MENTS IN STEERING TRICYCLES AND BICYCLES
Year: 1885

page_text: We, HENRY JAMES BROOKES of Cape Works in the County of Stafford, Manu-
facturer, and WILLIAM RICHARD KETTLE of Cape Hill, Smethwick in the County
of Stafford, Manager do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVE
MENTS IN STEERING TRICYCLES AND BICYCLES to be as follows:-
This invention is to improve the steering of Tricycles and Bicycles by enabling
them to be steered from the back or front of the steering wheel instead of from
the side as is usually the case. When applied to a Tricycle front or back steering
wheel, the wheel is fixed in a Stanley or socket head with fork as usual, but there
is attached to the bottom of the fork, (at the centre of wheel) and at about right
angles with same, a continuation which is practically another fork. This additional
fork is carried to the front of the rear steering wheel or to the back of the front
steering wheel altho' it is possible to construct the machine with these positions
reversed. At the end of this additional fork further from the centre of wheel
à double or universal joint is attached by which both vertical and horizontal
motion can be given to a connecting rod which actuates the said steering wheel.
The steering is effected by either a bicycle handle bar as applied to tricycles, or by
the usual side steering handle as generally used with rack and pinion steering.
The steering rod in each case, by means of levers, can be attached to the connecting
rod above mentioned. It will be evident that the steering wheel can thus be
moved either to the right or left by turning the handle in either direction. The
motion required for steering may be obtained by various mechanical methods.
Thus on a lever attached to the universal joint above mentioned a roller working
on a stud can be fixed which shall work in a groove or slot in a lever which itself
works on a vertical stud, this stud being fixed to the frame of machine. This last
mentioned lever is actuated by a connecting rod or rods attached to the steering
handle or by cog wheels working into each other or where more convenient by a
chain. In other cases, to the above mentioned connecting rod a circular or round
rod is attached which instead of being provided with a roller as above described
works inside a tubular lever working on the vertical stud attached as above.
This tubular lever is worked by connections from the handle bar. In some cases
a spiral spring is fixed inside the tubular lever, which assists in making the
steering wheel resume a central position, and other methods of achieving this by
means of flat springs or weights can be easily attached. In some cases instead of

page_text: the tubular and other levers being horizontal they may be worked vertically and
thus communicate motion to the connecting rod. When the machine is running
in a straight line, the tubular lever, connecting rod, and steering wheel are central,
and in a straight line. When the machine has to be steered to the right or left
the steering handle is moved in a corresponding direction which causes the tubular
lever to move to the left or right, and as the circular rod works in and out of same,
the steering wheel being attached to it, the motion of the tubular lever is thus
communicated to the steering wheel but in a contrary or opposite direction.
When applied to a Bicycle it could be affixed to either wheel in a similar manner
to above and to achieve the same purpose.
;
We, HENRY JAMES BROOKES of Cape Works Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Manufacturer, and WILLIAM RICHARD KETTLE of Cape Hill Smethwick
in the County of Stafford Manager do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for 'IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING TRICYCLES AND BICYCLES and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention is to improve the steering of Tricycles and Bicycles by enabling
them to be steered from the back or front of the steering wheel instead of from
the side as is usually the case. When applied to a Tricycle front or back steering
wheel the wheel is fixed in a Stanley or socket head with fork as usual, but there
is attached to the bottom of the fork at the centre of wheel and at about right
angles with same, a continuation which is practically another fork. This additional
fork is carried to the front of the rear steering wheel or to the back of the front
steering wheel altho' it is possible to construct the machine with these positions
reversed. At the end of this additional fork further from the centre of wheel,
a double or universal joint is generally attached by which both vertical and
horizontal motion can be given to a connecting rod which actuates the said
steering wheel. The steering is effected by either a bicycle handle bar as applied
to tricycles or by the usual side steering handle as generally used with rack and
pinion steering. The steering rod in each case is attached by means of levers to

page_text: the connecting rod above mentioned. It will be evident that the steering wheel
can thus be moved either to the right or left by turning the handle in either
direction.
--
The motion required for steering may be obtained by various mechanical
methods. Thus on a lever attached to the universal joint above mentioned a
roller working on a stud can be fixed which roller shall work in a groove or slot
in a lever which itself works on a vertical stud, this last mentioned stud being
fixed to the frame of the machine. This last mentioned lever is actuated by a
connecting rod or rods, otherwise called levers attached to the steering handle
or by cog wheels working into each other, or where more convenient a chain could
be employed.
In some cases instead of the lever being used as above, a circular or round rod
is attached to the universal joint, which instead of being provided with roller
works inside a tubular lever working on the abovementioned vertical stud. This
tubular lever-is worked by connections from the handle bar. In some cases a
spiral spring is fixed inside the tubular lever which assists in making the steering
wheel resume a central position thus producing what is known as automatic
steering. Other methods of achieving this by means of flat springs or even
weights could be easily attached. In some cases instead of the tubular and other
levers being horizontal they may be worked vertically and thus communicate
motion to the connecting rod.
The accompanying drawings will fully explain the nature of the invention.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the front part of a front steering tricycle. a is the
steering wheel. b is the upright fork. c is the continuation of fork in the
horizontal position. d is the universal joint. is the connecting rod or lever
with a slot f. This connecting rod or lever works at one end on the pin / which
is attached to frame. The connecting rod is actuated by a bicycle bandle bar to
which the upright steering rod i in the drawing is attached. At the bottom end
of this rod, and (for this arrangement) in front of it a small lever j is secured in
which a slot k is sometimes used. In other cases the slot is not required the
slot being in the connecting rod or lever instead, and a stud or roller being fixed
to the lever j.
Fig. 2 shows the arrangement in, plan, described in Fig. 1, the frame tubing
being removed and the action of the levers being indicated in different positions.
Fig. 3 shows the arrangement as described above in which the horizontal fork is
attached to a universal joint as above, but the connecting rod which is attached
to the said joint at one end, at the other end works in a tubular lever l. in which
we sometimes place a spiral spring m as shown which causes the tricycle to be
automatic in its steering. With this arrangement of levers the small lever j is
placed behind the upright steering rod so that the steering handle is always pulled
in the direction the machine is required to travel.
In some cases when it is necessary to reduce the length of wheel base of tricycle
or to cheapen cost of machine the connecting rod and universal joint are dispensed
with and the tricycle is made with the continuation n to the horizontal fork das
in Fig. 4. The lever attached to steering rod actuates the steering exactly in the
same manner as above described. We also in some cases allow the end of the
horizontal fork or its continuation or the connecting rod or lever previously
described to run inside a radial slot o, as in Fig. 4 a roller or other mechanical
arrangement being used to diminish the friction.
In some cases the front fork of machine instead of being vertical is made at a
suitable angle to produce a slight rake in the front wheel when steering, the
horizontal fork in that case being either at right angles or at any convenient angle.
When the radial slot is used it would be curved to suit.
The arrangements for side steering would be such as would suggest themselves
to any mechanic. When applied to Bicycles or to Safety Bicycles it could be
affixed to either wheel in the most suitable manner to achieve the purpose, so long
as the principle of the invention is not departed from.

page_text: 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 use of the horizontal fork o in combination with the upright fork b with
or without the universal joint and connecting rod as described.
2. The use of the universal joint d to reduce vibration.
8. The use and construction of the lever connecting rods either tubular or
otherwise; as described.
1
4. The use and combination of the bottom lever j, with and without slot, with
the steering rod; or when used in combination with any other arrangement of
levers to achieve the purpose described of steering the wheel from the front or
back of wheel.
.
5. The system of steering from the front or back of a steering wheel as described
instead of steering at the side of wheel as usual heretofore.
6. The use of a spring or other suitable method of producing automatic steering
in machines steered from the back or front of wheel, as described.
7. The use of a radial slot as o Fig. 4. when machines are steered from back or
front of wheel as described in the foregoing specification.