Improvements in carriages the
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 31st Dec., 1888
I, THOMAS THORNEYCROFT, of Tettenhall Towers, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention refers to such carriages for use on common roads as are entered from
doors at the sides, and are required to be used alternatively open (or partly open) and
closed, such for instance as landaus, broughams, and victorias, and has for its object
the employment of means whereby such carriages may be fitted with front and side
lights so that the whole of the front and sides forwards of the doors, is glazed, making
the carriages, when closed, extremely light and pleasant, in combination with improved
means whereby such carriages may be used entirely open, or as closed carriages, or
with the hinder-part only closed, and thus may each combine largely in one carriage
the advantages of a landau, brougham, clarence, barouche and victoria,
"
For the purpose of this invention the side lights are hinged to the front light in such
a manner that they may be folded back against the front light as described in the speci-
for which I received
fication of my, invention for "Improvements in carriages
the grant of Letters Patent No. 7181 of 1886; and, according to the present invention,
the lower edge of the front light is hinged to the carriage so that it may fold down
into the body, and the front, part of the roof extending from the front light to a short
distance to the rear of the front side of the door openings, or thereabouts, is hinged to
the front edge of the front light so that it may be folded against the front of such.
light. In order to open the front part of the carriage the side lights are folded
against the inside of the front light, and the lights thus folded together are then
turned down in a backwardly slanting position into the body of the carriage with the
front of the front light consequently facing backwards and with the front part of the
roof folded back against the front light.
The front seats are hinged so that they may be turned forwards to allow of the
lights and front part of the roof being turned down into the body of the carriage, and
after such parts have been so turned down the seats are turned back again into their

page_text: ordinary position, and what was previously the underside of the front part of the roof
forms an inclined back to the seats, and is suitably upholstered for such purpose; but,
in order to facilitate the turning down of the parts as described, without having to
turn the front seats back to an inconvenient extent, the front light is hinged to the
carriage by means of a strip of wood or other suitable material which forms a broad
link between the edge of the light and the part of the carriage to which the strip is
hinged so that the hinged edge of the front light may be somewhat raised as its upper
edge is turned down. The forward part of the body of the carriage is made sufficiently
wide inside to receive the parts which are to be turned down thereinto as aforesaid,
and consequently such part of the body is somewhat wider than the corresponding
part of the roof and projects therefore on each side somewhat beyond the flat surfaces
of the side lights. The tops of such projecting parts are covered by means of flaps
which are hinged to the side lights and which may be consequently folded against
such lights and turned down therewith when the front of the carriage is required to
be open, or such flaps may themselves be hinged to the body and be turned up to allow
the necessary clearance for turning down the front part of the roof.
A carriage fitted with my improvements as above described may be used entirely
as an open carriage, or as a closed carriage, or with the hinder part only closed,
and thus may largely combine in one carriage the advantages of a landau, brougham,
clarence, barouche and victoria, with the great advantage that, when the carriage is
used entirely closed, it is extremely light and pleasant, as the whole of the front and
sides forward of the doors is glazed.
n

page_text: C
THOMAS THORNEYCROFT, of Tettenhall Towers, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, gentleman, 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 refers to such carriages for use on common roads as are entered from
doors at the sides, and are required to be used alternatively open (or partly open) and
closed, such for instance as landaus, broughams, and victorias; and has for its object
the employment of means whereby such carriages may be fitted with front an cside
lights so that the whole of the front and sides forwards of the doors, is glazed,
making the carriages, when closed, extremely light and pleasant, in combination
with improved means whereby such carriages may be used entirely open, or as
closed carriages, or with the hinder-part only closed, and thus may each combine
largely in one carriage the advantages of a landau, brougham, clarence, barouche and
victoria.
For the purpose of this invention the side lights are hinged to the front light in
in such a manner that they may be folded back against the front light, as described in
the specification of my invention for "Improvements in carriages" for which I
received the grant of Letters Patent No. 7181 of 1886; and, according to the present
invention, the lower edge of the front light is hinged to the carriage so that it
may fold down into the body, and the front part of the roof extending from the front
light to a short distance to the rear of the front side of the door openings, or there-
abouts, is hinged to the front edge of the front light so that it may be folded against
the front of such light. In order to open the front part of the carriage the side lights
are folded against the inside of the front light, and the lights thus folded together are
then turned down in a backwardly slanting position into the body of the carriage,
together with the front part of the roof, with the front of the front light consequently
facing backwards and with the front part of the roof folded back against the front
light.
The front seat is hinged so that it may be turned forwards to allow of the lights and
front part of the roof being turned down into the body of the carriage, and after such
parts have been so turned down the seat is turned back and what was previously the
underside of the front part of the roof forms an inclined back to the seat, and is
suitably upholstered for such purpose.
This invention will be readily understood on reference to accompanying drawings,
of which figure 1 is a part longitudinal section and part side elevation of a carriage
body with my improvements applied thereto, and shews the carriage to be closed.
Figure 2 is a corresponding view to figure 1, but shews the carriage to be open.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line aa of figure 1, looking in a

page_text: forward direction; but shews the hinder edge of the part C of the roof instead of a
section through the part D thereof. Figure 4 is a corresponding view to figure 3,
but shews the two forward side lights folded back against the front light, and the
forward part of the roof to be raised up previously to folding down the front and side
lights and such forward part of the roof into the body of the carriage. In this view
the interior fittings shewn by figure 3 are omitted. Figure 5 is a sectional plan taken
on line y y of figure 1; and figure 6 is a plan of the parts shewn in section by figure 2,
but with the front seat, and upholstered back and arm omitted in the left hand half.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the views.
The side lights A A are hinged to the front light B so that they may be closed back
thereagainst, as shewn by figure 4, and the front light is provided with a spring
catch a which yields upwards as the side lights are pushed back against the front light
and springs down again so as to retain the side lights in position folded back against
the front light. The lower edge of the front light B is hinged at b to the body of the
carriage so that it may be readily turned down into the body. The roof is divided
across at the point d, or thereabouts, in its length, and the front part C is hinged at c
to the top of the front light. When it is desired to open the front of the carriage the
hinged or jointed portion D of the hinder division of the roof is first unfastened from
the front part C and is turned back in the ordinary manner. The front part C of the
roof is then raised up on its hinge c and the two side lights A are folded back the one
against the other against the front light B as shewn by figure 4. The front and side
lights, together with the front part C of the roof, are then turned down into the position
shewn by figure 2, the side lights being then in position immediately in front of the
front light and the part C of the roof in position to the rear of the front light.
To enable the parts to be turned down into the body of the carriage, as described,
the forward part of the body is, of course, made of a greater width than the parts
themselves, as shewn at figure 6, and consequently such part of the body is somewhat
willer than the corresponding part of the roof, and projects therefor on each side
somewhat beyond the sides of the lights A. The tops of these projecting parts of the
body are covered, when the carriage is closed, by means of flaps E which are hinged
to the bottom edges of the lights A. These flaps are turned up against the lights
previously to the same being folded back against the front light B. The flaps may,
however, be hinged to the sides of the carriage body, but I do not consider it to be so
convenient an arrangement. The front seat is pivotted at its forward side to a pair
of arms which are knuckle-jointed with supports on which they are fulcrumned to allow
of their being turned back a certain fixed distance only; and when the carriage is
closed, as shewn by figure 1, the back of such seat is hooked into a couple of eyes g
fixed within the body of the carriage. Previously to turning down the parts into
the body of the carriage, as described, the seat is unhooked from the eyes 9 and
is moved forward on the arms fand turned over into the position shewn by broken
lines figure 2; and after the parts have been turned down into the body of the
carriage the back of the seat is hooked into a pair of eyes g¹ fixed to that side of the
part C of the roof which is the inside when the carriage is closed. The front seat F
is therefore somewhat nearer to the back seat when the carriage is open than when it
is closed.
b
The hinge preferably projects backwards, as shewn, to allow space for the side
lights and flaps when the parts are turned down; and to allow for the folding back of
the part C of the roof into the position shewn by figure 2, the hinge c projects
forwards, as shewn by figure 1, and each flap thereof has a separate hinge pin or
centre c¹ and the flaps are linked together by short links which join together their
hinge pins or centres thus forming a double-jointed hinge.
The side lights A are held down securely upon the tops of the front door pillars by
means of a fastening which is shewn, to an enlarged scale, in side elevation by figure 7
and in front elevation or edgeways by figure 8. These fastenings consist of a
segmental part which is fixed to the frame of the light and has a flange i around
the forward side of the periphery, and of an arm j pivotted to a mounting e which is
fixed upon the pillar and having a part k which takes around the flange i so as to keep

page_text: h
the arm and segment properly in gear with one another. The part is formed
slightly eccentric so that as the arm is moved up into the position shewn it tightens
down the part and consequently firmly fixes the light A in place. The arm is
formed at its inner end similarly as the arm of an ordinary sash fastener, and is held
in its fastened and unfastened positions by means of a spring in the manner of the
arm of an ordinary sash fastener. When the arm is moved down into a horizontal
position the segment / may be lifted (together with the frame, in the manner berein-
after described) clear of the arm and mounting. The part C of the roof is grooved,
as shewn, to fit down upon the top edges of the side lights, and is fixed down upon
such lights by means of simple bolts which may be securely retained in their fastened
and unfastened positions, repectively, by turning the arms by which they are operated
downwards into a slot in a manner analogous to that of operating ordinary door bolts.
Each flap E is provided with a link or staple which engages with a spring catch m
fixed within the thickness of the body of the carriage, and from which it may be readily
disengaged by pressing a button exposed at the exterior of the body. When the
flaps are turned up against the lights, as shewn by figure 4, they are held thereto by
small turn-buttons n which catch at the front of metal plates forming projections from
the forward ends of the flaps.
Previously to folding in the lights A A towards the front light B the front light B
is itself tilted slightly forwards at the top so as to tilt up the rear ends of the side
lights and allow them to pass over the arms j and mountings e fixed to the tops of the
front door pillars, and to enable this to be done a slight play is allowed in the hinge b,
that is to say, the flaps are not quite closed together when the front light is in a
vertical position as shewn by figure 1.
Indiarubber buffers t are placed in position for the frames of the lights A to rest
against when down within the body of the carriage.
When the carriage is open as shewn by figures 2 and 6 upholstered arms n¹ are
placed on the sides of the front part of the carriage body, and in order that they
may be securely held in place dowels projecting from the arms fit within holes (
in the body, and links projecting downwards from the arms are held by the spring
catches in.
These arms are stowed away when the carriage is closed, in the
corners below the front seat F. When the carriage is closed an upholstered back G
is hung inside the front of the body of the carriage by means of straps and
buckles o, and an apron p hangs down from the lower edge of such back and
conceals the woodwork forming the front of the body. When the carriage is open
the back G is carried in the position shewn by figures 2 and 6 by means of angle
brackets which pass over the upper edge of the part C of the roof and turn
down into sockets or loops fixed thereto and by means of short bars y' which rest
upon the turning flap of the hinge b. The apron p lies on the forward part of the
arms n' and over the upper part of the part C of the roof. These angle brackets
and bars are fixed at the ends of the back G and are consequently out of the
way when the back is fixed in position shewn by figures 1 and 3.
Figure 9 illustrates in section, to an enlarged scale, means by which a weather-
proof joint is made along the bottom of the front light B when the carriage is
closed. A filiet is fixed along the top of the body of the carriage, and a fillet 7¹
is run along the front of the window frame in position to close just over the top
of the fillet but so as to leave sufficient clearance for tilting forwards the front
light as above described. A spaces is left between the back of the fillet and the
frame, and a groove s' is formed along the bottom of this space to carry off any water
which may be blown through between the fillets into the space 3.
A carriage fitted with my improvements as above described may be used entirely as
an open carriage, or as a closed carriage, or with the hinder part only closed, and thus
may largely combine in one carriage the advantages of a landau, brougham, clarence,
barouche and victoria, with the great advantage that, when the carriage is used entirely
closed, it is extremely light and pleasant, as the whole of the front and sides forward
of the doors is glazed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim in
respect of carriages for use on common roads and which are entered at the side and
are required to be used alternatively open (or partly open) and closed, such for instance
as landaus, broughams, and victorias, is :-
1. Front side lights hinged to a front light so as to be capable of being folded there-
against, and the front light hinged to the forward part of the body of the carriage so
that when the side lights are folded back against it it may be turned down together
with the side lights into the body of the carriage, substantially as described.
2. A front light hinged to the forward part of the body of the carriage and the front
part of the roof hinged to the top of the front light so that it may be turned back
upon such hinge and folded down together with such light into the body of the carriage,
substantially as described.
3. Front side lights hinged to a front light so as to be capable of being folded
thereagainst and with the front light hinged to the forward part of the body of the
carriage, in combination with a front seat pivotted at its outer or front edge to the
body of the carriage so that it may be turned over upon its pivots, substantially
as described, for the purpose set forth.
4. Front side lights hinged to a front light so as to be capable of being folded
thereagainst and with the front light hinged to the forward part of the body of the
carriage and with the front part of the roof hinged to the top of the front light so that
it may be turned back upon such hinge, substantially as described, for the purpose
set forth.
5. Front side lights hinged to a front light so as to be capable of being folded
thereagainst and with the front light hinged to the forward part of the body of the
carriage, in combination with flaps hinged to the lower edges of the front side lights,
or (alternatively) to the sides of the front part of the body of the carriage, substantially
as described, for the purpose set forth.
6. The general construction and combination of parts by which the front of the
carriage may be readily closed and opened, substantially as described, for the purpose
set forth.
.
تيمم