Improvements in Means for Supporting and Locking Bicycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Supporting and Locking Bicycles.
Partly a communication by DONALD GUNN Ross, of Dundee, in the Colony of Natal,
Doctor's Assistant.
I, JOHN Ross, of 60 Ingram Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Clothing
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a bicycle rest or support which will keep a
machine upright or nearly so when not being used, thus obviating the necessity of
resting a bicycle against a tree, wall, building, or of laying it on the ground, which
is so liable to cause the oil to leak out of the bearings. Moreover by the present
invention the liability to disfigurement of the machine caused by resting against any
stationary object, and also the possibility of injury to the pedals is entirely
prevented.
The invention comprises a jointed or telescopic rod or rest, which is attached to
the bicycle in such a way that when the rod is opened or extended it acts as a stay
or support, and so keeps the machine in quite or almost a perpendicular position, and
when closed or folded up, lies close to and parallel with a part of the framework of.
the machine.
In carrying the invention into effect, one plan is to attach one end of the rod or
stay to the lower brace or upright brace of the frame, or other suitable part of the
bicycle by means of a clamp or clip, and when in use may be jammed against the
pedal at its lowest point by which means it is kept rigid. This rod may be jointed
at or near the centre of its length, to allow of its being folded or doubled when
up
not in use and carried underneath the bar or brace aforesaid, where it is held in
position by a clamp hook, which is also detachable. At the point of the rod small
catches or buttons are pivotted on each part of the stay rod in such a manner that
when the latter is in its folded position the catches are in a line therewith, but when
the stay is extended for use, these catches or buttons are turned at right angles and
hold the jointed parts of the stay perfectly rigid. The clips aforesaid which clip the
framework of the machine are provided with hooks for supporting the stay and are
so formed as to be readily detached from the machine when desired.
The stay may have a steel point detachable or hinged, and furthermore a stay may
be provided at each side of the machine which will keep the machine exactly
upright. The forward and backward movement of the machine while being
supported by the stays may be prevented by the stiffness of the joints, by braking or
by interlocking of the stays with the pedals. The stay or rest may be coupled to the
clip by being loosely coupled or by being hinged or pivotted in any convenient way.
If the tube is made telescopic an eccentric disc may be mounted in a clip which
grasps the outer tube, and when this eccentric is turned, the larger arc of the
eccentric presses down on a tongue cut out of the outer tube. This in turn presses.
Another arrangement
and clamps the inner tube and locks it at any required distance.
for clamping the inner and outer tubes together consists in splitting the outer tube a
short distance and then the two split halves are clamped together against the inner
tube by a milled head screw engaging lugs on the split halves of the outer tube, or
the end of the outer tube may be split and screwed tapered so as to be clamped against

page_text: the inner tube by a wing nut. Means may be provided for preventing the complete
withdrawal of the inner tube from the outer one. For this purpose a central wire of
the necessary length is screwed into the head and passes through a hole on the end
of the inner tube, so that when the latter is pushed home the wire will slide inside it.
The end of the rod or stay may be pointed and provided with a base piece, or the
base piece may be hinged so as to be folded back parallel with the rest when not
required for use. An arrangement may also be provided for giving rigidity to the
support or rod independently of friction of the ground or of the joint, or jamming
against the pedal. It comprises a hook hinged to the rod and engaging when in use,
a suitable part of the frame such as the back fork from the crank shaft. In another
arrangement there are two bifurcating supports projecting on one or both sides of
the frame. The two points of the legs when in use may be in a parallel plane or
transverse to the machine. They are preferably applied by means of a clip to the
diagonal brace, and fold underneath the bar, and they may have the spread of the
legs limited by projections at the joints by a crossbar hooked on at any suitable
point of their length, or similar device. The side play of the legs may also be
limited by the use of an arm. To ensure steadiness of the machine when propped
on the rest and prevent it being wheeled away, a clip may be used on the handle
bar engaging the brake lever when pressed home.
Instead of using a clamp to fasten any of these devices to the machine suitable
provision may be made in building the machine, such as a fork or eyelet which
will permit of using the rest and folding it up as hereinbefore described.
In one arrangement the clip will be turned back when not in use and hang below
the handle bar, and in another it may be placed inside the handle bar and both may
be padlocked in place if so desired.
In thus describing the invention it must be understood that it is not confined to
the exact details described, as it is obvious that it may take other forms without
departing from the main idea.
Dated this 6th day of July 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Means for Supporting and Locking Bicycles.
Partly a communication by DONALD GUNN Ross, of Dundee, in the Colony of Natal,
Doctor's Assistant.
I, JOHN Ross, of 60, Ingram Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
Clothing Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention has for its object a bicycle rest or support which will keep a
machine upright or nearly so when not being used, thus obviating the necessity for
resting a bicycle against a tree, wall, building, or for laying it on the ground,
which is so liable to cause the oil to leak out of the bearings. Moreover by the
present invention the liability to disfigurement of the machine caused by resting
against any stationary object, and also the possibility of injury to the pedals is
entirely prevented.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a general view of a bicycle with the invention applied thereto;

page_text: Figure 2 an end view;
Figure 3 a detail view in section of the telescopic rest detached from the
bicycle;
Figure 4 the same in elevation ;
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are slight modifications of the binding device;
Figures 9 and 10 a front and side elevation of an attachment for giving rigidity
to the rest ;
Figure 11 a locking arrangement;
Figures 12 and 13 detail views of a hinged foot for the rest ;
Figures 14 and 15 detail views of a pair of rests.
In these figures, A is the telescopic rod or rest, which is pivoted to the lower
brace or upright brace B of the bicycle frame, or other suitable part of the machine,
by means of a clamp or clip C having a pivot c, so that when the telescopic rod
is extended, it acts as a stay or support and so keeps the machine nearly upright.
Instead, however, of being pivoted, the stay may be loosely coupled to the brace B
in any convenient way. The inner and outer tubes a a¹ of the telescopic rod are
clamped together by splitting the outer tube a a short distance, and then the two
split halves of a are clamped together against the tube a' by a milled headed screw A
engaging lugs A2 on the split halves of the outer tube as shown in Figures 3 and 4,
or the end of the outer tube a may be split and screwed taper and clamped against
the inner tube of a wing nut E (Figures 5 and 6). Or, in another arrangement
shown in Figures 7 and 8, F is an eccentric pivoted to the clip G on the outer
tube a which latter has three sides of a rectangle cut out to form a tongue H which can
The
be depressed against the surface of the inner tube a¹ by the eccentric F.
larger arc of the eccentric, when turned, presses down this tongue H against the
inner tube a¹ and clamps the latter in any required position. Means may be provided
for preventing the complete withdrawal of the inner telescopic tube a' from the outer
one u. For this purpose a central wire I, Figure 3, of the necessary length is
screwed into the bead and passes down through a hole in the end of the inner tube a¹
where it is provided with a nut or washer, so that when the inner tube is pushed
home, the wire will slide inside it, but when pulled out, the nut at the end of the
central wire I will prevent a complete withdrawal of the inner tabe from the outer
The rod or stay may have a pointed end J, and be provided with a base
piece K, if so desired, fitting between the flanges k or the leg may have a hinged
base K (Figures 12 and 13) adapted to fold against the leg a' when not required
one.
for use.
When not in use, the stay is folded against the brace B, and clipped thereto by
the clip L so as to be quite out of the way. When required for use, the telescopic
rod A is extended and then clamped by the set screw A or otherwise. The pointed
end J engages the ground, and the stay, moreover, is jammed against the pedal M
of the machine whereby it is kept rigid. The bicycle will thus be kept nearly
upright as shown in Figure 2. If it is desired to provide rigidity for the stay
independently of the friction of the point in the ground or the jamming of the stay
against the pedal, I provide a hook N (Figures 9 and 10) hinged to the stay A
and engaging the thrust rod O of the bicycle frame. Furthermore, the brake may
be used to ensure the machine being kept steady when propped against the rest and
prevent it being wheeled away. In such case, I use a clamp P (Figure 11) on
the handle bar of the machine adapted to engage the brake lever R when pressed
home. The brake lever when engaged by this clamp may be padlocked so as to keep
the brake shoe pressed on to the tyre of the, wheel.
A slight modification is shown in Figures 14 and 15, in which two telescopic rests
are provided by preference applied to the brace B', Figure 1, and which can be
spread out astraddle and thus give support to the bicycle either fore and aft or
transversely as may be determined. Each stay is adapted to fold underneath this
brace. The spread of the legs may be limited by projections at the joints, or by a
crossbar to be hooked on any suitable point in their length. By the use of these two
legs, the bicycle can be supported on each side in an exactly upright position.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as partly communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a bicycle, the combination therewith of a leg telescopic or single, hinged or
coupled to the bicycle frame and adapted to be spread out laterally therefrom and
thus give support to the bicycle when standing, the said telescopic leg being so
arranged as to be capable of closing up and being clipped against the framework of
the machine when not required for use substantially as described.
2. A stand for bicycles, consisting of a leg telescopic or single, hinged or coupled.
to the bicycle frame, and a coupling hook N hinged to the leg and capable of
engaging the thrust rod or other part of the bicycle frame, whereby the telescopic
leg can be held rigid at a given angle with the bicycle and form a rigid support
therefor when standing substantially as described.
3. A leg for supporting bicycles when standing, comprising an outer tube and
more inner tubes arranged telescopically, or a single tube in combination
with means for clamping the inner and outer tubes together substantially as and for
the purpose described.
4. The combination with a leg telescopic or single, of means for preventing
the complete withdrawal of the inner tubes from the outer one substantially as
.described.
5. A support for bicycles consisting of a telescopic leg or strut furnished with a
hinged or removable base piece substantially as set forth.
6. The device shown in Figure 11 for locking the wheel.
7. The combination of the device shown in Figure 11 with any of the supports or
legs described.
8. The construction and arrangement of rests for supporting bicycles when
standing substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of April 1897
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.