
will automatically roll itself round the roller so as to occupy a very small space.
In carrying my invention into effect, the waterproof material is wound upon
a spring roller, so that the waterproof material can be unwound from the roller
and extended over the lower limbs of the passengers, or when released shall auto-
matically wind itself round the roller so as to occupy a very small space. These
rollers are located in chambers in the backs of the seats, and the apron ends pass
downwards through a channel to near the bottom where said channel bifurcates,
one branch having its entrance at one side of the back and the other on the oppo-
site side. At the entrance of each of the branches may be placed a pair of
rubber rollers leaving a narrow slit between, and the ends of the aprons are
enlarged so as to prevent the extreme end of the aprons from passing through
the slit. The rubber rollers act as guides to the aprons and also prevent them
being frayed by being drawn in and out, and furthermore they squeeze a good
deal of the rain water off the apron when being drawn in. The rubber guide
rollers are not however essential, as a plain narrow slit can equally well be
used. The aprons when wound on the roller are protected by means of a hood
or metallic covering, air spaces with passages being provided to ventilate the
chamber and assist in the drying of the aprons. In one arrangement, the backs
are reversible to enable the passengers to sit either facing the direction of motion
or the reverse, and there are two aprons in each back, one being intended to be
used when the backs are in one position and the other being intended to be used
when the backs are reversed. The apron may if desired be formed with side
flaps constituting a lateral protection for the passengers' legs, and with an end
flap constituting a protection in front. These flaps can be folded inwards so as
to lie flat against the underside of the apron, the side flaps folding double on
the lines, and in that position be easily passed into the channel between the
rollers. An auxiliary flap is secured to the underside of the apron which pre-
vents rain driving in under the apron.
When the apron is required for use, the passenger pulls out the end of the

page_text: as
apron, thus unwinding it from the roller and pulls it over the lower part of his
body into the position shown by the dotted lines so as to protect himself from
the weather. Even when the seat of the velricle is not occupied,
tilie apron may be drawn out to its full length and fastened,
shown by the full lines, whereby the whole of the seat is covered and protected
from the weather, thus protecting the seat from damp when unoccupied. The
preferred arrangement of rollers is to provide them with springs and to mount the
rollers on a spindle which is fixed so as not to rotate. The rollers at their end
are provided with pawls which will by manipulating the apron lock themselves
in grooves in the spindle so that the apron will not roll up, and thus when the
apron is being used as a protection for the passengers, will keep it distended over
their limbs without any further fastening being necessary. If however the apron
be sharply pulled and released, the pawls will instantly come out of engagement
with the grooves and the apron will then roll up. The entrance to the channels
being below the levels of the seats, the apron will assume a sloping position when
pulled over the knees, thus ensuring the water running off. The channel is of
such a length that that portion of each apron which is exposed to the weather is
not rolled up on its spring roller but is contained within the channel where it can
dry quicker being exposed to a current of air through the channels. Further by
this arrangement there is no danger of the apron sticking as would be the case
if it was rolled up wet. The arrangement of course necessitates the channel
being made long enough to hold so much of the apron as is exposed to the
weather. If however it is inconvenient to make the channel so long, the spring
roller of the apron may be located near the bottom of the hollow back, the apron
carried upwards to a guide at top, and then down again to the bottom where it
passes out through an orifice. By this arrangement therefore I can get the
required result with quite a small back. One roller can of course be used in each
back instead of two.
The spring rollers instead of being arranged in the backs of the seats are
arranged below the seats. In this arrangement the spring rollers are aranged
within boxes or casings and the apron is made of two layers of material, namely
an outer layer which is rolled on to one roller, and an inner layer which is rolled
on a separate roller, the two layers constituting the apron. By rolling these
two layers therefore on separate rollers, the inner layer when so rolled up will
not come into permanent contact with the outer layer, and is therefore always
kept dry, thus ensuring that the passenger shall always have the apron dry on the
under side.
In the arrangement applied to a dogcart, an additional apron may be provided at
back of the cart to protect from the weather any articles that are being carried
therein.
This
In the arrangement as applied to tramcars with longitudinal seats, the spring
rollers on which the apron is wound are located at the top of the sides, which sides
are made hollow so as to form a channel down which the apron is passed.
arrangement also permits of that portion of the apron which is exposed to the
weather being contained within the channel when not in use, instead of being
rolled up on the roller. To draw the apron over the passengers' lower limbs, all
that he has to do is to pull the part and the apron will unwind from the roller, or
when the seats are empty and it is required to keep the seats dry all that is neces-
sary is to pull it out, and fasten the end with the catch.
בד
31
1
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co..
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Water proof Devices or Apparatus
for Protecting the Lower Limbs of Passengers, or the Seats, when
Unoccupied, on the Outside of Vehicles from the Weather.
I, JOHN ALEXANDER GAMBLE, of 136, Aigburth Road, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Fruit Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to waterproof devices or apparatus for covering the lower
limbs of passengers in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars, omnibuses,
dogcarts and other vehicles. It comprises a waterproof apron, and an arrange-
ment whereby the apron can be stowed away when not required for use,. the
arrangement being such that the apron is wound round a spring roller so that
the waterproof material can be unwound from the roller, and extended over the
lower limbs of the passengers to protect them from the weather, or when released
will automatically roll itself round the roller so as to occupy a very small space.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a side view showing my invention applied to the outside seats of a
tramcar or omnibus;
Figure 2, an enlarged section showing my invention applied to the back of a
seat:
Figure 3, a front view of one of the seats shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4, a side view of a modification of Figure 1;
Figure 5, a side elevation of a dogcart showing my invention applied thereto;
Figure 6, a cross section showing my invention applied to a tramcar with
longitudinal seats;
Figure 7, a separate view of the apron with side flaps.
=
Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 3, A is the seat, B the back thereof, C the
waterproof apron, D the rollers on which the aprons are rolled, d guides for the
aprons. These rollers are located in chambers E in the backs of the seats, and
the apron ends pass downwards through channel F to near the bottom where said
channel bifurcates, one branch having its entrance at one side of the back and
the other on the opposite side. At the entrance of each of the branches may be
placed a pair of rubber rollers G leaving a narrow slit between, and the ends of
the aprons are enlarged at c so as to prevent the extreme end of the aprons from
passing through the slit. The rubber rollers act as guides to the aprons C and
also prevent them being frayed by being drawn in and out, and furthermore they
squeeze a good deal of the rain water off the apron when being drawn in. The
rubber guide rollers are not however essential, as a plain narrow slit can equally
well be used. The aprons when wound on the roller are protected by means of a
hood or metallic covering H, air spaces with passages being provided at I to
ventilate the chamber E and assist in the drying of the aprons. In the arrange-
ment shown, the backs are reversible to enable the passengers to sit either facing
the direction of motion or the reverse, and there are two aprons in each back,
one being intended to be used when the backs are in the position shown and the
other being intended to be used when the backs are reversed. The apron may
if desired be formed with side flaps C¹ constituting a lateral protection for the
passengers' legs, and with an end flap K constituting a protection in front. These
flaps can be folded inwards so as to lie flat against the underside of the apron the
sida flaps folding double on the lines C and in that position be easily passed into

page_text: the channel F between the rollers G. K is also an auxiliary flap secured to the
underside of the apron which prevents rain driving in under the apron, see
Figure 7.
When the apron is required for use, the passenger pulls out the end c of the
apron, thus unwinding it from the roller and pulls it over the lower part of his
body into the position shown by the dotted lines so as to protect himself from the
weather. Even when the seat of the vehicle is not occupied, the apron may be
drawn out to its full length and fastened at J, as shown by the full lines,
whereby the whole of the seat is covered and protected from the weather, thus
protecting the seat from damp when unoccupied. The preferred arrangement of
rollers is to provide them with springs E¹ and to mount the rollers on a spindle L
which is fixed so as not to rotate. The rollers at their end are provided with
pawls which will by manipulating the apron lock themselves in grooves in the
spindle so that the apron will not roll up, and thus when the apron is being used
as a protection for the passengers, will keep it distended over their limbs with-
out any further fastening being necessary. If however the apron be sharply
pulled and released, the pawls will instantly come out of engagement with the
grooves and the apron will then roll up. The entrance to the channels F being
below the levels of the seats A, the apron will assume a sloping position when
pulled over the knees, thus ensuring the water running off. The channel F is
of such a length that that portion of each apron which is exposed to the weather
is not rolled up on its spring roller but is contained within the channel F where
it can dry quicker being exposed to a current of air through the channels i.
Further by this arrangement there is no danger of the apron sticking as would be
the case if it was rolled up wet. The arrangement of course necessitates the
channel F being made long enough to hold so much of the apron as is exposed to
the weather. If however it is inconvenient to make the channel so long, as
shown in Figure 2, the spring roller of the apron may be located near the bottom
of the hollow back, the apron carried upwards to a guide at top, and then down
again to the bottom where it passes out through an orifice. By this arrangement
therefore I can get the required result with quite a small back. One roller can
of course be used in each back instead of two."
In Figure 4 the spring rollers instead of being arranged in the backs of the
seats are arranged below the seats as shown. In this arrangement the spring
rollers D are arranged within boxes or casings M and the apron is made of two
layers of material, namely an outer layer C¹ which is rolled on to one roller, and
an inner layer C2, which is rolled on a separate roller, the two layers constituting
the apron. By rolling these two layers therefore on separate rollers, the inner
layer when so rolled up will not come into permanent contact with the outer
layer, and is therefore always kept dry, thus ensuring that the passenger shall
always have the apron dry on the under side.
Figure 5 shows the arrangement applied to a dog-cart, C being the apron.
D the spring roller. An additional apron C may be provided at back of the cart
to protect from the weather any articles that are being carried therein.
The arrangement as applied to tramcars with longitudinal seats is shown in
Figure 6. In this case the spring rollers D on which the apron C is wound are
located at top of the sides N, which sides N are made hollow so as to form a
channel down which the apron is passed. This arrangement also permits of that
portion of the apron which is exposed to the weather being contained within
the channel when not in use, instead of being rolled up on the roller. To draw
the apron over the passengers lower limbs, all that he has to do is to pull the
part and the apron will unwind from the roller, or when the seats are empty
and it is required to keep the seats dry all that is necessary is to pull it out, and
fasten the end with the catch J.
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 ia.

page_text: 1. The improvements in waterproof devices or apparatus for covering the lower
limbs of passengers in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars and other
vehicles, which consists in providing a waterproof apron, and an arrangement
whereby such apron can be stored away when not required for use, said arrange-
ment comprising spring rollers to which the aprons are attached, in such a
manner that when the force or attachment which kept the aprons over the pas-
sengers' limbs, is removed or released, the rollers automatically rotate and roll up
the aprons thereon out of the way, substantially as described.
2. In waterproof aprons or devices for covering the lower limbs of passengers
in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars or other vehicles, the combina-
tion with said aprons of spring rollers to which they are attached, a channel or
chamber in or in connection with which the said rollers are mounted, and in
which a considerable length of the said apron is extended, a slit at one end of
said chamber through which the apron can be drawn in and out, and means for
preventing the extreme end of the apron from passing through the slit, whereby
when the force or attachment which kept the aprons over the passengers' limbs is
removed or released, the rollers will automatically roll up only a part of the
aprons thereon, the part which was exposed to the weather being not rolled up
but kept extended within the chamber substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. In devices of the kind set forth in Claim 2, the arrangement for ventilating
the chamber to facilitate the drying of the apron extended therein substantially
as described.
4. In a waterproof device or apparatus for covering the lower limbs of pas-
sengers in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars or other vehicles, the use
in combination with the waterproof apron of a pair of rubber rollers with a
narrow slit between, so arranged as to act as guides to the apron and prevent the
enlarged apron end from passing therethrough while squeezing any rain water
off the apron before being wound on to the roller, substantially as set forth.
5. A waterproof device or apparatus for covering the lower limbs of passengers
in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars or other vehicles, comprising a
waterproof apron made of two layers of material, namely, an outer layer and an
inner layer, in combination with a pair of separate rollers on which the said
lavers are respectively rolled, so that one layer of the apron is rolled on to one
roller and the other layer on to the other roller, substantially as and for the pur-
pose described.
6. A waterproof device for covering the lower limbs of passengers on the outside
seats of tramcars or other vehicles in wet weather. comprising a waterproof
apron having side flaps C¹ constituting a lateral protection for the passengers' legs,
and an end flap K constituting protection in front, said side flaps being capable
when not required for use of folding inwards flat against the underside of the
apron and in that position of being rolled up upon a roller substantially as
described.
7. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
improved waterproof device or apparatus for covering the lower limbs of pas-
sengers in wet weather on the outside seats of tramcars. or other vehicles sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figures 1-3 inclusive, Figure 4,
Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 7 respectively.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.