An Improvement in Children's Mail Carts and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 20th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 18th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Children's Mail Carts and the like.
I. ARABELLA JULIA MARTIN HURDLE, of 3, Portland Street, Southampton,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to enable the handles or shafts of a child's
"mail cart," and the like, to be readily adjusted to any angle to suit the height of
the person propelling it so that the body of the cart may always be kept
approximately horizontal. It also has for object to reduce the effect of vibration.
The invention consists in hingeing the shafts or handles by means of hinge
joints, the inner member of which is formed by or sheathed with indiarubber so as
to deaden vibration, and is contained within a socket or outer member wherein it is
adapted to be tightened so as to render the joint rigid, either by the expansion of
the rubber under longitudinal compression by means of a thumb screw, cam, or
equivalent contrivance, or by the contraction of the outer member which in that
case is divided and clamped around the inner member by similar means.
outer member may be fixed to the body of the cart or to a part fixed thereto and
the inner member may be held between cheek plates embracing the outer member
and fixed to the shafts or handles.
Dated this 10th day of I.... 100%
The
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Children's Mail Carts and the like.
I, ARABELLA JULIA. MARTIN HURDLE of 3, Portland Street, Southampton,
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 :-
"
My invention has for its object to enable the handles or shafts of a child's
"mail cart
to be readily adjusted to any required angle to suit the person
propelling the vehicle so that the body of the cart may be kept approximately
horizontal notwithstanding the variation in height of the shafts.
The invention consists in making the shafts or handles adjustable in the vertical
direction upon joints the inner member or boss of each of which is embraced by a
clip or outer member the parts being so made as to be adapted to be tightened the
one within or upon the other so as to render the joint rigid.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein.
Figure 1 is a side view of the preferred form of the joint (partly in section to
shew the internal construction) the parts being in the straight position and the
joint locked rigid. Figure 2 is a similar view the joint being loose and the handle
at an angle to the main frame,

page_text: Figure 3 is a plan view of the joint.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a form of joint which is tightened by the
expansion of the inner member.
A is the side bar of the main frame and B one of the shaft handles of a child's
"mail" cart made separate from the side bar A (instead of being a continuation
thereof as usual) and connected thereto by a joint formed of metal shoes C D
respectively attached to the ends of parts A B and provided the one C with an
inner cylindrical member or boss E fixed therein so as to be incapable of turning
by squared ends e of its core received in corresponding holes in the cheek plates of
the shoe C whilst the other member D has affixed to it a steel strap F which
embraces and is adapted to be drawn tight about the boss E by any suitable means
preferably by a bent lever G pivoted at g in the cheek plates of the shoe D and
bearing by its short arm gl which acts in the manner of a cam upon the projecting
lip at the free end of the strap. The arrangement is such that when the short
arm g acts with maximum effect the clip will be clasped so tight about the boss E
that the joint will be quite rigid whilst when the lever G is turned down as shewn
in Figure 2 the strap springs open sufficiently to loosen the joint.
The inner member or boss E is made preferably of an iron core of square
section about which a cylinder of india-rubber is vulcanized the inner portion
being vulcanized hard and the outer superficial portion, shewn by the lighter
shading, being soft and elastic so as to enable the strap to obtain a firm grip. The
core is traversed by a centre bolt H which passes through holes in the cheeks of
the shoe D and forms the joint pivot when the strap is slackened. I prefer to
make the boss E of two qualities of rubber as described but do not limit myself to
that material as the boss might be made of wood.
In Figure 4 the boss is formed of a wedge-like segment J attached at its base to
the inside of one of the outer cheeks and fitting between two other segments J1 J1
together making up a cylinder, the boss being encircled by a tubular sleeve E¹ of
rubber fitting within a cylindrical socket Cupon (say) the bar A, and adapted to
be tightened rigidly therein by the longitudinal motion of the wedge J under the
pressure of a fly nut K screwing upon an axial bolt k whereby the segmental boss
and rubber are expanded, the outer cheeks d d of the shoe attached to (say) the
shaft B being capable of yielding sufficiently to allow of the slight motion required
and the wedge J being so attached to one of the cheeks d as to transmit the
angular movement of the shaft to the cylindrical boss when the latter is contracted
or to sustain the shaft when the boss is expanded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
. claim is :-
Connecting shaft handles to children's mail carts adjustably by means of joints
adapted to be tightened after adjustment to any required position by contraction
of the outer member or by expansion of the inner member substantially as
specified.
Dated this 18th day of April 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.