Improvements in or connected with Hansom Cabs and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., 1396-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Hansom Cabs and other
Vehicles.
I, ALFRED THOMAS BIDDELL, of 28, Hutton Road, Lambeth, in the County
of London, Gunsmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to Hansom cabs and other vehicles and has for its object to
provide improved mechanism for automatically braking or locking the wheels of
the same when left unattended.
According to my invention I arrange ratchet wheels and pawls in connection
with the vehicle wheels and adapted when in engagement to lock the said vehicle
wheels against forward movement. In conjunction with the ratchet wheels and
pawls I provide mechanism whereby the pawls may be held out of engagement with
the ratchet wheels.
In a suitable arrangement of mechanism I hinge the seat of the Hansom cab or
other vehicle and to the free end of the said seat I pivotally attach one end of a
rod, the other end of which is jointed to one end of a lever pivoted to the body of
the vehicle and having at its other end two laterally projecting arms carrying
the pawls which engage with the ratchet wheels fixed to the hubs of the vehicle
wheels. By this construction when the driver of the vehicle takes his seat the
free end of the seat is depressed thereby depressing the rod pivoted to the
said end. The movement of the rod depresses the end of the lever to which it is
attached so that the lateral arms raise the pawls from the teeth of the ratchet
wheels thereby allowing the latter to rotate.
In practice find it advantageous to hinge the foot-board, in addition to the
seat, and to pivot the free end of the said foot-board to the rod connected to the
hinged seat.
In connection with the pawls I provide springs, whereby the said pawls are
normally kept in engagement with the ratchet wheels and I also provide a lever or
other suitable means whereby the pawls can be raised out of engagement with the
ratchet wheels when the driver has left his seat.
In some cases, in lieu of the pawls and ratchet wheels, I provide lateral rods
adapted to enter holes in discs attached to the wheels of the vehicle.
These rods are held in engagement with the discs by means of a wedge operated
by a spring and fixed to the free end of the aforesaid lever which is pivoted to the
rod operated by the driver when on the seat, springs being provided in connection
with the said lateral rods whereby they are pulled out of engagement with the discs
when the wedge is raised on the driver taking his seat. It will be obvious that, if
desired, the discs can be so arranged that, when locked by the rods, they allow the
wheels to rotate in one direction.
Dated the 19th day of June 1806
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Hansom Cabs and other
Vehicles.
1, ALFRED THOMAS BIDDELL, of 28, Hutton Road, Lambeth, in the County
of London, Gunsmith, 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 Hansom cabs and other vehicles and has for its object to
provide improved mechanism for automatically braking or locking the wheels of the
same when left unattended.
According to my invention I arrange ratchet wheels and pawls in connection
with the vehicle wheels and adapted when in engagement to lock the said vehicle
wheels against forward movement. In conjunction with the ratchet wheels and
pawls I provide mechanism whereby the pawls may be held out of engagement with
the ratchet wheels.
In a suitable arrangement of mechanism I hinge the seat of the Hansom cab or
other vehicle and to the free end of the said seat I pivotally attach one end of a
rod, the other end of which is jointed to one end of a lever pivoted to the body of
the vehicle and having at its other end two laterally projecting arms carrying the
pawls which engage with the ratchet wheels fixed to the hubs of the vehicle
wheels.
By this construction when the driver of the vehicle takes his seat the free end of
the seat is depressed thereby depressing the rod pivoted to the said end. The
movement of the rod depresses the end of the lever to which it is attached so that
the lateral arms raise the pawls from the teeth of the ratchet wheels thereby
allowing the latter to rotate.
In practice I find it advantageous to hinge the foot-board, in addition to the
seat, and to pivot the free end of the said foot-board to the rod connected to the
hinged seat.
In connection with the pawls I provide springs, whereby the said pawls are
normally kept in engagement with the ratchet wheels.and I also provide a lever or
other suitable means whereby the pawls can be raised out of engagement with the
ratchet wheels when the driver has left his seat.
In some cases, in lieu of the pawls and ratchet wheels, I provide lateral rods
adapted to enter holes in discs attached to the wheels of the vehicle or between the
spokes of the wheels.
These rods are held in engagement with the discs or wheels by means of a wedge
operated by a spring or springs and fixed to the free end of the aforesaid lever which
is pivoted to the rod operated by the driver when on the seat, springs being provided
in connection with the said lateral rods whereby they are pulled out of engagement
with the discs when the wedge is raised on the driver taking his seat. It will be
obvious that, if desired, the dises can be so arranged that, when locked by the rods
they allow the wheels to rotate in one direction.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a Hansom cab having my
improvements applied thereto :
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same; and,
Figure 3 a rear sectional elevation shewing the modified form of my improve-
ments applied to a Hansom cab.
a is the body of the cab, b, b are the wheels of the same, the said wheels being
mounted on the axle c. d, d (Figures 1 and 2) are the ratchet wheels attached to

page_text: the hubs of the wheels b, b and e, e, are the pawls which are normally held in
engagement with the ratchet wheels d, d by means of the springs, and which
are pivoted at 9, 9 to supports or brackets A, & secured to the body of the
vehicle.
i is the seat at the rear of the cab the said seat being hinged at its front end at j
as shewn clearly in Figure 1. k is the rod which is pivotally attached at to the
free end of the seat and m is the lever which is pivoted to the body of the
vehicle at n and which is at one end connected to the said rod k. o, o are
the laterally projecting arms which are connected at one end to the other end
of the lever m, as shewn clearly in Figure 2, and at their other ends to the.
pawls e, e.
p is the foot-board which is hinged at its front end to the body of the cab at
and is pivotally connected to the rod k.
With this construction of cab it will be obvious that the driver when he mounts.
to his seat, will press upon the seat i, or the foot-board p and depress the rod k and
the rear end of the lever m so that the front end of the lever m is raised thereby
causing the lateral arms o to raise the pawls e out of engagement with the ratchet.
wheels d and unlock the wheels b, b.
As soon as the driver descends the springs ff again force the pawls e into
engagement with the ratchet wheels d so as to lock the wheels and prevent them
rotating in one direction.
r is the lever which when pulled downwards rotates a cain so as to depress the
rod k and lift the pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wheels without the
necessity for the driver to mount to his seat or instead of the cam r', I can employ
a lever pivoted to the bar k.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 the ratchet wheels d, d are replaced by
discs d', d having holes d", d arranged around their peripheries. o, o are the
lateral rods which slide in guides o secured to the body of the vehicle and which
are adapted to engage in the holes d", d" in the disce d', and m' is the wedge which
is fixed to the front end of the lever m, the said wedge being normally maintained
in its lower position (Figure 3) by the spring m2 so that the lateral rods o', o' are
normally kept in engagement with the discs d², d².
2,3 are springs wound around the rods o, o' and adapted to pull the said rods out
of engagement with the said discs d', d when the wedge m³ is raised on the driver-
taking his seat as above described. These springs are obviously of less strength
than the spring so that, as soon as the driver desceuds, the wedge m' is pulled.
downwards, thereby locking the wheels.
It will be obvious that, if desired, the discs d can be so arranged that, when
locked by the rods, they allow the wheels to rotate in one direction so that the cab.
may be moved backwards for instance.
In the case of perambulators the mechanism is actuated by the handle of the-
same instead of the seat as in the case of cabs and other vehicles. The rods o³, o
are withdrawn from the holes in the discs d'or from between the spokes of the-
wheels when the handle is depressed by the action of pushing the perambulator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a Hansom cab or other vehicle of ratchet and pawl
mechanism whereby when the driver takes his seat the cab or other vehicle is free
to move in either direction and when he descends from his seat the wheels of the
cab or other vehicle are automatically locked or braked substantially as; and for
the purpose, herein before described.
2. In a Hansom cab or other vehicle of the kind described in Claim 1 ratchet..
wheels attached to the wheels of the vehicle, pawls normally kept in engagement
with the same by means of springs, a hinged seat for the driver and an
arrangement of rods and levers connecting the said hinged seat and the pawls.

page_text: whereby when the driver mounts to his seat the latter is depressed so as to lift the
pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wheels substantially as described.
3. The combination with a Hansom cab or other vehicle of discs attached to the
wheels of the said vehicle and provided with holes in which rods are normally held
in engagement by means of springs, of a hinged seat and of an arrangement of
rods and levers whereby, when the driver takes his seat, the latter is depressed so
that the rods are disengaged from the discs substantially as, and for the purpose,
herein before described.
4. In a Hansom cab or other vehicle the arrangement of a hand lever in
connection with the described locking mechanism for the purpose of unlocking
the wheels without the necessity for the driver to mount to his seat, substantially
as described.
5. The improvements in Hansom cabs and other vehicles hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and 3 respectively of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the 7th day of August 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.