IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1866

page_text: I,
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th November 1866.
L, WILLIAM BOTWOOD, of No. 105, St. Helen's Street, Ipswich, in the County
of Suffolk, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES," 10
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for raising and
lowering the heads of carriages
I mount in suitable bearings underneatli the seat of the carriage a horizontal
axis running from side to side of the carriage, and this axis is rotated when
required to raise or lower the head by means of a crank handle or key applied
to a spindle with a square or suitably formed end conveniently placed at the
edge of the seat either near the door or in the centre of the carriage: this
spindle is geared with: the horizontal axis by means of bevilled pinions. There
are also at each end of the horizontal axis other bevilled pinions gearing with
corresponding pinions on the lower ends of, two vertical screws, one on either

page_text: side of the carriage; these screws, which are right and left handed respec-
tively, are concealed by the lining of the carriage, and are held in suitable
bearings. On each screw there is a nut, which by a link is connected with
the main frame or upper pillars of the head at a distance from the centre,
about which it works, and in such manner that when the nuts are brought to
the top of the screws the main frames assume an upright position, whilst
when the nuts are at the bottom of the screws the frames lie down horizon-
tally, or nearly so. The carriage has a head similarly arranged over cach
seat, and when both the heads are raised flaps jointed to the top of each of
the main frames turn down into a horizontal position and complete the roof
over head. If desired the horizontal axis may be arranged to receive the
key at its ends in place of being driven by bevilled wheels; or it may be
geared with a spindle arranged to receive a key at the back or front of the
carriage. The metal hinge or joint connecting the upper pillar with the body
of the carriage is conveniently made with a long strap to receive the end of
the connecting rod passing from the upper pillar to the nut on the screw.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Botwood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BOTWOOD, of No. 105, St. Helen's Street, Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Botwood, Her special licence that I, the said William Botwood, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William
Botwood, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE HEADS OF CARRIAGES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Botwood, my executors or

page_text: administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I. the said William Botwood, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for raising and
lowering the heads of carriages.
I mount in suitable bearings underneath the seat of the carriage a hori-
zontal axis running from side to side of the carriage, and this axis is rotated
when required to raise or lower the head by means of a crank handle or key
applied to a spindle with a square or suitably formed end conveniently placed
at the edge of the seat either near the door or in the centre of the carriage;
this spindle is geared with the horizontal axis by means of bevilled pinions.
There are also at each end of the horizontal axis other hevilled pinions gearing
with corresponding pinions on the lower ends of two vertical screws, one on
either side of the carriage: these screws, which are right and left handed
respectively, are concealed by the lining of the carriage, and are held in
suitable bearings. On each screw there is a nut, which by a link is connected
with the main frame or upper pillars of the head at a distance from the centre
about which it works, and in such manner that when the nuts are brought to
the top of the screws the main frames assume an upright position, whilst
when the nuts are at the bottom of the screws the frames lie down horizontally,
or nearly so. The carriage may have a head similarly arranged over each
seat, and when both the heads are raised flaps jointed to the top of each of the
main frames turn down into a horizontal position and complete the roof over
head. If desired the horizontal axis may be arranged to receive the key at
its ends in place of being driven by bevilled wheels; or it may be geared with
a spindle arranged to receive a key at the back or front of the carriage.
The metal hinge or joint connecting the upper pillar with the body of the
carriage is conveniently made with a strap to receive the end of the connecting
rod passing from the upper pillar to the nut on the screw.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure is a portion of a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 is a portion of
a transverse section of a carriage with heads thus arranged; the carriage is
of the form ordinarily called the
landan."
4, d, are parts of the fixed frame and body of a carriage, which being of
ordinary construction call for no particular description; b. b, are horizontal
transverse axes, carried in bearings at their ends: b' are bevilled wheels on
these axes, gearing with similar wheels ' on short axes e carried in bearings
on the front rail of the seat, and made to receive a key or handle ; the hevilled
wheels b and c are just below the level of the seats: b. b. are other bevilled
wheels near the ends of the axes b. and they gear with bevilled pinions d', d',
on the upright screws d; these screws are stepped on the frame at their lower
ends, and at their upper turn in brackets fixed on the elbows of the body:
e, e, are nuts on the screws d: 1. f. are the 'upper pillars of the head: and g. g.
are the hinges or joints connecting the upper pillars with the fixed frame of
the carriage: these joints are made with straps g'. g'. to receive the con-
necting rods h, which link the upper pillars with the nuts e. Two different
methods are shown in these Figures for the arrangement of the hoop sticks
by means of which the flexible leather head is kept distended on the left-hand
side of Figure 1. The end hoop stick is connected to the same hinge or
joint that connects the upper pillar with the main frame; k is a strap or web
which stops the upper pillar when it is raised into its proper position. On the
right-hand side of the Figure this hoop stick is connected to a rale-jointed
rod extending from the upper pillar to the elbow of the frame, and which
folds in the manner indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1; this latter
arrangement occupies less space when the head is lowered, and for this reason
is frequently preferable. m, m. represent the intermediate hoop sticks: and
,, are flaps, which when the heads are raised turn over and complete the
roof of the carriage. It will be understood that the vertical screws d. d. the
hoop sticks, and other parts .connected therewith, are concealed on the inner
side by the lining of the carriage.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a carriage with a single head, such as
is commonly known as a phacton, showing the application of the Invention
thereto. The several parts are lettered in the Drawing to correspond with
the description already given. In this case the bevilled wheel is placed
behind the axis b, and its axis c projects out through the back of the carriage
to receive the key or handle c², but this may be varied, and in some cases the
bevilled wheel may conveniently be placed over the axis with its axis c
i ..

page_text: vertical, as is also indicated in the Drawing as an alternative arrangement; or..
if desired, these arrangements may be used conjointly.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, 1 would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the exact details described: but what I claim is the arranging
apparatus for raising and lowering the heads of carriages in such manner that
the head may receive its motion by being linked with nuts e, e, on upright
screws d. d. which receive their motion from a horizontal axis b, which is
rotated in any convenient manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Botwood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WM. BOTWOOD. (L.S.)