Combined Baby Carriage and Wheel Chair.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1897-Accepted, 4th Sept., 1897
CUAIT UMIDDEL
Combined Baby Carriage and Wheel Chair.
We, JESSE ARMOUR CRANDALL, Manufacturer and Inventor, residing at 363,
Decatur Street, LEONARD JACOB BETTS, residence 36 Cranberry Street, Ferry Master,
and FRANK EDDY CALDWELL, Physician, residence 151 Henry Street, all residents
of the City of Brooklyn, County of Kings State of New York, one of the United
States of America, 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 a combined baby carriage and wheel chair.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device arranged as a carriage.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing it'arranged as a wheel chair.
Figure 3 a detail view, and
Figure 4 a detail cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.
This invention has for its object to produce a simple and durable vehicle which
may be readily converted from a, baby-carriage into a wheel-chair and from a
wheel chair into a carriage, by an exceedingly simple arrangement of devices.
Another of its objects is to so construct the parts of the vehicle that the forward
portion of the baby carriage when removed may be secured to the rear side of the
handle bars to form a parcel receptacle when the vehicle is used as a wheel-chair.,
The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts
hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.
Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1, 1 designate the main supporting
wheels which are mounted upon an axle 2. Secured to this axle, adjacent each
wheel is a forwardly extending spring 3 which at its forward end is secured to the
under side of the vehicle body. This body is formed in two sections, a rigid
The rear section is formed of
rear section 4, and a removable front section 5.
the two lower side bars 6, which extend from the forward edge of the bottom of
this section rearwardly a suitable distance and curve upwardly, their upper ends
being then curved rearwardly to form handle-supporting bars. 7, 7, designate
the upper side bars whose rear ends are secured to the bars 6, 6, at a point a
suitable distance above the bottom of the vehicle, said bars forming at their rear
portions the top of the vehicle sides. These bars extend forward in a substantially
horizontal line for a short distance and are then inclined downwardly and for-
wardly, and are secured to the forward ends of the lower side bars. From this
point these bars are curved forwardly and carry at their forward ends a transverse
axle 8. Upon this axle is mounted a pair of small supporting wheels 9, 9. The
bottom 10 of this section of the vehicle terminates at the forward ends of the
bars 6, and forms the seat when the vehicle is used as a wheel-chair.
The removable front section of the vehicle body consists of the forwardly and
downwardly extending bars 11, 11, which are adapted to fit closely against the
similarly-inclined portion of the bars 7 of the rear section. From the lower ends
of these bars, lower side-bars 12 of this section extend forwardly, said bars curving

page_text: upwardly at their front ends to give the carriage a pleasing outline. From the
upper ends of these bars 11, the upper side bars 13 extend forward, said bars being
curved to correspond to the curvature of a portion of the lower side bars 6 of
the rigid rear section. The front ends of these bars are connected by a cross-
bar 19 which is adapted to bear against the rear side of the rigid section when the
removable section is used as a parcel receptacle.
Passing through co-incident apertures in the bars 11, and the adjacent portion
of bars 7 are bolts 14 which are provided with thumb-screws 15. By means of
these bolts the front section of the vehicle may be readily secured in place. The
rear edge of the bottom of the forward section 5 abuts closely against the forward
edge of the bottom of section 4, when the sections are arranged as shown in
Figure 1.
When it is desired to use the vehicle as a wheel-chair the bolts 14 are withdrawn
and the front section removed.
In order to utilize this section as a parcel receptacle, and at the same time pro-
vide a convenient mode of carrying it on the vehicle, the upper bars 13 are aper-
tured as at 16, and the bars 6 are correspondingly apertured, as at 17, and the
bolts 14 are passed through said apertures to secure the section 5 to the rear side
of the handle-supporting bars. The bars 13 are curved to correspond to the curva-
ture of the bars 6, and fit closely against them in this position. It will thus be
seen that a convenient parcel carrier is formed on the rear of the wheel-chair.
A foot-rest 18 is carried on the forward side of the bars 7 below the bottom of
the rear section as clearly shown.
It will be observed that the rear section of the body constitutes the main frame
of the vehicle and is permanently attached to the main supporting wheels. It
will also be observed that the wheels 9 act in ...e nature of auxiliary supporting
wheels and are necessarily made smaller an the main wheels so as not to obstruct
the entrance to the body or seat when used as a wheel-chair.
Having now particularly, described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
-
In a combined baby-carriage and wheel-chair, the combination of a pair of main
wheels, a baby carriage body supported thereon and provided with handles, said
body being divided into two transverse sections about mid-way its length, the rear
section being provided at its forward end with a depending support and a step-
piece, and the front section being secured to the front edges of the rear section
and projecting out over the step-piece, whereby said front section may be removed
to convert the baby-carriage into a wheel-chair, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
Dated this 20th day of July 1897.
For the Applicants.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.