Year: 1886

page_text: We, SAMUEL ADAMS, of Adderley Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Coach
Builder and WILLIAM HENRY BODIN, of Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, Stafford-
shire, Painter and Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference to improvements in the construction and lighting of
cabs and it is particularly applicable to those cabs which are formed like an
ordinary Hansom cab body turned round relatively to the shafts so as to be
entered from behind, but it can be partly applied to ordinary Hansom cabs also.
The first part of our said Invention consists in an improved arrangement of
mechanism whereby the driver is enabled to open and close the cab doors without
leaving his seat; this we accomplish as follows:-To the lower part of each door
and preferably in a line with its hinge we attach a downwardly projecting metal
stem on the lower end of which is a lever. The said levers occupy positions
underneath the cab so that under ordinary circumstances they are out of sight.
By moving the said levers together to describe arcs round the hinges of the doors
as centres the doors will be opened and closed together. At the extremities of
each of the arcs described by the ends of the said levers we provide a roller or
pulley each being free to revolve on an axis attached to the bottom of the cab.
The extremities of the said levers are connected to a continuous band or chain
which is led around the said rollers or pulleys and up to the driver's seat where it
is connected to a hand lever. By raising the hand lever or moving it in one
direction the said doors are opened and the doors are closed by lowering the hand
lever or moving it in the other direction. The said hand lever may form part of
the rail around the driver's seat. The levers are so connected to the said band or
chain that the overlapping door opens a little in advance of the other.
The second part of our Invention consists in providing means whereby the
inside of the cab may be lighted by the outside lamps. In carrying out this part
of our Invention we glaze that side of each lamp which is next the cab with &
'bull's eye" or other white glass around which we provide a projecting ring
and we provide a corresponding opening in each side of the cab into which the
said ring fits and through which the lamps can shine so as to light the inside of
"
the cab.

page_text: The third part of our Invention has reference to the folding windows of cabs.
According to this part of our Invention instead of employing two frames of similar
size for forming a folding window we make the bottom frame of about two thirds
more or less of the whole window and pivot it at the sides to an upper frame the
said pivots being situated about one-fourth of the length of the side of the upper
frame from the top thereof. We make the said lower frame which is glazed
preferably of drawn zinc or other metal of an approximately U shaped cross-section.
The said upper frame is hinged or pivotted near the top of the cab preferably by
its top corners so that the whole of the space between the upper frame and the top
of the cab can be utilized for ventilation by being filled with perforated zinc. The
said upper frame is formed as a louvre by means of horizontal strips of glass
pivotted at their ends thereto and connected together so that they can be turned
together on their pivots in one direction to admit air to the cab or turned in the
other direction and closed. The cord or cords by which the driver opens or shuts
the window is or are attached to the bottom frame between its lower edge and the
part where it is pivotted to the upper frame and passed over suitable pulleys and
so on along the roof to the driver so that when the window is raised the upper and
lower frames will fold together on their joint and lie against the underside of the
top of the cab.
The fourth part of our Invention applies only to the herein before mentioned
cabs which are entered from behind and it consists in so arranging the shafts of
the vehicle that they can be readily adjusted to suit horses of different heights.
We carry out this part of our Invention by pivotting the shafts to the vehicle at
about one-fourth their length so that the longer or outer parts to which the horse
is attached can be raised or lowered. In order to maintain the said outer parts in
their required position relatively to the body we provide a quadrant fixed to the
body to which the shafts can be bolted or otherwise fixed and their position
adjusted; or a screw and hand wheel can be employed for adjusting the inner ends
of the shafts and maintaining them in position.
The fifth part of our Invention also relates only to the hereinbefore mentioned
cabs which are entered from behind. Such cabs have heretofore been provided
with a driver's seat on the top of the cab or at the back but according to this part
of our Invention we provide a seat for two passengers and a dash board in the
front of the cab similar to the seat of a brougham and having a locker underneath
for luggage so that the cab will carry a passenger by the side of the driver. In
order that the weight of the vehicle may be balanced on the axle we so construct
the front seat and dash board that they can be moved to or from the axle and fixed
in any position required.
n
3
1
T
1000

page_text: Improvements in the Construction and Lighting of Cabs.
We, SAMUEL ADAMS, of Adderley Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Coach
Builder and WILLIAM HENRY BODIN, of Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, Stafford-
shire, Painter and Decorator, 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:-
Our Invention has reference to improvements in cabs and it is particularly
applicable to those cabs which are formed like an ordinary Hansom cab body
turned round relatively to the shafts so as to be entered from behind, but it can be
partly applied to ordinary Hansom cabs also.
The first part of our said Invention consists in an improved arrangement of
mechanism whereby the driver is enabled to open and close the cab doors without
leaving his seat; this we accomplish as follows:-To the lower part of each door
and preferably in a line with its hinge we attach a downwardly projecting metal
stem on the lower end of which is a lever. The said levers occupy positions under-
neath the cab so that under ordinary circumstances they are out of sight. By
moving the said levers together to describe ares round the hinges of the doors as
centres the doors will be opened and closed together. At the extremities of each
of the arcs described by the ends of the said levers we provide a roller or pulley
each being free to revolve on an axis attached to the bottom of the cab. The
extremities of the said levers are connected to a continuous band or chain which is
led around the said rollers or pulleys and up to the driver's seat where it is con-
nected to a hand lever. By raising the hand lever or moving it in one direction
the said doors are opened and the doors are closed by lowering the hand lever or
moving it in the other direction. The said hand lever may form part of the rail
around the driver's seat. The levers are so connected to the said band or chain
that the overlapping door opens a little in advance of the other.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a back view partly in section of a cab
arranged to be entered from behind provided with mechanism by which the doors
can be opened and closed from the driver's seat at the front of the vehicle; Fig. 2 is
an inverted plan on an enlarged scale of part of the same shewing the said arrange-
ment of mechanism the doors being closed, and Fig. 3 illustrates the same parts as
Fig. 2 the doors being open. Fig. 4 is a part sectional side elevation of the cab
shewn in Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a part elevation and part section of
one of the doors of the same and Figa. 7, 8 and 9 represent details of the door
opening mechanism as hereinafter set forth.
a is the body of the cab, 61, 62, are the two doors to the lower part of each of
which is fixed a downwardly projecting metal stem c (see Figs. 8 and 9) which
may form part of the corner plate c¹ and is preferably in a line with the door
hinges b. Fixed to the lower end of each of the stems c, c, and underneath the
floor of the cab is a lever which two levers are marked d¹, d². By moving the
levers d, d', together to describe arcs round the hinges b³ of the doors as centres

page_text: the doors will be opened and closed together. e¹, e³, e³, e, are four guide pulleys
or rollers carried by brackets fixed to the cab bottom a' and arranged in pairs, one
pair for each door, one pulley being fixed near each extremity of the arcs described
by the levers d¹, d, when the doors are opened or closed. A chain or band is con-
nected to the extremities of the levers d', d, which extremities are made wide
(see Fig. 7.) for the purpose hereinafter described each lever having two grooves g', g²,
in which the chain or band fits. We prefer to connect the chain or band to the
levers by passing it through a hole f, where it is secured by the set screw h and
then bending it round at each side so that it will lie in the grooves g¹, g³, and its
ends point in the opposite direction. The chain or band (which for convenience of
description we have divided into three parts marked respectively i, j and k) is
arranged as follows:-At the side of the driver's seat is a hand lever (see Fig. 4,
preferably forming part of the seat rail) jointed at one end and having a chain
pulley m fixed thereto which can be moved backwards and forwards around its
fulcrum . The chain or band is fixed to the pulley m and then led down each
side over suitable guide pulleys n to the underside of the cab. These parts of the
chain or band are respectively marked i and j. The part i after passing around
the pulley e (see Fig. 2) is connected to the lever d by being first passed through
the hole therein and then brought round the end of the lever so as to lie in its
groove g³. The said band or chain now passes from the lever d³ around the
pulley through the chain guide o (for the purpose of keeping the chains apart
where they cross, shewn separately by Fig. 8) around the pulley e¹ to the lever d'.
This part of the chain or band is marked k. The chain or band is passed through
the hole f of the lever d¹ and having been brought round the end thereof so as to
lie in the groove g¹ is then passed around the pulley e* and the guide pulleys n up
the corner of the cab to the pulley m fixed to the hand lever at the driver's seat.
That part of the chain or band which leads from the lever d¹ to the pulley m is
marked j. By raising the hand lever the parts of the chain or cord marked j
and k are pulled and the doors 61, 62, are opened; on moving the hand lever down-
wards the parts of the chain or cord marked i and k are pulled and the doors are
closed. We prefer to make that part of the chain or cord marked k rather slack
so that the overlapping door b¹ will be opened for a short distance before the
door 6 begins to move, and when the doors are being closed the inner door b' will
begin to move and close before the overlapping door 61, p is an ordinary screwed
connector (shewn separately by Fig. 9) joining the ends of the chain or cord by
which the length of the same can be varied as required. It will be evident that
instead of employing a continuous chain or cord as above described the parts
marked i, j, k, may each be separate from the other and that the arrangement of
mechanism above described and illustrated for opening and closing the doors of
cabs which are entered from behind can be similarly employed for opening and
closing the doors of ordinary Hansom cabs.
The second part of our Invention consists in providing means whereby the inside
of any kind of cab may be lighted by the outside lamps. In carrying out this part
of our Invention we glaze that side of each lamp which is next the cab with a
"bull's eye" or other white glass around which we provide a projecting ring and
we provide a corresponding opening in each side of the cab into which the said
ring fits and through which the lamps can shine so as to light the inside of the cab.
An example of this part of our Invention is shewn by Figs. 1, 4, 10, 11 and 12 of
the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 shews the side lamps in position for
lighting the inside of the cab and Fig. 4 shews the opening in the side of the cab
through which the lamp shines; Fig. 10 is a back elevation partly in section and
Fig. 12 is a sectional plan on an enlarged scale separately of one of the cab lamps
shewn in Fig. 1 part of the cab body also being shewn and Fig. 12 is a separato
view of part of the same. That side q of each side lamp q which is next the cab
is glazed by a "bull's eye" or other white glass q³ around which is a projecting
ring or rim q³ and at each side of the cab is a corresponding opening a³ through

page_text: We
which the lamps can shine so as to light the inside of the cab (see Fig. 1).
prefer to make the glass part q2 of the rim or ring q³ separate from the body q of
the lamp (see Fig. 12) and to provide spring clips q' or other means for their
attachment so that the rim g with its glass part q can be affixed to the body q
from the inside of the cab after the lamp has been placed in the socket outside
thereof. q is a shutter hinged at q to the ring or rim q³ by which the light can
be shut out when required.
The third part of our Invention has reference to the folding windows of cabs.
According to this part of our Invention instead of employing two frames of similar
size for forming a folding window we make the bottom frame of about two thirds
more or less of the whole window and pivot it at the sides to an upper frame the
said pivots being situated about one-fourth of the length of the side of the upper
frame from the top thereof. We make the said lower frame which is glazed
preferably of drawn zinc or other metal of an approximately U shaped cross-
section. The said upper frame is hinged or pivotted near the top of the cab
preferably by its top corners so that the whole of the space between the upper
frame and the top of the cab can be utilized for ventilation by being filled with
perforated zinc. The said upper frame is formed as a louvre by means of
horizontal strips of glass pivotted at their ends thereto and connected together.
so that they can be turned together on their pivots in one direction to admit air
to the cab or turned in the other direction and closed. The cord or cords by which
the driver opens or shuts the window is or are attached to the bottom frame
between its lower edge and the part where it is pivotted to the upper frame and
passed over suitable pulleys and so on along the roof to the driver so that when the
window is raised the upper and lower frames will fold together on their joint and
lie against the underside of the top of the cab. Fig. 13 is a front elevation of a
cab window constructed according to our Invention, Fig. 14 is a side sectional
elevation of the same closed, part of the cab body and doors also being shewn, and
Fig. 15 represents the same window partly opened and (by dotted lines) folded
against the top of the cab. Referring to Figs. 13, 14 and 15 r is the bottom frame
equal in height to about two thirds more or less of the whole window so as to give
an unobscured view through the window and 8 is an upper frame hinged or
pivotted thereto at the points t, t, which are about a third or a fourth of the length
of the side of the upper frames from the top of the lower frame r. The lower
frame is made preferably of drawn zinc (see Figs. 14 and 15) or other metal of
an approximately U shaped cross-section, or it may be made of wood or, other
material. The upper frames is hinged or pivotted by its top corners, projecting
pins 8 or other means being provided for that purpose. The space as above the
window may be utilized for ventilation by being filled with perforated zinc in the
ordinary manner. Horizontal strips of glass u, u³, u³, are pivotted at their ends
to the sides of the upper frame 8 and they are hinged together by the metal strip u*
so that they can be opened or closed together to form an ordinary louvre ventilator
to admit air to or exclude air from the cab when required. v₁, v³, are the cords by
which the driver opens or closes the window; they are connected to knobs r' fixed
to the lower frame between its lower edge and the points t, t, and then pass over
suitable pulleys fixed to the upper frame and so on up through and along the
roof in the ordinary manner. When the window is raised the upper frames and
the lower framer will fold together on their joint or hinge t and lie against the
underside of the top of the cab.
The last part of our Invention relates only to the hereinbefore mentioned cabs
which are entered from behind. Such cabs have heretofore been provided with a
driver's seat on the top of the cab or at the back but according to this part of our
Invention we provide a seat w (see Fig. 4) and a dash-board x in the front of the
cab forming a front y similar to a brougham and having a locker underneath for
luggage so that the cab will carry a passenger by the side of the driver.
sometimes make the seat w wide enough to accomodate the driver only.
We

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1st. The improved arrangement of mechanism by which the cab doors can be
opened and closed from the driver's seat herein before described and illustrated by
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings, that is to say, the combination
and arrangement of the levers di, di, on metal stems c, c, fixed to the doors so as to
move therewith and the cord or chain i, j, k, fixed to the said levers and passing
round pulleys at the extremities of the arcs described by the said levers and led
up to the driver's seat substantially as and for the purposes herein before described
and illustrated.
2nd. In an apparatus for opening and closing the doors of a cab, the levers d¹, ďª,
on metal studs c, c, fixed to the doors so as to move therewith, in combination with
pulleys fixed at the extremities of the arcs described by such levers, and a cord or
chain fixed to such levers and passing around such pulleys substantially as
described and for the purposes set forth.
3rd. The lever forming part of the driver's seat rail arranged to be raised or
lowered for opening and closing the doors of a cab substantially as described.
4th. The improvements in the lighting of cabs hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings which consists in arranging the side
lamps to shine through special openings a³ in the cab body (which openings may
be glazed) so as to light the inside of the cab as herein described.
5th. A side lamp for a cab glazed at that side which is next the cab body by a
"bull's eye" or other plain glass for the purpose of lighting the inside of the cab
as herein set forth.
6th. A side lamp for a cab constructed and arranged for lighting the inside of a
cab substantially as herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 10, 11 and 12 of
the accompanying drawings.
7th. The improvements in the folding windows or front lights of cabs sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 13, 14 and 15 of the
accompanying drawings.
8th. A folding cab window having the bottom frame made about two thirds of
the depth of the whole window so as to give an unobstructed view and hinged to
the upper frame at points below the top of the lower frame substantially as
described and illustrated by Figs. 13, 14 and 15.
9th. The combination of the bottom frame r, upper frame s hinged to the lower
frame as described and the strips of glass arranged as a louvre ventilator in the
upper frame as described and illustrated by Figs. 13, 14 and 15 of the accompanying
drawings.
10th. In a folding cab window the application and use of strips of glass arranged
as a louvre for the purposes and substantially as described and illustrated by
Figs. 13, 14 and 15 of the accompanying drawings.
11th. The combination with a cab body arranged to be entered behind, of a
brougham front part having a driver's seat, or a seat for two persons, and a
dash-board substantially as described and illustrated by Fig. 4 of the accompanying
drawings.