CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS UPON THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Jonx
LANE HIGGINS, of Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, in and by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Second day of March last, in the third year of His reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said John Lane Higgins, my exors, admors, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
John Lane Higgins, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of them by
himself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or any others as I, the said John Lane Higgins, my exors, adñiors, or
assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, my Invention therein mentioned
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS UPON THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES," within that
part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
in such manner as to me, the said John Lane Higgins, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or any of them, in my or their discretion should seem meet, to have,
hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages*
therein granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said John Lane
Higgins, my exors, adñiors and assigns, for and during and unto the full end
and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and

page_text: immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended according to the
Statute in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent thero
is contained a proviso, that if T, the said John Lane Higgins, should not par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in Ilis said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery, within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cense,
determine and become void, as in and by the said recited Letters Patent,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Lane Iliggins, do hereby describo and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, of certain improvements upon the construction of carriages, and in
what manner the same is to be performed and operate by the plans or Drawings
hercto annexed, and in the following description thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, as represented by the Drawing hereto annexed and
as hereinafter described.
Figure 1 represents an horizontal plan of the bed framing of a four-wheeled
carriago constructed accordingly to my improvements. The body and upper
parts are supposed to be removed in order to explain the nature of the
Invention.
Note. The hind and fore wheels are shewn in a position parallel to each
other, or in the direction for the carriage to move along a straight road.
Figure 2 shews an horizontal plan of the same wherein the foro wheels aro
upon the lock, or in a proper position to turn the carriage. Figure 3 repre-
sents an horizontal plan of the hind wheels and perch detached. Figure 4 an
horizontal plan of the fore frame and fore wheels with their appendages; and
Figure 5 shews a transverse section of the fore axletree, bed, wheels and
appendages. The same characters or letters of reference denote corresponding
parts upon all the Figures. A, A, represents the perch which is firmly united
to the hind axletree bed B, B, and strengthened by the hind braces b, b.
C represents a cross bar which is firmly secured to the perch in a direction
perpendicular thereto, and kept steady by the iron braces a, a, a, a. The
cross bar C is situated above the fore transom or fore axletree bed E. D, D,
represent two rails which are bolted upon the fore axletree bed and project a
considerable distance each way, being nearly perpendicular to the bed E; they
answer the purpose of the futchels in an ordinary four-wheeled carriage. The
fore ends of the rails D, D, are connected together by the splinter bar F, from

page_text: which the horses draw and to which the pole of the carriage is fixed; G, G,
represent a curved frame of metal which is secured upon the rails D, D, and
splinter bar F by screw bolts, or otherwise; the frame G, G, is fixed sufficiently
high above the fore axletree bed E to allow the perch A, A, with its cross
bar C, to work freely between the upper side of the fore axletree bed and the
underside of the metal frame G, G, as is represented clearly in Figure 5.
1, 2, represent pins or small rollers which are fixed near the ends of the
cross bar C, and rise up through curved grooves or arches c, d, formed in the
framo G, G; the groovo c is an arc of a circle described round the pin or
roller 1 as a centre, and the groove d is described round the pin or roller 2.
The distanco asunder of the pins or rollers 1 and 2 determines the radius of the
arcs, as shewn clearly in the Figure 1, upon the Drawing; 3 and 4 represent
two other pins or small rollers which are fixed upon the upper side of the perch
itself; those pins rise up through curved grooves formed in the frame G, G, in
the same manner as the pins 1 and 2; the pin 3 is adapted to work freely in
the grooves e and f, which correspond in radius with the grooves c and d, as
will be clearly seen in the Figure 1; at the same time the pin 4 is adapted to
work in the grooves g and h, which grooves are also formed by arcs of circles
round the pins or rollers 1 and 2 as conters, the groove 9 being described from
the pin 1, and the groove h from the pin 2. The curved frame G, G, with its
grooves I will denominate a double center perch, since it operates when turning
the carriage by moving upon different centers when the carriage is turned to
the right or to the left instead of turning upon one common center under the
middle of the carriage, as is the case in ordinary four-wheeled carriages, with
the perch bolt situated in the middle of the fore axletree bed. It is this cir-
cumstance which constitutes the advantage of the present Invention, as will be
hercin-after explained. When the carriage is drawn straight forwards the
small rollers 3 and 4 bear at the points 5 and 6, seo Figures 2 and 4, where
the curved grooves e and f and g, h, intersect; at the same time the small
rollers 1 and 2 bear in the rounded extremities of the grooves c and d, as will
be evident from inspection of the Figure 1. In this situation the hind wheels
will be steadily drawn forwards along with the fore wheels by means of the
perch, but when it is required to turn the carriage upon the road the effect of
the above mentioned double center perch is as follows:-Suppose the carringo
is intended to be turned round to the left-hand, as represented by the plan,
Figure 2, the horses force the pole of the carriage to the left-hand, which
causes the pin or small roller 2 upon the cross bar C of the perch to bear
steadily in the rounded extremity of the curved groove c, thereby forming a
center of motion for the whole fore frame and fore wheels to turn upon; at the

page_text: same time the rounded extremity of the grooved quits the small roller 1, and
the said groove slides along by the roller without opposition; this action causes
the
groovo h to slide by the roller 4, and the groove c to slide by the roller 3.
By this arrangement the whole fore frame and fore wheels turn round steadily
upon the pin or small roller 2 as a center of motion, which center of motion
being near to the wheel H towards which the carriage is turning does not
oblige that wheel to move much under the carriage, and consequently admits
of a larger fore wheel being used, or a much shorter perch, without interfering
with the body of the carriage, as is the case with the ordinary fore wheels of
carriages which move on a center or perch bolt situated in the middle between
the two fore wheels. When the carriage is intended to be turned to the
right hand (or in a direction opposite to that shewn in Figure 2), the rounded
extremity of the grooved bears against the small roller 1, and forms a center
of motion for the fore frame and fore wheels to turn upon, which centre would
be near to the wheel I, and operato in the manner before described, to prevent
the wheel from turning so much under the body of the carriage. In some
cases it may be thought adviseable to affix the curved frame to the fore end of
the perch, and have the small pins or rollers before mentioned affixed to the
fore frame of the carriage, so as to enter into the grooves in the curved frame;
in which case the curved frame must be placed in a position reversed to what
is shown in the Figures 1, 2, and 4; the operation of the two would be similar.
The manner of arranging and forming the grooves in the curved frame may be
varied in many ways, still producing the desired effect, videlicet, of the two
centres of motion for the fore wheels of the carriage to turn upon, for instance,
the external parts of the curved grooves in the frames G, G, might be dispensed
with, as represented in the Figure 4 on the Drawing, where the external parts
are represented in outline only whilst the necessary parts for the small rollers
to act against are coloured or shaded. By these improvements, so invented by
me, as applicable to the construction of four-wheeled carriages in general, and
which improvements are so specified and described as aforesaid, a gig, cabriolet,
or curricle, may be easily converted into a phacton by having a dicky box, or
servants' seat mounted upon a pair of hind wheels with my double centre perch
frame projecting out from it, so as to enter beneath the gig body and have the
small rollers fixed to the gig body to enter into the grooves in the frame and
be kept in their places by screw nuts upon the tops of the small rollers, or in
any other suitable manner.
I hereby declare that I do not make claim to any new method of forming
the wheels, axletrees, or other parts of the carriage, but only to the Invention
of the new double contre perch as applicable to most descriptions of four-

page_text: wheeled carriages, to produce the advantages herein-before described and set
forth. The form and proportion of the parts may be varied according to tho
nature of the carriage for which they may be intended, or according to the
discretion of the workmen, as well as to the materials of which the same may.
be made.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lane Higgins, bave hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-two.