Improvements in Four-wheeled Perambulators known as "Bassinettes."
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th Mar., 1887.
Improvements in Four-wheeled Perambulators known as
"Bassinettes."
I, WILLIAM AMOS HOOTON, of the Arcade Buildings,. Clifton Street, Blackpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Perambulator Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention arrangements are provided for making the bodies of
four wheeled perambulators known as "bassinettes" movable so as to be capable of
adjustment lengthwise, thus enabling the load, as in the case of only one child sitting
at the front end of the vehicle, to be brought from over the forward wheels nearer to
the rear wheels. The body of the improved bassinette rests upon a foundation or
cross plate or bed carried on the springs, a slot and screw bolts being provided for
the adjustment and fastening of the two portions in the required position. Or, the
body of the bassinetic may he moved forward or rearward by means of an underneath
screw and nut arrangement, rotated by a handle at the rear of the vehicle. The front
wheels of my improved bassinett are fast to and revolve with their shaft or axis
which is made with a central crank connected preferably by means of a linked chain
with the end of a horizontally arranged draw-bar running lengthwise to the rear of
the vehicle where it is jointed to the lower end of a vertically arranged hand lever
supported on a fulcrum projecting from the back of the bassinette body:
The hand lever when pushed forward within a catch or locking device near to its
upper end pulls the draw-bar and tightens the chain on the crank thereby preventing
the forward wheel shaft from being rotated and thus affording a safety appliance for
preventing the vehicle from starting off of its own gravity when left unattended
upon an inclined surface or roadway.
When the improved safety appliance is fitted to a bassinette having an adjustable
body as above described the rear end of the draw-bar is provided with a number of
holes and a movable pin so that the position of the lower end of the vertically

page_text: arranged hand lever may be adjusted to the altered position of its fulcrum. Or, in
lieu of a crank and drawbar as above described the safety appliance may consist of a
metal band fixed at one end to the bottom of the vehicle and passed round the under
side of a boss rotating with either of the wheel shafts the band being connected to a
chain wound upon a barrel combined with a ratchet and pawl operated by a handle
in a convenient position at the rear of the vehicle; this arrangement allowing the
length of the chain to be accomodated to the varying position of the body of the
bassinette.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Four-wheeled Perambulators known as
" Bassinettes."
I, WILLIAM AMOS HOOTON, of the Arcade Buildings, Clifton Street, Blackpool, in
the county of Lancaster, Perambulator Manufacturer, 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 :-
According to this invention arrangements are provided for inaking the bodies of
four-wheeled perambulators known as "Dessinettes" movable so as to be capable of
adjustment lengthwise, thus enabling the load, as in the case of only one child sitting
at the front end of the vehicle, to be brought from over the forward wheels nearer to
the rear wheels. The body of the improved bassinette rests upon a foundation or
cross plate or bed carried on the springs, a slot and screw bolts being provided for the
adjustment and fastening of the two portions in the required position. Or, the body
of the bassinette may be moved forward or rearward by means of an underneath
screw and nut arrangement rotated by a handle at the rear of the vehicle.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1. is a side view of an ordinary form of four-
wheeled perambulator or bassinette of which the two wheels nearest the spectator aro
not shown in order that the application of the underneath screw and nut arrangement
for moving the body part of a bassinette backwards and forwards according to my
invention may be more plainly visible.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower part of Fig. 1, the body of the vehicle not being
shown.
a is the body of the vehicle to the bottom side of which are attached (preferably by
means of screw bolts and nuts) the sliding pieces bbwhich grip or hook on to the
upper part of the carriage spring c. Attached also to the bottom of the body near
to the rear or handle end of the vehicle is a bracket which engages with the
collared screw spindle e carrying the hand wheel. The screw spindle e works
through the screw nut a secured to the cross spring piece h which is fastened at each
end to the two-side springs c c. By rotating the hand wheel the position of the
body of the vehicle may be varied (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1) relatively to
the shafts or axes of the wheels according to the load or its locality in the vehicle to
suit circumstances.
Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and plan views shewing an arrangement in
which the lower part of the spings ce are provided with slots 1, and screw bolts and
nuts k so that the position of the rear axle and wheel m may be varied as demanded
by the position of the load or its distribution in the vehicle. With this arrangement
the body of the vehicle may be fixed permanently to the upper part of the spring c
or mounted to be movable thereupon in the manner shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
I do not desire to claim as part of my said invention the several arrangements of
safety appliances or locking devices for perambulator wheels referred to in my
Provisional Specification, therefore it is unnecessery to describe the same herein―

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is —
1. Making the body of a four-wheeled perambulator movable so that its position
may be varied relatively to the shafts or axes of the wheels of the vehicle substantially
as described for the purpose specified.
2. In four-wheeled perambulators the arrangement of apparatus constructed and
operating substantially as described with reference to and shown at Figs. 1 and 2 of
the drawings for the purpose specified.
3. In four-wheeled perambulators the arrangement of slots with screw bolts and
nuts substantially as described with reference to and shown at Figs. 3 and 4 of the
drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated way of cor daty 100T..
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.