Improvements in or relating to Motor Driven Vehicles or Autocars.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
Improvements in or relating to Motor Driven Vehicles or Autocars.
I, JOHN JAMES HENRY STURMEY of 19 Hertford Street, Coventry in the
County of Warwick, Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
or
My invention relates to motor driven vehicles or autocars and has for its object
the conversion of ordinary horse-driven vehicles into such autocars. And my
invention consists in certain modifications of and additions to the front of the
vehicle, combined with the provision of suitable driving and steering apparatus.
In applying my invention to an ordinary four wheeled vehicle I may proceed in
several ways. According to one method I may retain the existing fore carriage
and springs but remove the non-rotating axle bolted to the springs and replace it
by a single or complex axle revolving in bearings bolted to the said spring and
attach one or both fore wheels (as the case may be) rigidly to such revolving axle.
The motor and driving gear are preferably carried by the lower or moving part
of the fore carriage and suitable gear is provided for deflecting the said fore
carriage and wheels and so steering the vehicle. Or, I may remove the fore wheels,
the axle, springs and underpart of the fore carriage and substitute therefor a
pyramoidal or other suitable frame mounted on three or four wheels, of which the
rear wheel or wheels is or are preferably adapted to drive the vehicle, and the
front wheel or wheels is or are adapted to steer the same through suitable gear;
the upper part of the frame is adapted to replace the lower part of the turntable
and operate in conjunction with the upper part of the said turntable; the motor
and driving gear are preferably carried by the said frame. Or, the turntable may
be entirely dispensed with and a vertical or approximately vertical pivot or steering
head be substituted therefor. The shafts are preferably removed with the wheels
and fore carriage. In applying my invention to two wheeled vehicles I add two,
three or four wheels at the front thereof similarly to one or other of the methods
above referred to and at the same time, in some cases, the existing pair of wheels
may be set further back relatively to the body of the vehicle so as to throw more.
weight on the front wheel or wheels. In this case it may be convenient to retain
the shafts wholly or in part.
In both cases suitable springs are preferably provided to case the front part of
the carriage.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Motor Driven Vehicles or Autocars.
I, JOHN JAMES HENRY STURMEY, of No. 19 Hertford Street, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick, Journalist 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 :-
My invention relates to motor driven vehicles or "autocars" and has for its
object the conversion of ordinary, horse-drawn vehicles into such autocars. And my
invention consists in certain modifications of, and additions to, the front of the vehicle,
combined with the provision of suitable driving and steering apparatus.
or
In applying my invention to an ordinary four-wheeled vehicle I may proceed in
several ways. According to one method I may retain the existing fore carriage &
springs but remove the non-rotating axle bolted to the springs and replace it by a
single or complex axle revolving in bearings bolted to the said springs and attach
one or both fore wheels (as the case may be) rigidly to such revolving axle. The
motor and driving gear are preferably carried by the lower or moving part of the
fore. carriage and suitable gear is provided for deflecting the said fore carriage and
wheels to steer the vehicle. Or, I may remove the fore wheels, the axle, springs
and underpart of the fore carriage and substitute therefor a pyramoidal or other
suitable frame mounted on three or four wheels, of which the rear wheel or wheels
is or are preferably adapted to drive the vehicle, and the front wheel or wheels' is
or are adapted to steer the same through suitable gear. The upper part of the
frame is adapted to replace the lower part of the turntable and operate in conjunction
with the upper part of the said turntable. The motor and driving gear are
preferably carried by the said frame. Or, the turntable may be entirely dispensed
with and a vertical or approximately vertical pivot or steering head be substituted
therefor. The shafts are preferably removed with the wheels and fore carriage.
In applying my invention to two-wheeled vehicles I add two, three or four wheels
at the front thereof similarly to one or other of the methods above referred to and
at the same time, in some cases, the existing pair of wheels may be set farther
back relatively to the body of the vehicle so as to throw more weight on the front
wheel or wheels. In this case it may be convenient to retain the shafts wholly or
in part.
In both cases suitable springs are preferably provided to reduce vibration at the
front part of the carriage.
And in order that my invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect I will further describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings which show, by way of example, the manner in which I prefer to convert
and ordinary, four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle into an autocar.
Figure I is a general view showing the application of my invention to the fore
portion of a vehicle.
Figure II is a plan and Figure III a transverse section, of part of the turntable.
Corresponding parts where shown are marked with the same reference numerals.
According to the method shown in the drawings I retain the existing fore
carriage 2, springs 3, 3 and non-rotating axle 4. I remove the ordinary wheels
from the axle 4 and fit either the same or other wheels 8 to a geared axle 5 which
I mount in suitable ball or other bearings 12 adapted to be bolted or otherwise
secured to the said non-rotating axle 4. To the said axle 4 I also suitably secure
a frame 7 of somewhat pyramoidal form. To the front of the said frame 7 I pivot
a fork 10 carrying the steering wheel 9; and at the back of the said frame I mount
the lower end of the steering post 11 in a socket 21 suitably stayed to the frame

page_text: The steering post passes up through the centre of the turntable 13 and through
the floor of the fore carriage and is provided at the top with a handle bar 14, or
a wheel or other suitable device to be operated by the driver of the vehicle.
The upper part of the steering post may be supported by a socket adapted to
allow for the vibration of the parts due to the action of the springs 3, which are
independent of the frame 7 & socket 21.
The lower end of the steering post is connected with the fork 10 by cross arms
and coupling rods 15, by chain gear or other suitable device, so that the steering
wheel 9 may be readily directed by the handlebar or the like 14. When the
vehicle is travelling the deflection of the steering wheel is followed by deflection
of the wheels 8 about the turntable 13. When not employing a central pivot
I construct the said turntable as shown in Figures II and III. The lower ring 16
has a raised portion 17 around its inner edge and the upper ring has a corresponding
recess; this construction prevents lateral movement between the upper and lower
rings. To maintain the parts in contact, I provide a coupling ring 19 the inner
face of which is made concave to embrace the convex surface constituted by the
outer edges of the two rings 16 and 18 respectively. The inner edge of the
ring 19 (which is provided with a hinge and clip as shown in Figure II, or other
suitable means whereby it may be readily applied and secured in position) may
abut against shoulders on the rings 16 and 18 respectively as shown.
The motor 6 and driving gear, which may be of any suitable construction, are
preferably carried on the lower part of the frame 7 and adapted to operate on the
wheels 8, through the axle 5.
If desired the frame 7 may be reversed so that the wheel 9 is situated under the
body of the vehicle. In the position indicated in the drawings the wheel 9 may be
steered direct by a "bath chair" handle 20 as shown in dotted lines. In adapting
this construction to two-wheeled vehicles I provide similar apparatus and secure
it by connections on the upper part of the turntable to the shafts of the vehicle.
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 is :-
1. The conversion of a horse-drawn vehicle into an autocar substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. In a road vehicle of the kind herein referred to a pivotal frame provided with
a motor and gearing for propelling the vehicle and with steering contrivances
substantially as described.
3. The steering post constructed and arranged to extend through the turntable
of the vehicle, substantially as described.
4. A road vehicle converted into an autocar as described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
1000
G. DOUGLAS LEECHMAN,
18 Hertford Street, Coventry, 75 Chancery Lane, Loudon, W.C., and
49 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin, Patent Agent for the Applicant.