US399389A - Ors of one-half to charles s - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. H. 85 H. N. DUNN.

BABY CARRIAGE.

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1 (No Model.) 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. N W. H. & H. N. DUNN. 1

BABY GARRIAGE.

No. 399,389. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

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IVILLIAM l-I. DUNN AND HARRIETTE N.

DUNN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN- ORS OF ()NEHALF TO CHARLES S. IIARMON, OF SAME PLACE.

BABY-CARRIAG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,389, dated March 12, 1889. Application filed November 27, 1888. fierial No. 292,037. (No model.).

To aZZ It'll/07w it may concern.-

Be it known that we, \YILLIAM ll. DUNN 1 and HARRIETTE N. DUNN, citizens of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of (look, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Baby-Carriages; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to baby carriages which, for purposes of transportation, are capable of being folded into a compass much smaller than that which they occupy when in their normal condition for actual use, and our object is less to adapt them for ecouom y of space in shipping (though our invention serves this purpose also) than to render them easily portable.

Our invention has especially .in view the convenience of the very large portion of the community who are in only moderate circumstances. In cities these people visit the parks in large numbers with young children, often going long distances for the purpose and almost always using the street-cars as their means of transit. Street-car companies, for obvious reasons, will not allow ordinary babycarriages upon their cars, and as a result the pleasure and benefit to be derived from visiting the parks and like places of public recreation are greatly marred, since either the adultsmust be wearied by carrying the children or the children wearied by walliing. In addition to this, all people accustomed to use baby-earriages, particularly those who live in flats, are conscious of the dillieulty of getting them through doorways and up and down stairs, and of stowing them away when not in use.

Our invention aims to overcome all the above diflieulties by giving to a baby-carriage having every necessary attribute for rendering it comfortable and convenient the capa' bility of folding into a compass about equal to that of an ordinary traveling satchel or sample-case, so that it may be transported in street-cars without being objectionable and be carried about and stowed away as easily and conveniently as either of the two familiar the handle.

articles named above; and it aims, further, so to construct the vehicle in the simplest and l least expensive manner that it shall be easily and quickly convertible into either form, and shall have all the strength and stability of an ordinary baby-carriage when set up for use as such.

The act of converting our baby-carriage from the normal to the folded form involves, aside from the manipulation of the securing devices, four operations, as follows: First, the telescoping of the vehicle longitm'linally, secondly, the folding down of the sides and ends of the body;'tl1irdly, the turning up of the wheels, and, fourthly, the doubling over of These combined operations diminish the length and height of the vehicle each by about one-half.

Referring to the accom jianying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved baby-carriage in its normal form for actual use; Fig. 2, a similarview of the same when folded, with the position of the wheels indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the body set up, the folding sides and ends being indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 4c, a perspective view of the body partly folded, and F ig. 5 a vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A A are two telescoping side bars formed, preferably, though not necessarily, of metal. tubes t and t, fitting one within the other. At the opposite ends of both side bars U- shaped extensions 13 are formed, either in tegral with the separate sections of the side bars or secured to them in any suitable 1na11- ner, and preferably flattened and tempered to form springs. These extensions form the support for the telescoping body which is bolted to their upper sides, as shown. The base of the telescoping body comprises the forward box, a, open at its rear end, and having at its lateral edges the grooved guides r, of either wood or metal, and the rear box, 8, open at its forward end and littin within the box .9, and provided underneath, parallel. with its lateral edges, with tongues or beads q, fitting and sliding within the grooves of the guides 2'. It will thus be seen. that the base of the rear part, 3', occupies a higher plane than the base of the forward part, .9, and hence, in order that there may be no incline to the body, a cross-piece, p, is interposed between the rear supports, 13, and the box 5-. Constructed as above described, it will be obvious that the body and side bars can' be readily telescoped together and extended at will. Means are required for holding them firmly in either position, and for this purpose we provide thumb-screws o, passing through the parts tof the side bars, whereby they may be caused to impinge against the parts 25'.

One other feature pertaining to the length ening and shortening of the vehicle is the construction of the handle D.

The type of baby-carriages to which our several improvements are intended to be most commonly applied is that technically known as the perambulator, which is pushed by means of a handle comprising two arms and ,a cross-bar, and it is essential, of course, that this handle be folded as well as the rest of the vehicle. For this purpose we form each side arm of the handle in two parts, a and a, hinged together. The parts "a are rigidly secured to the side bars, but out of contact with them, and the parts a are hinged to the parts a and are provided with extensions m to form stops. I

A convenient manner of attaching the parts it in place by means of a clip, I, surrounding the side bar, and having flanges Z proj ectin g outward from the side bar. The part a is bolted in place between these flanges. Thus the handle, when desired, may be folded over and caused torest upon the axles, presently to be described.

It is not sufficient that the compass of the vehicle shall be capable of reduction longitudinally only. It must also be hapable of reduction vertically, and for this purpose we provide a construction of body which permits the sides and ends to be folded downward, and a construction of the axles which permits the wheels to be turned upward almost wholly within the compass of the body.

In making the folding body it is important that there shall be no sacrifice of strength, and for this reason the form shown in the drawings is the one which we prefer to employ.

lVe have heretofore referred to the boxes ,3 and s, which constitute the telescoping base of the body. The sides 7; of the forward part, 8, are of equal height, and the end part, '1', of the same projects somewhat above them. Hinged to the tops of the sides 7;, so that they may fold inward, are extensions 72, which also form. part of the foot by being turned at 1'-ight angles, as shown at it. Hinged to one of the ends h is a piece, g, which completes the upper part of the foot by meeting the opposite part it, to which it is to be securedby a suitable catch. The

construction of the rear part is similar to that just described, except that the sides and end of the box 3 are lower than those of the box 8 and the hinged extensions higher.

In this case the sides of the box are indicated by 7t, the end by 2", and the hingedextensions by 71 its, and g. It is designed that the body everywhere except at the foot shall be provided with upholsteryf'. To permit the height of the folded vehicle to be still further reduced, we mount the wheels E upon axles F, terminating at each end in an extension, 6, resembling in form an ordinary crank, whereby the hubs of the wheels are out of line with the main part of the axle. The axles are secured to the side bars, A, by means of clips Gr, each comprising a collar, (1, having flanges c, and a stirrup, Z). The clips are held firmly to the side bars by means of bolts passing through the flanges, and the axles are held inplace to the side bars by means 01: the stirrups. The axles can turn freely within the stirrups unless secured by extraneous means, so that the wheels may be raised to the position shown in Fig. 2 or lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1.

To secure the axles in either of the posi tions named, suitable fastening agents must be employed. The drawings show pins a passing through holes formed in the clips, side bars, and axles. These will answer the purpose satisfactorily, and to prevent their be ing lost they may be attached to the clips by short chains.

It will be noted. that when, by turning the axles, the wheels are brought to the position shown in Fig. 2 they still. project below the body. This permits the vehicle to be rolled about in its folded. condition. \Vhen brought into the posit-ion shown in. Fig. l, the height of the vehicle corresponds approximately with that of an ordinary baby-carriage.

\Vhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a baby-carriage, the combination of the telescoping side bars, A, telescoping body mounted thereon, and crank-shaped axles F, adjustable to raise and lower the wheels with respect to the body, substantially as described.

2. In a baby-carriage, the combination, with the telescoping side bars and body, of the jointed handle D, attached to the vehicle outside the lateral confines of the side bars, whereby it may fold over outside the confines of the body, substantially as described.

In a baby-carriage, the combination of the telescoping side bars, A, having curved extensions B, telescoping body 0, mounted on the extensions B, and crank shaped axles F, adj ustably connected. to the side bars, substantially as described.

4. In a baby-carriage, the combination, with the telescoping side bars of the telescoping and folding body 0, mounted thereon, and comprising the forward box, 5, having the guides 0, sides 7;,and end 1 extensions h h, hinged to the sides is, and foot-piece g, hinged to a part, h, and the rear box, 3, having the tongues q, sides 10, and end 2', extensions h 71 the body of the vehicle by turning the axle in its bearings, and a fastening devicefor securing the axle against turning when desired, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM H. DUNN. HARRIETTE N. DUNN.

I In presence of M. J. BoWERs, J. W. DYRENFORTH.

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