IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I STEPHEN MARTIN of 181 Birchfields Road Handsworth in the County of
Stafford Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention, for
* IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES" to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to the steering and brake mechanism of Tricycles
and other Velocipedes, and the object of my improvements is to expeditiously and
effectively steer and operate the brake mechanism in a simple and efficient
manner.
As the mechanism for steering is essentially the same as that to be applied for
operating the brake, I will only describe my Improvement as applied to steering
mechanism.
By my Invention, the steerer has great control over the steering wheel or wheels,
and the rider has not to continuously clutch or hold the steering handle in order to
prevent its being turned by the steering wheel constantly coming in contact with
obstacles in its path of motion.
The steering bar passes through and works within a fixed bracket attached to
the frame of the machine. At the upper end of the bar a steering handle is situated,
while at the lower end a bevel wheel is fixed which moves or turos with the said
bar and its handle. The bevel wheel is situated immediately below the end of the
bracket and gears with another or second bevel wheel which is supported by and
works within a fixed hanging bracket attached to the frame or other part of the
machine-This second bevel wheel is screwed axially or has what is commonly
called a screw box passing through its middle, and within this screw box a suitable
quick threaded screw on the end of the steering rod takes and works therein.
So that on turning the steering handle to the right or left, motion is imparted to
the bevel wheel on the end of the spindle, and from thence to the second bevel
wheel in which its teeth gears, rotating the said wheel and thereby moving the
screwed end of the steering rod into and out of the screw box of the said bevel
wheel in the hanging bracket. So that by the inward and outward movement of
the screwed end (as the case may be) by the rotation of the bevel wheel in which it
works, a longitudinal to and fro movement is imparted to the steering rod attached
•

page_text: to the steering wheel or wheels, and thereby imparting the necessary motion
thereto for the proper steering of the machine.
By the arrangement herein before described the steering handle and wheel cannot
involuntarily or otherwise move, unless operated by the driver,-that is to say,
ordinary steering gear is such that on the steering wheel coming in contact with
obstacles, in its path of motion, swivels or is directed in a course different to the
path of the driving wheels and thereby causing the vehicle to lurch or skit. Now
my improvement remedies this defect by rendering it impossible for the steering
wheel or wheels to be influenced other than by the steerer.
Dated this first day of January One thousand eight hundred and eighty

page_text: 32
I, STEPHEN MARTIN of 181 Birchfields Road, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to the steering and brake mechanism of Tricycles
and other Velocipedes; and the object of my improvements is to expeditiously and
effectively steer and operate the brake mechanism in a simple and efficient
manner.
As the mechanism for steering is essentially the same as that to be applied for
operating the brake, I will only describe my improvement as applied to steering
mechanism.
By my Invention, the steering has great control over the steering wheel or
wheels, and the rider has not to continuously clutch or hold the steering handle,
in order to prevent its being turned by the steering wheel constantly coming in
contact with obstacles in its path of motion.
The steering bar passes through and works within a fixed bracket attached to
the frame of the machine. At the upper end of the bar, a steering handle is
situated, while at the lower end, a bevil wheel is fixed, which moves or turns with
the said bar and its handle. The bevil wheel is situated immediately below the
end of the bracket, and gears with another or second bevil wheel which is
supported by, and works within a fixed hanging attached to the frame or other
part of the machine-This second bevil wheel is screwed axially, or has what is
commonly called a screw box passing through its middle; and within this screw
box a suitable quick threaded screw on the end of the steering rod takes and works
therein.
So that on turning the steering handle to the right or left, motion is imparted
to the bevil wheel on the end of the spindle, and from thence to the second bevil
wheel in which its teeth gears, rotating the said wheel, and thereby moving the
screwed end of the steering rod into, and out of the screw box of the said bevil
wheel in the hanging bracket. So that by the inward and outward movement of
the screwed end, (as the case may be) by the rotation of the bevil wheel in which
it works, a longitudinal to and fro movement is imparted to the steering rod
attached to the steering wheel or wheels, and thereby imparting the necessary
motion thereto for the proper steering of the machine.
By the arrangement hereinbefore described, the steering handle and wheel cannot
involuntarily or otherwise move, unless operated by the driver; that is to say,
ordinary steering gear is such, that on the steering wheel coming in contact with
obstacles in its path of motion, swivels or is directed in a course different to the
path of the driving wheels, and thereby causing the vehicle to lurch or skit. Now
my improvement remedies this defect, by rendering it impossible for the steering
wheel or wheels to be influenced other than by the steerer.
Having now described the nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which my invention
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents a part longitudinal vertical section of steering mechanism
for tricycles and other velocipedes constructed according to my invention, the
steering rod and the steering bar being represented broken off-Figure 2 is a plan of,
the same showing the arm of the steering wheel in elevation-Figure 3 is a section

page_text: of the internally wormed bevil wheel or pinion, the rotation of which, causes the
steering rod to be moved backwards and forwards-Figure 4 represents my
invention in which the back end of the steering rod is wormed and takes into a
moveable or turning screw box essentially as described with regard to figures 1
and 2-Figure 5 shows the end of the steering bar in section Figure 6 is a plan
of figure 4 with some of the parts shown in section.
a is the steering handle bar which passes through and works within a fixed
upright bracket attached to the frame be of the machine-At the upper end of the
vertical steering bar a, a handle c is situated-The said steering bar is held within
the bracket by fly nuts a²-At the other and lower end of the steering bar, a
toothed bevil wheel or pinion d is fixed which moves or turns with the said bar a
and its handle • The bevil wheel d is suspended on the end of the bar a below
the bracket band gears with another or second bevil pinion e which is supported
by, and rotates within a hanging bracket f attached to the frame or other part of
the machine This bracket may be fixed or may be capable of slightly turning, so
as to allow the steering rod to adjust itself to the proper angle, in consequence of
its other end following the radius of the steering wheel arm-The said bevil
pinion e is screwed axially e into which a worm g² on the front end of the steering
rod g works; the said internally screwed bevil pinion e rotates within a socket f*
- The steering wheel end of the steering rod is jointed to the steering arm; so
that on rotating or turning the steering handle c to the right or left, rotary motion
is imparted to the bevil wheel d on the end of the end of the spindle a, and from thence
to the second bevil wheel or pinione through the axis of or screw box of which,
the quick threaded screw g² on the end of the steering rod passes rotating the said
pinion e, and thereby moving backwards or forwards the steering rod; so that by
the inward or outward movement of the steering rod, a longitudinal to and fro
movement is imparted to the steering arm attached to the head of the steering
wheel or wheels, and so imparting the necessary motion thereto for the proper
steering of the machine.
In figure 4 the steering bar a passes down the fixed upright bracket b, and is
provided with a cone nut a³ at its top which takes upon the screwed bar or spindle
for tightening up the said spindle to its cone bearing at its lowest part―The
hanging bracket f swivels or turns slightly to a small extent upon the bracket b so
as to allow the steering rod to take a slight lateral movement-The bevil wheel d
gears with the pinion e which simply rotates the steering rod-f are adjustment
nuts g is a quick threaded screw, which takes into a screw box with turning
centres for allowing the steering rod which passes through the said screw box i
to take the necessary angle with the steering wheel arm h; the end of the said arm
is forked for allowing the necks of the centres to pass for fixing by washers h² h²
which drop into suitable recesses on the top and bottom sides of the forked end of
the arm h, so that when the nuts are screwed down, the screw box i is attached
to the arm of the steering wheel.
By turning the steering bar a rotation is imparted to the quick threaded screw g²
on the end of the rod g through the bevil gearing d, e, the rotation thus imparted
to the steering rod, causes the worm upon its end to work into or out of the screw
box through which it passes, and so compels the arm of the steering wheel to be
forced round to an extent dependent upon the movement of the steering handle-
The angular motion of the steering bar can be allowed for by the moveable
centres fat the two ends of the steering rod.
By the principle of steering herein before described, the steering wheel cannot
involuntarily move aside unless operated by the driver, and should the steering
wheel come into contact with obstacles in its path of motion, no effect is produced
with regard to the direction of steering.
Although I have described my invention as applied to steering mechanism, yet
I wish it to be understood that the arrangements described are equally applicable
to brake mechanism

page_text: 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
First. The improvements in steering and brake mechanism of tricycles and
other velocipedes herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings; that is to say, steering or operating the brakes of tricycles and other
velocipedes by bevil gearing operated by the steering handle, the rotation of which
moves a steering rod to and fro by a quick threaded screw upon one end taking
into a screw box formed through the axis of one of the bevil wheels or pinions,
and supported in bearings yielding laterally; the parts being arranged, combined
and operating in the way and for the purpose as described and illustrated in
figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly-Constructing and arranging the parts of mechanism for steering or
operating the brakes of tricycles and other velocipedes consisting essentially of a
pair of bevil wheels fixed respectively upon the ends of the steering rod and
steering bar which are operated by the steering handle, the rotation of which
imparts rotary motion to the steering rod having upon its end a quick threaded
screw working within a moveable screw box turning on centres at the end of the
steering wheel arm, the parts being constructed arranged and combined for the
purpose as described and set forth in figures 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Thirdly. The method of, and means and appliances for steering and operating
the brakes of tricycles and other velocipedes, the parts being arranged, combined for
the purpose and acting substantially as described and shown in the several figures
of the Drawings.