IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOUBLING-UP OR FOLDING CARRIAGES AND CHAIRS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Trotman, of High Street, Camden Town,
in the County of Middlesex, Carriage Builder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOUBLING-UP OR FOLDING CARRIAGES
AND CHAIRS."
Sealed the 9th June 1868, and dated the 28th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Trotman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th February 1868.
I, THOMAS TRUTMAN, of High Street, Camden Town, in the County of
Middlesex, Carriage Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOUBLING-UP OR FOLDING
CARRIAGES AND CHAIRS," to be as follows:-
The framework of collapsible carriages and chairs which are capable
of folding or doubling up for the convenience of being stowed away
when not in use has heretofore usually been constructed of an
arrangement of bars or levers, which are jointed together by pins on
which such levers or bars turn as on centres when the carriage or
chair is required to be folded or doubled up. I have found that this
construction of parts is liable to get out of order on account of the
[Price 8d1

page_text: want of rigidity in the skeleton framework, and to obviate this defect
I make the body of the carriage (that is to say, the sides and back)
rigid, and I adapt thereto a jointed or folding platform or frame, on
which the seat of the carriage or the reclining couch of an invalid
carriage is placed and fixed. The folding platform or frame is jointed
at one end to the rigid sides of the carriage or chair, and to the
other or outer end of the platform is jointed a frame or pair of
levers which carry the footboard. The platform is divided at about
the middle of its length, and the two parts are connected by a hinge
joint so as to admit of its folding or doubling up. The lower ends
of the foot frame or pair of levers are jointed to the lower end of
the rigid sides of the carriage. The seat is by preference made in
the form of a box with a hinged front piace, so that access may
be obtained to the
the interior, in which may be placed the seat
cushions.
When the Invention is adapted to invalid reclining carriages there will
be no box seat, but on the top of the platform may be secured a frame,
which when the carriage is opened out, will lock it in its opened state and
prevent it from collapsing accidentally.
For some purposes the seat may be jointed so as to fold up, and
when extended it will lock the other parts and prevent accidental
collapse.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Trotman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
TROTMAN, of High Street, Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex,
Carriage Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Trotman, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Trotman, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Trotman,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOUBLING-UP' OR FOLDING CARRIAGES
AND CHAIRS," пpon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Trotman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Trotman, 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, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto anuexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
The framework of collapsible carriages and chairs which are capable
of folding or doubling up for the convenience of being stowed away
when not in use has heretofore usually been constructed of an
arrangement of bars or levers, which are jointed together by pins on
which such levers or bars turn as on centres when the carriage or
chair is required to be folded or doubled up. I have found that this
construction of parts is liable to get ont out of order on account or the
want of rigidity in the skeleton framework, and to obviate this defect
my Invention consists in making the body of the carriage (that is to
say) the sides and back rigid, and in adapting thereto a jointed or
folding platform or frame, on which the seat of the carriage or the
The
reclining couch of an invalid carriage is placed and fixed.
folding platform or frame is jointed at one end to the rigid sides of
the carriage or chair, and to the other or outer end of the platform
is jointed a frame or pair of levers which carry the footboard. The
platform may be divided at about the middle of its length, and the
two parts connected by a hinge joint so as to admit of its folding or
doubling up. The lower ends of the foot frame or pair of levers are
jointed to the lower end of the rigid sides of the carriage.
The seat

page_text: is by preference made in the form of a box with a hinged front piece, so
that access may be obtained to the interior, in which may be placed the
seat cushions.
When the Invention is adapted to invalid reclining carriages there will
be no box seat, but on the top of the platform may be secured a frame,
which when the carriage is opened out, will lock it in its opened state and
prevent it from collapsing accidentally.
For some purposes the seat may be jointed so
when extended, it will lock the other parts and
collapse.
as to fold up, and
prevent accidental
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn various forms of carriages
constructed according to my Invention.
In Sheet I. Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a collapsible or
folding-up carriage extended ready for use; Fig. 1 is a sectional
elevation of the same carriage folded up for the convenience of being
stowed away when not in use. The sides a, a, and also the back a¹,
which together form the body of the carriage, are rigid, and to this
rigid body is jointed the seat 6 at 1. The carriage as shewn at
Fig. 1 is arranged as a reclining carriage, that is, the seat b is extended
in front by an additional piece 61, which is hinged to the seat b
at 2, but is shewn as resting upon the platform c, which is hinged
to the front of the seat b at 3. The outer end of the platform o,
which forms a leg rest is hinged to the lever frame d at 4. The
upper end of the lever frame d forms a foot rest, and its opposite end
is hinged to the lower part of the sides of the carriage, as at 5.
A pair of arms e are secured to the under side of the platform c,
and their forward ends are supported by the front running wheel f.
The hinder running wheels g are connected to the body of the
carriage by the bent spring h, as shewn in Fig. 1. If it be desired
to bend the legs instead of reclining on the long seat b, b¹, the 21
may be folded back as indicated by the red lines in Fig. 1, when
the seat will be raised some inches, and the feet made to rest on the
platform c.
part
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a somewhat different form of
carriage; it is intended as an invalid or spinal carriage, and the
body of the patient is supported upon a flexible cloth, carpet, or
other suitable substance extending from the folding back a¹ to the
lever frame d, which forms the footboard. Fig. 2 is a sectional

page_text: elevation of the same carriage folded up. As in Fig. 1, a, a are the
rigid sides, and a the back of the carriage; b is the seat; c, c, a
folding platform jointed in the middle, and hinged at oue end to the sides
, and at the other end to the lever frame or footboard d, which as in
The back a¹ consists
Fig. 1, is jointed to the lower part of the sides a, a.
of two parts hinged together as shewn. The upper part is capable of
being moved back on the hinge as indicated by the dotted lines, and may
be supported in any position by the slotted stay bar i and tightening
screw.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of another and somewhat simpler form of
carriage. a, a, are the sides of the body; a¹, the back; b, the seat, which
is made in the form of a box; d, the lever frame, which forms the
footboard; and e is a frame, to the upper end of which the seat is hinged,
while its lower end is supported by the front running wheel; Fig. 3*
represents the same carriage folded up.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a modification of the carriage shewn at
Fig. 3. In this instance there is an adjustable footboard adapted to the
lever frame d, as shewn by dots at Fig. 3. The front part of this board is
capable of being raised by the screw d². The top of the seat bis hinged,
and is capable of being raised, as shewn at Fig. 4, by means of a screw
adjustment be inside the box, access to which is obtained by means of a
hinged flap or door in the box, which opens as indicated by the dotted
linos. This form of carriage is suited for use indoors, as the hinder
running wheels g may be taken off their axles, when the carriage will be
supported by the small running wheels j mounted on a horn of the sides a
of the body.
b is the
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of what I term a lawn chair.
seat, which is hinged at the hinder part to the back a', and at the
front to a strut 6', which is also hinged to the horizontal piece d, which
is hinged at the inner end to the back a¹, and is supported in front
by the front running wheel f. The hinder wheels g, g, are mounted
If desired the
on axles fixed on the sides to the back piece a¹.
running wheels ƒ and g may be removed, and the horizontal piece
The arm
placed on the ground, which is indicated by the red line.
rests h, k, must then be turned over as indicated by red lines in the
Figure, and made to act as a back strut to prevent the chair from
tilting back.
This carriage is provided with a canopy or sun shade l,

page_text: and when it is folded up the carriage assumes the position shewn by dots
in the Figure.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another invalid or spinal carriage, which
may either be pushed from behind or pulled from the front; it may,
if required, be drawn by a pony, mule, or donkey, for which purpose
it is provided with a pair of shafts, m, m. As this carriage is for
reclining only, there is no horizontal seat. The patient's back is
supported by the cushions shewn by dots in Fig. 6, and his lower
limbs rest upon the hinged platform c, which is connected at one
end to the sides a of the carriage, and at the opposite end to the
lever foot rest d. The arm e, which carries the front running wheel f
is secured to the under side of the platform, as in the other instances.
The hinder running wheels may, if desired, be taken off their axles
when the hinder part of the carriage will be supported by the strut n,
which is provided at its lower end with a small wheel, as shewn. The top
of the sides a of the body form arm rests, as at k. Fig. 6 represents the
same carriage folded up.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another form of spinal or invalid
carriage in which the body of the patient is supported on the hori
zontal folding platform c, shewn by dots in the Figure, rather than
by the back of the carriage, which is made with rigid sides a, to
which the lever back a¹ is secured by screws or otherwise. The
folding platform is jointed at one end to the lever back a' and at the
other to a lever frame d, the upper end of which forms the foot rest, its
other end being jointed to the lever back a¹. The forward end of the
folding platform c is firmly secured by screws or otherwise to a rigid piece
a², which forms a continuation of the side, and adds to the strength and
rigidity of the structure. The front and hinder running wheels f and g
are connected by the springs h, h, to the parts a' and d of the carriage.
Fig 7 is a sectional elevation, shewing the several parts in the position
they would occupy when the carriage is folded up for convenience when
stowing it
away.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of another form of invalid or reclining
carriage, which is intended for outdoor use, but is capable of being
converted into a "Bath chair" with a seat and footboard. Fig. 8
represents the carriage in this form; and Fig. 8 represents the
carriage folded up for convenience of stowage. a, a¹, represent the
rigid sides and back; c, c, is the folding platform, which is provided

page_text: with cushions for the ease of the patient, and is jointed at one end to the
rigid sides or body of the carriage, and at the other end to the lever
frame d, to which the front running wheel j is attached. When it is
desired to convert the carriage into a "Bath chair," as shewn at Fig. 8,
the folding platform is bent up to form the seat, and by this means the
back of the carriage is brought nearer to a vertical line, and the parts are
maintained in the position shewn by means of the strut o, which is
provided at its lower end with several notches, either of which may be
rested on the pin which connects the lever frame d to the body or sides of
the carriage.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of another form of invalid carriage, which
is also capable of being converted into a Bath chair. Instead of large
running wheels small trucks f and g are used, as this form of carriage
or chair is more particularly intended to be used indoors. In this
carriage the strut bar o for maintaining the parts in the elevated
position shewn at Fig. 8ª is dispensed with, and a vertical screw p
is used in place thereof. The screw p is jointed at bottom to the lever
frame d, and passes through a female screw in a swivel attached to that
part of the hinged platform c, which is intended to form the seat of the
chair.
The hinged platform c is extended back, and at its extreme end are
placed the hinder wheels g of the carriage. Fig. 9* represents the carriage
converted into a chair; and Fig. 9b, the same carriage folded up for
stowing away.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Trotman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
(L.S.) THOMAS TROTMAN.