Improvements in Devices or Appliances for Supporting Bioyoles when not in Motion.
Year: 1894

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883), as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 30th day of July 1896.
Date of Application, 9th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 24th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices or Appliances for Supporting Bioyoles
when not in Motion.
I, THOMAS BROWETT, of the Firm of Browett, Lindley & Co., Limited, of
Sandon Works, Patricroft, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in devices or appliances for supporting
bicycles when not in motion so as to make them stand firmly, and consists of
certain appliances designed to be habitually carried as part of the machine and
capable of being made very light and strong for this purpose. The said appliances
are of such a character and construction that they may be readily attached to
any ordinary safety bicycle without radical alteration of any of the usual parts of
such machine, the details of my invention only requiring slight modifications to
suit the details of the various types of frames, etc., now in general use.
For the purpose of supporting a bicycle in a vertical position on the ground
I provide a prop or props (usually two) hinged or jointed at one end to any
convenient part of the machine in such a manner as to be turned up into a
convenient position when not in use as supports and be capable of being lowered
onto the ground, the lower ends diverging or splaying as they approach the ground
so as to give sideways support to the machine. To prevent the machine moving
forwards the said props also have a rake forwards and to prevent the machine
running backwards a skid or scotch of wood or other light substance, suitably
shaped to receive the tyre, is provided, such skid being also attached or linked to
the said props by a link or links or a cord or similar device in such a manner that
the backward thrust on the skid and the forward thrust on the inclined props are
opposite to each other. The length of the props may be adjustable by making
them telescopic and capable of being locked at any required length to suit uneven
surfaces in the road, or by a special device hereinafter described.
The props may be linked together at any point between their fulcra and their
lower ends to prevent splaying too far and to give extra rigidity.
The links or cords uniting the props to the skid may be adjustable to suit
various sizes of wheels and other parts, or a spring may be used between the links
and the skid.
According to another part of my invention a separate skid or shoe may also be
used suspended from or attached to the front fork and capable of being raised off
or lowered onto the ground for the purpose of keeping the front wheel and
steering gear in the central position by the pressure of the skid or shoe on the

page_text: ground and on the front wheel. This device may be used either in conjunction
with or without the first named supporting device before described.
A convenient form of my invention for supporting the machine as applied to au
ordinary safety bicycle may be described as follows:-
In any ordinary safety bicycle the hind or driving wheel is mounted so as to
revolve freely on a spindle secured in various ways in the ends of the back fork
of the frame. This spindle is usually secured by a nut on each end and the nut on
the near side of the machine usually secures, or itself forms part of, the step
used for mounting the machine. I replace these two nuts by extension pieces
of metal drilled and screwed to fit the ends of the spindle (which, when specially
made, may be lengthened to suit). The above pieces when screwed on the spindle
ends form bosses brackets or pins to which are articulated or jointed two rods or
props, which for lightness and strength may be metal tubes. These props will be
somewhat longer than the radius of the wheel and are so jointed to the spindle or
fork ends that their free ends will approach each other as they are raised from the
ground and diverge as they are lowered towards the ground. This may be
accomplished either by slinging the props on pins set at an angle to the centre line
of the spindle of the wheel or by causing their eyes to ride against bosses or faces
inclined at the required. angle and formed on or secured to the face of the hind
fork or the spindle or to the extension pieces screwed thereto.
2 lower end of each prop I attach, by a suitable joint or fastening, a cord, light
rod or link the other ends of which are secured to a wedge shaped block or skid
in such a manner and at such a distance as to draw the skid tightly forward
under the hind part of the hind wheel as the props are moved into their extreme
forward position. When this block or skid is raised from the ground it draws
with it the two props one on either side of the machine and it may be conveniently
fixed on the mud guard (when fitted) or to the upper end of the hind fork, when
1
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not in use.
The method of using a device so fitted will be as follows:-
Towards the
Having detached from its hook or other fastening the skid it is allowed to fall
to the ground and lies in a line behind the hind wheel. At the same time the two
props which are suspended by links from the skid fall and strike the ground at
points slightly behind the vertical centre line of the hind axle to which they are
jointed as described, their lower ends diverging as they fall. The machine is then
wheeled back a few inches until the hind wheel rests on the skid after being raised
by the props slightly off the ground as they pass the vertical centre line. The
props have then a forward and outward rake and support the machine firmly.
As it is frequently required to make a machine stand by the roadside so that
one of the props would fall into the gutter, which is lower than the roadway at
the other side of the machine, it will be convenient to construct at least one of the
props, and that preferably the near side one, in such a manner that it may readily
be lengthened to suit such a position. For this purpose it may be made telescopic
with a locking device such as a screw, ratchet and pawl or frictional gripping
device; or the following device may be used. The prop may be made entirely
of a series of cross links known as "lazy tongs" form, or one or two such cross-
links may be introduced in any part or at either end of such
prop and so
constructed as to fall or be drawn out to the required length to touch the ground
and then be locked in that position either automatically or by hand.
ends of the props may be fitted with spikes or pads or may be bifurcated.
When the supporting device as described is in use, by pushing the bicycle a
little forward the props, having a forward rake and being longer than the radius
of the wheel, will raise the wheel off the ground so that it may be rotated and by
the addition of a second skid as described under the hind part of the front wheel
the machine will stand in this position with the hind wheel off the ground. The
addition of a second skid to the front wheel also serves the purpose of preventing
the handle bar and steering gear and front fork from moving out of line with
the plane of the frame of the machine thus assuring great stability. The said
The lower

page_text: front wheel skid may conveniently be slung to the front fork by light rods of such
a length and so arranged and hinged thereto as to move into a position clear of the
tyre when raised off the ground and fall into a position on the tyre and ground
such as to hold the front wheel and steering gear from moving.
According to a modified form of my invention the supporting device may be
arranged to fold up inside the wheel when not in use the two props being for this
purpose hinged to a bracket or arm secured in any convenient manner to the hub of the
wheel. In order to cause the said props to diverge, a short link may be attached
to each at a convenient distance from its fulcrum pin (carried by said bracket) and
the outer ends of these two links joined by a pin arranged to move in a vertical
slot formed in an arm projecting from the said bracket or fixed to any other part of
the wheel. On pulling the lower end of one prop outwards the other will be
similarly moved in an opposite direction the link forming a toggle-joint. The
props may be made telescopic or extensible to obtain the required length and
their lower ends secured in the wheel when not in use by a spring clip or similar
device which may conveniently he attached to the rim of the wheel.
Dated this 8th day of June 1894.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Devices or Appliances for Supporting Bicycles
when not in Motion.
I, THOMAS BROWETT, of the Firm of Browett, Lindley & Co., Limited, of
Sandon Works, Patricroft, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this inveution and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in devices or appliances for supporting
bicycles when not in motion so as to make them stand firmly, and consists of
certain appliances designed to be habitually carried as part of the machine and
capable of being made very light.and strong for this purpose. The said appliances
are of such a character and construction that they may be readily attached to any
ordinary safety bicycle without radical alteration of any of the usual parts of such
machine, the details of my invention only requiring slight modifications to suit the
details of the various types of frames, etc., now in general use.
For the purpose of supporting a bicycle in a vertical position on the ground
I provide a prop or props (usually two) hinged or jointed at one end to any
convenient part of the machine in such a manner as to be turned up into a con-
venient position when not in use as supports and be capable of being lowered onto
the ground, the lower ends diverging or splaying as they approach the ground so
as to give sideways support to the machine. To prevent the machine moving
forwards the said props also have a rake forwards and to prevent the machine
running backwards a skid or scotch of wood or other light substance, suitably
shaped to receive the tyre, is provided, such skid being also attached or linked to
the said props by a link or links or a cord or similar device in such a manner that
the backward thrust on the skid and the forward thrust on the inclined props are
opposite to each other. The length of the props may be adjustable by making
them telescopic and capable of being locked at any required length to suit uneven
surfaces in the road, or by a special device hereinafter described.
The props may be linked together at any point between their fulera and their
lower ends to prevent splaying too far and to give extra rigidity.
The links or cords uniting the props to the skid may be adjustable to suit

page_text: various sizes of wheels and other parts, or a spring may be used between the links
and the skid.
A separate skid or shoe may also be used suspended from or attached to the
front fork and capable of being raised off or lowered onto the ground for the
purpose of keeping the front wheel and steering gear in the central position by
the pressure of the skid or shoe on the ground and on the front wheel, this
device being used in addition to the first named supporting device before
described.
A convenient form of my invention for supporting the machine as applied to an
ordinary safety bicycle may be described as follows:-
In any ordinary safety bicycle the hind or driving wheel is mounted so as to
revolve freely on a spindle secured in various ways in the ends of the back fork of
the frame. This spindle is usually secured by a nut on each end and the nut on
the near side of the machine usually secures, or itself forms part of, the step used
for mounting the machine. I replace these two nuts by extension pieces of metal
drilled and screwed to fit the ends of the spindle (which, when specially made may
be lengthened to suit). The above pieces when screwed on the spindle ends form
bosses, brackets or pins to which are articulated or jointed two rods or props,
which for lightness and strength may be metal tubes. These props will be some-
what longer than the radius of the wheel and are so jointed to the spindle or fork
ends that their free ends will approach each other as they are raised from the
ground and diverge as they are lowered towards the ground. This may be
accomplished either by slinging the props on pins set at an angle to the centre
line of the spindle of the wheel or by causing their eyes to ride against bosses
or faces inclined at the required angle and formed on or secured to the face of
the hind fork or the spindle or to the extension pieces screwed thereto. Towards
the lower end of each prop I attach, by a suitable joint or fastening a cord,
light rod or link the other ends of which are secured to a wedge shaped block
or skid in such a manner at such a distance as to draw the skid tightly forward
under the hind part of the hind wheel as the props are moved into their extreme
forward position. When this block or skid is raised from the ground it draws
with it the two props one on either side of the machine and it may be con-
veniently fixed on the mud guard (when fitted) or to the upper end of the
bind fork when not in use.
.
The method of using a device so fitted will be as follows :—
Having detached from its hook or other fastening the skid, it is allowed to
fall to the ground and lies in a line behind the hind wheel. At the same time
the two props which are suspended by links from the skid fall and strike the
ground at points slightly behind the vertical centre line of the hind axle to
which they are jointed as described, their lower ends diverging as they fall.
The machine is then wheeled back a few inches until the bind wheel rests on
the skid after being raised by the props slightly off the ground as they pass the
vertical centre line. The props have then a forward and outward rake and support
the machine firmly.
As it is frequently required to make a machine stand by the roadside so that one
of the props would fall into the gutter, which is lower than the roadway at the
other side of the machine, it will be convenient to construct at least one of the props,
and that preferably, the near side one in such a manner that it may be readily
lengthened to suit such a position. For this purpose it may be made telescopic
with a locking device such as a screw ratchet and pawl or frictional gripping
device; or the following device may be used. The prop may be made entirely of
a series of cross links known as "lazy tongs "form, or one or two such crosslinks
may be introduced in any part or at either end of such prop and so constructed as
to fall or be drawn out of the required length to touch the ground and then be
locked in that position either automatically or by hand. The lower ends of the
props may be fitted with spikes or pads or may be bifurcated.
When the supporting device as described is in use by pushing the bicycle a little

page_text: forward the props, having a forward rake and being longer than the radius of the
wheel will raise the wheel off the ground so that it may be rotated and by the
addition of a second skid as described under the hind part of the front wheel
the machine will stand in this position with the hind wheel off the ground. The
addition of a second skid to the front wheel also serves the purpose of preventing
the handle bar and steering gear and front fork from moving out of line with the
plane of the frame of the machine thus assuring great stability. The said front
wheel skid may conveniently be slung to the front fork by light rods of such a
length and so arranged and hinged thereto as to move into a position clear of the
tyre when raised off the ground and fall into a position on the tyre and ground such
as to hold the front wheel and steering gear from moving.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
be appended hereunto two sheets of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures.
Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 4, Sheet I, show respectively side and end elevations of a bicycle
support or stand constructed according to my invention as above described, the two
first figures showing the device in use and the other two when folded up and not
in use.
Fig. 34 is a side elevation of the hind wheel showing the device in and out
of use.
Figs. 5 & 6 show to a larger scale the extension pieces and the method of fitting
same to existing hind wheel spindles.
Fig. 5 shows the extension piece arranged as a step. For use, on the other side
of the bicycle the extension piece will terminate with a nut close up to the slotted
block c.
Fig. 6 shows a form of bracket secured to the fork of the machine by one of
the nuts usually employed to secure the hind wheel spindle. This bracket
may conveniently be made of a piece of sheet steel bent in the form shown
carrying the fulcrum pin on which the eye of the prop is hinged. This plate
of metal may readily be set to the angle required for giving the props the
desired rake and inclination. In Fig. 5 a are the extension pins screwed on to the
ends of the ordinary hind wheel spindle b, and c are the blocks with diagonal slots
cut in saine to receive the eyes or ends d of the props e. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 34,
and 4 is the skid joined to the props e by the spring wires g which wire is wrapped
into a spiral of say three or four coils round the props e in such a manner as to be
free to slide up and down same, the other ends of the wire being attached to the
skid in any convenient manner. The wire g may also be made with a certain spring
or set so as to press the skid fon to the tyre of the wheel so that when the wheel
is rotated the skid will rise or fall with it thus raising or lowering the props e but
this is not essential.
Figs. 7 & 8 show one method of constructing a telescopic or extensible prop
wherein the eye d has a shank d¹, turned to slide freely inside the tubular
prop e.
This shank has ratchet teeth formed all round it by turning grooves
at equal distances apart along its length. Into these ratchet teeth one end of
a spring catch or detent h engages through a slit cut across the tube e in a
convenient position, the other end of the spring catch being secured to the tubular
props e as shown.
Figs. 9 & 10 show the special form of extensible props referred to and consisting
of a series of links i arranged on the well known "lazy tongs" principle so as to be
capable of being partly shut up or extended. A bridle or ring k embraces say the
last pair of short links i and as the device is extended this bridle falls further down
the said links as they become more nearly parallel and lock same in this position.
By raising the bridle k the links can be closed together and when the prop of
which this device forms a part is raised off the ground into a vertical position the
bridle will fall by its own weight towards the points where the said two last links
are pivoted or articulated and permit the "lazy tougs" to be closed up by pressure.

page_text: To give still more support and lock the front wheel a skid f¹ may be connected
from the axle end of the front wheel by means of spring rods g¹, see Fig. 1 & 2
which spring rods allow the skid f¹ to be slung on to the mud guard when out of
use. Fig. 3 shows another arrangement of the parts wherein the props e and
rods gare behind the wheel and the skid in front the dotted lines showing the
skid slung on to the mud guard when out of use.
Figs. 11 & 12, Sheet II, are respectively a side and end view of the rear wheel
showing-another form of my invention consisting of similar parts performing similar
functions; but in this case the skid instead of resting on the ground is suspended
by any convenient portion of the framework and is connected to the props e by links
or chains as shown in such a manner that after the props have been allowed
to fall on to the ground and the machine is wheeled slightly backwards or
forwards (as the case may be) the props after passing the vertical position draw
the skid tightly on to the tyre of the wheel thus preventing the machine from
moving. When the props are not in use as supports they may be folded up and
supported by hooks or clips fixed to the skid or to the links, as shown in
Fig. 12, Sheet II. In the drawing the skid is shown suspended from the rods
which are commonly used to support the mud guard but when a mud guard is
not used it may be suspended from any other convenient portion of the framework
it being noted that when the skid is hung behind the wheel the props must have a
forward inclination as shown and when the skid is hung in front of the wheel
(Fig. 3A) the props must have a backward inclination when in use as supports.
In describing the various forms of my invention and methods of carrying same
into effect I wish it to be understood that some of the forms require no alteration
of existing machines while other forms depend for their application on certain
structural alterations or additions to existing parts to render them applicable. For
instance the bosses or brackets or pins to which the props are jointed might be
conveniently attached to or formed on any portion of the tubular framework during
the process of manufacture but it is one of the peculiar advantages of my invention
that it can be easily made in a form applicable with very slight variation of detail
to all existing forms of machines without altering them.
The eyes d at the ends of the props e can be set at a slight angle to the centre
line of the props, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 7 Sheet I, so as to give a greater
rake to the props on reaching the ground to increase stability.
In cases where the props are arranged to lie when folded up paralled with the
hind stays of the frame instead of the ends of the props resting on said stays the
spring wire a connecting the skid f to the props may conveniently be bent round
into a hook to engage with the said hind stays and support the props.
In cases when no mud guard is fitted the skid when raised off the ground may
be attached by a cord or chain slung from the saddle post or the saddle or any
other convenient portion of the machine in such a manner as to keep the skid clear
of the wheel. Or the wires or links between the props and the skid may be
constructed so as to spring the skid clear of the wheel instead of pressing same on
to the wheel as was described in connection with the description of Figs. 1 & 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim, is―
For the purpose of supporting a bicycle in a vertical position on the ground
the use of props hinged or jointed at one end to any convenient part of the machine,
or to bosses or brackets or pins attached thereto in such a manner as to be capable
of being raised up into a convenient position when not in use as supports and be
capable of being lowered down to the ground, the lower ends of said props being
caused to diverge as they approach the ground so as to give sideways support to the
machine, the said props being also arranged to have some forward or backward rake
when in use as supports and being used in combination with a skid suitably shaped

page_text: )
to receive the tyre of the wheel, such skid being also attached to the said
props by a link or links in such a manner that the thrust on the skid and the
thrust on the props when supporting the machine act in opposite directions, all
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of March 1895.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.