A Self- ACTING HEAD LIFT FOR LANDAUS AND ALL OPEN-HEADED CARRIAGES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOSEPH OFFORD, of George Street, London, W. in the County of Middlesex,
Coach Builder do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for A Self-
ACTING HEAD LIFT FOR LANDAUS AND ALL OPEN-HEADED CARRIAGES to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improved means of raising and lowering the heads of
Landaus and all carriages the heads of which are made to fold in order to make
the carriage an open or a closed one, and has the special object of causing the
cant rail to be turned over automatically when the head is raised for closing the
carriage and of bringing it back into line with the pillar top when the hood is
thrown back, these operations being performed without manipulation of the lover
work by the occupant of the carriage, the hood being merely pulled up or pushed
back by a loop or handle placed in any convenient position.
This invention consists of bent lever of the 1st order with a long end and a
short end mounted on a fulcrum at the back of the pillar top the lower and longer
end being connected to the body of the carriage by means of a joint or link, while
the upper and shorter end is connected by a suitably made short link to an eye on
the cant rail a little behind and above the hinge of the rail, the action of the
combination being as follows:-
When the carriage is closed and it is desired to open it the entire hood is simply
pushed backwards by the occupant the link attached to the carriage body bringing
the lower end of the said lever nearer the pillar top and gradually drawing the
cant rail by means of the short link, also mentioned, backward until, when the
pillar top has been thrown completely back the cant-rail is either in line with it or
at any desired & prearranged inclination. When it is desired to close the carriage
the lower link draws the end of the lever out so that as the pillar top rises the
cant rail is thrown over to the precise angle required to close the head. The
arrangement is combined if desired with any form of spring for drawing the pillar
top back, is applied to each quarter of the carriage and is preferably enclosed
entirely within the leather or other covering of the hood. The lever work is thus
invisible and the appearance of the carriage improved.
D
1

page_text: 1, JOSEPH OFFORD, Coachbuilder George Street County of Middlesex do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for A SELF-ACTING HEAD-LIFT FOR LANDAUS
AND ALL OPEN HEADED CARRIAGES and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
My invention relates to improved means of raising and lowering the heads of
Landaus and all carriages the heads of which are made to fold in order to make
the carriage an open or a closed one, and has the special object of causing the
cant rails and the pillar-tops to act together so that when the former are raised,
the carriage being closed, the pillar-tops for each half of the carriage are
simultaneously thrown back and the cant-rails and pillar-tops come in line with
each other, or thereabouts, as may be desired, when the hood is full open-When
it is desired to close the hood, it is simply raised, most conveniently by the usual
bar connecting the cant-rails-As it rises, the head of the carriage is turned over
until it assumes its desired position when closed and is firmly locked there-These
operations are performed without manipulation of the lever work by the occupant
of the carriage, the hood being merely pulled up or pushed back by a loop or handle
placed in any convenient position in connection with the cant-rails.
This invention consists of a bent lever of the first order (b) with a long end and
a short end mounted on a fulcrum (e) at the back of the pillar-top (f), the lower
and the longer end being connected to the body of the carriage at (d) by means of
a joint or link (c) with the usual stop-joint locking-action, while the upper and
shorter end is connected by a suitably made short link (a) to an eye (g) on the
cant-rail (h), a little bebind and above the hinge of the rail, the action of the
combination being as follows:-
When the carriage is closed and it is desired to open it the cant-rails are raised
by the occupant of the carriage in any convenient way and the link (a) pushing
back the upper and shorter end of the lever (b) releases the locking-action at its
lower end where it engages with the ordinary link (c), and thus enables the bood
to be thrown back, the pillar-tops and cant rails then being either in line or at any
desired and prearranged inclination.
When it is desired to close the carriage the lower link (c) limits the movement
of the lower end of the lever (b) so that as the pillar-tops (f) rise, the cant rails (h)
are thrown over to the precise angle required to close the head-The arrangement
is combined if desired with any form of spring for balancing the hood, is applied to
each quarter of the carriage, and is preferably enclosed entirely within the leather
or other covering of the hood-The lever work is thus invisible and the appearance
of the carriage improved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which it may be used and carried into effect, I wish
it to be understood that I do not in any way claim the link (c) as part of my
invention as I am well aware that such a link is customarily used for ordinary

page_text: iage beads, except in so far as this link (c) is used in combination with the
er (6), but what I do claim is:―
The substitution of a double ended lever (b) for the usual single link in
connection with the link (c), as shown and described in combination with
the connecting link (a), or its equivalent and connections, whereby when
the cant-rails of a landau, or other similar carriage-head, are raised, the
pillar-tops, and thus the entire hood on that side of the carriage are drawn
back, until the cant rails are in line, or thereabouts, with the pillar-tops
and the hood is open; and on the hood being again raised the head of the
carriage is brought automatically over into its desired position for a closed-
carriage, and locked there.
ad The general arrangement of link and lever work as described for the
purpose stated.
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