IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Burstow, of Horsham, in the County of Sussex,
and 91, Queen Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, Architect, for an
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Burstow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1880.
EDWARD BURSTOW, of Horsham, in the County of Sussex, and 91, Queen Street,
Cheapside, in the City of London, Architect. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The object of my Invention is to produce a velocipede which shall combine
most of the advantages of a bicycle with some of those possessed by machines with
a greater number of wheels.
I construct my improved velocipede with one large central wheel and four
smaller ones; the rider sits on a saddle over the large wheel, and the treadles are
fitted to the axle of the large wheel and are worked in the same way as those of
an ordinary bicycle. The four small wheels are arranged in pairs, two behind and
two before, the axles of the members of each pair being connected by a horizontal
bar or spring which is rigidly attached near the middle of it to a nearly vertical
pivot which works in a socket forming part of the frame. 1 incline the upper ends
of these pivots slightly outwards, in order to give the various parts the proper
relative motion.
The frame supports the saddle over the large central wheel, and passes down
each side of it to the axle boxes, and a short distance below them, where on each
side it branches out into two nearly horizontal bars which extend backwards and
forward to support the sockets already named as forming part of the frame.
The two pairs of small wheels are so coupled together that when the horizontal
bar connecting the front pair is turned on its pivot, so as to lock the front pair,
the back pair follows but in the opposite direction, so as to cause the machine to
run in a curve. This motion of the small wheels is controlled by a cross handle in
front of the rider, which is connected with the upper end of the front pivot. The
obliquity of the said pivots causes the locking of the small wheels to cause the
large one to be slightly canted to one side, so that on passing round a curve it
inclines towards the centre of the curve by which it is caused to take naturally
the same direction on the ground as the small wheels, and the whole is thus made
to act harmoniously.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Burstow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th May
1881.
EDWARD BURSTOW, of Horsham, in the County of Sussex, and 91, Queen Street,
Cheapside, in the City of London, Architect. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The object of my Invention is to produce a velocipede which shall combine
most of the advantages of a bicycle with some of those possessed by machines with
a greater number of wheels.
I construct the velocipede according to my Invention, as shown in the Sheet of
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the velocipede; Fig. 2, a
front elevation; Fig. 3 is a plan; and Fig. 4, a vertical section taken on the
line x, .
A indicates a large central wheel, and a, a, a', a', four smaller wheels. The rider
sits on a saddle E over the large wheel, and the treadles F, F, are fitted to the
axle of the large wheel, and are worked in the same way as those of an ordinary
bicycle. The four small wheels a, a, a¹, a', are arranged in pairs, two behind and
two before; the axles B, B¹, of each pair of wheels being connected with the
spindles C, C, which work in tubular bearings D and D¹, forming parts of the
frame. The tubular bearings may be vertical, but I prefer to incline them slightly
outwards, as shown in the Drawing, that is, the front one D inclining forwards,
and the back one D' inclining backwards, in order to give the various wheels the
proper relative motion in running round curves, as hereinafter explained.
I construct the frame with a tubular back bone Q which is curved to follow the
shapo of the wheel for rather more than a quarter of a circle, and beyond this
towards the lower end is straight and forms the tubular bearing D' for the
reception of the spindle C'. The part marked G represents a piece which in a
bicycle would be called the fork, and which consists of an eye f into which the
back bone Q is secured, and two flattened bars g, g, extending one down each side
of the wheel to the axle boxes in which they rest and to which they are secured;
G' is a nearly similar fork placed nearly horizontally, holding the back bone Q in
its eye, and welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the fork G immediately over each
of the axle boxes beyond which it extends to the joints P, P, and thence on one
side only in the form of an arm r to support the joint at the centre of the lover l.
Another fork G² is attached to G¹ by joints P, P, on each sido of the large wheel,
and carries the tubular bearing D of the spindle C.
The axles B, B¹, carrying the pairs of small wheels a, a, and a', a', are coupled
together by the bars and levers k, l, m, and n, of which n is a short bar fixed to the
spindle C, and which transmits the motion of the said spindle to the bar by which
it is transmitted to the lover l, which turning on the fulcrum pin at its centro
transmits the motion from its lower end but in the reverse direction to the bar m,
by which it is communicated to the horizontal axle B¹, so that when the spindle C
to which is fixed the horizontal axle B is turned on its nearly vertical axis, so as to
lock or turn the front pair of small wheels, the back pair follow but in the opposite
direction, so as to cause the machine to run in a curve. This locking or turning
motion of the small wheels is controlled by the cross handle L in front of the rider,
which is connected with the upper end of the spindle C by the connecting rod M
and the universal joint N. The obliquity of the spindles C, C¹, causes the locking
or turning of the small wheels to cause the large one A to be slightly canted over
on one side, so that on passing along a curve it inclines towards the centre of the
curve, by which it is caused to take naturally the same direction on the ground as
the small wheels, and the whole of them are thus made to act harmoniously. I find
that it answers well in practice to fix the spindles C, C¹, to the bars B, B', so that

page_text: the centre of each spindle may be about an inch and a half from each right line
connecting the centres of each said pair of wheels, as shown in the Drawing, where i
the scale is one inch to a foot, and the degree to which the spindles C, C', may with
advantago be inclined is such that the lines of their direction when produced
downwards shall met the ground vertically under the axis of each said pair of
wheels. In other words the line of direction of each spindlo C, C¹, is thrown a
a little on one side of each corresponding axis of the pair of wheels, and meets the
ground in the line joining the points where the said wheels are in contact with the
ground. The saddle E I fix on a spring p, the back end of which is attached to
the back bone Q, and the other end of which is bent over, as shewn on the Drawing,
to receive and support the connecting rod M and the steering handle L. The rod M
passes through two holes in the spring p, which spring passes through a long slot
in the bar q of the handle L, so that, by slightly turning the handle and bar on
their own axis the spring p is nipped and the handle retained firmly in its position.
It will be observed that the joints P, P, enable either of the pair of wheels or the
central wheel to rise or fall with the inequalities of the ground independently of
the others, and the proportion of the load to be borne by the central and by the
other wheels may be regulated by varying the position of the saddle and its
attachinents.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
what I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. The construction and arrangement as herein described of velocipedes, having
a fifth or central wheel for driving together with a frame constructed and acting in
the manner set forth.
2. The adaptation and use of inclined pivots or spindles for causing the central
wheel to cant over to one sido. when tho velocipedo is running round a curve,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
In witness wheroof, I, the said Edward Burstow, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this
day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight bundred and eighty one.
Signed and sealed by the above
named Edward Burstow, in
the presence of
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Patent Agent,
91, Queen Street,
Cheapside,
London, E.C.
EDWARD BURSTOW. (L.S.).