the wheels and Axles
Year: 1885

page_text: upon the wheels and Axles.
We WILLIAM JOHN RIDGES and ROBERT HUNTER RIDGES Coach Manufacturers
both of 83 Darlington Street, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
OPENING BROUGHAMS OR LANDAULETTES AND OTHER CARRIAGES APPLYING MORE
PARTICULARLY TO THEIR FALLING PILLARS, GLASSFRAMES (WITH THEIR RUNS AND
GROOVES) AND HEADS AND ALSO TO THEIR MODE OF SUSPENSION UPON THE WHEELS
AND AXLES," to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to so construct or arrange the front and back
pillars of the heads of "opening Broughams" that in opening the same the front
pillars may fold upon themselves and project over the boot into which the front
glasses are dropped and that the back pillars may fold to the rear and the part of
the roof in the front of the back falling pillars fold upwards and then down upon
the slats into an almost flat position.
For the purpose of this invention the front falling pillars are hinged about the
middle of their length so that the upper portion can be folded towards the lower
till they stand at right angles they are also hinged just above the level of door.
top so that the whole can be folded forwards and downwards till they stand a little
above the line of the top arch so that when completely open the upper parts fall
directly over the boot and inwards towards each other.
The back falling pillars are hinged in the usual place level with the door top and
they have jointed to them at the top the front half of the roof the roof being fitted
with the usual hoopsticks while the usual slats are used for the back part of head.
The front half of the roof is so fitted that when the front pillars are thrown into
an upright position they interlock with the cant rails of roof so that the whole is
held rigidly in position and when the head is opened the top half of the front pillar
is released from the cant rail and the roof is then allowed to fall to the rear of the
Price 8d1

page_text: body and in line with the back falling pillars when down which gives the carriage
the appearance of an open Landaulette.
Instead of the upper half of each front pillar being made to fall upon its lower
half its whole length may be jointed to move at right angles till it falls down inside
of the body entirely and close to the inside of the front door pillar and entirely out
of view from the outside.
The front glasses of circular fronted opening Broughams are so arranged as that
one may slide behind the other to the centre and then be lowered into grooves
placed in the Boot the other following in the same manner the peculiarity being
that both fall into the space usually occupied by one this being done by making the
outer one fall into the space upon which the inner one slides to the centre.
The front inside seat can be arranged to fold up in order to thus convert a double
brougham into a single one, but the front inside seat may be dispensed with entirely
by making the body with a flat front as a single brougham in which case the glass
frame or frames would fall directly down into the boot in the usual way while the
front falling pillars would fold as in our first plan herein before mentioned.
The suspension of the back of the body may be carried out in the usual way by
the pump handles but it is preferred to suspend it from a point very much nearer
the centre than has hitherto been done this is effected by the aid of a stay attaching
to the body between the door pillars and connecting with the top half of bind spring
like an ordinary pump handle or by making it act as pump handle and dumb spring
combined thus dispensing with one half of the hind spring.
This part of our invention is also equally applicable to Landaus, Broughams, and
other carriages.

page_text: :
Improvements in the Construction of Opening Broughams or
Landaulettes and other Carriages, Applying more Particularly
to their Falling Pillars, Glass Frames (with their Runs and
Grooves) and Heads, and also to their Mode of Suspension
upon the Wheels and Axles.
We WILLIAM JOHN. RIDGES and ROBERT HUNTER RIDGES Coach Manufacturers
both of 83 Darlington Street, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of this invention is to so construct or arrange the front and back
pillars of the heads of "Opening Broughams" that in opening the same the front
pillars may fold upon themselves and project over the boot into which the front
glasses are dropped and that the back pillars may fold to the rear and that part of
the roof in the front of the back falling pillars fold upwards and then down upon
the back rail of body into an almost flat position.
For the purpose of this invention the front falling pillars are hinged about the
middle of their length so that the upper portion can be folded towards the lower
till they stand at right angles they are also hinged just above the level of the door
top so that the whole can be folded forwards and downwards till they stand a little
above the line of the top arch so that when completely open the upper parts fall
directly over the boot and inwards towards each other.
Instead of the upper half of each front pillar being made to fall upon its lower
half its whole length may be jointed to move at right angles till it falls down
inside the body entirely and close to the inside of the front door pillar and entirely
out of view from the outside.
This first part of our invention as applied to a double seated Brougham will be
understood by reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the annexed drawings in
which A, A, are the front door pillars having the front falling pillars B hinged to
them at C so that they may fall forward towards the drivers seat. These falling
pillars are divided about the middle of their length as at D and hinged so that the
upper portions E can be folded at right angles to the lower portion B when B is
lowered; the two portions E, E, looking toward each other over the boot as seen
more particularly in Figure 3.
Figures 4 and 5 represent this part of our invention applied to a single seated
Brougham, the letters of reference being the same as in the previous Figures. It
is also applicable to Broughams having a front seat removable or capable of being
folded up or down whereby a double seated Brougham can be converted into a
single seated Brougham.
Figure 6 represents the inside of a single seated Brougham looking towards the
front in which the front falling pillars B are hinged to the front standing pillars A
at C so as to be folded down inside the vehicle and hang close to the front door
nillara

page_text: •
The back falling pillars are hinged in the usual place level with the door top
and they have jointed to them at the top the front half of the roof, the roof being
fitted with the usual hoopsticks while the usual slats are used for the back part of
the head.
The front half of the roof is so fitted that when the front pillars are thrown into
an upright position they interlock with the "cant rails" of roof so that the whole
is held rigidly in position and when the head is opened the top half of the front
pillar is released from the "cant rail" and the roof is then allowed to fall to the
rear of the body, in line with the back falling pillars when down which gives the
carriage the appearance of an open Landaulette.
This next part of our invention which relates to the back falling pillars is also
shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 where the pillars are jointed or hinged in the
usual way at F so that they fall to the rear, the front half G of the roof being
hinged to the tops of the back pillars at H so that the said front half of the roof
can be folded back and occupy the position shown at Figures 2, 3 and 5 the back
part of the roof with the front opening all in one as at Figure 2. The front half
is then folded to the rear nearly in line with the back pillar, the back half of the
roof and the back rail of the front half of the roof resting upon the back cross rail
of the carriage body which supports them.
The front half roof has the usual hoop sticks and is provided with recesses in
the cant rails into which recesses the front upper pillars E engage and can be
locked to give stiffness to the roof wlien closed as at Figures 1 and 4.
and in
The front glasses of circular fronted opening Broughams are so arranged that one
glass may slide behind the other to the centre and then be lowered into grooves
placed in the boot the other following in the same manner the peculiarity being
that both fall into the space usually occupied by one this being done by inaking
the outer one fall into the space upon which the inner one slides to the centre.
This part of our invention is also represented at Figures 1, 2 and
detail at Figures 7 and 8 this consisting of curved or segmental (or flat) front
glasses I, J, which can be slid from the sides towards the centre as shown by the
arrow at Figure 7 and be brought over openings down which they can be slid and
be pocketed in the boot K as shown at Figures 2 and 3 which boot is specially
made for their reception; the glasses I, J occupying a position one behind the other
in the boot K.
"
These glasses I, J, when down are kept distinct in grooves L of nearly vertical
bars forming a frame fitted in the boot and they are moved sideways on the upper
part of the frame; (forming the bottom "run of circular" or "flat" front) one
at a time to the position they have to occupy when the carriage is a close one, as
shown in Figures 1 and 4.
The improvements in the doors of these and other carriages consists in a spring
latch bolt M fixed on the "garnish" rail N as at Figures 9 and 10 the bolt being
pivotted and acted upon by a sliding plate P to put its nose Qin and out of holes R
in the frame of the door glass whereby the glass frame can be lowered or raised to
any desired extent for ventilation or as desired. The side of the glass fraine has
also a plate S furnished with holes into which a revolving ball can enter under
the action of a spring enclosed within a box T fitted, in the end of the "garnish
rail the pressure of the ball under its spring against the plate S will prevent the
glass frame from falling too suddenly when the bolt Q is free and enables the
ordinary leather or lace "glass string" by which such windows are usually raised
and lowered to be dispensed with entirely.
93
"
The suspension of the back of the bodies of these as well as Landau's and other
carriages may be carried out in the usual way by the ordinary "pump handles
but it is preferred to suspend them from a point very much nearer the centre than
has hitherto been done so that the weight of the occupants of the hind seat may
not cause the body to "close," this is effected by the aid of a stay attaching to the
body between the door pillars and connecting with the top half of hind spring like

page_text: "
an ordinary "pump handle" or by making it act as "Body Stay” and “dumb
spring" combined thus dispensing with one half of the hind spring.
This last part of our invention is shown at Figure 5 consisting of an elongated
Body stay" U whose front end V is brought and secured to the body at or nearly
its centre, the carriage is thus suspended by the "body stay" U from about the
centre of the load instead of the rear of the body as at Figure 1 which is the usual
method, the additional length V in the "body stay" U "dap" giving additional
strength and its after part, which does not again connect to the body, having the
usual spring attached to it as at Figure 2 or it may be arranged as a "dumb
spring" to carry half W of an ordinary hind spring as at Figure 4 or combined
with a Cee spring X as at Figure 5. The fore part or stay V of the elongated
pump handle" and dumb spring U is fixed to the "edge plate Y having short
'lips or "lugs" Z turned inwards or they may run the whole length of the
pump handle foot" at both bottom and top of the edge plate and form a groove
to give it perfect rigidity where the greatest strain takes place and so effectually
prevent the doors from "jamming" a defect often found in carriages on the old
system.
16
"
,י
"
The application of our elongated "body stay is available for all kinds of
Carriages and can be arranged for any kind of spring, the great feature in this part
of our invention being suspending carriage bodies from about the centre of the
load instead of from the rear of the body.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. Fitting the front pillars of opening Broughams and like vehicles in the
manner described for the purpose set forth and shown at Figures 1. 2. 3. 4 and 5
of the annexed drawings.
2. Combining front half roof with the back upper body so that the two can be
folded back as one, as shown at Figure 2 the front half having a motion to the rear
Bo as to be in line with the other as described and as shown at Figures 3 and 5 of
the annexed drawings.
3. So arranging the front glasses of opening Broughams that they can be moved
towards the centre and be made to occupy a position within the boot as described
and substantially as shown at Figures 2. 3. 7 and 8 of the annexed drawings.
4. Making the front pillars of single and double opening Broughams so that they
fold down within the vehicle against the front standing pillars as described with
reference to Figure 6.
5. Sustaining glass frames of these and other carriages at any desired height,
for ventilation and other purposes, by the aid of spring bolts and revolving ball
springs combined fixed in "garnish" rail acting upon holed and morticed plates
fixed on glass frame as described with reference to Figures 9 and 10 of the annexed
drawings.
6. Supporting carriage bodies from about their centres by elongated pump handles
as shown at Figure 2 capable of acting as dumb springs and have other springs or
half springs connected to them as described and substantially as shown at Figures 4
and 5 for the purpose set forth.