IMPROVEMENTS IN SUSPENDING CARRIAGES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SMITH, of Wood Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Tenth day of June, in the eighth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Smith, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Smith, my exors,
adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUSPENDING CARRIAGES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas
Smith, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained.in and by the following description thereof, reference being had

page_text: thereon (that is to say):
My Invention relates,―
First, to peculiar modes of arranging the parts of two-wheel carriages, so
that when the horse falls, or otherwise the point of the shafts are brought
to the ground, the bodies of such carriages may preserve their horizontal
position.
Secondly, my Invention relates to modes of arranging the parts of wheels
of carriages so that a greater degree of strength may be obtained thereto, and
by which what I call a semi-suspension is brought about, as hereafter
explained. But in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will
proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a side view, and Figure 2 a back view of an arrange-
ment of a two-wheel carriage, according to the first part of my Invention.
a, a, are the shafts, which are supported by springs 6, 6, on the axle c, all
which is according to the ordinary construction of such carriages. To the
shafts a, a, are affixed arms d, d, to which the body of the carriage is sus-
pended by means of the links e, e, one on each side of the carriage, and the
fore part of the body is steaded by the links f,f; and when the shafts come to
the ground the body is thrown forward, when the links f, f, serve so in part
to support the body, as is clearly shewn by red lines in the Drawing. But
although I prefer that there should be links f,f, yet I do not confine myself
thereto; and in some cases I apply simply straps or chains, which aid in
supporting the body of the carriage. g is a prop suspended at 91; the other
end would ordinarily be sustained on the axle c, as shown; but when the body
is thrown forward the prop g will be drawn from the axle, as is shewn by red
lines, and in that position it will prevent the forepart of the body of the car-
riage falling, should it have a tendency to do so, by the person riding thereon
being thrown forward or otherwise, especially when flexible connexions are
used at ff. When the shafts are again raised the body will assume its former
position.
Figure 3 represents a side view, Figure 4 a longitudinal section, and
Figure 5 an end view of another arrangement of carriage according to this
part of my Invention. In this case the body is supported on springs h, h, each
of the springs having a collar h', by which it is connected to the axis i, and in
such manner that it may turn thereon. To the front part of the body are
affixed arms j. j. Thus when the shafts are lowered from the horizontal posi-

page_text: tion come to the ground and support that part of the body horizontally. These
arms may be so formed as to protect persons getting into the carriage from
the dirt on the wheel. When the shafts are again raised the cords k, l, bring
the body into its original position, the cord k being attached to the under part
of the body at the back at /', and at the front to the framing, as shewn. But
it is evident the cord & would require to be longer when the shafts are on the
ground, and the fore part of the body is raised from the shafts by the arms j, j,
than when the shafts are in a horizontal position, I apply to such cord (or it
might be a chain) a spring k*, which may be of any suitable form; but that
which I prefer to use is shown separately at Figure 6, the object being to
obtain a slight degree of elasticity thereto.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to con-
structing wheels of carriages so that the parts are more securely held together
than is the case with wheels as ordinarily made, and so that if some of the
parts by any means becoming destroyed the other parts of such wheels will
still be united together, and may be used as though such derangement had
not taken place; and wheels constructed according to my Invention are what
I call semi-suspension wheels.
Figure 7 shows a side view of a wheel, and Figure 8 a section of part of
the same, in which each of the spokes a is of metal, and is formed with a
screw at each end at a' and at a³, so that the felloe being formed, as I will
presently proceed to describe, with holes having female screws therein, the
ends a' of the spokes may be passed through those holes, and the bars of the
wheel being guided in a central position with respect to the felloe, the screw-
ing of the ends a' of the spokes into the boss will also make the end a³ secure
in the felloe. The boss may be of wood or metal, according to the purpose
to which the wheel is to be applied. In this case the felloe is formed of
metal bent into a horseshoe form, as is clearly shown at b; such metal is then
formed into a ring, the ends being welded together. Within this metal ring
I place pieces of wood c, secured by a tire d.
Figure 9 shows a side view of another arrangement of wheel; and Figure 10
a section of part of the same. In this case each of the spokes e (which in
this case may be of wood) has an enlarged end e³, over which is placed a
socket f, secured to the boss j by screws, as shown; and the felloe h is secured
to the spokes by screws i, which are passed through from the outside; and
there are collars or ferules e³ to prevent the spokes, when of wood, splitting,
by the screws i.
Figures 11 and 12 show parts of another arrangement of wheel. In this
case the metal 6 forming the inner part of the felloe is formed with a flange b',

page_text: to which metal spokes j are secured by pins j', the other ends of such spokes
being secured by pins or bolts j' to the boss k, each alternate spoke being
secured on one side and the intermediate ones on the other of the flange b', and
also of the boss k. The boss k has a centre of wood k¹ with metal surfaces k,
as shown, or the boss may be entirely of iron.
Figure 13 represents a side view of a wheel, showing a mode of securing
the separate parts of the felloe together. I, I, is the wood felloe, which, so far
as the separate pieces are concerned, may be formed as is ordinarily the
practice in making wheels; but they are secured together by rings of metal
m, m, which are fastened to the felloe by pins, as shown.
Figure 14 represents a section of part of the wheel Figure 13. I would,
however, remark, that I do not think it necessary that the rings m, m, should
continue all round the felloe; there might be separate pieces secured over the
joints of the felloe, which, to a certain extent, would answer the same purpose,
though I think not so well as that described with respect to Figure 18; and
Figure 15 shows a modification of this arrangement for strengthening the
felloe of wheels, in which the metal rings m, m, partly embrace the felloe;
while Figure 16 shows a section of a wheel in which only one of such rings
m is employed, that being formed so as partially to enclose the wood and cover
the joints of the felloe.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise detail shown, so long as the
peculiar character of either part of my Invention be retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five
THOMAS (Ls:) SMITH.
.AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Thomas Smith came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.