Improvements in Folding Mail Carts and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Mail Carts and other Road Vehicles.
I, ROBERT RIACH THOM, of 12 London Road, Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr,
Scotland, Minister of the Free Church of Scotland, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to mail carts, goat, donkey and parcel carts and similar road
vehicles, and consists in improvements whereby they can be folded so as to occupy
a small space, and if necessary, can easily be converted into a cot, or into a receptacle
for parcels and the like.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and ascertained, I
append a sheet of drawings in which my invention is shewn as applied to a
mail cart.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mail cart as opened ready for use with one end
of the cloth seat fastened up, to shew the method of conversion into a cot.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same folded.
Fig. 3 shews a set of cross stays, and
Fig. 3 one of the same singly.
Fig. 4 shews a modified form of cross stays.
Fig. 5 shews in perspective my improved stay board fixed at an angle of
about 45°.
Fig. 6 shows a moveable flexible back rest.
A, A indicate two side frames each of which forms a rigid structure in itself, and
has a side a fastened to it, as well as a stub axle a¹ upon which a large wheel B
is free to rotate, and a shaft a² which in some cases is hinged to the frame at a³
so as to fold upon it. The smail wheels b run in forks projecting from the
lower part of the frame A.
The two frames A are normally held apart by trebly hinged footboards Ċ and a
seat backboard D such as are shewn and claimed in the Specification of my
Patent No. 23,627 dated December 10th 1895; and in some cases by one or more
stay boards of the description hereinafter described and shewn with reference to
Fig. 5. Flexible back rests as shewn in Fig. 6, having pins d that fit into
sockets a Fig. 1, can be used when desired. The backboard can be kept in
position by any convenient catch or fastening.
The seats E are formed of one continuous piece of leather, carpet, cloth or other
flexible material, one edge of which is fixed to each of the sides of the vehicle,
and is of such dimensions that when the vehicle sides are opened for use, the seat
is kept in a tightly distended condition. In some cases I employ pieces of flexible
material for this purpose of such a length that the ends e form flaps which hang
or can be fastened downwards to form a shelter for the legs, or can be turned and
fastened up by hooks or other suitable means as shewn in the back end of the
vehicle, thus forming with the sides a cot, or a receptacle in which parcels and the like
can be deposited.
In order to ensure that the vehicle when open shall form one rigid structure, and
to limit the strain upon the hinges of the footboards and backboard, I employ collaps-
able stays G such as are shewn in Figs. 3 and 34. These consist of four metal loops-
of the same size and shape, which preferably have a slight twist at the turn of the
loop. Each loop has two eyes which can be fastened to the vehicle at any suitable
position by means of nails, screws or staples, but the position I shall describe gives

page_text: the greatest strength and rigidity. One eye of a loop is affixed to the lower side
bar as shewn in Fig. 1, not too tightly, but leaving the eye free to move as on a
pivot. The other eye is similarly affixed to the upper side bar at a point directly
above the first. The other loops are affixed in the same way, care being taken that
they meet and engage with each other in the manner shewn in Fig. 3. The loops
are of such lengths that when the vehicle is fully open, the stays assume the position
shewn in Fig. 3 and prevent any further distention; when the vehicle is folded,
these automatically slide upon each other and lie flat between the two frames.
In Fig. 4 is shewn a form of stays which, if preferred, can be used for single
mail carts. The same principle is involved, but in this case each of the metal stays
is formed of a shank H having an eye h through which the shank of a similar stay
passes. The two are thus free to slide parallel to each other until the two eyes h
nearly meet when they form a stop. A similar pair crosses these, and passing
between them, the four are free to slide, but cannot be disconnected. The ends h
are pivoted to the side frames as before, but in this case the stays can move only
in one plane. When greater strength is required, instead of metal stays, I use
the trebly hinged stay board before referred to and shewn in Fig. 5, A representing
the frames as before, while K indicate struts fixed to them at an angle of about 45°.
To these struts are hinged the stayboards L which are also hinged to each other
when they meet at 1. Fig 5 shews them in the position assumed when the vehicle
is open, and any convenient fastening can be used to keep them in position. When
it is required to be closed, the meeting ends (at l) are lifted until the boards folding
up assume positions parallel to each other. One or more of these may be applied to
each vehicle.
The footboards being normally in a horizontal, and the back board in a vertical
plane, the fixing of the stay board at an angle between the two gives great rigidity
to the frame.
The footboards C are in some cases jointed at the point c in such manner that the
middle of each of the footboards is depressed below the other parts, the two halves
being thus at an obtuse angle; thereby providing against their lifting and allowing
the sides to collapse.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The trebly-hinged stay-board arranged at or about an angle of 45°, substantially
as shewn and described with reference to Fig. 5.
2. In a folding mail cart or other vehicle the combination of foot or back-boards
placed either in a horizontal or vertical plane, with one or more stay-boards disposed
at an angle of about 45° to these, substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a folding mail cart or other vehicle, the automatically sliding stays,
substantially as shewn and described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
4. In a folding mail cart or other vehicle, the flexible seat E having ends e of
sufficient length that they can be turned and fastened up to form either a cot, or a
receptacle for parcels and the like, substantially as shewn and described.
5. In a folding mail cart or other vehicle, a trebly-hinged foot-board the halves
of which are inclined at an obtuse angle to each other so that the board when in its
normal position has no tendency to fold up, substantially as shewn and described.
6. In a folding mail cart or other vehicle the combination of the frames A; the
wheels B, the foot-boards C, the back-board D, the flexible seat E and the metal
stays G, all combined as shewn and described.
7. A folding mail cart or other road vehicle, substantially as shown and described
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of October 1800
ROBERT RIACH THOM.