Improvements in Devices and Appliances for Supporting and Locking Bicycles when not in Motion.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1900-Accepted, 23rd June, 1900
TRUVIDIONAL SIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices and Appliances for Supporting and Locking
Bicycles when not in Motion.
I, ALFRED LITTLEHALES, of 257, Brearley Street, in the City of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows;-
1
This invention has reference to an improved device which is secured to the
frame of the machine near the bottom bracket for forming a support to the
machine and keeping the same in an erect position so that it can be left without
being held up when not in use, and my improved device, can readily be turned
up out of the way against the under part of the frame of the machine, the ends
being held by a clip or other means." My invention consist also in forming a
device for locking the machine so as to prevent the same moving backward or
forward which said locking device is preferably used with the above mentioned
supporting device.
In carrying out this invention I provide two tubular legs or props (or the
same can be solid, or made partly of wood) hinged or pivotted at one end to a loop
piece which is made to turn with the said legs or props on the pin that fastens a
clip on to the frame of the machine, by which the position of the legs or props
can be adjusted, so that the ends of the legs or props touch the ground when they
are spread out ready for supporting the machine. The said legs or props are
connected together by links to prevent spreading too far apart, the said links
being jointed together and to the legs or props, so that the whole can be folded
parallel when not in use up against the frame of the machine, and held thereto
by a suitable clip, or other means. The said legs or props, may be bent so as to
more easily miss the chain wheel.
To prevent the machine moving backward or forward, I provide a locking
device which is fixed preferably to the front fork of the machine and is formed in
combination with the foot rests, although the same could be made without the
rests if required.
Between the legs of the fork is a cross bar which turns up and down and is
hinged to the pin that tightens either of the foot rests to the fork legs. The
said cross bar is slotted from the front end a suitable distance along the same so
that when the cross bar is turned up the slotted part takes on to one of the
spokes, thus preventing the machine moving either way, or the said cross bar
can take between two of the spokes. A suitable flat spring is used for keeping
the said cross bar down against the inner side of the fork leg when the machine
is in use.
When the said cross bar is turned up on to one of the spokes it is held
in place by a spring having two spring tongues, the lower tongue having two
side enlarged parts for pressing against the fork leg, when the said cross bar is
required to be released, the same being snapped over the said tongue when the
cross bar is raised the end of the said cross bar being also held firmly in place by
bearing against the upper spring tongue. The said springs are held in place by

page_text: cars that take under the clipping part of the foot rests, or in any other suitable
manner.
In a modification of my invention I form the legs or props similarly as herein
described but having a locking piece which is pivotted to the pin on each side of
the aforesaid loop piece, the said locking piece being bent in a manner to take
against the under side of the frame of the machine. When the legs or props are
spread out, and slanting towards the front of the machine, the said locking piece
tends to push in the opposite direction to the said legs or props and thus pre-
vents the machine moving either way. Or the said loop piece may be lengthened
and have fixed thereto and turning with the same, the said bent locking piece,
and to the lower end of the loop piece are pivotted the legs or props which would
be shorter the whole folding up against the frame as herein before stated, the
locking device used on the front fork not being required.
Dated this 11th day of August 1899
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Devices and Appliances for Supporting and Locking
Bicycles when not in Motion.
I, ALFRED LITTLEHALES, of 257, Brearley Street, in the City of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, 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 reference to an improved device which is secured to the
frame of the machine near the bottom bracket for forming a support to the
machine and keeping the same in an erect position so that it can be left without
being held up when not in use, and my improved device can readily be turned
up out of the way against the under part of the frame of the machine, the ends
being held by a clip or other means.
My invention consists also of a device for locking the machine so as to prevent
the same moving backward or forward which said locking device is pre-
ferably used with the above mentioned supporting device.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. is a side elevation of a bicycle with my supporting device applied
thereto; Fig. 2 shews a part of the bicycle frame with the supporting device
folded up against the frame as when not in use; Fig. 3 shews on a large scale
the clip and the upper part of the said supporting device and Fig. 3 shews a
modification of the same; Fig. 4 is a front view of the upper part of the bicycle
front fork and fork crown with my front wheel locking device supplied thereto,
the locking device being represented in the position which it occupies when it
has locked the machine Fig. 5 is a plan of the same and Fig. 6 shews the same
parts as Fig. 4 but with the locking device in its unlocked position.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures.
In carrying out the part of my invention illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I pro-
vide two legs or props marked respectively A and B which can conveniently
made of strip metal which are hinged or pivotted at C to the top piece D which is
made to turn with the legs or props A B on the screw pin E which passes through
the top piece D and through the ends of the clip F by which the device is
fastened to the inclined tube G of the bicycle frame.

page_text: The legs or supports A Bare at a short distance above their lower ends con-
nected together by links H 1 which are jointed to the legs or props and also
jointed together at J so as to keep the legs at the proper distance. apart when
spread out as shewn in Fig. 1. The legs are made of such a length that when
the bicycle is in the position represented by Fig. 1 the lower ends of the legs
rest upon the ground and thus support the machine in an upright position.
When the machine is not required to be supported the legs A B and links H I
are folded together as represented in Fig. 2 and turned up with the top piece D
against the underside of the tube G and there held by the clip K which is slided
down the tube G so as to engage with the end of the legs A B. The top piece 1)
is by preference made with an inclined projecting stop d' (see Fig. 3) which is so
shaped as to abut against the underside of the tube when the legs are in the
position represented in Figs. 1 and 3 and thus prevent the legs and top piece D
from turning on the joint E towards the back wheel of the bicycle.
In order to prevent the bicycle moving backwards or forwards I provide a
locking device which I will now describe and which is by preference fixed to
the front fork sides L' L² of the machine to engage with one of the spokes of
the front wheel when desired and this locking device is by preference formed in
combination with the foot rests OU shewn by dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5
although as will readily be understood and as shewn in Fig. 6 the locking device
can be made without the foot rests. This locking device is not shewn in Figs. 1
and 2 but is represented by Figs. 4, 5 and 6 and is arranged as follows:-Between
the front fork sides L L I provide a cross bar M which at one end is hinged to
the pin N which secures the clip part of the foot rest O to the fork side L2 so that
this cross bar M can either turn up as in Figs. 4 and 5 or turn down as in Fig. 6.
The cross bar M is slotted at m¹ from the front end for a suitable distance along
the same so that when it is turned up as in Fig. 4 the slot m¹ engages with one
of the spokes P' of the front wheel; or the said cross bar M can take between two
of the spokes. In order to keep the cross bar M in its turned down position
(as in Fig. 6) against the fork side L2 when the bicycle is in use and the front
wheel is unlocked there is a flat spring tongue Q shewn separately in Fig. 7
which is made of a folded sheet steel or other suitable sheet metal blank and has
two ears which fit on the pin N. The cross bar M is made with a heel or
corner m² and with a flat side m³ which latter is acted on by the spring tongue Q
so as to maintain the cross bar M in the position represented by Fig. 6. The
cross bar M is by the spring maintained in the locked position represented by
Fig. 4 by the spring tongue acting on the flat end m of the cross bar M. The
cross bar M is further secured in the position represented by Figs. 4 and 5 by the
spring tongue R which is carried by the pin S of the clip T which may form a
part of the foot rest U on the fork side L'. The spring R is made to project
forward somewhat so that as the cross bar M is being turned up it first acts upon
and forces the spring tongue R backwards and then snaps past and rests upon
the top of the spring as in Fig. 4. To facilitate the pressing back of the
spring R to release the cross bar M, the spring R is made with two lateral pro-
jecting parts by which the spring can be held between the finger and thumb
and pressed back towards the fork side L' far enough to allow of the cross bar M to
turn down.
In the modification of my invention illustrated by Fig. 3* I form the legs or
props A B and secure them to the top piece D and fasten the same to the tube G
by the clip F similarly as above described but on the pin E I provide a locking
piece V made with ears pivotted on the pin E at the sides of the top piece D
this locking piece V having its end bent up at right angles and hollowed so as
to take against the underside of the tube G of the machine frame when the legs or
props A B are spread out to support the machine as in Figure 1. This locking
piece thus acts like the stop to prevent the legs from turning back on the
pin E when the support is in use.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is―
1. A device for supporting a bicycle upright when not in motion consisting
essentially of the legs A B, the cross stay H I jointed thereto, the top piece D
jointed to the upper ends of the legs and the clip jointed to the said top
piece 1) and securing the same to the tube of the bicycle frame so that said legs
can either be turned down and spread apart as in Fig. 1 to support the bicycle
in an upright position or folded together and turned up against the tube G of
the frame as in Fig. 2 and secured in this position by a suitable clip substantially
as set forth.
2. The combination with a bicycle of means for supporting the same con-
structed arranged and combined with the bicycle in the manner substantially
as herein before described and illustrated.
3. A device for locking the front wheel of a bicycle when not in motion con-
sisting of a cross bar M adapted to engage with or between the spokes of the
front wheel, a clip jointed to one end of the cross bar and adapted to secure the
same to one of the front fork sides and a second clip adapted to fix to the other
front fork side and made with a spring catch to hold the outer end of the locking
bar when the latter is turned up to lock the wheel substantially as described.
4. The combination with the front fork of a safety bicycle of a device for
engaging with or between the spokes of the front wheel constructed arranged and
operating substantially as herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 4, 5, 6
and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
TAYT
T
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.