Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, JAMES CUTLAN, Gentleman, of 8, Cranwich Road, Stamford Hill, London, N.,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows ;-
-
The using the bicycle frame and adding three wheels to the same frame.
I put the two in front running independant for steering wheels being about
six inches apart. I join the two axles together by means of a coupling. The
forks are separate, and go into sockets fastened with nuts, and are curved from
the shoulder outward to receive two wheels. The wheels are put together with
a coupling and placed between the two forks. When one wheel is required, you
take the two wheels out and uncouple them. Reverse the forks, put the right
fork on the left side, and the left fork on the right side. The curves will then
be inward, then the one wheel is placed in. A chain guard being made of leather
or any suitable material, shaped as a tube, the chain passing through the centre.
A brake set in motion by lifting the handle-bar which works in a bearing. The
connection consisting of a steel wire or the like, passing through or along a tube
of the frame or separate tube. The action of the brake may be on the front or
back wheel or both. A wheel the centre of which, the hub, spokes, and inner
rim is made of one piece in suitable material aluminium or the like. The outer
rim made of steel or the like.
1
1 1000
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, JAMES CUTLAN, of 8, Cranwich Road, Stamford Hill, in the County of
London, 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:―
This invention relates to improvements in velocipedes.
According to the invention I employ a bicycle frame so constructed that either
one or two front wheels can be used upon the machine. To this end the fork
for receiving the front wheel or wheels is made in two parts curved at their upper
ends and adapted to enter sockets in the frame and to be secured therein by nuts.
By securing the two parts of the fork in position with the curves or bends on the
insides of the fork so formed is adapted to receive a single wheel, whilst, when
the said two parts are secured in position with the bends outwards, the space
hetween the two legs of the fork is sufficient to receive two wheels. Each wheel
ГР. 971

page_text: is mounted upon an axle or a spindle and when two front wheels are employed
I secure their axles rigidly together by means of a suitable coupling.
A chain guard which I advantageously employ comprises a kind of tube made
of leather or other suitable material and adapted to enclose the chain, the said
tube being held in position by clips upon the tubes or stays of the frame of the
machine. Furthermore, I employ a brake which comprises a brake block pivoted
to a suitable portion of the frame, the said brake block being normally held out
of engagement with the periphery of the front or back tyre by means of a spring
and being adapted to be operated by a wire, cord or the like which is passed
over guide pulleys and extends to a curved brake lever fixed to the handle bar,
being connected to the said curved lever by means of a pulley which is adapted
to run on the lever. By raising the handle bar, which is pivoted to the handle
bar stem, the brake lever is raised thereby tightening the cord and applying the
brake.
I also make the wheels of cycles as follows, that is to say, I form the hub,
spokes and inner rim in one piece by suitable means,, such as casting, the material
used being any metal or the like suitable for the purpose, such for example as
aluminium. To the inner rim I secure an outer rim of steel for receiving the tyro
in the usual manner.
To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a ladies' cycle having my improve-
ments applied thereto :
Figure 2 is a plan of a portion of the handle-bar shewing the brake lever;
Figure 3 is a front view shewing my improved fork arranged to carry a pair of
front wheels.
Figure 4 is a view of a detail:
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the improved chain guard :-
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Figure 5:
Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 Figure 5:
Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 Figure 5:
Figure 9 is a side elevation of a portion of a wheel, made according to the
invention; and
Figure 10 is a vertical section thereof:
Figures 3 to 10 are drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2.
a is the steering head of the cycle frame and b, b, are the stays or tubes
forming the said frame. c is the handle-bar of the machine.
d, are, the two parts of the front fork. These two fork parts d, d are curved
at their upper ends, as shewn at d, d, the upper extremities d, however, being
made straight and adapted to be passed into sockets e, e (Figures 3 and 4, the
latter being a view of the upper part of the fork and socket at right angles to that
shewn in Figure 3) formed at the lower end of the steering head; the ends
project through the said sockets, the projecting ends being provided with screw
threads by means of which the fork parts d, d can be securely fixed in the
sockets through the medium of the nuts f, f. By securing the fork parts d, d
in the position indicated by the full lines in Figure 3, that is to say, with the
curved portions d' outwards, the fork thus made is adapted to receive two front
wheels A, A as clearly shewn in the said figure. When, however, the fork parts d
are substituted for one another or reversed in position in the sockets., they
assume the position shewn by the broken lines in Figure 3 and the fork made in this
way is adapted to receive a single wheel A only. The wheels A, A are mounted
in the ordinary manner upon axles or spindles g. 9 and, where the two front
wheels are employed I provide a coupling gl which has the form of a sleeve or
socket into which the two screw-threaded ends of the spindles g, g are adapted to
engage so as to rigidly secure the two spindles together.
Referring now to Figures 5 to 8 h is the strip of leather or other suitable
material which is curved to form a kind of tube to surround the chain B. This

page_text: tube h is secured in position at the rear end by means of a suitable clip such for
example as that shewn and comprising two sockets i, i adapted to receive the two
ends of the leather tube h and secured together by means, of a strip which is
clamped to one of the bottom stays b' of the cycle by means of a plate which
passes around the curved portion of the said stay and is secured to the strip ¹
by screws 3. Clamps are also provided for holding the leather around
the chain in the form of a tube. Furthermore, along the bottom limb of the
chain guard, where the joint between the two edges of the leather is at the top of
the guard, I recess the edges of the leather and fit into the recessed portions a
metal plate k, as clearly shewn in Figures 6 and 7, the said plate being held in
position by the aforesaid clamps j, j; this ensures a dust tight joint being
obtained. The guard at the front part, that is to say, where the chain passes
around the driving sprocket wheel, is of an incomplete tubular or U-shape, as
shewn in Figure 8. At this part the chain guard is also clamped in position, for
example, by means of the double plate clip 7 secured to the bottom stay.
The improved brake is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. m is the brake block
which is pivoted at m' to the bottom stays of the cycle frame and m² is the spring
for normally holding the said brake block out of contact with the tyre of the
wheel. is the cord which is attached to the upper arm of the brake block, the
said cord passing over guide pulleys ¹, suitably pivoted to one of the stays or
tubes of the cycle frame, as clearly shewn in Figure 1. The drawing shows
the arrangement adapted for both ladies' and gentlemen's cycles, that
for the former being shewn in the full lines whilst for the latter
the direction which the brake cord takes is shewn by the broken
lines. 0 is the brake lever which is here shewn of approximately
semi-circular form and is secured to the handle-bare of the machine. The handle-
bar is pivotally mounted at the head of the handle-bar stem a¹ and can be turned
upon the same within limits determined by the stop e fitted to the underside
thereof and which strikes stops formed by the sides of the said handle-bar stem.
is the pulley to which the upper end of the cord is attached, the said pulley
being mounted in a forked frame which is formed upon the end of a rod 2ª
to which the upper end of the cord is secured. The pulley rides upon the upper
part of the brake lever o when the handle-bar is operated for steering purposes,
this movement being limited by flange stops of formed upon the brake lever.
With this arrangement the brake block m is applied against the periphery of the
wheel of the cycle by turning the handle bar upwards upon the handle-bar stem:
this raises the curved brake lever o thereby pulling the cord n through the medium
of the pulley. When the handle-bar is returned to its normal position the brake
block is removed from contact with the periphery of the tyre by the spring m³.
Figures 9 and 10 shew a wheel constructed according to the invention. The
hub g, spokes and inner rim s of the improved wheel are cast in one piece of a
suitable metal, such as aluminium, and the outer rim or rim proper,t, which may
he of one of the ordinary shapes is secured to the inner rim by suitable means
such as by screws u, u as shewn in the said figures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a cycle, constructing the front fork of two curved parts adapted to be
secured to the steering head of the machine in such a manner that the fork
formed is adapted to receive either one or two wheels, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. In a cycle, the employment of a chain guard comprising a tube of leather
adapted to enclose the chain and secured in position and around the chain by
means of clips, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
3. In a cvcle, the employment of a brake comprising a pivoted brake block
normally held out of engagement with the wheel by a spring, a cord one end of

page_text: which is attached to the brake block and the other end of which is provided with
a pulley which rides upon a curved brake lever fixed to the handle-bar pivotally
mounted in the handle-bar stem, substantially as herein before described.
4. In cycles, the employment of wheels comprising a hub, spoke and inner rim
portion cast or otherwise formed in one piece of suitable material such as
aluminium and an outer rim secured to the inner rim, substantially as herein-
before described.
5. Velocipedes constructed substantially as herein before described and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.
11042
Onta1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.