IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Watterworth, of Hull, in the County of York,
Perambulator Maker, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Watterworth at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1880.
JOHN WATTERWORTH, of Hull, in the County of York, Perambulator Maker.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS."
This Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements of
what are commonly known as perambulators, & has for its object the affording
facility for converting the perambulator into a completely closed vehicle of the
character of a single or double "landau," which may be used either wholly or
partially open, or entirely closed as desired.
My improved perambulator may be mounted either upon three or four wheels,
& is provided with the usual propelling handle at the back.
In constructing a single seated perambulator I mount a folding hood of leather
or other suitable material on the body of the vehicle at the back, which hood may
be opened or closed as required. The body consists of a front and side fixed panels,
which are made hollow to receive sliding frames carrying front & side glass lights,
the said frames being raised by straps or otherwise when the vehicle is to be
closed & lowered into the said panels when required to be open. The upper part
of the front of the vehicle which receives the front light when in its elevated
position is jointed or hinged so as to fold downwards when the vehicle is open, &
to this hinged part there is attached a portion of the roof, which when closed joins
up to a corresponding portion of the roof hinged or jointed to the front of the hood,
so as to be capable of being thrown back clear of the head of the child when open.
When closed the hood is raised, & the two portions of the roof are brought
together & secured by hasps, straps, or other convenient fastenings, & the side
& front glass lights are raised, & also secured by straps or other convenient
fastenings, the whole forming a comfortable & closed single "landau" body. For
a double seated perambulator both the front & back are fitted with folding hoods
which meet in the middle when closed, & are held together so as to complete the
roof by the usual or other suitable basps or fastening, the whole then forming a
double closed landau" body with or without glass side lights, as preferred,
between the hoods, such glasses when employed dropping into the side panels, as
before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Watterworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd July
1880.
"
JOHN WATTERWORTH, of Hull, in the County of York, Perambulator Maker.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS."
My said Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements of
what are commonly known as perambulators, and has for its object the affording
facility for converting the perambulator into a completely closed vehicle of the
character of a single or double landau-broughamn provided with side lights in
combination or not with front lights made either to slide or to fold down, the said
improved perambulator being specially constructed and arranged so as to be used
either wholly or partially open or entirely closed, as desired. My improved
perambulator may be mounted either upon three or four wheels, and is provided
with the usual propelling handle at the back. In constructing a single seated
perambulator I mount a folding hood of leather or other suitable material on the
body of the vehicle at the back, which hood may be opened or closed as required.
The body of the vehicle consists of front and side fixed panels, which are made
hollow to receive sliding or folding frames carrying front and side glass lights, the
said frames being raised by straps or otherwise when the vehicle is to be closed,
and lowered into the said panels when required to be open. The upper part of the
front of the vehicle, which in the case of a single landau-brougham receives the
front light when in its elevated or closed position, is jointed or hinged so as to fold
downwards when the vehicle is open, and to this hinged part there is attached
(preferably hinged) a portion of the roof, which when closed joins up to a corre-
sponding portion of the roof hinged or jointed to a frame attached to the front of
the hood, so as to be capable of being thrown back when open out of the way of
the head of the child. When closed the hood is raised, and the two portions
of the roof are brought together and secured by hasps, straps, or other convenient
fastenings, and the side and front glass lights are also raised or closed and secured
by straps or other convenient fastenings, the whole forming a comfortable single
seated closed landau-brougham. For a double seated perambulator both the front
and back are fitted with folding hoods and hinged frames, to the upper parts of
which frames are hinged respectively the two portions which constitute the roof,
and which meet in the middle when closed, and are held together in their closed
position, so as to complete the roof by the usual or other suitable hasps or fastenings,
the whole then forming a double seated closed landau-brougham with or without
glass side lights, as preferred, between the hoods, such glasses when employed either
sliding in the hinged frames and dropping into the side panels, as before described,
or being made to fold as preferred.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of my Drawings is a perspective view of one arrangement of my improved
perambulator constructed as a single seated landau-brougham, and represented in
its open condition, and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same perambulator when
fully closed; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a double seated landau-brougham
perambulator in an open condition, and Fig. 4 represents the same completely
closed. In all these Figures a, a, are four running wheels, on the two axles of
which the body of the carriage is mounted by springs b, b, arranged in any suitable
manner; c is the propelling handle secured to the rear portion of the body d of the
vehicle, as is well understood; e (Figs. 1 & 2) is the folding hood fitted with the
ordinary stretchers or hood joints f, and secured to the back of the vehicle; g,g, are

page_text: the side panels, and h the front panel made hollow to receive the sliding glass
frames i, i, when let down or opened. The side light frames slide between the
front posts k and the frame l, which latter is attached to the front part of the hood e
in Figs. 1 and 2, and is hinged at m to the body of the vehicle. The upper
portions k' of the front posts are hinged at n to the lower or fixed parts k, and
when open are turned down to the position shown in Fig. 1, the front glass
frame being lowered inside the hollow front panel h. To the upper ends of the
hinged parts of the front posts there is connected, preferably by a hinge at o,
the part p, which serves when closed, as in Fig. 2, to form the front portion of the
roof. A corresponding part p' is hinged at q to the frame attached to the hood,
so as to fold back when open out of the way of the head of the child (see Fig. 1).
The two portions p and p¹ of the roof are held securely together when closed by
any suitable arrangement of hasp or fastening, and the glass frames are provided
with straps having one or more holes therein capable of being hitched onto
corresponding studs in the roof, so as to secure the glasses either partially open or
completely closed, as required (see Fig. 2). In the double seated arrangement
shown in Figs. 3 & 4 the front panel h and posts k are dispensed with, the
hollow side frames g, g, only being required. In this arrangement two folding
hoods e, e¹, are used, the one in the rear, and the other in the front of the vehicle;
their corresponding hinged frames 1, 1, receiving between them the side lights
when closed, as in Fig. 4. The roof is formed by the parts p, p, which are
respectively hinged to the hood frames 1, i¹, and meet together when closed so as to
form a closed roof, they being secured in their closed position by hasps or other
fastenings, as is well understood, and turned back out of the way when opened, as
sbown in Fig. 3.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is, -
First. The construction and use of single scated perambulators and similar
vehicles with side and front panels, and with roofs capable of being completely and
readily closed and opened at will, combined or not with moveable or adjustable
glass side and front lights, the whole being arranged after the fashion of a single
landau-brougham, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1
and 2 of my Drawings.
Secondly. The construction and use of double seated perambulators and similar
vehicles with side panels, and with roofs capable of being completely and readily
closed and opened at will, combined or not with moveable or adjustable glass side
lights, the whole being arranged after the fashion of a double landau-brougham,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 of my
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Watterworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.