IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Turner, Manager of the Coventry Machinists'
Company, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
Sealed the 22nd January 1878, and dated the 26th July 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Turner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th July 1877.
JOSIAH TURNER, Manager of the Coventry Machinists' Company, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick: "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The chief object of this Invention is to combine the well-known advantages of
the bicycle with the facilities offered by three and four wheeled velocipedes to the
timid rider in mounting and dismounting.
'
To attain this end I propose to apply to the ordinary bicycle a pair of small
wheels, so arranged that they will serve to support the vehicle in an upright
position when brought to the ground, and will admit of being raised clear of the
ground when the vehicle is running, so that no impediment will be offered either to
the running of the bicycle or to the action of the rider. These wheels will run on
either side and somewhat towards the rear of the front wheel. They are mounted
on stud axles carried by a frame which is pivotted to the fork of the front wheel a
little above the wheel axle. This frame is by preference extended upwards, and
formed to carry the steering handle.
A catch is provided for fixing the frame (which will in this case be cranked)
either in its raised or depressed position.
The frame is provided on its opposite sides with a mounting step, which will be
considerably below the crank axle, and clear of the rider's heel when working the
cranks.
When these supplementary wheels are on the ground, the rider, however inexperi-
enced, can mount the vehicle without risk of a fall, and can start it with facility;
and when fairly under weight, by pushing the handle of the rocking frame from him,
the two small wheels will be raised clear of the ground, when he will proceed on
the two centre wheels as on an ordinary bicycle.

page_text: When wishing to stop, the rider has merely to lift the catch or its equivalent and
pull the handle towards. him, when the two small wheels will bear upon the ground.
The frame is then to be secured by the catch in its depressed position, and the rider
can then dismount at pleasure.
I may remark that the side supporting wheels may be mounted in a pivotted 5
frame having no extension above the pivots, and that springs may be used to lift
the wheel off the ground, the weight of the rider's foot on the step being applied
to effect their depression, or the wheels may be mounted on sliding bars, forming
virtually a continuation of the front wheel fork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Josiah Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th January
1878.
JOSIAH TURNER, Manager of the Coventry Machinists' Company, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The chief object of this Invention is to combine the well-known advantages of
the bicycle with the facilities offered by three and four wheeled velocipedes to the
timid rider in mounting and dismounting.
To attain this end I propose to apply to the ordinary bicycle a pair of small
wheels, so arranged that they will serve to support the vehicle in an upright
position when brought to the ground, and will admit of being raised clear of the
ground when the vehicle is running, so that no impediment will be offered either to
the running of the bicycle or to the action of the rider. These wheels will run on
either side and abreast of the front wheel.
When these supplementary wheels are on the ground, the rider, however inexperi-
enced, can mount the vehicle without risk of a fall, and can start it with facility;
and when fairly under way, he can then raise the two small wheels clear of the
ground, fix them in their raised position, and proceed on the two centre wheels as
on an ordinary bicycle.
When wishing to stop, the rider has merely to lower or depress the two small
wheels, lock them in their depressed position, and he can then dismount at
pleasure.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation and Fig. 2 in front
elevation a velocipede arranged according to this Invention.
This velocipede may
be said to consist of a bicycle of any improved construction fitted with a pair of
lateral supporting wheels, which may be raised and depressed at the option of the
rider.
A is the driving wheel; B, the trailing wheel; C, the backbone; D, the steering
fork; and E, the treadles. The prongs of the fork are formed with a tubular
pendent extension F, F, to receive the wheel stalks G, G, of the lateral supporting
wheels H, and form supports and guides for the stalks to slide in. Jointed to
the upper end of these wheel stalks are rods I, I, pendent from a cross bar L¹, the
ends of which are jointed to arms K keyed to the stem of the steering handle L.
This handle is mounted in a swivel bearing connected to the upper end of the
fork D, and it is so fitted as to allow of its receiving an axial motion in its bearing.

page_text: The mode of connecting the steering handle with the fork is shewn best in the
partial plan view, Fig. 3. The axial motion of the steering handle is for the
purpose of lifting the arnis K, and throwing them up to the dotted position of Fig. 1
in order to lift the wheels H from the ground; and the mounting of the handle in
a swivel bearing allows for either of these wheels H rising on meeting an obstruction
on the road without interfering with the motion of the velocipede.
The rods I are cranked, as shewn at Fig. 1, to allow of the arms when thrown up
taking the position shewn at Fig. 4, when, by reason of the joints which couple the
arms and rods respectively together being thrown past the centre of the steering
handle, the wheels H will have no tendency to drop. When these wheels are upon
the ground, the joints being in the position shewn at Fig. 1, will resist all tendency
to yield to the upward pressure of the wheels H; but on turning the steering
handle on its axis and thereby bending the joints outwards the wheels will be
unlocked and free to rise from the ground.
To facilitate this movement coiled springs G₁ are fitted to the wheel stalks G
above their guides F, which springs, coming into action as the joints are bent
outwards, will lift the wheels clear of the ground. They are then to be locked out
of action by completing the half-turn of the steering handle. The provision for
giving the steering handle an axial motion and a tipping motion, as above explained,
will in no way detract from its efficiency as a steering handle, for its bearing being
attached to the fork head in a manner that permits of no independent horizontal
motion of the parts, it will act upon the fork in precisely the same manner as if it
were bolted thereto.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Veloci-
pedes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the applica-
tion to bicycles of lateral supporting wheels arranged as and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Turner, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JOSIAH TURNER. (L.S.)