An Improved Method of Hanging the Doors of Brougham Hansom Cabs and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1889-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1889
JOM DIE DI MUIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Hanging the Doors of Brougham Hansom
Cabs and similar Vehicles.
I, CHARLES GLENCROSS, care of Hepburn & Spruson of 130 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, Coach-builder, 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 an improved method of banging the doors of Hanson
Cabs and other vehicles of similar construction, and is specially applicable to that
description of door commonly known as a perpendicular flush door. The object of the
Invention is to dispense with the use of hinges and slides for the doors, and to substitute
for these contrivances a device which is more easy of manipulation and at the same
time less cumbersome and inconvenient than either of them, and in which the
operation of opening and closing the doors is effected within a more restricted
space.
My Invention consists essentially in hanging the doors on links on
principle to that applied in uniting the bars of linked parallel rulers.
a similar
But to make my Invention better understood I will now proceed to more
particularly describe the same, and I will to illustrate the said Invention refer to
the five figures on the accompanying sheet of Drawings, in all of which the same
lotters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a Brougham Hansom Cab with perpendicular
flush doors hung according to the method herein described; Figure 2 is a plan or
cant view of the same, looking down upon the roof. The mechanism illustrated in
this figure shews the pair of hanging links at the top of one of the doors, and a
T-piece fitted to one of the said links by operating which with the aid of cords or
rods the driver is enabled to open or close the said door from his perch; Figure 3
is also a plan or cant view; in this figure a portion of the roof is shewn broken
away to shew the arrangement of the pair of hanging links at the foot of the door ;
Figure 4 is a working sketch of the arrangement of the hanging links at the top
of the door and of the controlling parts on the roof of the Cab; Figure 5 is a
working sketch of the arrangement of the pair of hanging links at the foot of the
door; Figure 6 is a plan illustrative of one form of operating mechanism.
Both doors of the vehicle have exactly corresponding parts, and either or both
doors can be manipulated separately or together.
It will be observed that the illustrations herein given shew the mode of application
of the Invention to a Hansom Cab in the face of which two standing pillars are
built. Though the existence of these pillars is not essential to the carrying out of
the Invention, I prefer to introduce them in the illustration because the Invention
is more easy of application to vehicles so constructed.
Referring to Figure 5 of the Drawings, the full lines shew the relative positions
of the right-hand door and of the pair of hanging links at the foot of it when the
door is closed, and the dotted lines shew their relative positions when the door is
open. A is the door and B and C are the hanging links. The links work from
the respective centres b and c. The inner link B is a straight bar, while the outer
link C is bent in the form of a figure somewhat in the shape of the letter V, but
with one of the arms curving inwards so as to coincide with the segment of a circle
having its centre at the pivot at the extremity of the straight arin, and having a
radius e :ual in length to that arın. The outer extremity of each link is attached to
the doc by means of a pivot lug, the position of the pivots being shewn at 6¹
and respectively.

page_text: Since it is intended that when open the doors should swing out over the front
quarters of the vehicle and into a position in which they could not impede ingress
into or egress from the vehicle, it becomes necessary to make the link C shorter than
the link B, for by this peculiar construction the door in its. motion necessarily
traverses a path governed by the relative lengths of the bars B and C and ultimately
falls into a position parallel to the curve of the face of the vehicle. D is one of the
standing pillars. These pillars as well as serving the purpose of jambs for the doors
when closed, act as hinge stops for them when opened, for (as shewn in Figure 5)
the straight arm of the link C strikes against the pillar D, and can proceed no
further. The reason that the link C is provided with curved arm. is that if it were
made straight the door could not be moved without bringing the arm in contact with
the pillar D, whilst by making it curved in the way illustrated the curved arm passes
in front of the pillar D and performs its function without hindrance. The position
of the door when opened is shewn at E, Figure 3, and when closed, at F in the same
Figure. The arrangement of the links at the top of the door is similar in principle,
but inasmuch as they are from their position incapable of receiving any hindrance
from the pillar D, the link H (corresponding to the link C at the foot of the door)
is made straight. A T-piece K is fitted to the link H, and to the arms of the
T-piece controlling cords or rods may be fastened, by the use of which the driver
will be enabled to manipulate the doors and open or close them at will. An
alternative method of operating the doors consists in fitting arms N to each of the
links or to either of them at their rear ends, and connecting the same by means of
joints to an operating bar P, as shewn in Figure 6.
Although I have described and illustrated the method of hanging the doors of a
Brougham or perpendicular face Hansom Cab on links of a particular shape, I wish
it to be understood that my Invention does not merely include the hanging of doors
on links of that shape, but also includes hanging them on links or their equivalents
of other descriptions and shapes, provided the essential feature is maintained of
hanging them on a pair of links at top and at foot, of which the radial length of the
outer link is in each case shorter than that of the inner one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1.—In Brougham Hansom Cabs and similar vehicles, hanging the doors thereof
by means of a pair of links at top and at foot; the rear link of each pair having a
shorter radial length than the other; substantially as described.
2. In Brougham Hansom Cabs and similar vehicles, hanging the doors thereof
by means of a pair of links at the top and a pair at the foot, constructed and
arranged substantially in the manner described and illustrated.
Dated this 30th day of Julv 1889.
Jay of July 1889.
CHARLES GLENCROSS.
Herbert & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents.