A PORTABLE COVER OR AWNING FOR VELOCIPEDES, BOATS AND VEHICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ERNEST HOWARD GREY, of No 290, Essex Road, Islington, in the County
of Middlesex, Surgeon Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
A PORTABLE COVER OR AWNING FOR VELOCIPEDES, BOATS AND VEHICLES, to be
as follows:-
My invention is designed to supply for Bicycles, Tricycles, Chairs and Seats,
Gigs, Traps, Tram-cars, Omnibuses, and other Vehicles, also for Boats of all kinds,
a portable awning or cover preferably of waterproof material, which shall present
little or no resistance to the air or wind, and shall yet serve as a covering from
rain and a shade against the suns rays, and shall be light, simple in construction,
and portable, so that it can be packed into a small compass.
To effect this in the case of Bicycles or Tricycles I construct a light frame-work
of steel tube, wire, wood or cane or a combination of such or other suitable
materials, with or without stayrods, which frame is attached to the Tricycle or
Bicycle by means of sockets or sturts, so as to be easily moveable, and the said
frame is also hinged or jointed, so as to fold together the stem being telescopic
when preferred.
Upon the said frame work I fix an umbrella or dome shaped cover, having
torpedo shaped nose-pieces in front, rear, or on side so as to cut the wind, and
valve flaps to back part when preferred, and being by preference more conical in
shape than an ordinary umbrella in order to present a convex surface to the wind."
At the back of the rider I hang when required from the edge of the aforesaid
umbrella or cover, a curtain which extends in a semi-circle half round bis body, so
as to shelter him effectually from rain, the said curtain being held in shape by
arms or stays attached to the aforesaid stem, and so constructed as to fold into a
small space when not in use.

page_text: In the case of Sociables or Tandem Machines, I use two upright stems one on
each side of the machine, connected on top by a horizontal rod or bar with a fan-
shaped frame on each upright so that the top cover resembles a jointed hood and
can be readily extended forward or backward to cover the riders.
I hang a curtain behind when preferred similar to that described for Tricycles.
For Boats, Omnibuses, Traincars and the like I fix on suitable vertical supports
a horizontal rod or pole extending the length of the required cover, to which rod
I attach curtains either on rollers or carried on hinged arms or stays in such a
manner that they can be drawn out laterally to the distance required.
The cover may if preferred be divided into sections of about 2 to 4 feet wide so
that part only may be used when desired.
Wings or lappets are also used at the side when preferred and the ends are
covered by semi-dome shaped projections or nose-pieces so as to prevent the wind
from playing on the under side of the cover.
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The whole is so formed as to be easily and readily extended or folded, and the
cover is formed preferably of some waterproofed material.
The conical or semi-conical nose-pieces and valve flaps herein referred to may be
sold seperately for attachment to ordinary hoods or umbrellas.
T
1007

page_text: A Portable Cover or Awning for Velocipedes, Boats, and
Vehicles.
I, ERNEST HOWARD GREY of 290 Essex Road, Islington, in the County of
Middlesex Surgeon Dentist, 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:—
My invention is designed to supply for various purposes such as for Bicycles,
Tricycles, wheel-chairs or Garden-seats, Gigs, Carts, Traps, Tram-cars, Omnibuses
or other Vehicles, also for boats of all kinds a portable awning or cover, preferably
of waterproof material, which shall present very little resistance to the air, and
wind, and shall yet serve as a covering from rain and a shade against sunshine,
and-shall be light in weight simple in construction and portable, so that it can be
packed into small compass.
To effect this I rely upon 3 special features, viz 1. The employment wherever
possible of steel tube for the framework, whereby I secure great strength combined
with lightness and telescopic action.
2. Dome shaped awnings combined with projecting semi-conical nosepieces which
fold up into small space.
3. The insertion of sufficient valve flaps in the said awnings to allow of the
ready exit of wind.
In applying my invention to Bicycles or Tricycles Gigs, Boats etc, I construct a
light frame of one or more standards or uprights composed of steel tube and stayed
or strengthened where necessary with wire, cane or other suitable materials, which
frame is attached to the vehicle or boat by means of sockets or sturts, so as to be
easily moveable, and the said frame is also hinged or jointed, so as to fold together,
the standards being telescopic when desired.
Upon the said frame I fix an umbrella-shaped or dome-shaped cover having in
front, rear or side projecting nosepieces resembling the inverted bow of a boat, so
as to cut the wind so far as possible, and having also valve-flaps inserted in the
cloth or other material of the said cover, such cover being by preference more
conical in shape than an ordinary umbrella, so as to present a convex surface to
the wind.
Rule joints can be added if desired and fitted with quadrants and stop pins so
that the cover may be sloped to any required angle, and by closing the valve flaps
by means of flap-doors of cloth the cover can be utilised as a sail to propel the
boat or vehicle.
In the case of awnings having two or more standards a fanshaped frame can be
placed on each upright so that the top resembles a jointed hood and can be inclined
or extended forward or backward as desired to protect the riders.
At the back or side of the rider I hang when required, from the lower edge of
the aforesaid cover, or nosepiece, a curtain which extends, in a semi-circle half-
round the said cover, its position being variable according to the direction of the
wind, so as to shelter the rider effectually from drifting rain, the said curtain being

page_text: stayed or stiffened as found necessary, and constructed to fold into a small space
when not in use.
For Omnibuses, Tramcars and large boats, and the like I fix on telescopic,
vertical or arched supports a horizontal rod tube or pole, extending the length of
the required cover, to which rod I attach blinds or curtains preferably carried on
binged arms or stays in such a manner that they can be drawn out laterally to the
distance required, a windlass being employed when preferred to re-wind the blind
or to the rod, or it may be wound up by hand and fastened with straps in the
usual way.
The blind may if preferred be divided into sections about two to four feet wide,
so that part only may be used when desired, and metal ribs of T section are fixed
to afford ledges to carry same when needed. If preferred the sections may be
arranged to extend at different heights so that one may over-lap the other.
Wings and lappets are also used at the edge or side when preferred, with
projecting stays if required to support them, and both ends of the blinds are
covered by folding semi-cone shaped projections or nose-pieces, so as to prevent
the wind from playing on the underside of the blind.
"In, the case of Omnibuses or Tram-cars having a centre gangway and seats
facing the Horses, I arrange two or more double tubular telescopic standards to
each block of seats, with longitudinal tubes or rods to carry the blinds.
To the upper end of some of these standards I attach in telescopic tubes small
arches or transverse pieces to form the support of the gangway cover.
"
These arches when extended to their full height are connected by means of stays
placed into sockets with the standard opposite. Over the frame-work so constructed
the waterproof covering is drawn, being passed under the longitudinal tubes at
the spring of the arch and held down by rings and hooks at the extremities or
firmly secured in any other suitable way. Or, if preferred the covering can be
arranged in separate sections, so that when required for sunshine only the centre
gangway may be left uncovered. Nose-pieces, lappets and valve-flaps are added
as before described.
The whole is so formed as to be readily extended or folded.
The nosepieces and valve-flaps herein referred to may be sold separately for
attachment to ordinary hoods or umbrellas.
Their function is one of much importance, viz:-to lessen aerial resistance in the
case of a contrary wind, and suffer the wind which may enter from below to escape
from beneath the awning without difficulty.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. I. shews an umbrella or dome-shaped covering with single standard,
projecting nosepiece in front and curtain behind suited for Bicycles or Tricycles,
or small boats, and fitted with rule joint and quadrant.
Fig. II. shows a larger dome shaped covering with double standard and nosepiece
in front and behind, also curtain at back; suited for Tricycles, Tandems or Sociables
or larger boats etc.
Fig. IIL shows the end of the frame-work required for the top of a Tram-car
or Omnibus, when the passengers sit back to back in the centre of the roof.
Fig. IV. shows a side view in perspective of an Omnibus or Tram-car fitted with
the awning and one of the folding boat-shaped projections at the end; the other
being removed to show method of applying windlass.
Fig. V shows an end view of an awning frame for an Omnibus or Tram-car
which has the seats facing towards the driver with a gangway in the centre.
A is the projecting nose-piece.
B. is the hanging curtain.
Cis the mule joint and avedrent

page_text: H. H. are dotted lines shewing the position of the arms G. G. when folded.
I. I. are projecting wings or lappets.
K. K. are small stays of cane or wire to support the lappets.
L. is the arch or transverse piece to support gangway cover.
M. M. are dotted lines shewing position of the arch L when not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) The manufacture of portable awnings or covers of waterproof material for
Velocipedes, Vehicles, Boats, Omnibuses etc with telescopic and tubular metal
standards as herein described and set-forth.
5'
(2.) The construction of folding dome-shaped awnings or coverings with projecting
boat-shaped nosepicces and furnished with valve flaps as herein explained and
set-forth.
(3.) The arrangement of standards frames and coverings for Omnibuses and
Tram-cars as herein described and set-forth.