Improvements in Velocipedes and in Frames and Springs therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes and in Frames and Springs therefor.
I LEWIS PUTNAM HALLADAY, Mechanical Engineer, a citizen of the United
States residing at 138 West Lake Street in the City of Chicago, County of Cook
and State of Illinois, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
This invention is primarily intended to apply to bicycles and embraces par-
ticularly, means and methods of supporting the frames upon the wheels thereof in
such manner as to secure a spring support for the frame and the rider without
involving some of the difficulties incident to many kinds of bicycles wherein the
attempt is made to furnish such spring support.
The upper portion of the frame of the bicycle is made in a somewhat similar
manner to other such devices but is preferably composed substantially of a single
piece or of parts rigidly secured together so that there may be no motion of the
several parts in or upon each other. The frame consists, essentially of seat
supporting parts, brake and handle supporting parts, bars to which wheels are
journalled, guards for the wheels and a part upon which the pedals are secured.
This rigid portion comprising the whole of the frame is supported upon springs,
which springs are contained in boxes at the ends of the journal arms, these boxes
are provided with blocks adapted to reciprocate therein, and in these blocks are
fixed the ends of the axles upon which the wheels rotate. These blocks are
adjustably supported in the boxes by screw bolts from below while they bear
upwardly against springs which lie in the boxes. All the boxes are provided with
side slides so that the axles can move upwardly and downwardly in their respective
boxes. The pedals are fixed upon a shaft which also carries a sprocket wheel from
which a driving chain passes over a sprocket wheel on the rear axle. To obviate
the difficulties which might arise from the vertical motion of rear shaft with
reference to the frame the rear boxes are placed on a line tangentially to a circle,
the centre of which is the centre of rotation of the pedals and if this should not be
sufficient in any given case the blocks may be made to slide in their boxes upon the
arc of such a circle.
Such a bicycle can be easily employed on exceedingly rough and irregular paths
without injury or inconvenience to the rider and the driving chain is not interfered
with nor is the distance between the centres of its two sprocket wheels materially
varied nor is the distance from the rider to the pedals varied by reason of the
spring supports of the frame.
· Dated this 25th day of September 1890.
FREDERIC PRINCE,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes and in Frames and Springs therefor.
I, LEWIS PUTNAM HALLADAY, of No. 138 West Lake Street, Chicago,
Illinois, United States of America, Engineer, 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 velocipedes particularly bicycles and has for its object
to provide convenient and simple means whereby the upper portion of the bicycle
may be elastically supported. This object is accomplished by means of a
mechanism illustrated and shown in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of the bicycle with my improvements applied.
Figures 2 and 3 are details of the supporting spring, its boxings and connections.
Like parts are indicated by like letters in both figures.
A is the seat preferably spring-supported on an adjustable standard D, which
rises from the frame piece E. This frame piece is rigid to the standard F, from
which also projects the frame piece G and the fender H. J is the fender about
the rear wheel, K is the handle, and L the bifurcated frame piece which carries a
suitable frame M at its forward end, and the shaft N, pedals O O and driving
sprocket-wheel P which drives the chain R which leads to the sprocket wheel S on
the rear axle T. The frame piece E is bifurcated to embrace the rear wheel U
and terminates in the two ends E. On each of these ends is formed a box
or tube E2 with a transverse slot E3 below, and a screw cap E. Sliding within
the tubular or cup-shaped portion E2, is the upwardly opening tube E, containing
spring E7, and formed upon the head Es into which screws one end of the axle T.
It is of course evident that each end of each of the parts E¹ is provided with a
device as last above described. And it is also evident that each end of the
bifurcated parts of the standard F is in like manner provided with a similar bearing
boxing for its axle and springs. The forward box is lettered V and the forward
wheel W. The fender H is supported below by the bars X and the fender J by
the bars Y. These parts could be quite extensively altered without departing from
the spirit of my invention.
or
The standard or portion of the frame marked F, it will be observed, is inclined
at a slight angle to the vertical, and hence the obstruction to be encountered by the
wheel will encounter the wheel at a point substantially in a direct line with the
length of the part F. Hence the spring will receive a pressure in the proper
direction, and will not be inclined to cramp.
A similar arrangement could be applied to the rear wheel, though it is more
important with the forward wheel.
The use and operation of my invention are as follows: In a bicycle where
a frame is supported upon an axle by springs or with cushions interposed between
the axle and the frame on each side of the wheel, it is found that the wheel tends
to incline toward one or the other of them and wear or cut the same when one
spring is compressed slightly more than the other. That is to say, where the wheel
runs between the bifurcated ends of the frame support and such ends are provided
with cushions which rest upon the axle, the wheel will strike one or the other of
the ends whenever one of such cushions is further compressed than the other. In
the device illustrated, this result is obviated by providing for each cushion or
spring, a boxing of long and close-fitting bearings so that the wheel cannot thus
change or incline its axle with relation to the plane of the frame. When the rider
in manipulating the wheel passes over obstructions, so long as he is erect and the
machine moving in a straight line, the give of the various supporting springs will
be practically equal, and the object of elastically supporting the rider will be
accomplished. If now, the rider for the purpose of moving the machine about
a circle inclines toward one side, the heavier weight is thrown upon the springs on
that side, and they would tend to be compressed thus to permit the upper portion
of the wheel to incline toward one side, and thus the upper portion of the wheel
would be forced against the inside of the part For E' lying on the outside of such
curve. The sliding or telescoping tubes or cup-shaped pieces, E2 and EⓇ fit
so closely and have such a relatively great length of bearing one upon the other,
that the instant the wheel tends thus to incline, the two tubes immediately clamp
one upon the other so as to lock them from further motion and thus prevent further
compression of the springs. In this event, the wheel must be substantially in the
same plane with reference to the body of the machine, and hence cannot come in
contact with its standards.

page_text: In Figure 3 I have shown the supporting device as curved, the same being
curved in an are the center of which is the center of rotation of the driving
sprocket wheel, so that as the bar moves up and down the driving chain is neither
stretched nor slackened.
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. In a bicycle, the combination of wheels and axles with a frame, said axles
having upwardly projecting boxings thereon, said frame having downwardly
extending inverted boxings and elastic cushions, placed within and enclosed
by said boxings so as to permit them to clastically telescope one within the
other.
2. In a bicycle the combination of wheels and axles with a frame, the ends
of which are bifurcated to enclose the wheels, telescoping boxings upon such
axles and frame ends, elastic cushions interposed between the same, said boxings
having long close fitting bearings so that when one spring tends to be com-
pressed more than the other, the parts are locked together to prevent further
compression.
3. In a bicycle, the combination of wheels and axles, with a frame, the ends
of which are bifurcated to enclose the wheels, and telescopic boxings on the
extremities of such frame ends and axles, and springs within such boxings, said
boxings provided with long close fitting bearings.
4. In a bicycle the combination of an upper rigid frame with boxes secured to
the front and rear thereof blocks within such boxes capable of reciprocating
therein, wheels whose axles are supported in such blocks and elastic cushions
in said boxes above such blocks and adjustable rigid supports for such blocks in
the bottom of such boxes, said boxes entirely inclosing such springs.
5. In a bicycle, the combination of an upper frame with a driving wheel, driving
treadles, driving chain, and sprocket wheels connecting such wheel axle with the
treadles, an elastic cushion interposed between such wheel axle and the frame, and
a curved guide in which such wheel axle moves, the curvature thereof concentric
with the center of rotation of the treadles.
Dated this 15th day of June 1891.
FREDERIC PRINCE,
1, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for Applicant.