Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 1st Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Feb., 1887.
I, CHARLES A. READE, of 1009 Opera House Block, Chicago, Illinois in the United
States of America, Dealer in and Maker of Hansom Cabs, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to cabs of the style known as the Hansom, and its objects are
as follows
-
Το
To provide more room in front of the seat and make the cab easier of access.
provide foot rests of different heights which may be let down in front of the seat on
either side, thus forming as it were a double bottom to the cab and adapting the same
to comfortably seat children, and persons small in stature; and to provide a step which
serves also as a support for the front of the cab said step being formed of a single
piece of round iron, and the foot piece secured thereto as will be herein pointed out.
The doors of the cab are curved and form a continuously curved front for the cab,
as they come together at the middle of the front. The doors may swing either way
when they swing backward the dashboard need not project so far forward and the
segment will be smaller. The doors may be arranged to slide in ways either forward
or backward, and they need not come close together in front. The segment serves as
an entrance to the cab. The forward curved portion of the dash boards receives the
door when it is folded or swung forward, and in this position the occupant can be at
ease with the door opened, being protected by the door and the door by the dash. The
doors extend to the top of the cab, and the top is circular in front.
The outside portions of the floor, when the doors are open, are used by the
passengers in getting in and out, a step being placed on each side, and about opposite
the center of each of the segments of the bottom of the floor of the cab.
These steps consist of a single bar of round iron bent into the form of a loop and
bolted at each end to the under side, of the bottom of the cab, and the foot piece is
welded to the same at the center where the two sides of the loop are bent together for
that purpose.

page_text: In front of the seat I provide two foot rests, each foot rest is hinged to the front of
the seat at any required distance from the floor, and folds up in front of the seat ;
When down, it rests upon one or more eye bolts of suitable length depending from its
forward part, which swing down by gravity so as to form legs or supports.
In order to open the doors I provide cords, the cords extend from the driver and
are led in a suitable manner over pulleys or otherwise to the doors and latches or
spring bolts of the same, so as to unfasten the latter and also pull open the door when
required.
A suitable spring is provided of sufficient force to close the doors as soon as the
driver ceases to pull the cords.
CHARLES A. READE.
Pp. Herbert & Co.,
67, Strand, W.C.,
Agents.

page_text: I, CHARLES A. READE of 1009 Opera House Block, Chicago, Illinois, in the United
States of America, Dealer in and Maker of Hansom Cabs, do hereby declare the
nature of my said invention and in what nunner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
1, CHARLES A. READE of 1009 Opera House Block, Chicago, Illinois, in the United
States of America, Dealer in and Maker of Hansom Cabs, do hereby declare the
nature of my said 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 relates to cabs of the style known as the Hansom and its objects are,
briefly stated, as follows:-
1st. To provide more room in front of the seat and make the cab easier of access,
which I accomplish by making the front of the cab circular or oval and arranging
the doors to open as will be herein more particularly described.
2nd. To provide a step which serves also as a support for the front of the cab, said
step being formed of a single piece of round iron and the foot piece secured thereto as
will be herein pointed out."
My invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Figure 1 is a perspective elevation and Figure 2 is a top view of the cab,
showing the curved top and the door swinging rearward.
Like parts are indicated by the same letter in both figures.
A is the body. B is the rear elevated seat. C the inner seat front. D is the lower
permanent portion of the inner seat front. E is the seat. FF or F¹ F¹ are the curved
dashboards joined at the centre by the portion G. H' H¹ are the curved doors, hinged
either to the forward standard M or to the body as usual. I I are the windows. J is the
top circular in outline and sloping toward its edges. K₁ or K is the segment between
the dashboard and the sill. O is the step secured to the bent rod N. P is a strengthening
support therefor.
The step frame is composed of one continuous rod N which is secured at each end
to the body and bent together at the middle of the branches at which place the seat
step O and strengthening rod is secured. The rod thus forms a sort of runner.
The doors of the cab are curved as in Figs. 1 or 2 and form substantially a con-
tinuously curved front for the cab as they come together at the middle of the front.
The doors may swing either way. When they swing backward the dashboard need
not project so far forward and the segment will be smaller as shown in full lines in
Fig. 2. The doors may also be arranged to slide in ways either forward or backward
and they need not come close together in front. The segment serves as an entrance
to the cabs. The forward curved portion of the dashboards receives the door when it
is folded or swung forward, and in this position the occupant can be at ease with the
door open being protected by the door and the door by the dash. The doors extend to
the top of the cab and the top is circular in front.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. In a hansom cab a step composed of a continuous rod N bent so as to form a
runner or loop below, secured at both ends to the cab body and having its two branches
bent together midway, with a step O secured to the rod at the bent portion thereof, as
shown.
2. The rod N and step O in combination with the strengthening rod P.
3. A cab provided with curved doors, which form the front.
4. In a cab the combination of curved doors with a curved top.
5. In a cab the combination of a curved door and a curved dash board which receives
the door when the same is swung forward.
6. In a cab the combination of curved doors, curved dash boards and the segments
abonen