Device for Supporting Umbrellas, Flags, and similar articles upon Bicycles and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1893-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Device for Supporting Umbrellas, Flags, and similar articles upon
Bicycles and similar Vehicles.
I, JAMES DUGAN, of the Hotel Closson, Bristol, in the County of Bucks, and
State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Gentleman, 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:
My invention relates to a device for supporting umbrellas, flags, etc. upon
bicycles and similar vehicles, and it has for its main object the provision of a device
of this character which can be readily adjusted to support the umbrella-handle or
flag-staff at any convenient angle without interfering with the rider.
Referring to the drawings:
--
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention in operative position;
Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale, a portion of the device being broken
away to show the construction; and
Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modification which will be hereinafter referred to.
Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.
A is a standard the upper portion of which is formed from tubing (as shown
in Fig. 2), the lower portion being a solid rod. Near its centre this standard is
slotted longitudinally as at A', for the reception of an adjusting arm or bar B;
and said standard is also bored transversely through said slot for the reception
of a binding screw b. The forward end of the arm B is provided with a hinged
collar B', formed by slightly bending back the end of the bar, as shown at B³,
to conform to the shape of the steering-head of a bicycle or similar vehicle, and
then hinging to the end of the bar a piece B' similarly curved, a thumb-screw b¹-
working in registering apertures in the two parts-being employed to bind the
collar B against the steering-head and clamp it firmly thereto. The arm B is
preferably curved or arched slightly, the edges being arcs of concentric circles
as shown, so that the standard A may be slid thereon and adjusted by the thumb-
screw at various angles and to many positions to meet the requirements of
different riders.
To the lower end of the standard is hinged a supporting arm or bar C very
similar to the adjusting arm B. This supporting arm, however, may be a straight
piece of metal, and is hinged to the standard in any manner which will permit
a free fore-and-aft movement of said standard. As shown in Fig. 2 the end of
the standard is simply split, and the arm C held therein by a rivet c passed
through the parts. In Fig. 3, however, is shown a modification in the form of
a ball-and-socket joint. In this view the arm C is provided with a ball head c',
and the lower end of the standard, split at a, is formed into a ball socket A',
having flaring or beveled openings or walls in its bottom and side to admit the
head and to permit free movement thereof. A set-screw a¹ is employed to
hold together the divided ends of the standard when the ball head c' is in place,
and also to compensate for wear in the joint. A hinged collar C¹ and thumb-
screw are employed to clamp this arm to the steering-head as in the arm B.
The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the above
description. By means of the collars B and C, and the thumb-screws and c³,
the arms B and C are firmly clamped to the steering-head of the bicycle or other
vehicle, preferably in front of the steering-head. The standard A is then adjusted,
by sliding it either way upon the arm B (as shown by the arrows), until it is in
position. The handle or staff of the umbrella, flag or other article to be borne
upon the wheel is then inserted into the hollow part of the standard, and if

page_text: desired may be held still more firmly in place by means of a binding-screw a².
If the article to be supported is an umbrella I prefer to make use of one having
a hinged handle, as shown in Fig. 1, so that, by tilting the upper portion of the
stick and turning the handle in the standard A, the shade can be tilted in any
direction to ward off rain, or the rays of the sun.
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: :—
A device for supporting umbrellas, etc., upon bicycles and similar vehicles, said
device comprising a supporting and an adjusting arm each adapted to be secured
independently to the frame of the vehicle and one above the other, and a standard
hinged to said supporting arm and slidably adjustable upon said adjusting arm,
substantially as described.
Dated this Twenty-third day of January 1893.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.