IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FOLDING HEADS OR COVERS OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN GEORGE HARRISON, of N° 10 Noel Rd Edgbaston, Birmingham Manager
of Works do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
FOLDING HEADS OR COVERS OF CARRIAGES to be as follows:
..I make the upper half of the jointed stay which usualy supports the carriage
head of tube, or as a tube, & place within it a spiral spring, I cut a groove or slot
in that part of upper half of jointed stay nearest the centre joint of sufficient length
& width for my purpose, & to lower half of jointed stay I make in solid a lip or
lug, at proper distance from centre joint, & to this lip or lug I attach a steel
connecting or pressure rod, which is engaged with spring at other end & within the
groove or alot in upper half of jointed stay, so that when the head or cover of
the carriage is thrown back or open, the folding of the jointed stay acting on the
pressure rod compresses the spring enclosed in upper half & balances the weight of
head I so set the centre of lip or lug on lower half of jointed stay that when the
head or cover of carriage is thrown back, or open, to its fullest extent the said lip
or lug shall pass within the groove or slot in upper half of jointed stay; & becomes
in a direct line with spring pressure & centre joint of jointed stay, & consequently
locks & holds the head or cover in the position it has then taken.
To release the spring again & to bring it into action the carriage head or cover;
has to be raised slightly by hand, when the lip or lug leaving the alot or groove
allows the spring full play & taking the whole weight of carriage head or cover.
brings it to the closed position.
At the lower end of lower half of jointed stay I. provide a regulating screw
& socket for the better adjustment of the carriage head or cover when forming
a closed carriage.
The jointed stays can be used as described in my invention either outside the
carriage head or cover, as is usualy the case, or concealed between the cloth lining.
& leather covering of the carriage head & can be brought into action by the
ordinary levers & attatchments.
I claim as new the arrangement of the spring within the upper half of jointed
stay & the means I adopt to bring the pressure to bear on the spring.
3
Dated this Fifteenth day of September 1884,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN GEORGE HARRISON of 10 Noel Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Manager
of Works, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE FOLDING HEADS OR COVERS OF CARRIAGES," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and' ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
My invention has for its object the opening and closing of carriage heads in a
simpler and more efficient manner than has heretofore been accomplished.
The upper half of the jointed stay which usually supports the carriage head,
I make preferably tubular and within which a coiled spring is enclosed; and within
the upper half of the tubular stay described, is a groove or slot cut near to the
centre joint which connects the upper to the lower stay-This slot is of sufficient
width for admitting the entrance of the lip or lug hereinafter described and of a
length sufficient to allow the necessary traverse of a cranked extension on the end
of a presser rod, which compresses and forms an internal support for the tension
spring Fixed upon the lower stay near the centre joint, and in a line with the slot
in the upper stay, is a solid lug or lip and to the summit of which the cranked
extension of the presser rod is jointed-The base frame and the radial jointed arms
for keeping the head in shape and the back stay, jointed to an inclined vertical
extension, is arranged in such a way and in such a position as to properly support
and carry the upper and lower stay and the carriage head.
•
At the bottom end of the lower half of the jointed stay, I provide a regulating
screw and socket arrangement for the better adjustment of the carriage head or
cover when forming a closed carriage.
Figure 1 represents an appliance or means for the raising of carriage heads
constructed according to my invention, the said figure 1 represents the parts in
positions which they respectively occupy when the carriage head is closed and
the supporting and distending, stay bars and rods opon, with the exception that
tho supporting for keeping the head in shape, are not in their proper relative
positions Figure 2 shows the supporting stays and other parts collapsed, or the
carriage head in its open position, or in the position when the said head of the
carriage is thrown back-Figure 3 is a plan of figure 1-Figure 4 is a longitudinal
section of the jointed stay upon a larger scale with parts of the upper and lower
stays broken off Figure 5 is a plan of figure 4 (but not in section) Figure 6 is
an edge view of the base ironwork, and figure 7 is a plane of figure 6.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding 'parts in figures 1 to 7 both
inclusive of the accompanying Drawings
a is the base or frame ironwork; and a' is a bracket situated at one end, to which
the lower stay b is jointed-c is the upper half of the jointed stay which is tubular
or hollow, and within the tubular or hollow part, a coiled spring d is enclosed-This
spring has a presser rod s passing axially through it, and near the lower end of the
Baid pressor rod is a shoulder or bulbous part o against which the lower end of

page_text: the spring abuts, while the other abutment of the spring is within the top of the .
inside of the case-e³ is a cranked extension of the presser rod e, flattened. in cross
section and jointed to the lug b³ on the lower half of the stay; thus when the stays
are in the position as represented in figure 1 they form the ipotonuse of a triangle
made by the framework of the appliance is a rule joint, connecting the lower to
the upper stay, the said upper stay is connected to a back link or jointed arm g by
the joint g-h is an arm extensoon carried by the knuckles g³ and moving with the
bar or rod g―The tubular stay rod o has a longitudinal slot or hole c' wherein the
cranked or curved extension e slides, on the traversing of the presser rod within
the axis of the spring or tube-i ii are radial arms for keeping the head of the
carriage in shape-These said arms are jointed upon the bracket extension a³ of
the base a; so that when the head or covering of the carriage is thrown back or
thrown open, and collapsed into the position as represented in figure 2, the change
of position of the parts forces the presser rod e up to the tubular stay o which is
allowed for by the slot c³-The movement of the rod e effected by the folding up of
the top and bottom stays cb compresses the spring between the collar and the
inside of the case, as best seen in figure 4-The said compression or collapsing of
the parts balances the weight of the head and keeps it in the said position
figure 2.
.8
To close the carriage head or to bring it forward from its thrown back or
collapsed position raise the head slightly by hand, when the parts are relieved from
their set positions to which they have been placed-The slight change in position
of the parts, releases the spring and the tension thus created in virtue of its
former compression, opens out the jointed stay rods both tubular and solid into the
3 position as represented in figure 1; that is,, on the spring being allowed full play,
the whole energy thus produced or stored up by the compression is expended in
the closing or bringing forward of the carriage head.
Figure 8 represents in front elevation drawn to a reduced scale, a modification
of my invention, the principal parts remaining the same as in figure 1, other than
the addition of the cant rail i bracket j and adjustment screw and socket kl, also
the links m Figure 9 is a part longitudinal section of the upper part of the
top half jointed stay-Figure 10 is a plan of the said top half of the said jointed
stay figure 9.
For the adjustment of the carriage head or cover, the nut is rotated so as to
5 press forward or lengthen or shorten the upper half of the jointed stay-The
opening and closing of the head is, essentially the same as that already described-
Figure 11 also represents in elevation a modification of the arrangement figure 1-
The prolonged cranked extension of the pusher rod and marked e' is substituted
by a link n, the front end of which engages in a hole in the boss e of the rod e
while the back end is jointed to the snug or bracket b' on the lower jointed
stay b―The opening c in the tubular casing c for the traverse of the turned in
end of the link for the propulsion of the rod upon the side instead of at the top
as in figure 1-The other parts used in conjunction with the top and bottom jointed
stays are essentially the same. as those already described, other than the particular
5 mode of connecting and jointing the parts, as is fully shewn in the enlarged
views Figuro 12 is a part longitudinal section of the upper and lower stay bars,
with some of the parts broken off-Figure 13 is a plan of figure 12 part in section
of figure 5, showing the jointings which are somewhat different to those already
described with respect to the other arrangements-Figure 14 is a plan of the base
o and parts carried by it-Figure 15 represents in front elevation drawn to a small
scale, expedients or means construction according to my invention for the raising
and lowering of carriage heads and keeping the said heads in their raised or
lowered positions The said figure 15 represents the parts when the carriage head.
is closed or brought forward, and figure 16 represents the said parts of the
5 carriage bead in its closed or collapsed position, that is, when the carriage head
has been thrown back-Figure 17 is the joint of the stay-Figure 18 is a plan of

page_text: figure 17. Figure 19 is a part longitudinal vertical section of figure 17-Figure 20
is a plan of figure 19 with the collar in section-Figure 21 is a link arrangement
fully described and represented in figure 8-Figure 22 is a plan of figure 21-
Figure 23 is the knuckle joint at the junction of the base and the back rail upon
which the cant rail is hinged-Figure 24 is a plan of the joint and lover arms
carrying the supports which distend and keep in form the material constituting
the covering-In this modification the spring encircles an upper stay bar, instead
of being encased within a tube or hollow rod.
o is the lower half of the jointed stay; p is the upper half, consisting of a rod
or bar encircled by a spring q- is a sliding collar moved by links 8. 8, situated
on the two opposite sides of the compound or folding stay o² o' are brackets
carrying the other enda of the links ss-The spring q has its lower abutment upon
the collar 7, while its upper abutment is upon the adjustable screw nut t―This
nut is capable of rising and falling upon the screwed part p' of the stay rod p for
giving greater or less tension to the spring-The socket and the link arrangements
at the cant-rail joint are essentially the same as those which have already been
described, so are also the jointed radial arms, and back-rail and base parts and
⚫their joints.
When the head or cover of the carriage is thrown back or open, from the
position figure 15 to that of figure 16 the folding of the jointed or compound
stay op, compells the collar or boss r to slide upon the upper half of the stay p
and so compresses the spring encircling the rod upon the upper half stay, on the
parts resuming the positions represented in figure 16-The weight of the head is
balanced and kept in the position to which it may have been placed, by the joints
of the rods passing over their centres which consequently locks or holds the head
or cover in the thrown back position thus taken.
To again close the carriage head, the cover is slightly raised, which brings the
centres of the joints from, out of their former positions, which allows the spring
full play, and the energy thus stored up within it by its compression, is now
liberated and opens automatically into its closed position as represented in figure 15.
The jointed stays or stay rods as described, may be used outside the carriage
head or cover as is usually the case, or they may be concealed between the cloth
lining and leather covering of the carriage head, and can be brought into action
and operated by the ordinary levers and attachments commonly used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my mid
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First The improvements in folding heads or covers of carriages herein before
described and illustrated in figures 1 to 14 both inclusive of the accompanying
drawings, whereby a carriage head is brought automatically forward, and sustained
in its closed or expanded position, and also in its open or collapsed condition-
by means of a spring enclosed and working within a hollow upper half stay. The
compression of the spring being effected by a presser rod operated or traversed by
the folding up or collapsing of the head, the jointed stays and parts thereof being
arranged combined and acting in the way and for the purpose as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The improvements in the folding heads of carriages whereby a
carriage head or cover is automatically brought forward, and sustained in that
position and also in its collapsed or open position by means of a coiled or helical
spring (or its mechanical equivalent) encircling the stem of the upper stay; the
compression of the spring being offected through the intervention of a sliding
collar; operated by the folding up or collapsing of the head of the carriage; the
upper and lower jointed stays being constructed, arranged and combined
substantially as and for the purpose as described and set forth in figures 15 to
24 both inclusivo of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Thirdly Constructing, arranging and combining the parts of the folding heads
or covers of carriages hereinbefore described and illustrated in the several figures
of the drawings, whereby the said folding heads or covers are made more compact
and efficient than ordinary folding carriage heads.
JOHN GEORGE HARRISON.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham,
Agent to the Applicant.