Improvements in Bicycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles.
We, ALPHEUS FAY, of 217 West 9th Street, Cincinnati, in the County of
Ilamilton, and State of Ohio, and JOHN MCNAB, of 1316 Beachwood Avenue,
Louisville, in the County of Jefferson, and State of Kentucky, all in the United
States of America, Gentlemen, 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 invention relates to bicycles and its object is to provide an improved con-
struction of frame thereof which shall be exceedingly strong yet very light and
which can be readily made taut if it should sag or become loose.
As is well understood by those familiar with the manufacture and use of
bicycles it happens that from long and continued use, the joints of the frame
become loose causing the same to sag and rattle and rendering it necessary to
tighten the various joints which is a very tedious and laborious operation. The
object of our invention is to provide improved means for tightening the frame
whereby all the joints may be tightened at a single operation and whereby also,
when so tightened there will be less liability of the frame sagging and at the same
time it will be greatly strengthened.
The invention consists essentially in running a continuous wire through the
bicycle frame and connecting it with a rotatable bolt or pin by rotating which the
wire may be tightened when loose, and all the joints of the frame be corre-
spondingly tightened.
It also consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of
parts all of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle constructed in accordance with our
invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional views of the front and rear forks respectively
and connections.
Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the coupling through which the rear axle passes.
Fig. 5 is a similar view of the crank or pedal shaft coupling.
Fig. 6 is a view looking from the underside of coupling shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the coupling which receives the seat
support or standard.
Fig. 8 is a detail view of the rotatable tightening bolt or pin.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the frame.
In the said drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the front wheel, 2 the
rear wheel, 3 the sprocket chain, 4 the cranks, 6 the pedals, and 7 and 8 the
sprocket wheels of a bicycle which may be of any ordinary or suitable con-
struction. The numeral 9 designates the front fork to which the front wheel is
journaled, the upper end of which passes through a metal tube 10 and is provided
with the usual handle or steering bars 12. The tube 10 near the upper end is
formed with a socket 13 the end of which is made flaring to receive the front
end of the horizontal hollow wooden bar 14, the ends of which are cut away
to fit in the socket 13 and a similar socket 15 formed with a coupling 16. This
coupling is formed with a recess 17 to receive the standard or support 18 of a
seat 19.
It is also formed with oppositely extending lugs 20 having flaring apertures

page_text: therein into which are inserted the reduced ends 21 of the rear fork or inclined
bars 22 which consist of wooden tubes and which pass down alongside the rear
wheel and engage with flaring sockets 23 of a coupling 24 through which the rear
axle passes. This coupling is also provided with flaring sockets 25 with which
engage the forwardly-extending hollow wooden bars 26 which fit in corresponding
sockets 27 formed with the pedal or crank shaft coupling 28. This coupling
is also formed with a flaring socket 29 with which engages a hollow wooden
bar 30, the other end of which engages with a similar socket 31 formed at the
lower end of the metal tube 10. The numeral 32 designates a hollow wooden bar,
the ends of which are reduced and fit in flaring sockets 34 and 35 formed with
the couplings 28 and 16 respectively. It will thus be seen that the frame is
hollow and is composed of the wooden tubes, the front metal tube and the
couplings and sockets.
Passing transversely through the socket 16 is a headed rotatable pin or bolt 36,
screw-threaded at the opposite end and provided with a set-screw 37. Secured to
this bolt or pin is a wire 38 which extends through the wooden bar 14, tube 10,
wooden bar 30 to coupling 28 where it is split or divided forming two wires 39,
and passes through holes 40 in the socket 29. The two wires thus formed pass
around the lower part of coupling 28 and enter socket 27 through holes 41
from whence they pass through bar 26 to socket 25, through holes 42 therein.
to sockets 23 up through the rear forks 22 to and through holes 43 in the
lugs 20 and through holes 45 in the sockets 15 where they are secured to the bolt
pin 36.
The numeral 46 designates a wire secured to the lower end of bar 32, the upper
end of which passes through socket 35 and is screw-threaded and provided with a
securing nut 47.
From the above it will be seen that should the frame become loose it can be
easily tightened by loosening the set screw of the pin or bolt 36 and rotating the
latter when the parts will be drawn taut and the joint will be made rigid. The
tension of the wires will also strengthen the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a bicycle, the combination with the front metal tube having flaring
sockets, the hollow wooden bars, the couplings having flaring sockets with which
said wooden bars engage and intersecting openings at an angle thereto and the seat
support having flaring sockets and intersecting openings, of the rotatable pin
journaled to said support, the set screw and the wire passing through said tube
and bars and through the openings in the couplings around the sides thereof as
described.
2. In a bicycle, the combination with the frame comprising the front metal tube
formed with flaring sockets, the seat supporting socket having lugs formed with
apertures and with flaring openings or sockets, the rear axle coupling having
flaring sockets with holes therein, the crank shaft coupling having flaring sockets
with holes therein, and the hollow wooden bars having reduced ends fitting in said
sockets, of the rotatable bolt or pin, the wire secured thereto passing through
said tube to the crank shaft coupling, and then divided forming two wires passing
through the holes in the sockets, and through the rear wooden bars between the
crank shaft and seat support couplings and secured to the said bolt or pin, substan-
tially as described.
DL: 151
ca
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.