IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO BICYCLES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JESSE KEY, of 158, Upper Windsor Street, Ashted, Birmingham, Warwickshire,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR ADDITIONS TO BICYCLES PARTLY APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN OTHER VELOCIPEDES
"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention has reference to Improvements in or additions to bicycles partly
applicable to certain other velocipedes and it consists firstly in the application and
use of a small wheel on each side of the large wheel to prevent the bicycle falling.
sideways. It consists secondly in an improved steering head for bicycles and
certain other velocipedes the objects of the improvements being to provide a
steering head which shall bo cheap to manufacture, dirt proof and steady in its
working parts.
I will at once refer to the accompanying drawing and describe how
Invention is to be performed.
my said
Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 2 is a side elevation of a bicycle
provided with a small wheel on each side of the driving wheel to prevent it from
falling sideways according to the first part of my Invention and Figures 3 and 4 are
a front and a side elevation respectively of a modification of the same applied to a
safety bicycle; Figure 5 is a detailed view of part of the prolonged fork A of the
bicycle shewn in Figures 3 and 4; Figure 6 is a view partly in section of my
improved steering head.
I will first describe my Invention with reference more particularly to Figures 1
and 2 of my drawing. A is the fork of the large wheel having formed therewith,
or in some suitable manner attached thereto, the prolongations a¹ which are
prolonged outwardly to carry the brackets a², a³ for the forks B of the small
wheels C. On each of the top parts 6' of the fork B I provide a spiral spring D
which bears against the undersides of the brackets a² and the forks B. The said
top parts b¹ being free to slide in the brackets a² the said small wheels C can rise or
fall a little when running over an uneven surface or around a curve. The brackets a³
clip loosely the sides 62 of the forks B and keep the said small wheels C in a line
with each other. The small wheels C as viewed from the side may either be on the
vertical centre line of the driving wheel, as shewn in Figure 2, or behind or before

page_text: the said vertical centre line, as shewn in Figure 4, and instead of being carried by
the forks B their axles may be attached to or formed with the said prolongations a¹
of the fork A, or the said prolongations may be made in two parts to slide one
within the other as shewn in Figures 3 and 4 and more clearly in Figure 5 where
the bottom part a carrying the axle c¹ slides within the top parts a¹ and is provided
with a spring D for the purpose above described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
It will be seen that the said small wheels C effectually prevent the bicycle falling
sideways.
In my Improved steering head as shewn in Figure 6 I provide in the top part of
the fork N and at the root of the central pin n¹ a cup or recess n² for holding oil
and a projecting ring n³ and I provide on the end o of the back-bone P which fits
thereon a corresponding projecting ring o' and a recess o³. The said projecting
rings and recesses effectually hold the oil and render the working parts steady and
dust proof.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein
described and illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention.
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. The improvements in or additions to bicycles as hereinbefore described and
illustrated, that is to say, the application and use of a small wheel on each side of
the driving wheel arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and illustrated.
2. The improvements in the steering heads of bicycles and certain other
velocipedes, that is to say, the recess n with the ring n³ and ring o' with the
recess o² substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and
illustrated.
1 13
out
Decomhan 1881