GB1583218A

GB1583218A - Public service vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB1583218A
Application number: GB4198477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SHEET METAL WORKS DUNBARTON LT
Current assignee: SHEET METAL WORKS DUNBARTON LT
Priority date: 1978-05-31
Filing date: 1978-05-31
Publication date: 1981-01-21

Description

(54) PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLE (71) We, SHEET METAL WORKS (DUNBARTON) LIMITED, a British Company of Carman Works, Renton, Dumbarton, Dumbartonshire, Great Britain do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to public service vehicles.

In modern public service vehicles the driving station opens into the same compartment as the passenger seating and due to the possibility of violence against the driver there is a need to partition off the driving station with a vandal-proof screen. A known partition has been made of transparent plastics material and mounted on runners for sliding operation into and out of an ambush position. This partition has not proved entirely satisfactory because of the shape of the drivers station caused by the front of the vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a public service vehicle incorporating an improved form of partition at the drivers station.

According to the present invention there is provided a public service vehicle incorporating a passenger compartment, a driver's station opening into said compartment, a partition assembly for separating the driver's station from said compartment, wherein said assembly comprises a hinge post, a fixed screen made of transparent plastics material mounted on the hinge post and extending forwardly into close proximity with the windscreen of the vehicle, said fixed screen having a portion which is L-shaped in plan and a hinged screen made of transparent thermoplastics material releasably mounted on the hinge post, and a locking mechanism mounted on a fixed part of said driver's station and engageable with said hinged screen.

Preferably, each screen is mounted in a hollow metal frame.

Conveniently each screen is made of polycarbonate plastics material.

Preferably also, said hinge post is adjustably located in brackets at its opposite ends.

Conveniently the top bracket includes a plate portion capable of being secured to the roof of the drivers station and a socket portion for receiving the end of the hinge post. Conveniently also, the bottom bracket includes a plate portion capable of being secured to the vehicle and a channel portion for receiving the lowermost end of the hinge post and permitting lateral adjustment of the hinge post during assembly.

Preferably, means forming a frame is secured to the vehicle at the drivers station and when the hinged screen is in the closed position the said frame means acts as a stop against release of the hinged screen from the hinge post. Alternatively a stop means is fitted to the drivers station to fulfil this purpose.

Conveniently, the locking mechanism incorporates at least one budget lock.

The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to one embodiment thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a known form of public service vehicle; Figure 2 is an elevational view illustrating the vehicle of Figure 1 with a partition assembly according to the present invention fitted thereto; and Figure 3 is a scrap plan view of Figure 2.

As is shown in Figure 1 of the drawings a public service vehicle (such as a motor bus) includes a driver's station 10 which opens into a passenger compartment 11. Usually the passenger compartment 11 consists of a seating portion (not shown) andean access 12 thereto. The station 10 incorporates the steering wheel 13, the drivers seat 14 and is bounded to the front at least by part of the windscreen 15 of the vehicle. Behind the seat 14 and extending forwardly there is metal panelling 16 which supports a passengers safety handle 17 and between the panelling 16 and the front of the station 10 a low-level courtesy door 18 which is hingedly mounted at its forward edge on part of the engine housing 19. It will be noted that apart from the door 18 the driver's station 10 is unprotected by being completely open to the passenger compartment above the pad of the seat 14. The present invention is concerned with a partitioning assembly fitted to such a vehicle in order to infill this opening yet to maintain driver's vision substantially unhindered.

The partitioning assembly, denoted 20, is shown in Figures 2 and 3 and comprises a hinge post 21 extending between the roof 22 of the driver's station and the top of the engine housing 19. A hinged screen 23 made of transparent plastics material is mounted in a frame 24 and hingedly mounted on the post 21 in order to infill the majority of the space above the door 18. For the purpose of transmitting fare money to the driver (where the vehicle is one-man-operated) the lowermost edge of the screen 23 is spaced above the uppermost edge of the door 18.

The uppermost edge of the screen 23 terminates short of the roof 22 and this space is infilled by a fixed panel 25 which need not be transparent. When the screen 23 is in the closed position (i.e. as shown in Figure 2) the panel 25 prevents the screen 23 being raised to any substantial extent. When the screen 23 is in its open position it may be raised and removed from its hinges if so desired. The edge of the screen 23 remote from the hinge post 21 incorporates lugs (not shown) whereby a locking mechanism 26 located within the driver's station 10 and secured to the metal panelling 16 may be used to receive the screen 23 in the closed position.

Between the hinge post 21 and the front part of the screen 15 there is secured a shaped transparent screen 30 the shape of which is readily seen in Figure 3. Thus the screen 30 has a planer portion 30A secured at one edge to the post 21 and a portion 30B which is L-shaped in plan formed integrally with the portion 30A and extending into close proximity with the screen 15. The portion 30B is so arranged that the angle therein lies away from the seat 14 so that light reflection is minimised and the driver's vision is substantially unhindered.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A public service vehicle incorporating a passenger compartment, a driver's station opening into said compartment, a partition assembly for separating the driver's station from said compartment, wherein said assembly comprises a hinge post, a fixed screen made of transparent plastics material mounted on the hinge post and extending forwardly into close proximity with the windscreen of the vehicle, said fixed screen having a portion which is L-shaped in plan and a hinged screen made of transparent thermoplastics material releasably mounted on the hinge post, and a locking mechanism mounted on a fixed part of said driver's station and engageable with said hinged screen.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein each screen is mounted in a hollow metal frame.

3. A vehicle as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein each screen is made of polycarbonate plastics material.

4. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said hinge post is adjustably located in brackets at its opposite ends.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the top bracket includes a plate portion capable of being secured to the roof of the driver's station and a socket portion for receiving the end of the hinge post.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the bottom bracket includes a plate portion capable of being secured to the vehicle and a channel portion for receiving the lowermost end of the hinge post and permitting lateral adjustment of the hinge post during assembly.

7. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the partition assembly includes means forming a frame secured to the vehicle at the driver's station and when the hinged screen is in the closed position and said frame means acts as a stop against release of the hinged screen from the hinge post.

8. A public service vehicle as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. steering wheel 13, the drivers seat 14 and is bounded to the front at least by part of the windscreen 15 of the vehicle. Behind the seat 14 and extending forwardly there is metal panelling 16 which supports a passengers safety handle 17 and between the panelling 16 and the front of the station 10 a low-level courtesy door 18 which is hingedly mounted at its forward edge on part of the engine housing 19. It will be noted that apart from the door 18 the driver's station 10 is unprotected by being completely open to the passenger compartment above the pad of the seat 14. The present invention is concerned with a partitioning assembly fitted to such a vehicle in order to infill this opening yet to maintain driver's vision substantially unhindered. The partitioning assembly, denoted 20, is shown in Figures 2 and 3 and comprises a hinge post 21 extending between the roof 22 of the driver's station and the top of the engine housing 19. A hinged screen 23 made of transparent plastics material is mounted in a frame 24 and hingedly mounted on the post 21 in order to infill the majority of the space above the door 18. For the purpose of transmitting fare money to the driver (where the vehicle is one-man-operated) the lowermost edge of the screen 23 is spaced above the uppermost edge of the door 18. The uppermost edge of the screen 23 terminates short of the roof 22 and this space is infilled by a fixed panel 25 which need not be transparent. When the screen 23 is in the closed position (i.e. as shown in Figure 2) the panel 25 prevents the screen 23 being raised to any substantial extent. When the screen 23 is in its open position it may be raised and removed from its hinges if so desired. The edge of the screen 23 remote from the hinge post 21 incorporates lugs (not shown) whereby a locking mechanism 26 located within the driver's station 10 and secured to the metal panelling 16 may be used to receive the screen 23 in the closed position. Between the hinge post 21 and the front part of the screen 15 there is secured a shaped transparent screen 30 the shape of which is readily seen in Figure 3. Thus the screen 30 has a planer portion 30A secured at one edge to the post 21 and a portion 30B which is L-shaped in plan formed integrally with the portion 30A and extending into close proximity with the screen 15. The portion 30B is so arranged that the angle therein lies away from the seat 14 so that light reflection is minimised and the driver's vision is substantially unhindered. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A public service vehicle incorporating a passenger compartment, a driver's station opening into said compartment, a partition assembly for separating the driver's station from said compartment, wherein said assembly comprises a hinge post, a fixed screen made of transparent plastics material mounted on the hinge post and extending forwardly into close proximity with the windscreen of the vehicle, said fixed screen having a portion which is L-shaped in plan and a hinged screen made of transparent thermoplastics material releasably mounted on the hinge post, and a locking mechanism mounted on a fixed part of said driver's station and engageable with said hinged screen.