IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Lenny, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Lenny at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
December 1855.
I, CHARLES LENNY, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN, CARRIAGES". to be as
follows (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing the bodies of carriages so as to
form either open or close carriages without presenting as at present any
unpleasant obstruction to the sight; to effect which object I cause the folding
top to throw back in the usual manner, but to include with it the front portion
also, so as to render the opening or closing of the whole top of the said car-
riages one operation, whilst the side-front and centre pillars are rendered
moveable by means of metallic hook hinges secured to the ends of the said
pillars; the glasses or windows remain in the doors or body of the carriages
when employed as open ones.
My Invention has reference, secondly, to an improved mode of giving motion
to the steps of carriages (to be used in connection with my abové improve-
ments), namely, through the intervention of the carriage doors, the opening or
shutting of which causes the said steps to slide backwards or forwards, each
door being provided with a crank action for that purpose. The advantages of

page_text: the coupling of the carriage step with the door consists in the step being
brought forward simultaneously with the opening of the door, and returning
to its former position on the closing of the same, thereby avoiding the possi-
bility of its being run against or splashed as at present.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Lenny in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LENNY, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Lenny, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Lenny,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Lenny, 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
CARRIAGES, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Lenny, my executors or 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 Charles Lenny, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing the bodies of carriages so as
to form either open or close carriages without presenting as at present any
unpleasant obstruction to the sight; to effect which object I cause the folding
top to throw back in the usual manner, but to include with it the front portion
also, so as to render the opening or closing of the whole top of the said

page_text: carriages one operation, whilst the side-front and centre pillars are rendered:
moveable by means of metallic hook hinges secured to the ends of the said
pillars, the glasses or windows remaining in the doors or body of the carriages
when employed as open ones.
My Invention has reference, secondly, to an improved mode of giving motion
to the steps of carriages (to be used in connection with my above improve-
ments) through the intervention of the carriage doors, the opening or shutting
of which causes the said steps to slide backwards or forwards, the doors being
provided with crank actions for that purpose.. The advantages of the coupling
of the carriage step with the door consists in the step being brought forward
simultaneously with the opening of the door, and returning to its former
position on the closing of the same, thereby avoiding the possibility of its
being run against or splashed as at present.
But in order that this my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe it by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures thereon
marked (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of an elliptic spring carriage of my
improved construction with the top thrown back, and the sliding step attached;
Fig. 2, a corresponding view with the top closed, and the door and step open;
Fig. 3, a side elevation of a C spring carriage with a modification of my
improved step; Fig. 4, the same closed; Fig. 5, a vertical front view of a
metallic hook hinge for attaching or detaching the front pillars; Fig. 6, a side
elevation; Fig. 7, a back view; Fig. 8, a transverse vertical section; Fig. 9,
a top or plan view with the hook separately shown; Fig. 10, a detached side
view of one of the pillars showing the arrangement of the hook hinge fasten-
ing; Fig. 11, an underneath view of a portion of the carriage, showing my
sliding step and link motion; Fig. 13, a vertical end view thereof; Fig 13,
a side view of a portion of the carriage, showing a modification of the step
and link motion; Fig. 14, an end view of the same; and Fig. 15, a similar
view with the door and step closed. In each Figure the same letters of
reference denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, body of the carriage;
B, B, folding top; C, C, front pillars; D, D, hook hinge, the hook or upper
portion E being secured to the front pillars as represented at Fig. 10, and the
lower or hinge portion being attached to and inserted within the body;
F, connecting top joint; G, G, screw holes; II, stud or pivot for securing
the hook; I, sliding front glasses, circular or otherwise, which remain in the
body to be used at pleasure; J, J, carriage doors; K, K, windows; L, L.
sliding step; M, crank action connected with the lower portion of the door,

page_text: so that the opening or shutting of the door causes the said step to slide
forwards or backwards; N, N, side slots or grooves secured transversely to the
underneath portion of the carriage in which each step on either side of the car-
riage slides; O, O, parallel motion links; P, P, framework attached to the under-
neath portion of the carriage; Q. Q. pivot centres upon which the links move
when actuated by the opening or shutting of the door through the medium of
the crank action as aforesaid; R, R, driving box, so constructed in connection
with the body as to admit of larger fore wheels being employed than hitherto
in a similar description of carriages; S, S, elliptic springs; T, T, C springs;
U, U, running wheels.
Having now fully described the nature of this my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would have it clearly under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before described,
as the same might be varied in the application to the above or any other
description of carriages without departing from the general principle of these
my said improvements; but that which I do claim as new and of my said
Invention is,
Firstly, the mode of constructing carriages which I denominate the
Paratempo with folding tops, so as to form either open or closed ones without
presenting any unpleasant obstruction to the sight, by causing the front pillar
to be easily removed and readily replaced through the intervention of the
hook hinges and connecting top joint herein-before set forth and described.
And, secondly, the construction of carriage steps, which I designate the
Cruphabema step, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Lenny, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
CHARLES LENNY. (L.S.)
F. R. DARKIN CAMPBELL,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane.