Im- IN APPARATUS. CONNECTED WITH BICYCLES OR TWO-WHEELED.. PROVEMENTS VELOCIPEDES.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS™ PATENT to Charles Wyndham, of Southover Grange, near-
Lewes, in the County of Sussex, Esquire, for the Invention of "Im-
IN APPARATUS. CONNECTED WITH BICYCLES OR TWO-WHEELED..
PROVEMENTS
VELOCIPEDES.
Sealed the 29th March 1870, and dated the 3rd January 1870
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Wyndham at?
the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on-
the 3rd January 1870..
.
I, CHARLES WYNDHAM, of Southover Grange, near Lewes, in the
County of Sussex, Esquire, do hereby déclare the nature of the said
Invention for. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS. CONNECTED WITH BICYCLES OR TWO--
WHEELED. VELOCIPEDES,"" to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to apparatus for lowering and pressing upon
the ground when the vehicle is brought to a standstill or when the rider
wishes to mount or dismount..
4
The first improvement consists in fitting over a depending bar which.
is fastened to the backbone of the frame of the vehicle a plate which

page_text: forms a step for the rider to put his foot upon in getting on or off. The
lower face of the step carries a leg which terminates in a foot or roller.
The leg passes through a socket at the lower end of the depending bar,
the socket forming a guide for the leg to slide up and down in. On the
weight of the rider's foot being applied on the step it is forced down
until it presses upon the ground and facilitates the rider mounting or
dismounting; when the pressure is removed from the step a spring fitted
one end to the plate and the other to the bar draws up the leg clear of
the ground. In some cases I joint a rack plate to the bar so that the
back of the step may be allowed to take into the teeth to hold the leg
firmly at its lower position, the rack teeth can be removed from the step
by pulling a cord; or in lieu of the rack plate I fit a pin or bolt into a
hole formed in the bar to hold the step and leg at any height. Springs
may be fitted to any part of the apparatus to ensure the proper working
of the leg or the rack plate. Instead of the rack plate being jointed to the
bar as above described I form the teeth on the back or some other part of
the bar itself and cause the step to take into the teeth by means of a spring
.when the step is depressed. The socket may be fitted on the leg so that it
may slide upon a square or other shaped portion of the bar. Again, instead
of making the sliding leg of such a length that it shall touch the ground
I make it only of such a length that a roller on its lower end shall ride
upon the jointed leg and force it down upon the ground when the
pressure is put upon the step. The bar may be jointed close up to-the
backbone or frame if found desirable; in that case I prefer to use a
carriage head joint so that it moves in one direction only. I fit ratchet
teeth to one face of the bar and cause a paul to take into the teeth when
the vehicle is at rest or when the rider wishes to mount or dismount.
The paul is withdrawn by acting on cord or strap. I propose to attach
one bar and leg to each side of the vehicle to enable the rider to get on
or off from either side. Of course in many cases it would only be necessary
to fit one apparatus to each vehicle.
Another part of the Invention consists in fitting a swinging foot rest
at each side of the vehicle at the sides of the front wheel. These are
preferably attached to the forks or sheers or to bars springing over the
top of the wheel and down to near the nave. The foot rests are pre-
vented touching the ground by means of springs except when pressed
upon by the feet. The foot rests are simply formed of bent bars with
projecting pieces for the feet to rest upon when the vehicle. is brought

page_text: to a standstill, and also when the rider desires to mount or dismount. .
Ratchet teeth may be formed on the bent bars for pauls to take into
to hold the rests down upon the ground so that the vehicle can be made
to stand upright. In lieu of the pauls, pins, or other appliances may be
5. fitted into holes for the same purpose..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Wyndham in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st July 1870..
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WYNDHAM, of Southover Grange, near Lewes, in the County of Sussex,,
Esquire, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty--
third year of Her reign; did, 'for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Wyndham; Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Wyndham, my executors, administrators, and
'assigns;, or such others as I,. the said Charles Wyndham, my executors,-
'administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with; and no-
others; from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make; use; exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, ther
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS ING
APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH BICYCLES OR TWO-WHEELED VELOCIPEDES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Wyndham, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,..
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and 'cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal' Patent Office.
within six calendar months, next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Wyndham, do hereby declare"
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and bỷ:

page_text: the following: statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My improvements relate to apparatus for lowering and pressing upon
the ground when the vehicle is brought to a standstill or when the rider
wishes to mount or dismount.
The first improvement consists in fitting over a depending bar which
is fastened to the backbone or the frame of the vehicle a plate which
forms a step for the rider to put his foot upon in getting on or off. The
lower face of the step carries a leg, which terminates in a foot or roller.
The leg passes through a socket at the lower end of the depending bar,
the socket forming a guide for the leg to slide up and down in. On the
weight of the rider's foot being applied on the step it is forced down
until it presses upon the ground and facilitates the rider mounting or
dismounting; when the pressure is removed from the step a spring fitted
'one end to the plate and the other to the bar draws up the leg clear of
the ground. In some cases I joint a rack plate to the bar, so that the
back of the step may be allowed to take into the teeth to hold the leg
firmly at its lower position, the rack teeth can be removed from the
step by pulling a cord; or in lieu of the rack plate I fit a pin or bolt
into a hole formed in the bar to hold the step and leg at any height.
Springs may be fitted to any part of the apparatus to ensure the proper
working of the leg. or the rack plate. Instead of the rack plate being
jointed to the bar, as above described, I form the teeth on the back or
some other part of the bar itself, and cause the step to take into the
teeth by means of a spring when the step is depressed. The socket may
be fitted on the leg so that it may slide upon a square or other shaped
Again instead of making the sliding leg of such a
touch the ground I make it only of such a length
that a roller on its lower end shall ride upon the jointed leg and force it
down upon the ground, when the pressure is put upon the step.. The bar
may be jointed close up to the backbone or frame if found desirable... In
that case I prefer to use a carriage-head joint, so that it moves in one
direction only. I fit ratchet teeth to one face of the bar, and cause a
paul to take into the teeth when the vehicle is at rest or when the rider
wishes to mount or dismount. The paul is withdrawn by acting on a
cord or strap. I propose to attach one bar and leg to each side of the
vehicle to enable the rider to get on or off from either side. Of course
portion of the bar.
length that it shall
..

page_text: in many cases it would only be necessary to fit one apparatus to each
vehicle.
3
Another part of the Invention consists in fitting a swinging foot rest.
at each side of the vehicle at the sides of the front wheel; these are
preferably attached to the forks or sheers or to bars springing over the
The foot rests are
top of the wheel and down to near the nave.
prevented touching the ground by means of springs except when pressed
upon by the feet. The foot rests are simply formed of bent bars with
projecting pieces for the feet to rest upon when the vehicle is brought to
a standstill, and also when the rider desires to mount or dismount.
Ratchet teeth may be formed on the bent bars for pauls to take into to
hold the rests down upon the ground, so that the vehicle can be made
to stand upright. In lieu of the pauls pins or other appliances may be
fitted into holes for the same purpose.
This Invention will be well understood by referring to the accom-
panying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side view of a bicycle with a
leg and bar as first herein-before described, and Figure 2 is a back view
of the same vehicle having one of the legs fitted to each side of the
backbone or main frame so that the rider may mount or dismount ou
either side.
. г
The bar a is clipped to the backbone 6 by a clip c, which has a plate
across its two ends held in position by nuts so as to hold the bar firmly
in place. The lower end of the bar is formed with a socket d for a leg e
to be passed into, so that it can slide up and down in it freely. The top
of the leg is provided with a step plate f, which embraces the bar à to
ensure the leg sliding up and down in a parallel manner. At the back
of the step plate is an eye or a hook g for securing one end of a spring i,
so that when the other end of the spring is fastened to a hook j on the
bar the leg is kept up by the action of the spring, which is fitted in a
proper manner for that purpose. When the rider wishes to mount or
dismount he places his foot upon the step plate, which depresses the leg
until the spread out portion at the bottom of the leg touches the ground,
when it will support the weight of his body while he is getting on or off
the vehicle. This lowering of the leg and step stretches the spring so
that when the pressure of his foot is removed the tension of the spring
causes the leg to spring up the bar and be clear of the ground.
I have in these Figures shewn the spring as being above the step plate;
but the same action can be obtained by fitting it below, that is, to the
"

page_text: bottom of the leg and to the under side of the socket, as seen in Figure 3.
It will be observed that the leg is as it were self-acting; now it is
easy to connect the two legs by a tie-bar when two legs are fitted as seen
in Figure 2, and in such a case both of the legs would be depressed and
raised at the same time, and in some instances it would be advisable to
connect them to enable the vehicle to stand alone when the spring or
springs with which they are fitted are unhooked. The socket at the
lower end of the bar may, be of any length, and the step plate may be so
fitted to the top of the leg that it need not embrace the bar, and this
will be understood by referring to Figure 4. Of course it is not essential
that the socket.should be on the bar, as it may be on the leg, as shewn
in Figure 5.
Figure 6 is a view of a bar with a jointed rack plate & fitted to it for
the back edge of the step plate to take into when the rack is forced
down to it by the spring 7. The rack plate is connected to a cord m,
which leads up to the steering handle or handles or near to one of them,
so that when the cord is released and the step depressed the rack plate
comes into action to hold the leg in a downward position, and the
spring i strained.
Figures 7 and 8 represent views of legs and bars in which a pin n is
fitted into holes in the bar to hold the leg in a downward position.
In Figure 7 the pin is shewn in a hole just above the step, so that the
leg is held firmly. In this case the pin n is fastened to one end of the
spring i, which is unhooked, so that it can be employed not only to act
ás a spring when required, but also as a pin holder. Figure 8 shews
the pin in one of the holes of the leg under the upper socket p, which
is here shewn as being on the bar as well as the lower socket..
In some cases the pin may be passed through holes both in the leg
and bar, and this mode is explained in Figure 9, where the socket is of
great length, and is formed on the leg. I do not however intend that
the pin should be attached to the spring i under all circumstances, as
the pin may be loose and threaded so that it can be screwed into the leg,
as seen in Figure 10. I have spoken of the rack plate as taking on to
the edge of the step, but it may take on the top of the leg instead,
and in order to admit of this being done I slot the bar to allow the rack
plate to pass through it to get into a proper position; this will be
understood by referring to Figure 11. When I form the teeth on the bar
itself I prefer to do so as shewn at Figure 5, or as in Figure 13, and the

page_text: strain which has been put upon the spring causes it to hold itself against
one of the teeth with sufficient force to keep the vehicle upright until the
step plate is drawn out of it by the cord. The pin in this Figure is shewn
of a tapered form so that it acts as a wedge to bind itself firmly in the
hole of the step plate which is made large enough.
In some of the above-mentioned Figures I have shewn the lower part
of the leg as being spread out to form a base, and in others they are
fitted with rollers to prevent any sudden shock being given to the leg
when it strikes the ground if the vehicle should be moving when the leg
is depressed.
I have not made mention of the sectional shape of the bar or of the
leg, as that would be determined by the taste or fancy of the maker, or
of the purchaser. They may be of round metal rods or bars, or of square
or any other shape or variety of shapes so long as the leg works in a
proper manner without turning or twisting, and so becoming bound in
its movement.
In Figures 6 and 11 I have shewn the rack plate as being kept to its
work by flat springs acting against tail pieces, but it is not necessary for:
flat springs to be used, as any kind of spring or springs may be
employed; and I have shewn in Figure 12 a spiral spring q as being.
fitted. In this Figure and in Figure 6 it will be observed that the leg is
drawn up by the rack plate, and the springs are so fitted that they draw.
down the leg. This action is the reverse to the one previously described.
Sometimes two legs are fitted on one bar, one of them being a sliding
leg and the other a jointed leg, and when these are used in connection
I prefer to fit a roller at the lower end of the sliding leg to bear upon
the back of the jointed leg. I fit a spring p to the bar so that its free
end acts against a pin on the jointed leg. and forces it into a bent
position when the pressure of the rider's foot is removed from the step
of the sliding leg, the roller at the same time riding upon the jointed leg.
When the spring is not of sufficient power to raise both legs a separate.
spring may be fitted to each of them.
. Figure 15 shows the bar or leg jointed close up to the backbone of
the main frame, and it can be kept in a vertical position by the lower
end of the paul taking into one of the teeth on the bar or leg when the
cord is released. The extreme end of the paul is looped to embrace the
bar to draw it up when the cord is acted upon.
is such that it is nearly balanced when at the
The weight of the bar
bottom of its stroke -by

page_text: r.
coming foul of the spring 7. The spring; keeps the paul to its work to
keep the cord taut, whether drawn up on the handle or left loose on it.
"
I do not intend to restrict myself to fitting the bar and leg at the exact
position as shewn in Figure 1, that is, just in front of the hind wheel, as
it or they can be arranged at any other part of the backbone, or to one
of the forks of either the front wheel or of the hind wheel, as shewn in
Figure 16; or it or they may be arranged on the axle of the front wheel,
as shewn in Figure 17, where it or they act as what one might term a
swinging foot rest or rests. This arrangement is clearly represented in
Figure 18. I do not confine myself to fitting them on the axle, as they
may be fitted to the forks or sheers, or to additional bars or other
appliances on the forks or on the backbone as circumstances may
dictate. The bars of the swinging foot rests may have, teeth on them
for pauls to drop into to hold them down for the purpose of keeping
the vehicle in an upright position, as will be seen on reference to
Figure 19.
I have hitherto referred to the sliding leg as being fitted to a bar at
the side of the main frame, but such legs can be arranged to slide up
and down sockets in the fork of the front wheel if it is required, and
Figure 20 shows how this can be effected.
It will be understood that it is not essential for the leg or legs to.drop
down to the level of the ground upon which the wheels may be standing,
as should they rest upon higher or lower ground than the wheels they are
so arranged that they can adjust themselves to either in such cases.
Figure 21 represents a bar a centred upon a joints of the clip c, so
that it can be moved outwards with the lever t when the break cord is
pulled or acted upon to operate the break. The bar is bent or curved in
the manner shown for the lever to ride against in its upward motion,
the lever being jointed to a strap or plate v, which is secured to the hind
fork for that purpose. The lever has a pin v upon it to ensure the
proper movement of the bar, the extent of such movement being
governed by the pin won the bar. I prefer that the break cord and the
lever cord should be connected, so that both of them may be acted upon
simultaneously; but a separate cord may be used for the lever t if found
advisable. The action of the leg is similar to that shewn in Figure 1.
The advantages to be gained by employing this form of bar are, that it
can be allowed to fall close to the wheel, and not alter the balance of
the vehicle, and also improves the general appearance by being within

page_text: the width of the fork while travelling. Of course one of such bars
may be secured to each side of the vehicle.
The Invention is applicable to all constructions of bicycles, whether
the backbone is formed of a rigid bar or of a jointed frame or frame-
work; and also whether the steering or propelling mechanism is
arranged in connection with the front wheel or the hind wheel.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. Arranging a sliding leg on a bar which can be fitted to the
backbone or some part of the main frame in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described and represented in the Drawings here-
unto annexed.
Secondly. The modes of actuating such sliding legs as herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Thirdly. The fitting or arranging of a sliding leg or legs to bicycles
in such a manner that it or they are under the control of the rider, for
the purposes herein-before described and represented.
Fourthly. The employment of a sliding leg and a jointed leg used. in
combination to one bar, as described and shewn.
Fifthly. The employment of a rack plate to sliding legs of bicycles,
as herein-before described and represented.
And, sixthly. The general construction and employment of the several
parts and their disposition upon bicycles, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Wyndham, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June One thousand
eight hundred and seventy.
CHARLES WYNDHAM. (L.S.)