IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES AND OTHER CONVEYANCES USED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF CHILDREN. ADULTS, AND INVALIDS
Year: 1860

page_text: Sealed the 27th July 1860, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward Boyd at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th February 1860.
I, JAMES EDWARD BOYD, of Hither Green, Lewisham, in the County of
Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES AND OTHER CONVEYANCES USED FOR THE CONVEYANCE
OF CHILDREN. ADULTS, AND INVALIDS," to be as follows:-
The carriage, or perambulator, or invalid or other chair, is to be built and
constructed so as to allow persons or children to occupy the same in a sitting or
other position as at present, but in the event of their being weary, fatigued, sleepy
or too indisposed or unwell to maintain a sitting or other posture or position,
then by a simple mechanical arrangement to alter such position at will to that
of a recumbent or lying or other posture; this is to be effected by making or
causing the seat, which is suspended at the back or sides by hinges or flexible
or other joints, and supported in front by the leg board or upright bearer of the
said seat, to divide, separate or come apart or fall down in the front, centre, or
ends, or otherwise, by means of a pressure or movement of a catch or spring,
or working of some other necessary machinery, the effect of which will be to
cause the top of the seat to move either vertically or laterally, or to ascend
or descend and fall, or press inwards against the inside of the back of the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: carriage or perambulator, the leg board or under support of the seat will at the
same time fall gently open, either laterally or on the footboard or bottom of
the carriage, and take a horizontal direction towards the front end of the
same. The seat can be with equal facility instantaneously restored again by
lifting up the top of the seat to its horizontal position, and supporting the
same by the leg board, which is also and at the same moment restored to its
vertical position, and receives or supports the seat referred to.
The operation can be effected by. the hand in small carriages, and by means
of a rack, ratchet, or spur or pinion, or other machinery for adult or invalid
carriages. The improvements can also be accomplished as follows:-The. seat
and leg board and a portion of the back of the carriage being made in one
continuous or jointed piece, and caused to rise & fall, or move in a horizontal
or vertical or angular or other position; thus, supposing it desirable to abolish
the seat for a temporary purpose, and form a horizontal or other shaped bed
or couch, the seat could be made to move by working in a groove or slot or
recess, and the back or end panel or panels, which are also connected with the
seat of the carriage, would by the same operation retire and fall back out-
wardly in any required angle, and thus as the back & seat commenced to
move by this action, the leg board would by the same movement be lifted up
vertically, and passing over the rounded corners of the horizontal slot or
grooves in which the seat has been made to move, it will gradually occupy a
portion of the seat space, whilst the seat is projecting outside or extending
beyond the original formation or line of the back panel of the carriage, which
has also been thrown outwards to make room for the drawing up of the foot
board referred to. Or the seat & leg board being jointed, can be so arranged
as to wind or roll up by means of a rack or pinion or other machinery.
In order to make some of these carriages available for persons of different
sizes, height, or length, it will be necessary to construct the backs or sides or
front or ends of the carriage so as to be capable of being widened, lengthened,
let down, or set up to the required distance or size or angle, which will be
accomplished by drawing out or sliding or falling down of the same in or out
of a groove or slot or case, or detaching the same by hinges or some other
mechanical arrangement.
When the carriage is not required for use out of doors, I claim to detach
the body from the wheels for the purpose of allowing the party. reposing
therein to be removed in-doors without disturbing their position or repose, or
the bed or couch or body of the carriage referred to can on detachment be
used as a rocker or swing, or other source of comfort, repose, or amusement;
this I accomplish by hanging the cot, couch, seat, bed, or carriage either ou

page_text: gimbals or other suspending means, or securing them by bolts and nuts or
otherwise, and by unscrewing or unfastening the gimbals, bolts, or nuts, or
other fastenings used for suspending, attaching, or securing the same. Thus
a person labouring under illness can be removed to or from the house without
disturbing the recumbent or lying or other like position, and children can thereby
enjoy in-door exercise when the weather is unpropitious for their promenade..
I have now given in this my Provisional Specification an outline as to how
the improvements are to be constructed and carried out, but 1 do not confine
myself to these details, and I shall propose other modifications and arrange-
ments in the construction of these carriages, a description of which will be
more fully given in my final Specification, and I now declare that I claim so
to alter, arrange, or apply these improvements and advantages to all carriages,
whether used for the conveyance of children or adults, and also the application
of the principle to carriages or conveyances of all descriptions, and to all seats
or chairs, whether used as a means of locomotion, comfort, ease, or repose.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said James Edward Boyd
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. JAMES
EDWARD BOYD, of Hither Green, Lewisham, in the County of Kent, send
greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Edward Boyd, Her special licence that I, the said James
Edward Boyd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1,
the said James Edward Boyd, 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES AND OTHER CONVEYANCES USED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF
CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND INVALIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Edward Boyd, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said James Edward Boyd, 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:
r
The carriage, or perambulator, or invalid or other chair, is to be built and
constructed so as to allow persons or children to occupy the same in a sitting
or other position as at present, but in the event of their being weary, fatigued,
sleepy, or too indisposed or unwell to maintain a sitting or other posture or
position, then by a simple mechanical arrangement to alter such position at
will to that of a recumbent or lying or other posture. This is to be effected
by making or causing the seat, which is suspended at the back or sides by
hinges or flexible or other joints, and supported in front by the leg-board or
upright bearer of the said seat, to divide, separate, or come apart, or fall down
in the front, centre, or end, or otherwise, by means of pressure on a catch or
spring, or working some other necessary machinery, the effect of which will
be to cause the top of the seal to move either vertically or laterally, or to
ascend or descend, and fall or press inwards or otherwise against the inside
of the back of the carriage or perambulator. The leg-board or under support
of the seat will at the same time fall gently open, either laterally or on the
foot-board or bottom of the carriage, and take a horizontal direction towards
the front end of the same. The seat can with equal facility be instantaneously
restored again by lifting up the top of the seat to its horizontal position, and
supporting the same by the leg-board, which is also and at the same
moment restored to its vertical position, and receives or supports the seat
referred to.
The operation can be effected by the hand in small carriages, and by means
of a rack, ratchet, or spur and pinion, or other machinery for adult or invalid
carriages. It can also be accomplished by the seat and leg-board and a
portion of the back of the carriage being made in one continuous jointed piece,
and caused to rise or fall or move in a horizontal or vertical or angular
position. Thus, supposing it were desirable to abolish the seat for a tem-
porary purpose, and form a horizontal or other shaped bed or couch, the seat
could be made to move by working in a groove or slot or recess, and the
back or the end panel or panels, which are also connected with the seat of
the carriage, would by the same operation retire and fall back outwardly in
any required angle, and thus as the back seat commenced to move by this

page_text: action, the leg-board is by the same movement lifted up vertically, and pressing
the rounded corners of the horizontal slot or grooves in which the seat has
been made to move, it will gradually occupy a portion of such space, whilst
the remaining part of the seat is projecting outside or extending beyond the
regular position of the back panel of the carriage, which has been thrown out
to make room for the drawing up of the foot-board referred to.
It will be necessary, of course, in order to make some of these carriages
available for persons of different size, height, or length, to cause the back or
sides, or front or ends of the carriage to be capable of being widened,
lengthened, let down, or set up to the required distance or size or angle,
which will be accomplished by drawing out or sliding or falling down the
same in or out of a groove or slot or case, or detaching the same by hinges
or some other mechanical arrangement.
When the carriage is not required for use out of doors, I claim to detach
the body from the under carriage for the purpose of allowing the party
reposing therein to be removed in-doors without disturbing their position or
repose, or the bed or couch or body of the carriage referred to can on
detachment be used as a rocking-chair or swing, or other source of amuse-
ment, comfort, or repose. This I accomplish by hanging the cot, couch, seat,
bed, or carriage either on gimbals, or removing them by bolts and nuts or
otherwise, and by unscrewing or unfastening the gimbals, bolts, or nuts, or
other fastenings used for suspending, attaching, or securing the same. Thus,
a person labouring under illness can be removed to or from the house without
disturbing their recumbent or lying or other position, and children can thereby
enjoy in-door exercise when the weather is not propitious for their promenade,
the under carriage being available for mounting a perambulating horse and
other purposes.
I now declare that I claim so to alter, arrange, or apply these improve-
ments and advantages to all carriages, whether used for the conveyance of
children or adults, and also the application of the principle to carriages and
conveyances of all descriptions, and to all seats or chairs, whether used as a
means of locomotion, comfort, ease, or repose.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edward Boyd, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of August, 1860.
f
(L.S.) JAMES EDWARD BOYD.