IMPROVE- MENTS IN VELOCIPEDES CONVERTIBLE INTO BICYCLES OR TANDEM-SOCIABLES
Year: 1885

page_text: Тандем-sociabi08.
We, WILLIAM SMITH of 3 Standard Hill, Nottingham, Nottingħamshire,
Machinist, and GEORGE HICKING of Lenton Road, The Park, in the same town,
Wine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VELOCIPEDES CONVERTIBLE INTO BICYCLES OR TANDEM-SOCIABLES," to be
as follows that is to say:-
This Invention relates to velocipedes convertible for use either as bicycles or as
tandem sociables to carry four persons of the kind described in the Provisional
Specification accompanying an application for the grant of Letters Patent made at
the same time as this application and it has for its object the improved construction
or arrangement of such velocipedes whereby they are rendered somewhat lighter
and better arranged for steering purposes.
In carrying out this Invention the two large driving wheels of an ordinary
bicycle are connected together, side by side by means of a framing similar to that
described in the Provisional Specification herein before referred to, but the usual
small following wheel of each bicycle is arranged to be detached from its back bone
and in place of them the two backbones are connected rigidly together by a cross
bar. This cross bar carries at its middle between the two backbones a forked piece
carrying a small following and steering wheel. This wheel is arranged to be
steered by the rider of one of the bicycles forming part of the velocipede. In some
cases it may be advantageous to attach another small wheel in front carried in
bearings by a suitable framing connected to the central and main framing and it
may be advisable to arrange to steer by this front wheel in place of the back one.
When it is desired to reconvert the velocipede from a tandem sociable into bicyclés
he single back wheel and its cross bar is detached from the back bones and the
sual small trailing wheel is attached to the back bone of each bicycle and the
bicycle then disconnected and detached from the central framing as described in
he aforesaid Provisional Specification and the metamorphosis is complete.
LOL
T
100K

page_text: Tandem Sociables.
We, WILLIAM SMITH, of 3 Standard Hill, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire,
Machinist, and GEORGE HICKING, of Lenton Road, The Park, in the same Town,
Wine Merchant, 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 :-
Our said Invention relates to velocipedes convertible for use either as bicycles or
as tandem sociables to carry four or more persons of the kind described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to us and numbered 1116 of 1885 and it
has for its object the improved construction or arrangement of such velocipedes
whereby they are rendered somewhat lighter and better arranged for steering
purposes.
In order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood we proceed at once to describe the same with the aid of the
accompanying sheet of drawings which is hereunto appended and represents our
improved arrangement of velocipedes.
In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The improved velocipede is shown in side elevation in Figure, 1, whilst Figure, 2,
In the improved velocipede
is an elevation looking at the back of the machine.
there are arranged two driving wheels, 1, which are placed side by side a short
distance apart and connected together by means of a framing and a cranked shaft.
This framing comprises a cross bar, 2, which is connected to a tubular boss, 3, at
each side, which boss is arranged to be placed over the upper part of the fork, 4,
having the bearings for the wheel axle, and the bosses, 3, at each side are fixed to
the forks, 4, so as to be removable. This boss, 3, is preferably formed with a hollow
central part to receive the head of the fork, 4, and has at each side a downwardly
projecting short piece which has at its end a hollow boss or sleeve forming a neck
for the back bone into which there are secured the ends of the back bones, 5, and
front bars to be hereinafter described. To this boss, 3, there is fixed a back bone
piece, 5, having a saddle, 6, and this back bone piece is connected by a horizontal
part, 7, to the lower end of the back bone piece on the other wheel, 1, which like-
wise has a saddle, 6. At the middle of this horizontal part, 7, there is a short
horizontal bar, 8, or backward extension to which there is fitted so as to turn the
upper end of the fork of a small steering wheel, 9. The bosses, 3, have also fixed
to each of them at the front a curved bar, 10, which projects downwards and
encircles the driving wheel to about a quarter of the circle. The lower ends of
these bars, 10, are connected rigidly by stays, 11, at each side of each wheel to the
lower end of the back bone piece, 5, just above the horizontal part, 7. These stays
are placed outside or over the forks, 4, and the two inner ones have cross pieces, 12
fitted to them upon which cross pieces, 12, there are fitted four seats two being in
the front and two at the back. Just in front and at a suitable distance below these
seats there are arranged at the front and back a crank shaft, 13, having cranks
fitted with treadles for two riders to each crank shaft, 13. These shafts, 13, are
carried in bearings formed for them at the lower ends of vertical bars, 14, fixed to

page_text: the inner stays, 11, (or they may be fixed to the back bone, 5,) at each end and side
and the bearings may be formed in separate pieces of metal to be fitted to these
vertical bars, 14, so that the crank shaft may be raised or lowered to suit the
riders. On each of these shafts, 13, there is fixed a wheel, 15, for chain gearing
and in the drawings these wheels are shown as being in the middle of the
shafts, 13, but in some cases it may be desirable to fix them at the sides..
Chains, 16, are passed round the wheels, 15, and round wheels, 17, to correspond
fixed on a central crank shaft, 18. This shaft, 18, is carried by its middle in
bearings formed at the end of a vertical bar, 19, which is fixed to the middle of the
cross bar, 2. When the chain gearing is arranged to be in the middle this vertical
bar, 19, is formed with a forked part at its lower end, between which the
wheels, 17, are fixed on the shaft, 18. This crank shaft, 18, is formed with double
cranked parts at each side of the bar, 19, the outer cranks of which are arranged to
be connected by screws to the inner cranks, 20, on the axles of the driving
wheels, 1, as described in the hereinbefore referred to specification. To effect this
the cranks, 20, are formed with a groove in their sides facing inwards into which
groove a rib or feather on the side of the cranked part of the shaft, 18, fits and the
two sides are secured together by screws, so that the two sides forming the inner
crank, 20, may be disconnected when required. At the point where the vertical
bar, 19, is attached to the cross bar, 2, there is fixed the upper end of a back bone
piece having a saddle, G, the lower end of this back bone piece being connected to
the horizontal part, 7, through a tubular boss so that it can be raised or lowered to
suit the convenience of a rider. The rider on this central back bone may
propel the velocipedo alone by working the cranks on each side of the vertical
bar, 19, and from this seat it is preferred that the velocipede be steered. This
steering is effected by means of a nearly vertically arranged rod, 21, fitted just in
front of the vertical bar, 19, and having at its top suitable handles, 22, like bicycle
handles for the steerer to hold. The lower end of this rod, 21, has a cross bar, 23,
the outer ends of which are connected respectively to a small wheel at the back
and front by rods, 24, 25. The rod, 24, is connected by one end to the end of the
cross bar, 23, whilst its other end is attached to a short arm projecting at right
angles from one side of the fork piece carrying the wheel, 9. The rod, 25, is con-
nected to the other end of the cross bar, 23, by one end whilst its other end is
attached to another short arm on the side of the fork of a small wheel, 26, arranged
in front. This wheel, 26, is shown in the drawings as rigidly connected to the
framing by means of an inclined bar, 27, connected to a boss, 28, in which the fork
of the wheel is arranged to swivel. This bar, 27, is fixed by its other end to the
cross pieces, 12, and a vertical or nearly vertical bar, 29, having handles, 30, at its
top is connected by a horizontal bar, 31, to the vertical bar, 19.
With the machine
arranged as described one, three, and as many as seven persons may be carried at
once all of whom assist in the propulsion of the machine. The four seats on the
cross piece, 12, may be arranged to be removed if desired when the machine is only
required to carry three namely one on the central back bone and one on each
driving wheel. When it is desired to form bicycles of the driving wheels, 1, the
whole of the framing herein before described is lifted away from the wheels. This
is effected by unscrewing the inner crank pieces, 20, and also the stays, 11, from
the forks, 4, and lifting the tubular boss, 3, off the forks, 4. The wheels, 1, are
readily transformed into bicycles by attaching a back bone having a trailing wheel
and cross handles to the fork, 4, and screwing to what was the inner crank, 20, a
crank piece to correspond having a treadle similar to the treadle on the axle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The combination and arrangement of parts forming a velocipede for carrying
oue, three, or seven persons substantially as herein before described with reference to

page_text: 2. The arrangement of two driving wheels, side by side connected together by a
framing carrying a back bone for a rider to operate a crank shaft connected to the
axles of the driving wheels, substantially as herein before described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of one or two crank shafts (13) geared to
assist in driving the wheels, 1, so that as many as seven persons may propel the
velocipede at once substantially as herein before described.
4. The arrangement for steering a velocipede by means of a steering rod having
at its end a cross bar (23) connected by rods to the steering wheels substantially as
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangement of the velocipede whereby the driving wheels or one of
then may be detached and converted into a bicycle or bicycles substantially as
herein before described.
6. The arranging of the central back bone in a tubular boss so that it may be
raised or lowered.