IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph White, of Earlsdon, near Coventry, Watch
Manufacturer, and John Asbury, of Coventry, Machinist, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph White and John
Asbury at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August
1881.
JOSEPH WHITE, of Earlsdon, near Coventry, Watch Manufacturer, and JOHN
ASBURY, of Coventry, Machinist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of velocipedes,
whereby we are enabled to contract the width of the same to any desired extent to
facilitate their passage through narrow entries.
The driving wheels, to the bosses of which chain wheels are fitted, run loosely
on stud axles which are made fast to vertical pins carried by a pair of radius arms.
These radius arms are connected by pivot pins to the front end of the backbone,
and are intended to allow of the wheels being brought nearer together, so as to
contract the width of the vehicle..
To ensure the parallelism of the wheels, whether they be at their full distance
apart or near together, the pins which carry the stud axles are by means of slotted
bars projecting laterally therefrom and working over fixed screw pins (or by some
equivalent contrivance) caused to turn as the arms are moved upon their fulcrum
pins to such an extent as to ensure the stud axles remaining in line with each
other. The fixed screw pins are furnished with clamping nuts for fixing the slotted
bars in any desired position, and thereby preventing the lateral sbifting of the
driving wheels. The brakes which act upon the driving wheels I mount upon rods
which fit a transverse telescope tube, and are capable of being locked thereto by
bayonet joints. This arrangement provides for the contraction of the length of the
brake rod when it is desired to contract the width of the vehicle. To permit of

page_text: the approach of the driving wheels to each other, it will be necessary also to
provide for the elongation of the steering wheel rod through which the central
steering wheel of the tricycle is operated. This rod carries at its extremity a rack
in geer with a pinion on the rod of the steering handle, which rod is mounted on
one of the radius arms. The steering rod we make telescopic, and when the
sliding parts are unlocked the rod will give to the movement of the swinging arm.
The treadle shaft fits in bearings, which are carried by dove-tailed holders forming
the pendent extremities of the vertical pins, which are carried by the radius arms.
These holders may be split and fitted with tightening screws to ensure a firm grip
of the bearings. Before contracting the tricycle it will only be necessary to remove
the treadle shaft and slacken the tightening nuts on the fixed screw pins. The
wheels will then be free to yield to side pressure and approach each other, so that
the velocipede may be thus contracted to a width of some two feet or thereabouts.
To facilitate travelling up hill we make the rider's seat movable in guides with a
tendency to advance towards the treadle shaft by reason of a spring below the seat
connecting it with a rigid part of the framing. The normal or backward position
of the seat is maintained by means of a clamping nut or its equivalent, and when
this is slackened, which the rider will do on commencing to ascend a hill, the
spring will draw the scat forward, which position should be secured by the clamping
nut until the ascent has been completed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph White and John Asbury in the Great Seal Patent, Office
on the 28th February 1882.
JOSEPH WHITE, of Earlsdon, near Coventry, Watch Manufacturer, and JOHN
ASBURY, of Coventry, Machinist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OF
VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of velocipedes,
whereby we are enabled to contract the width of the same to any desired extent
to facilitate their passage through narrow entries.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of our improved
contractable tricycle; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the near travelling
wheel being removed the better to show the construction of the parts which carry
and control the movements of the stud axles of the travelling wheels; and Fig. 3
is a partial front view of the tricycle.
A, A, are the travelling wheels; B is the backbone; and C is the steering wheel
set at the rear of the vehicle. To the hubs of the travelling wheels chain wheels
are fitted for receiving the chains D from the chain wheels on the treadle
shaft E.

page_text: The front end of the backbone is formed with two vertical sockets to receive
pins projecting from a pair of radius arms F, which are shewn in the plan view as
curved to give space for the rider's legs. At their outer ends these arms are
formed with a socket to receive the screwed extension of a pendent bracket-
piece G, one of which bracket-pieces is shewn detached and in plan view at
Fig. 4.
The bracket-pieces are made fast to their respective radius arms by means of
screwed extensions of the same passed through the sockets in the arms, and fitted
with nuts. These brackets are formed with a socket to receive the stud axles H,
which are made fast to their respective brackets by tightening screws, and on these
stud axles the travelling wheels A run loosely.
The lower extremities of these bracket-pieces are formed with vertical dove-
tailed guides to receive the bearings of the treadle shaft E, and permit of their
facile removal when it is required to contract the vehicle. A screw tapped into
the back of these guides serves to clamp the bearings securely in place. The lateral
extension of the bracket-pieces G is cranked, as shewn at Fig. 4, and it is slotted
for the purpose to be presently described.
The radius arms F, to which the travelling wheels are connected as above
mentioned, are intended to allow of the wheels being brought nearer together, so as
to contract the width of the vehicle, as shown in the plan view, Fig. 5, Sheet II.
To ensure the parallelism of the wheels, whether they be at their full distance
apart or near together, the brackets G which carry the stud axles are, by means
of their slotted horizontal extremities which work over fixed screw pins, caused
to turn in the sockets of the radius arms F to an extent that will retain them
parallel to or in line with each other as those arms are moved upon their fulcrum
pins.
The fixed screw pins which enter the slots in the bracket G are carried by arms B*,
which form lateral extensions of the backbone. These screw pins are furnished
with clamping nuts for fixing the bracket G in any desired position, and thereby
preventing the lateral shifting of the travelling wheels.
By retaining the parallelism of the wheels while in its contracted state no;
difficulty will be presented in running the vehicle from place to place. I, I, are a
pair of brake rods fitted to slide in a tube I', which is mounted in bearings carried
by arms pendent from and made fast to the backbone, as shewn best in the enlarged
detached view, Fig. 6, Sheet III.
The tube I is slotted longitudinally to receive pins carried by the two brake
rods, which pins when the brake rods are pulled out to their full distance, as shown
by dotted lines in Fig. 6, are moved into cross slots (see the detached view, Fig. 7),
and thus form with the tube bayonet joints, at the same time holding the brake
spoons in position for use. 12 is the arm which connects the slotted tube I¹ with
the rod I, leading to the handle I' by which the brakes are worked. When it is
desired to contract the vehicle, as shewn at Fig. 5, the brake rods I will, after the
wheels have been moved inwards, be released from the bayonet joints and pressed
inwards to the position shown at Fig. 6.
It should be remarked that to permit of the approach of the travelling wheels to
each other, it will be necessary to provide for the elongation of the steering wheel
rod, through which the central steering wheel C of the tricycle is operated. This
rod C¹ carries, as usual at its forward extremity, a rack in gear with a pinion
on the rod of the steering handle, which rod is mounted on one of the radius
arms F.
The steering rod we connect to the arm of the fork of the steering wheel in the
manner shewn in Figs. 8, which represent the arm as terminating in a ball
which is formed with a socket to receive the flattened cylindrical extremity of the
steering rod.
The rod is made fast to this ball by means of a clamping screw, which when
slackened will allow of the rod sliding in its socket as the radius arms are brought
into the contracting position.

page_text: To facilitate travelling up-hill we make the rider's seat moveable in guides, with
a tendency to advance towards the treadle shaft by means of a spring below the
seat which connects it with a rigid part of the framing.
Fig. 9 shows an inverted plan view of the seat with the means for attaching it
to the back-bone; and Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on the line 1, 2, of
Fig. 9.
K is a board connected by a bow-spring K', with a rod K² which enters a socket
formed to receive it in the backbone, and serves to support the seat in the usual
way at any desired elevation.
The sides of this board K are bevelled off, and the bevels are fitted with bevel
slides which enter the guides in the bottom of the seat proper. K³ is a bracket
made fast to the board K in line with a longitudinal slot made in that board,
and through this slot projects from the underside of the seat M a bracket M',
which is connected to the bracket K³ by means of an india-rubber or other
spring L.
The normal or backward position of the seat is maintained by means of a clamping
screw N or its equivalent passed through the side of the seat M, and bearing on the
side of the board K.
When this clamping screw is slackened, which the rider will do on commencing to
ascend a hill, the spring will draw the seat forward, and this position should then
be secued by tightening the clamping screw.
On the completion of the ascent of the hill the rider has then to slacken the
screw N, shift back the seat to its normal position, and again tighten the screw to
secure the seat in place.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Velocipedes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim,―
First. The arrangement of mechanism above described, whereby the travelling
wheels may be moved inwards or towards each other, and their parallelism preserved
as and for the purpose above set forth.
And, Secondly. The arrangement of contracting and expanding compound brake
rod above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Asbury, have hereunto set my hand and
Loud O.