Improvements in Mail Carts and other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec.. 1894-Accepted. 16th Mar., 1895.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
t
Improvements in Mail Carts and other Vehicles.
We, HENRY KINSEY of 13 Terrace Road, Mechanical Engineer, and WILLIAM
USHER of "The Hawthorns," Ffynone, Financier, both of Swansea in the County
of Glamorgan, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention relates to carts, carriages or other vehicles with or without wheels
and to provide such vehicles with handles or shafts which may be readily secured
in any required position to suit the height of the person or animal propelling the
same or which may be folded back when not in use and also to construct a vehicle
in such a manner that a child or person using it may be easily wheeled or carried
and almost imperceptibly changed from a sitting to a lying down position the whole
length of the body being supported during the operation.
According to our invention we construct the vehicle which may be attached by
its foundation frame to the springs and axle or which may be readily detached
when required for carrying purposes. To the said frame we also attach the foot
rest, leg guard or rest, arm rest or sides, back and seat by pivots or such other
means as will allow their relative positions to be changed so as to form a continuous
support at any angle by the person using the vehicle.
In some cases we provide and affix additional folding or adjustable handles for
use when carrying the vehicle.
In some cases we affix the sides or sides and back to the frame of the vehicle
and so construct the leg and foot rest as to be movable and to hang down when
the person occupying the vehicle is in a sitting position or it can be raised,
extended, and secured so as to form a rest for the legs when the occupant is
reclining or lying down-for this purpose we provide and affix to the frame
suitably shaped slotted plates or slides arranged in such a manner that the leg or
foot rest can be extended or shortened at will either vertically or horizontally the
said plates or slides being also provided with suitable notches, grooves, or holes, for
receiving the pivots which are attached on each side to the upper end of and which
carry the said leg and foot rest. For the purpose of filling up the space left when
the rest is extended horizontally we attach by hinges or otherwise a suitable strip
of wood to fill the said space or in some cases instead of the wood strip we provide
and affix a strip of leather cloth or other suitable material in such a manner as to
become tight when the rest is extended and to fold automatically when the rest is
moved back to its lower position.
We sometimes support the outer raised and extended end of the foot or leg rest
by means of hooks or pivots which engage with brackets affixed to the shafts or
with a bar extending across and attached to both handles.
Instead of the slotted plates with notches, holes, etcetera, mentioned above we
sometimes form notches, holes, or grooves, in the ironwork affixed underneath the
carriage or vehicle and further in some cases instead of the slotted plates forming
the horizontal guides we provide and affix suitably shaped brackets to the shafts or
handles at the required distance apart to suit the desired extension the said
brackets being so formed as to carry the pivots affixed to the leg guard or rest.

page_text: In forming the slides for carrying the leg rests we prefer to make them of a
sufficient length to form one of the plates for securing the folding handles as
hereinafter described.
We
In constructing the folding handles or shafts we preferably affix a plate of steel
or brass, or other suitable material on each side of the handle or shaft one end of
such plates being attached to the frame or body of the vehicle the other end being
carried to any required length alongside of the movable part of the handle or shaft
the said plates being so constructed as to spring open at their outer ends.
prefer to connect the movable handles or shafts to the plates by a bolt forming
pivot we provide a wing nut on the bolt which on being screwed up causes the
plates to grip the shaft or handle and also the holes, or depressions, or projections
in the plates to engage with the holes, stud, pin, projections, or depressions
mentioned below. The above-mentioned plates have a number of holes suitably
spaced to engage with a projecting stud or pin attached to or driven into the shaft
or handle. In making vehicles on which the heights of the shafts or handles are
not required to vary but only to be secured in one position or to fold back when
not in use, we only make one hole or depression or projection in the plates or
handle or shaft to engage with the corresponding parts in the plates or shaft
or handle. Instead of the bolt and wing nut mentioned above we in some cases
so shape the upper edge of the plates as to form the equivalent of half a hinge
which together with half a hinge screwed upon the upper side of the shaft or
handle forms a pivot or in some other cases we use an independent hinge screwed
on top to form the pivot.
With either of these two arrangements we use a strap or straps or bridle and
screw or bolt combined so arranged as to cause the plates to grip the handle or
shaft and further in some other cases we use the said straps and bridle with the
pivot bolt which is carried through the plates and handle or shaft instead of the
aforesaid hinges affixed on top. Or instead of the aforesaid projection and
depression for fixing the handle or shaft at any required height we in some cases
cause the handles to be held in the required position by means of a cotter pin
inserted in a hole through the plates and handle or shaft.
In some cases we construct an extra seat and framework which we pivot to the
front part of the seat or framework of the vehicle. the same being so constructed
that it can be raised to any required height or it may be raised, turned over on its
pivots and extended by means of suitably formed links or slides so that when
turned over it will lay upon, between or below the shafts in any required position
and form a second seat and or leg guard and foot rest.
Dated this 16th day of March 1894
HENRY KINSEY.
WM. USHER.
Improvements in Mail Carts and other Vehioles.
We HENRY KINSEY of 13 Terrace Road Mechanical Engineer, and WILLIAM
USHER of The Hawthorns Ffynone Financier both of Swansea in the County of
Glamorgan 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 relates to carts carriages or other vehicles with or without wheels
and to provide such vehicles with handles or shafts which may be readily secured
in any required position to suit the height of the person or animal propelling the
same or which may be folded back when not in use and also to construct a vehicle.
in such a manner that a child or person using it may be easily wheeled or

page_text: carried and almost imperceptibly changed from a sitting to
position the whole length of the body being supported during the operation-
a lying down
illustrations of which are shewn in the accompanying drawings forming part of
this Specification where
Fig. 1 shews a side elevation, Fig. 1* a front, and Fig. 2 a back elevation of one
form of vehicle made according to our invention the frame work and sideboards of
which are shown by the letters A, the wheels (spokes of which are not shewn) BB,
the springs C, the foot rest D carried by framed bars EE which are pivotted to
the wood frame work at E, F F are rods connecting the said frame E E with
another frame G. G. G which is pivotted to brackets H one of which is attached to
the wood framework on either side of the vehicle. KK the seat and support for
the body of the person using the vehicle is formed of flexible material attached
at the upper end to the frame G, and at the lower end to the foot rest D. L is n
tube with a joint at its lower end pivotted to or near the foot rest D at D'. It has
a screw thread cut inside at its upper end L'. M is a rod having a screw thread
cut on the portion which enters the said tube, and is held in position by a collar
which is affixed to the said screwed rod on each side of a boss shewn at N,
the said boss is carried inside a bracket M¹ the pivots N' N' allowing the boss N
together with the tube and screw to oscillate as required when actuated by
the handle O. The bracket M¹ is secured to the crossrail of the wood frame
work at P.
Our folding handles may be attached to each end of the wood frame work for.
carrying the vehicle when required, one handle being shewn in position for carrying
at P on Fig. 1. Ron Fig. 1 shews a bracket for securing the body of the vehicle
to the springs, the said springs being secured to the axles by bolts or caps and bolts
at R' R'. The aforesaid bracket R is secured to the wood frame work by bolts
at RR. The body of the bracket rests on the springs, and it is formed with two
lips as at R R which prevent the springs from twisting. For further security a
pin or bolt may be placed through the holes shewn at R' R'. For further securing
the body and springs in their position a pin is securely attached to the springs and
is caused to enter a hole in the centre of the aforesaid bracket. This is shewn in
dotted lines at R'.
It will thus be seen that the vehicle shewn can be used for wheeling
purposes. Or if the pins at R are withdrawn the vehicle can be lifted by its
handles clear of the wheels springs and axles and used for carrying purposes. The
drawing shews a vehicle on 4 wheels but it will be seen that the same vehicle may
be provided with longer handles and only two wheels and used as a mail cart if
preferred.
Fig. 3 shews a vehicle adapted as a mail cart, and with slotted plate A only,
adapted for raising and extending the leg rest or guard B, the said guard being
carried in the slotted plates A (one of which is is affixed to each handle) by the
pivot plates, shewn on the back of rest or guard Fig. 31, the other end of the said
rest or guard being supported (when extended) by the bracket C which slips over
a bar Cx, the said bar extends across and is secured to both handles.
E shews a strip of flexible material for covering the space caused by extending the
In Fig. 34
rest or guard B, the said material is secured to the seat D and rest Bat E' E'.
In Fig. 31 Ex shews the flexible material in the position it assumes when the rest
or guard is brought to a vertical position.
Fig. 4 at B is a piece of wood which fills up the space between E E instead of
flexible material, the said piece of wood B* is secured to the guard or rest B by
hinges placed underneath as shewn and is held in the horizontal position as shewn
by a button carried by a screw at D*.
D* in Fig. 5 shew the same parts when in a vertical position.
Figure 6 shews a notched plate or bracket A one of which is affixed to each
shaft Z the said notches P P¹ being spaced at suitable distances to give the required
extension of the rest or guard.
When it is desired to use the said rest er guard in a vertical position the aforesaid

page_text: "
pivots B¹ B¹ shewn on Fig. 31 are inserted in notches A¹× Fig. 7 on each shaft or
handle Z. But if it is desired to use the aforesaid rest or guard in an extended
horizontal position the said pivots are inserted in the notches marked P' (there
being one on each handle or shaft) the other end being supported by the bracket C¹
on crossbar C*.
Fig. 7 shews a plate for use when it is desired to extend the rest or guard in
either a vertical or horizontal position, for this purpose the plates are slotted and.
notched as shewn at A¹. One end of the said plate is carried by a pivot at H,
the rest or guard is carried by the pivotted plates B' B' secured (preferably) to its
underside as in Fig. 3*. The said pivot plates are made to slide in the notched
plates a sufficient distance to allow the brackets C'C' to slip over the bar Cx for
supporting the said rest or guard in a horizontal position, but if the said rest or
guard is required in a vertical position the pivotted notched plates being carried on
the aforesaid rest or guard assumes a vertical position and the uppermost pivots
enter the notches at the desired vertical height.
Fig. 8 is another modification of our invention and shews notches N cut in the
leg or support N¹ of the vehicle the rest or guard is carried by the two pivot
plates BB as shewn in Fig. 3 being inserted in the two notches which will give
the desired vertical extension. If it is desired to use the said rest or guard in a
horizontal position the bracket (" is passed over the bar C*.
Fig. 9 shews a top view of a folding shaft or handle with a pair of plates which
are secured to the fixed portion of the handle at Z³.
Fig. 9A is a side view of the plate as secured to shaft at % which is divided
from the folding part at about the dotted lines the said plates being secured
on the permanent part of shaft or a suitable portion of the vehicle as shewn by
screws at 23, or these parts of the plates may be altered to any suitable shape for
securing the same to any convenient portion of the vehicle on which they are to
be used.
The movable part of the shaft Z is carried between the plates by a pivot
bolt A having a wing nut A2. A is stud pin which may be driven into the shaft
or secured thereto by any other suitable means, the said stud pin projects a short
distance and is caused to enter the hole A' by screwing up the wing nut A². One
or both of the plates are so shaped as to spring outwards and release the shaft
when the wing nut is unscrewed. When it is required to secure the folding handle
to varying heights to suit the person using the same we insert more than one hole
as at A on Fig. 9^1.
Fig. 9 shews a plate so shaped as to form a slide for the leg rest or guard in a
horizontal position and suitably notched to support the said leg rest or guard at
various heights when in a vertical position.
Fig. 10 shews the plates with the bridle A8 loose which slides on and off the
plates and is secured in position by wing nut Al and bolt A When using the
bridle loose we use an independent hinge C or a pivot bolt at C*.
Fig. 10 shews the said bridle A³ attached to and forming one half of the hinge,
A shows slot to allow the bolt with wing nut A to slide underneath the fixed
position of the handle Z.
At Fig. 7 is shewn a seat of a vehicle (with one side of body removed) arranged
so that it can be elevated at back to form a slope. W shews edge view of seat
pivotted at W, W is a strap of leather or other flexible material one end of which
is attached to back edge of seat, and is carried over the top of the back of vehicle,
holes being made in the said strap for securing it to a stud for regulating the slope
of the seat as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. A vehicle with a movable and flexible seat and support and foot rest or
leg guard mounted on two or four wheels, the body of which can be readily lifted

page_text: off and carried-constructed substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2nd. The construction plan and arrangement of parts for the handles and leg
rest or guard, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 15th day of December 1801
H. KINSEY.
WM. USHER.