Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 20th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
We, JOHN JAY MC KANNA, of 3200 Main Street, Houston, Harris County,
State of Texas, United States of America, and CONRAD LINDSTROM, of No. 1 Rail-
road Street, El Campo, Wharton County, State of Texas, United States of
America do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performel, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
Our invention has relation to improvements in bicycle supports and consists in
the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the
Specification and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle with our invention attached thereto;
Fig. 2 is a section on - of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the clamp or parts forming the same;
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the lower end of the support; and
Fig. 5 is a sectional detail ou the line y-y of Fig. 3.
The object of our invention is to construct a device which may be attached to
and carried by the frame of a bicycle, and which when the wheel is not in use,
serves as a support or rest for the wheel, thus dispensing with the necessity of
either laying the wheel down, or resting the same against stationary objects such
as curb stones, posts, walls of buildings or the like, the base of the support being
normally out of contact with the ground when the wheel is in service. With this
end in view we have devised a support whose base expands sufficiently and
automatically to present the necessary supporting surface to ensure the keeping of
the center of gravity of the wheel when in an erect position, within the limits of
the supporting surface while the wheel is being supported. Upon the taking up
of the wheel and the releasing of the base of the support from the ground, the
device, by a slight push on the part of the wheelman adjusts itself in proximity to
the frame by which it is carried, automatically closing the expansible base out of
contact with the ground, and thereby enabling the operator to mount his wheel
and proceed on his journey. In detail the invention may be described as
follows:
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the lower member of the frame, or that
extending from the front post to the pedal shaft. To this member our device is
adapted to be secured. The support is clamped at a convenient point along the
member 1, the clamp consisting of a rear plate 2 partially spanning the member 1,
and the lateral plates 3, 3 which are secured to the plate 2 by bolts 4. Forming
part of each lateral plate 3 is an arm projecting forwardly, the two arms being
adjacent to one another so as to form a fork, between whose members the operating
parts of our device are pivotally secured. At the base of the fork is pivoted one
end of a rod 6, the rod being adapted to swing in a plane parallel to that in which
the frame of the machine is disposed. To the expanded base 11 of the rod 6 are
adjacently pivoted the supporting arms 7 of the base, adapted to fold about their
pivotal points in a plane at right angles to that in which swings the rod 6, each
arm 7 being pivotally secured at a suitable point along its length to the lower end
of a resilient control bar 8, the upper meeting ends of the bars 8 being pivotally
secured to the free end of the fork formed by the arms 5, 5 of the clamp. The
controlling bars 8, 8 swing in the same plane with the rod 6 and in unison there-
with. From the relation of the parts as indicated, it is obvious that if the device

page_text: be swung outwardly or forwardly from the member 1, as indicated in full lines in
Fig. 1, the controlling bars 8 will open up or expand the basal supporting
arms 7,7 thus forming an expanded base on which the machine can temporarily
rest. If on the other hand however, the device be swung toward the frame in
proximity to the member 1, as shown by the dotted position in Fig. 1 it will follow
as a consequence (by reason of the relation of the pivotal points of the rod 6 and
bars 8 along the fork formed by the arms 5) that the controlling bars 8 will draw
upon the supporting arms 7 thus closing them or folding them inwardly to a
position substantially as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The reason for this
is obvious since, when the device approaches the member 1 of the frame, the
pivotal point of the meeting ends of the bars 8 at the free end of the fork of the
clamp will be relatively to the rear of the pivotal point of the rod 6, and as
the length of the rod 6 and that of the bars 8 is constant, it follows that to
enable the device to be swung toward the frame, the supporting arms 7 must close;
and vice versa, when the device is swung forward or away from the frame, the
arms 7 must open or fold in the opposite direction, the folding of the arms in the
reverse direction never being beyond the point which corresponds to their maximum
expanded position, since the expanded base of the rod 6 strikes the ground and
arrests the forward swing of the device before said arms can fold to a position
which would be the reverse of that indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The
closing of the supporting arms 7 is facilitated somewhat by the resiliency of the
controlling bars 8; but to make the device act automatically we secure to
the arms 7 at points opposite their pivotal connection with the bars 8, the free
ends of a resilient spring 9, having a central coil or loop 10. The action of this
spring (whose tendency is to remain normally closed) is such, that after the device,
in the act of being swung, has passed an approximately vertical line extending
from the clamp to the ground, said spring will by its inherent resilient action,
positively tend to close the supporting arms 7; and upon a slight push of the device
from its open position, toward the frame, on the part of the operator or rider, the
spring 9 will automatically close the arms 7 and swing or force the device
positively toward the frame. When the support is swung open by the
operator, of course the arms 7 will open up against the resilient action of the
spring 9.
To provide for the slight adjustments to which the support is subjected by
reason of the variable inclinations of the member 1 on different makes of bicycles,
the pivotal pin 12 of the rcd 6 is passed through the horizontally elongated
aligning slots 13 at the base of the fork of the clamp, and the pivotal pin 14 of
the meeting ends of the bars 8 is passed through the vertically elongated aligning
slots 15 at the free end of the fork. Between the members of the fork, and
surrounding the pivotal pins, are bushings 16 separating the members of the fork
sufficiently to allow the pivotal ends of the rod 6 and bars 8 to swing freely
between the walls of the fork members or arins 5. The drawings show in section
in Fig. 5, the bushing in relation to the pivotal pin of the bars 8, but a similar
bushing (not shown) embraces the pivotal pin 12 of the rod 6. The pivotal pins
when once adjusted are clamped tightly by the nuts 17. When the bicycle is in
its normally supported position, the rim of the front wheel thereof passes between
the controlling bars 8, 8 as best seen in Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is,
1. In a bicycle support, a suitable support adapted to be swung from the frame
of the machine, a supporting base forming a part of said support, means for
expanding said base for one position of the support and permitting said expanded
base to come in contact with the ground, and for contracting or folding said base
when the support is swung out of contact with the ground and holding the support
in proximity to the frame, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. In a bicycle support, a suitable support adapted to be secured to the frame
of the machine and swung substantially in the plane in which the frame is disposed,
an expanding and contracting base forming a part of said support, said base
having arms adapted to open and close in a plane substantially at right angles to
the plane of the swing of the support, and suitable means for positively controlling
the folding and closing of said arms and swinging the support in proximity to or
against the frame, substantially as set forth.
3. In a bicycle support, a suitable rod adapted to be pivotally secured to the
machine frame, oppositely extending arms pivoted to the base of the rod,
controlling bars pivotally secured to the basal arms, a common pivot for said
controlling bars at the opposite ends of said bars, said pivot being independent of
the pivot of the rod, and a resilient spring having its ends secured pivotally to the
basal arms at points suitably removed from the pivotal connections between said
arms and the rod, substantially as set forth.
4. In a bicycle support, a suitable clamp adapted to be secured to the frame of
the machine, a fork forming a part of said clamp, a rod having an adjustable
pivotal point at the base of the fork, controlling bars having a common adjustable
pivotable point at the free end of the fork, an expanded base forming a part of
the rod, supporting arms pivoted to said base and being pivotally connected to the
lower ends of the controlling bars, a resilient spring having a central loop or coil
and having its ends secured to the supporting arms at their rear or at points
opposite the pivotal connections of the same with the controlling bars, the parts
operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 29th day of April 1896.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.