Improvements in Ambulances.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1895-Accepted, 22nd June, 1895
Improvements in Ambulances.
We, WILLIAM ALLDAY and EDMUND ALLDAY, both of Great Western
Works, Small Heath, in the County of Warwick, Engineers, and ALFRED
ROBERT TOZER, Chief Superintendent, Fire Brigade, in the City of Birmingham,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in ambulances for the conveyance of
injured or disabled persons, our object being to construct such carriages of light
weight but of great strength and so arranged that an injured person may be
removed therefrom and lain without lifting or like disturbance upon
or table.
a bed
In carrying our invention into effect we construct the underframe of the
improved ambulance from two or more tubes, preferably of weldless steel, arranged
longitudinally and connected or braced together by two or more cross tubes.
The cross tubes are preferably attached to the longitudinal tubes by means of
tee socket pieces or by brazed connections. The underframe is mounted upon
suitable springs and carried by an axle provided with light wheels of the cycle
type, having india-rubber, pneumatic; or other tyres. The ears and brackets
forming the connection between the underframe and the outer ends of the springs,
are brazed or otherwise attached to the longitudinal tubes, and the one or both
ends of such tubes are prolonged and suitably shaped to form convenient handles
for wheeling or propelling the ambulance. We provide a foot or support at the
head end of the ambulance, by attaching a rod or tube preferably of U shape on
each side of the underframe, stayed or connected together by a small tie rod.
We also attach a light box to the underframe for the reception of surgical
dressing and other materials required in the rendering of first aid to injured
persons.
The stretcher frame which is carried upon but quite independent from the
underframe, is in like manner constructed from tubes arranged in a longitudinal
and transverse direction, and provided with suitable socket, or other connecting
pieces, to secure the parts together. Connections are also provided for suspending
a woven wire other spring mattress and the canvas hammock or like part of the
stretcher, and for securing the wire or other ribs or stays of the hood or cover.
Loop or staple pieces are secured to the stretcher frame to receive the ends of
straps that may be required to secure the injured or disabled person, or for fastening
the sides of the canvas or other hood.
We preferably secure the canvas hammock or like part by strapping it to the
stretcher frame, or by some suitable connections enabling the hammock to be
readily detached from the frame when the stretcher with the injured person is lain
upon a bed or table. The wire or other spring mattress beneath the hammock is
In this manner
also so connected to the frame that it may be readily detached.
we provide for the withdrawal of the stretcher from the injured person, and thus
avoid the necessity of lifting the person from the stretcher.
We do not limit the application of our invention to the production of ambulances
of any one design, but modify the form of tubular construction and the application
of-detachable mattresses and hammocks as herein before described, to meet the

page_text: particular requirements of varying services, and making the ambulance suitable
for propulsion either by manual or horse power.
Dated this 18th day of July 1894.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Ambulances.
We, WILLIAM ALLDAY and EDMUND ALLDAY, both of Great Western
Works, Small Heath, in the County of Warwick, Engineers, and ALFRED
ROBERT TOZER, Chief Superintendent, Fire Brigade, in the City of Birmingham,
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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in ambulances for the conveyance of
injured or disabled persons, our object being to construct such carriages of
light weight but of great strength and so arranged that an injured person may
be removed therefrom and lain without lifting or like disturbance upon a bed
or table.
In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to:-
of
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a plan of our improved ambulance.
Figure 3 is a plan of the stretcher frame, detached from the ambulance.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
In carrying our invention into effect we construct the underframe A of the
improved ambulance from two or more tubes preferably of weldless steel, arranged
longitudinally and connected or braced together by two or more cross tubes. The
cross tubes are preferably attached to the longitudinal tubes by means
tee socket pieces or by brazed connections. The underframe is mounted upon
a suitable axle provided with light wheels of the cycle type, which are preferably
fitted with pneumatic tyres. We sometimes interpose a spring or springs between
the underframe and the axle, the ears and brackets forming the connection
between the underframe and the outer ends of the springs, being brazed or
otherwise attached to the longitudinal tubes, and the one or both ends of such
tubes anay be prolonged and suitably shaped to form convenient handles for
wheeling or propelling the ambulance, although we preferably provide handles such
as B by prolonging the tubes of the stretcher frame hereinafter described. We
provide a foot or support C at the head end of the anibulance, by attaching a rod
or tube preferably of U shape on each side of the underframe, stayed or connected
together by a small tie rod D. We sometimes attach a light box to the under-
frame for the reception of surgical dressing and other materials required in the
rendering of first aid to injured persons.
The stretcher frame E which is carried upon but quite independent from the
underframe A, is in like manner constructed from tubes arranged in a longitudinal
and transverse direction, and provided with suitable socket, or other connecting
pieces, to secure the parts together. Connections are also provided for suspending
a woven wire or other spring mattress, when such is employed, and the canvas
hammock F or like part of the stretcher, and for securing the wire or other part
of the stretcher, and for securing the wire or other ribs or stays of the hood or
cover G.
We sometimes attach loop or staple pieces to the stretcher frame to
receive the ends of straps that may be required to secure the injured or disabled
person or for fastening the sides of the canvas or other hood. Upon the underside

page_text: of the stretcher frame we fix rollers such as H for convenience in mounting it upon
the underframe, and we secure the stretcher to the underframe by straps J or by
other suitable connections.
We secure the canvas hammock or like part F by strapping it to the stretcher
frame, or by some suitable connections enabling the hammock to be readily
detached from the frame E when the stretcher with the injured person is lain upon
a bed or table. The wire or other spring mattress beneath the hammock is also
so connected to the frame that it may be readily detached. In this manner we
provide for the withdrawal of the stretcher from the injured person, and thus
avoid the necessity of lifting the person from the stretcher.
We do not limit the application of our invention to the production of ambulances
of any one design, but imodify the form of tubular construction and the application
of detachable mattresses and hammocks as herein before described, to meet the
particular requirements of varying services, and making the ambulance suitable
for propulsion either by manual or horse power.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The improved ambulance having the underframe and the stretcher frame
constructed from steel or other tubes substantially as herein described.
2. In ambulances the use of a detachable stretcher frame so arranged as to
permit of its withdrawal from an injured person substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved general construction and arrangement of an ambulance
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of May 1895
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.