Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 12th May, 1894
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I HENRY JOHN LAWSON Engineer of 7 Lothbury London do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The addition & combination with velocipedes known as front driving safeties of
suitable framing reaching out in front & adjustable in length carrying a swivelling
lever with a castor wheel at end so as to trail whichever way the steering side arms
move it. These steering side arms must reach round the rider so that he can lean
upon them when he tilts forward on to the said trailing wheel. The said front
trailing wheel may be so adjusted that when it touches the ground the back wheel
is raised off the ground & when neither are touching the ground the driving wheel
naturally may be ridden as an unicycle which is obviously the one object
of the invention namely that a front driving safety bicycle may be used as an
unicycle.
Dated this 16th day of January 1894.
i
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, HENRY JOHN LAWSON, of No. 7 Lothbury, in the City of London;
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manuer the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to the construction of a velocipede by which I attain the
following objects.
The rider can safely run the velocipede as a unicycle on one wheel, balancing
himself with ease so that his weight is directly over the axle, thereby ensuring
effective driving without slip and loss of power consequent on slip. The rider also
can sit erect in an attitude much more conducive to health and comfort than the
stooping attitude which riders of safety bicycles have generally to assume.
As there
is only one main wheel requiring an elastic tyre, as the front and back wheels are
small and not necessarily having elastic tyres, the weight and cost of the velocipede
are much less than of those which have two wheels with their expensive tyres. The
parts are so arranged, as will be hereafter explained, that the whole velocipede can
be packed up for transport in small compass, scarcely exceeding the bulk of the
wheel and this arrangement of the parts permits also of their being so set that the
velocipede can stand by itself
I shall describe the construction of velocipede according to my invention referring
to the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 is a front view of a velocipede according to my
invention.
.. .!
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the fork bearing,
Fig. 4 is a section' shewing the attachment of one of the steering handles,
Fig. 5 shews a detail hereinafter referred to..
Fig. 6 and 7 are diagrams shewing modified constructions.
2.4.

page_text: On the backbone A I mount the saddle S which may be provided with springs
arranged in any known manner, and to the backbone I joint, preferably with ball
bearings as shewn in Fig. 3, the steering fork F and also a front frame B which is
made integral with the fork F at the joint and is stayed to the fork by ties b which
may also be integral with the fork. In holes formed in the shoulders of the fork
at K (Fig. 4) are secured the ends of the steering handles H which can be turned
more or less obliquely up and secured in any desired position by spring catches L.
The steering arms are bent as shewn by the dotted lines H' in Fig. 1 so as to clear
the legs of the rider. They may also be withdrawn from their sockets K and
turned backwards, if desired.
To the lower parts of the forks F are jointed bearers for the pedal axles P, and
these bearers can, by means of screws and nuts p, be strained more or less away
from the main axle D, so as to tighten the driving chains C. To the end of the
backbone A I secure in a screw clamp, such as is shewa in section in Fig. 5, a curved
arm E which carries the back wheel W. The upper end of the arm E is made with
two or more grooves, with several holes in each groove.
By partly unscrewing the setting screw, I can raise or lower the arm E and turn it
more or less round, and then, by screwing in the screw so that its point enters one
of the holes in the groove, I can fix the arm E in the position shewn or that
indicated by the dotted lines E¹. In the lower end of the front frame B
I in like manner clamp an arm M which carries the front wheel N, mounted
as a caster.
The wheel N, being mounted as a caster, will readily take the direction of travel
when it touches the ground; to keep it generally in alignment with the main
wheel, it may have a spring n arranged to bear on a flat at the front side of its
collar.
As, in respect of the arm E, so I can raise or lower the arm M or turn it round
to the dotted position M'. The back wheel W and the caster N may be so adjusted
that they do not reach the ground when the rider balances himself, so that
the velocipede then operates as a unicycle. By turning the arms E of the back
wheel and M of the caster out of line with the driving wheel, the velocipede can
stand at rest, as on three supports. Also, by turning these arms round to the dotted
positions E and M³ so as to bring them against the main wheel and also turning
down the steering handles to the position H' against the forks, the whole velocipede
is brought into a compact form for transport.
As shown in Fig. 6, the limbs of the forks are vertical and have the bearings
for the main wheel and for the pedal axles fixed adjustably on them.
this case the steering handles are directed forwards so as to facilitate mounting
from behind.
As shewn in Fig. 7 the pedal axle is mounted so far forward on the limbs of the
fork that it passes across in front of the main wheel, a second set of the driving gear
being thus dispensed with.
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 velocipede having a single main driving wheel mounted to turn on a vertical
axis and operate as a steering wheel, in combination with a front wheel also mounted
to turn on a vertical axis, substantially as described.
2. In a velocipede such as is above referred to, a backbone carrying the saddle at
its top and a small back wheel at its lower end, in combination with a steering fork
carrying the main wheel, a front frame connected to the fork and carrying a small
front wheel mounted as a caster, and pedal shafts and driving gear mounted on the
two limbs of the fork, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5
inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
3. The construction of the backbone of a velocipede such as is above referred to
in two parts, the lower part carrying the small back wheel being adjustable in a

page_text: clamp at the lower end of the upper part, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. The construction of the front frame in two parts, the upper part being
rigidly connected to the steering fork, and the lower part, which carries the caster,
being adjustable in the clamp in the upper part, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
5. In a velocipede, such as is above referred to, steering handles having curved
arms adjustable in holes in the upper part of the steering fork, substantially
as described.
6. For a velocipede, of the kind above referred to, the modified construction of
fork illustrated in Fig. 6.
7. For a velocipede, of the kind above referred to, the modified construction of
steering fork and bearings for a single pedal axle and driving gear, illustrated
in Fig. 7.
Dated this 7th day of Anvil 1901
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.