Improvements in Bicycles and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: as amended in accordance with the decision of the Comptroller
General dated the 24th day of June 1899.
Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 21st Jan., 1899-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
Improvements in Bicycles and the like.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to safety bicycles of the kind known as sociables, which
are adapted for two persons seated side by side.
As an ordinary safety bicycle may be easily and rapidly converted into a
safety bicycle of my new type, I will describe my invention assuming that it
relates to the effecting of this conversion, but I wish it to be understood that I
may carry out my invention either by constructing a safety bicycle on my
improved system, or by converting on ordinary safety bicycle into one on my
said system.
To effect the conversion of an ordinary safety bicycle into a sociable safety
bicycle, I proceed as follows;-
I replace the ordinary saddle post or pillar by a rod provided with an arm
which I fasten in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the frame of the bicycle,
and on which are mounted, at a suitable distance apart, the two saddles, arranged
symmetrically in relation to the plane of rotation.
I remove the ordinary handle bar, and replace it by an arm, strengthened, if
necessary, by a central support, arranged in a plane perpendicular to that of the
frame. The arms have at their extremities two equidistant ordinary handle bars,
the axes of rotation of which are situated nearly in the median vertical planes of
the saddles; the rods of the handle bars may turn in hollows formed in the
extremities of the arms, and the movement of the one is in unison with that of
the other, as well as with the movement of the front or steering fork which they
control by chain wheels mounted on the rods of the handle bars, and double
grooved wheel fixed on the front fork.
The two pedal cranks are replaced by a bent shaft, one of the crank arms of
which, known as the inner one, is of ordinary length, while the other, known as
the outer one, is of double the length; the two pedals are fixed, the one on the
bent crank arm, and the other at the end of the long, outer crank arm; these
pedals are, moreover, equidistant, or nearly equi-distant from the median vertical
plane of the corresponding saddle. It follows that each of the said hent parts
works as a crank shaft, of which the axis of rotation coincides with the axis of
the front chain wheel, the cranks being fixed at 180° with reference to each
another.

page_text: The positions of the two bent pieces may coincide at any given moment, which
is to be preferred; or they may be turned at a certain angle to one another
(180° for example).
The remaining parts of the safety bicycle are not altered if its dimensions are
such as not to necessitate its being strengthened to bear the weight of two persons.
A sociable safety bicycle may be converted with equal ease into a safety bicycle
for one person.
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HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to safety bicycles of the kind known as sociables, which
are adapted for two persons seated side by side.
As an ordinary safety bicycle may be easily and rapidly converted into a
safety bicycle of my new type, I will describe my invention assuming that it
relates to the effecting of this conversion, but I wish it to be understood that I
may carry out my invention either by constructing a safety bicycle on my
improved system, or by converting an ordinary safety bicycle into one according
to my said system.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a safety bicycle constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is a section on line A B Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a front elevation.
To effect the conversion of an ordinary safety bicycle into a sociable safety
bicycle, I proceed as follows:-
I replace the ordinary saddle post or pillar by a rod C, provided with an arm D,
which I fasten in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the frame of the bicycle
and on which are mounted at a suitable distance apart the two saddles E E¹,
arranged symmetrically in relation to the plane of rotation X Y.
I remove the ordinary handle bar and replace it by an arm F, strengthened, if
necessary, by a central support F, arranged in a plane perpendicular to that of
the frame. The arms FF have at their extremities two equidistant ordinary
handle bars, the axes of rotation of which are situated nearly in the median
vertical planes of the saddles E E, the rods of the handle bars may turn in
sockets formed in the extremities of the arms F F¹ and the movement of the one
is in unison with that of the other, as well as with the movement of the front or
steering fork which they control by chain wheels H H mounted on the rods of
the handle bars G G and double grooved wheel H" fixed on the front fork.
The two pedal cranks are replaced by a bent shaft, one of the crank arms K L
of which, known as the inner, one, is of ordinary length, while the other, N N,
known as the outer one, is of double the length; the two pedals are fixed, the
one on the bent crank arm L M and the other at the end N of the long outer

page_text: crank arm; these pedals are, moreover, equidistant, or nearly equidistant from
the median vertical plane of the corresponding saddle. It follows that each of
the said bent parts K L M N works as a crank shaft, of which the axis of rota-
tions coincides with the axis of the front chain wheel T, the cranks K L,
t N being fixed at 180° with reference to each other.
The preferred positions of the two pieces K L M N are such that they may
coincide at any given movement; or they may be turned at a certain angle to one
another (180° for example).
The remaining parts of the safety bicycle are not altered if its dimensions are
such as not to necessitate its being strengthened to bear the weight of two persons.
A sociable safety bicycle may be converted with equal ease into a safety bicycle
for one person.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:—-
In a safety bicycle, the combination of two sets of pedals arranged as described,
with two sets of steering mechanism connected in such a manner as to operate
in unison one with the other, substantially as described and shown in the
drawing.
1. A safety bicycle for two persons seated side by side characterized by the
application of two bent parts replacing the ordinary cranks, each of the said bent
parts being composed of two cranks, one of which (the inner one) is of ordinary
length, the other (the outer one) of double that length; the two pedals being placed,
the one on the bend joining the two cranks and the other at the end of the longer
erank.
2. The arrangements comprising the bent parts claimed in Claim 1, the suddle-
carrying arm and handle bar arm for converting an ordinary safety bicycle into #
sociable safety of the class claimed as set forth.
nated this 21ot dox of Innur 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.