Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting Bicycles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 14th Sept., 1891-Accepted. 21st Nov.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting Bicycles.
I, JULES FÉLIX DODON of 4, Rue du Bas, Viroflay (Seine et Oise), in the
Republic of France, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for supporting bicycles.
Safety and other bicycles are not supported during the stoppage and do not
therefore enable the cyclist to stop and rest on his machine, or mount it otherwise
than by jumping upon the saddle of the machine to which he gives an impulsation
as he runs along. Owing to the latter inconvenience ladies and ecclesiastics cannot
mount a safety or other bicycle.
For obviating these defects I have devised the apparatus which forms the
subject of my aforesaid invention. I arrange on each side of the front wheel
a supporting arm. By the movement of a lever articulated to the handle-bar the
supporting arms can be caused to turn from a vertical to an inclined position, in
which the rollers provided at their lower extremities are moved to the level of the
ground, thereby enabling the machine during its stoppage to bear upon the ground
at four points. These supporting arms are rendered elastic in the longitudinal
direction in order to adapt them to small irregularities of the ground.
The improved apparatus is fixed to the head of the bicycle by means of a collar
provided with an arm which receives an immovable plate. This plate carries two
tubes, the interior of which presents helical projections in the form of a very steep
crew thread, and which serves as a nut and guide for the upper extremities of two
hollow supporting arms which are formed with helical grooves corresponding to the
projections on the aforesaid tubes.
Upon the said immovable plate are fixed two pins surrounded by helical springs
which bear above against a movable plate pierced, with two holes in which the
upper extremities of the above-mentioned supporting arms can turn.
These supporting arms are not straight throughout their length, and they are
provided at their lower end with rollers designed to bear upon the ground when the
apparatus supports the machine.
two arms.
The supporting arms are provided with tubes having in their interior helical
springs which bear upon the rods for carrying the rollers at the lower end of the
These rods are formed with a groove into which extends a pin con-
necting the rods with the tubes above referred to. The interposition of these
springs has for its object to obviate the inconvenience which may arise from
inequalities of the ground.
The operation of the apparatus takes place through the medium of a lever
articulated upon a support fixed to the left arm of the handle-bar. One of the
extremities of the lever is connected to a fork at the end of a screw threaded rod
which extends through the movable plate and the height of which can be adjusted
at will. Upon this rod is placed a nut presenting two wings the extremities of
which bear upon the movable plate, and adapted to be adjusted on the said screw-
threaded rod.
The lever is made of two parts articulated together for enabling them to be
easily attached to or removed from a hook permanently fixed upon the arm of the
handle-bar.
•
When the bicycle is in motion the supporting arms of the apparatus are turned
towards the front wheel the lower rollers being thereby placed some centimeters
from the ground. When the rider stops and wishes to support the bicycle he raises
the operating lever and attaches it to the hook hereinbefore referred to. This

page_text: movement has the effect of lowing the movable plate and compressing the springs
around the aforesaid pins. By reason of their screw thread the supporting arms
guided in the tubular nuts make a quarter of a turn as they are lowered and
caused to recede from each other in order to bear with their rollers upon the
ground.
As the bicycle is thus firmly supported the cyclist can readily mount and
dismount from it. For the riding it is sufficient to disengage the operating lever
whereupon the springs around the said pins move upward and cause the supporting
arms to pass upwards and towards the front wheel of the machine.
For safety bicycles having a frame the apparatus is placed on the left hand side
of the fork and the supporting arın forms an angle at the commencement of the
bend.
Dated this 13th day of December 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting Bicycles.
I, JULES FELIX DODON of 4, Rue du Bas Viroflay (Seine et Oise) in the
Republic of France, Clerk, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for supporting bicycles.
As heretofore constructed safety and other bicycles have not been provided with
means for supporting the same during a stoppage and the said bicycles do not there-
fore enable the cyclist to stop and rest on his machine, or to mount it otherwise
than by pushing the machine along from behind and then jumping upon the saddle.
Owing especially to the latter inconvenience ladies and ecclesiastics cannot mount a
safety or other bicycle.
The apparatus which forms the subject of my present invention is designed to
obviate the above mentioned defects. For this purpose I arrange on each side
of the front wheel a supporting arm. By the movement of a lever articulated to
the handle-bar the supporting arms which are provided with small wheels or rollers
at their lower extremities, can be caused to turn from a position in which the
wheels or rollers are out of engagement with the ground into a position in which
the said wheels or rollers rest upon the ground thereby enabling the machine
during its stoppage to bear upon the ground at four points.
-In the accompanying drawings
Figures 1 and 2 represent a side and front elevation of a safety bicycle provided
with my improved supporting arms.
Figures 3 4 and 5 show details of the same.
A collar A having four arms is fixed upon the head B of the handle bar C above
the fork D of front wheel E.
The collar A carries the sockets a in which the rods or arms F can turn, these
arms being bent so as to enable their lower part carrying the rollers G to move
outwards for giving more support to the machine (see Figure 2).
At the upper part of the rods F are formed two helicoidal slots terminating in a
straight part (see enlarged detail Figure 3) and in which two pins move which are
provided with rollers, thus enabling a very gentle upward movement to be effected.
The sleeves c which carry these pins are connected by a curved cross-piece H
attached by a rod I to a lever J articulated at d upon the left hand arm K of the
handle bar.
A spring hook or pawl L keeps the lever J engaged when it is raised, thus
lowering the cross piece H despite the tension of the helical springs M which on

page_text: the one hand bear against the under side of the sleeves c and on the other hand
upon the fixed sleeves a of the collar A.
It will be understood that according to the position of the sleeves c the pins b
which they contain keep the apparatus open or closed by reason of the position of
the helicoidal slots in the rods F.
For opening the apparatus it it sufficient to press lightly with the left hand.
thumb upon the tail-piece of the pawl L. Then the lever J is disengaged and
moves under the action of the helical springs M, which cause the upward movement
of the sockets c, carrying away the cross piece H and the rod I.
As the sleeves c
move upwards they carry away their interior pins b which by their pressure upon
the sides of the helicoidal slots effect the turning of the rods F which assume the
position shown in Figure 2. The apparatus is then supported at four points.
For closing the apparatus the lever J is moved near the left hand arm of the
handle bar, the rod I and the curved cross-piece H descend, carrying away the
sleeves c the pins 6 of which entering the helicoidal slots cause the arms F to turn
in the opposite direction to that of the preceding movement, and bring the
rollers G to a position parallel with the front wheel E as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1.
To obviate any false position of the rods F when the rollers G bear upon the
ground they are caused to engage with the fixed sleeves of the collar A in the
following manner.
Pins forming projections below the lower surface of the sleeves a enter cavities
or notches of corresponding shape provided in the movable sleeves c, moreover
each of the sleeves c carries a rod g guided in a hole formed in a shoulder a² of the
fixed lower sleeves a¹; this rod terminates in a curved foot h extending through a
quarter of a circumference which enters a notch of corresponding shape formed in
the lower surface of the sleeves a¹.
As shown in Figure 3, the helicoidal slot in each rod F is prolonged by a
rectilineal part for enabling the engaging action hereinbefore described. Thus
the bolts can enter their cavities or be removed therefrom before the rods F
commence to turn.
In order to prevent a shock causing the rods F to move from their proper
position, they are articulated at i, as shown in detail Figures 4 and 5 to an enlarged
scalej a powerful spring r bearing on the one hand at s against the interior of the
lower part of the rod F, and on the other hand against the cross-piece t which
unites the two rods articulated at always moves the two parts of the rod to
their respective positions after an articulation has been produced by reason of the
presence of an obstacle encountered by the roller G.
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 :-
The herein described apparatus for supporting safety and other bicycles during
the stoppage, consisting in the arrangement, on each side of the front wheel, of two
bent rods having wheels or rollers at their ends and adapted to turn through an
angle of 90 degrees by the movement of a lever articulated to the handle bar,
which lever causes the downward and upward movement of sleeves provided with
pins which enter helicoidal slots formed in the upper part of the rods having rollers,
the said upward and downward movement having the effect of placing the sup-
porting arms either in a position parallel with the front wheel or in the position in
which the said wheels or rollers rest upon the ground and support the machine
substantially as shown in the accompanying drawing.
141
ca
11001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.