Improvements in the Construction of Children's Carriages.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Children's Carriages.
THOMAS REEVES trading as "The Southern Carriage Company" at "The
Brook" Chatham, in the County of Kent, Manufacturers of Children's Carriages
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention applies to such childrens carriages as are usually termed mail-
carts and to those mail-carts that are interchangeable, to or from, single-seated
double-seated, and sleeping cars. Its object is to provide a means of instantly
and automatically changing the car from one of these styles to the other.
The two moveable "bodies" or "seats" are connected by levers, links, radius-
hars or connecting-rods (as they may be variably termed) in such manner, that,
when moved in one direction the car is folded up into a single seated carriage and
when moved in the opposite direction is opened out into a double-seated carriage, or
a sleeping-car.
The connecting-rods, radius-bars links or levers, are, further, arranged in such
manner, that they can perform the treble functions of folding-(or unfolding) lever,
hand-rail, and seat-support.
An automatic clip-bracket is provided to ensure rigidity in the car when opened
out as a double carriage or sleeping car. Its automatism is attained by a
connection between one of the moving parts and the trigger of the clip-bracket.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1896.
THOMAS REEVES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Children's Carriages.
I, THOMAS REEVES, trading as "The Southern Carriage Company" at "The
Brook" Chatham in the County of Kent, and of 54 Villa Road, Handsworth,
Birminghant, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer of Children's Carriages,
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 applies to perambulators carried by two main wheels and which
are known as mail carts.
I provide the same with two seats connected together that they can be moved
simultaneously. The arrangement is such that one of the seats, which I will call
the front seat, will drop into position to serve as a foot rest for the occupant of the
other or back seat, whilst at the same time the back seat passes forward into such
a position that the carriage balances properly with only one occupant.
provide a support to sustain the front seat, it comes automatically in position when
the front seat is raised.

page_text: he annexed drawings
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the carriage as it appears when the parts
are in position to carry two children, seated the one on the back seat, the other on
the front.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same carriage arranged for one child
seated upon, the back seat, the other seat serving as a footrest.
a a are the shafts which are connected in the usual way by spring bars b with the
axle of the two main wheels d d. e is the back seat, it is connected with the
shafts by four lugs eel through which the metal rods a¹ a¹ pass. The rods a¹ a¹
are fixed to the shafts at their ends as the drawing indicates, and the lugs e can
slide along them. f is a well fixed to the shafts. When the carriage is arranged
as in Figure 1, the feet of the children occupy the well, or if desired the top of
the well may be closed by means of the hinged lid e, and the earriage will then
accommodate one child in a recumbent position. is the front seat, it is hinged to
the well fat f' and is connected with the back seat e by the two metal rods or
links h h. When the front seat is raised, as in Figure 1, it is sustained by the
spring support i, which is fixed to it. The support i passes through an eye k fixed
to the front of the well f and an enlargement on the support bears upon the
upper surface of the eye. A strap is attached to the lower end of the spring
support and its other end is secured to the hinder part of the carriage. When it
is desired to convert the carriage to the form shown by Figure 2, the strap lis
pulled upon and thereby the spring support is drawn in such a position that the
enlargement escapes through the eye k and the front seat then being no longer
supported passes to the position shown by Figure 2 or is ready to do so when the
back seat e is pushed forward.
2
By lifting the rod m attached to the seat the parts may be restored to
the positions they occupy in Figure 1 and the support i engages automatically
with the eye k.
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. A mail cart substantially as shown by the annexed drawings.
2. A mail cart, having two seats so connected together, that when the back seat
is moved forward, the front seat drops into position to serve as a foot rest, and
when the front seat rises into position for a child to be seated upon it the back seat
moves rearwards.
3. The automatic spring support i and supporting eye k sustaining in the manner
described the frout seat g when it is raised.
Dated this 24th day of March 1897
THOMAS REEVES.