IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS AND BATH CHAIRS."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Miles of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick trading as Lloyd and Company Perambulator and Bath Chair
Manufacturer. for an Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN PERAMBULATORS
AND BATH CHAIRS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Miles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th January 1882.
JOHN HENRY MILES of Birmingham in the County of Warwick trading as
Lloyd and Company Perambulator and Bath Chair Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PERAMBULATORS AND BATH CHAIRS "
•
My Invention consists first of the following method of connecting the seat of the
perambulator or Bath chair with the body whereby the seat can be turned into
any desired position with respect to the body.
To the lower side of the seat a ring is fixed preferably of a diameter somewhat
larger than the breadth of the seat. This ring has a groove in its inner face. The
body of the perambulator or Bath chair has at its top a ring of a size and shape
suitable for engaging in the groove in the ring on the lower part of the seat. The
rings described being engaged together the seat of the perambulator or Bath chair
can be turned into any position on the body.
Although, I prefer arranging the two engaging rings in the manner described
yet their position may be reversed with the same or nearly the same effect; and
in place of the smaller ring which engages in the groove in the larger ring a
series of projections arranged in a ring like form may be employed.
Or the ring on the seat and that on the body may simply bear on each other
without engaging together. In this case the ring on the seat is kept to its bearing
on the ring on the body by a cranked cross piece on the seat ring through which
crosspiece a centre pin passes into the centre of the bottom of the body.
My Invention consists secondly in the construction and arrangements of parts

page_text: hereinafter described for changing the position of the body with respect to the
wheels according as the perambulator or Bath chair is propelled from the front or
from the back. When the perambulator or Bath chair is propelled from the front it.
is desirable that the body should be moved somewhat nearer the front wheels. This
I effect in the following manner. The seat is not fixed rigidly to the ring on which
it is supported but is capable of sliding upon the said ring. On the upper side of
the body one or more cams are fixed in such positions that when the seat is turned
it is made by the action of the said cams to slide forwards or backwards according
as the seat is turned in one or other direction.
The sliding motion of the seat may also be effected automatically by screws or
other equivalent means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Miles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st July 1882.
JOHN HENRY MILES of Birmingham in the County of Warwick, trading as
Lloyd and Company, Perambulator and Bath Chair Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PERAMBULATORS AND BATH CHAIRS
و"
My Invention consists, first, of the following method of connecting the seat of
the perambulator or Bath chair with the body, whereby the seat can be turned into
any desired position with respect to the body.
To the lower side of the seat, a ring is fixed preferably of a diameter somewhat
larger than the breadth of the seat. This ring has a groove in its inner face. The
body of the perambulator or Bath chair has at its top a ring of a size and shape
suitable for engaging in the groove in the ring on the lower part of the seat. The
rings described being engaged together the seat of the perambulator or Bath chair
can be turned into any position on the body. Although I prefer arranging the
two engaging rings in the manner described yet their position, may be reversed
with the same or nearly the same effect; and in place of the smaller ring which
engages in the groove in the larger ring a series of projections arranged in a ring
like form may be employed.
My Invention consists secondly in the construction and arrangement of parts
herein after described for changing the position of the seat with respect to the
wheels according as the seat of the perambulator or Bath chair is so turned that
the occupant is propelled face forwards or the reverse. This I affect in the
following manner. The seat is not fixed rigidly to the ring on which it is sup-
ported but is capable of sliding upon the said ring. On the upper side of the body,
one or more cams are fixed in such positions that when the seat is turned it is
made by the action of the said cams to slide forwards or backwards according as
the seat is turned in one or other direction. The sliding motion of the seat may
also be affected automatically by screws or other equivalent means.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in transverse vertical section a perambulator, the seat part
of which is capable of rotating upon the body part, the said seat part and body
part being constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the upper
side of the body part of the perambulator, drawn to a larger scale, and Figure 3 is
& vertical section of the body Figure 2; Figure 4 is a vertical section of the body
and seat parts fitted together, drawn to the same scale as Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 5 is a plan of the underside and Figure 6 a vertical section of a portion
of the seat part.
Figures 7 and 8 are details of my Invention as hereinafter explained.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7
and 8.
a is the seat part of the perambulator supporting the ordinary hood and b is the
body part supported upon the travelling wheels. At the back of the body b
the handle c is fixed by which the perambulator is propelled. The mechanism by
which the seat part a can be turned into any desired position with respect to the
body a is constructed as follows:-
To the underside of the seat part ca metallic ring d is fixed (shown separately
in Figure 7) by the screwing of the plate e to said seat part as best seen in
Figure 5. In the body part 6 of the perambulator, a circular opening f is made,
through which opening ƒ and the ring d the feet and legs of the occupant of the
perambulator pass to the bottom of the body.
When the seat part a is fitted upon the body part 6 the metallic ring d of the
seat part fits or seats itself against the vertical edge of the circular opening f
made in the body part b, the said vertical edge of the circular opening of constituting

page_text: a bearing for the ring d to work against. Below the circular opening ƒ in the body
part b is an annular groove g for the lip pieces h, i on the seat part a to engage
with. The lip piece i at the back of the body is shown drawn of the full size in
Figure 8. These lip pieces hi are fixed by screws at opposite points on the under-
side of the seat part a and besides serving to retain the seat on the body, by 5
engaging in the groove g, also act as staples for the fastening bolt k at the back of
the body b to pass into, to lock or fasten the seat part either in the position in
which the occupant faces the person propelling the perambulator, or in the reversed
position after the seat part has been moved through a semi-circle. Holes are made
in the metallic ring d on the seat part for the end of the bolt k to pass through.
The manner in which the lip pieces h, i engage with the annular groove
body b is best seen in Figure 4. The lip piece i at the back of the seat part a is
fixed in its place after the other lip piece h has been engaged with the groove g.
in the
For the purpose of reducing the friction between the seat part a and the body
part 6 the face of the body part b may be provided with antifriction rollers 6, 7 for
the seat part to bear upon. The said anti-friction rollers may however be dispensed
with.
When the parts are in the position represented in Figures 1 and 4 the occupant
faces the person propelling the perambulator and the seat part a is fixed in that
position on the body part b by the spring bolt k engaging with the hole in the lip
piece i. In order to turn the seat part a upon the body b, the handle of the spring
bolt is pulled outwards; the seat part a is thereby released from the body part b
and the former may be turned upon the latter, the ring d on the seat part bearing
against the vertical edge of the circular opening f in the body. part, the lip pieces h, i
travelling in the annular groove g in the body part. As soon as the seat part a
has been turned through a semi-circle the hole in the lip piece h is brought opposite
the spring bolt k at the back of the body when the said bolt snaps into the said
hole and fixes the reversed position of the seat part with respect to the body part
as will be understood by an examination of the Drawing. The occupant is now
turned from the person propelling the perambulator.
with.
The parts by which the turning of the seat part upon the body part is effected
may be modified in the following ways. The circular opening in the body part b
may be furnished with a metallic ring for engaging with a groove made in the
underside of the ring on the seat part a. Or a groove may be made in the ring on
the body part for the ring on the seat part to engage
Or the ring on the
seat part and that on the body part may simply bear on each other without
engaging together. In this case, the ring on the seat part is kept to its bearing on
the ring on the body part by a cranked cross piece on the seat ring through which
crosspiece a centre pin passes into the centre of the bottom of the body.
Figures 10 and 11 represent vertical sections of the seat and body parts of a
perambulator constructed as before described to which is applied one of my
improvements for automatically changing the position of the seat part with respect
to the wheels so as to balance or equalize the weight according as the said part is
turned to or from the person propelling the perambulator. In Figure 10 the seat
part is turned towards the handle end and in Figure 11 the seat part is turned
from the handle end: Figure 12 represents a plan of the underside of the seat
part Figures 13 and 14 represent plans of the body part and slide carrying the
seat part; Figure 15 represents a cross section of the body part and slide taken on
the line, Figure 13.
The saine letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13,
14 and 15.
In this arrangement the seat part a is carried by the slide m. capable of sliding
backwards and forwards on the body part b. The longer edges of the slide m
work in grooves in the longer edges of the body part bas best seen in Figure 15.
When the seat part a is turned into the position represented in Figure 10, the
slide m is at the same time moved in the direction of the arrows represented in
Figures 10, 12 and 14 carrying with it the seat part a. The weight of the seat

page_text: part a is thereby brought nearer the back or handle end c of the body so as
thereby to adjust the weight of the body with respect to the wheels. When the
seat part a is reversed or turned into the position represented in Figure 11, the
slidem is moved from the handle end c of the body b, or in the direction indicated
by the arrows in Figures 11 and 13 carrying with it the seat part a, and the
weight of the seat part is thereby adjusted to the position of the wheels.
The sliding motion of the seat part on the body part for the purpose described is
effected automatically on turning the seat part from one to the other of the two
positions represented in Figures 10 and 11 by the following mechanism. To the
seat part a a crank or crank arm n is bolted. The bottom of the crank arm n is
jointed to the crank pin p working in the cross slot q in the fixed bottom of the
body part b. When the seat part a of the perambulator is rotated for reversing its
position, the crank arm n is rotated with it, the crank pin p moving in one or
other direction in the cross slot q and the slide m to which the seat part a is
affixed is thereby moved in one or other direction and the weight of the seat
adjusted as herein before described.
In place of the crank arm represented a cam or cams or a lever or levers, or a
rack and pinion may be employed; but as these are the mechanical equivalents of
the arrangement described and represented and I believe them inferior thereto, I
do not consider it necessary further to describe or represent them.
The method described of changing the position of the seat part with respect to
the wheels may be applied to perambulators generally in which the seat part is
made capable of rotating upon the body part for reversing the position of the said
seat part.
My improvements herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings may be applied to Bath chairs as well as to perambulators.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention
But I claim as my Invention of." Improvements in Perambulators and Bath
Chairs"
First The improvements herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings for permitting of the rotation of the seat part of the
perambulator or Bath chair upon the body part for reversing the position of the
said seat part; that is to say, constructing the seat and body parts with rings or
ringlike openings through which the feet and legs of the occupant pass, the said
ring-like parts of the seat and body being engaged together or made to bear upon
one another substantially as described and illustrated so that the seat part can be
turned and fastened in any position with respect to the body part.
Secondly Automatically changing the position of the seat part of perainbulators
and Bath chairs with respect to the wheels on reversing the seat part substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the
accompanying Drawings.
%
In witness whereof I the said John Henry Miles have hereunto set my hand
and seal this-Twenty-eighth-day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two