Improvements in Velocipedes for One or More Riders
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th Apr, 1889-Accepted, 8th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Velocipedes for One or More Riders
We, ISAAC WATTS BOOTHROYD of 47 Farringdon Rond, in the County of
Middlesex, Manager GFORGE SHANN of 3 Park Row, Albert Gate in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer and PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF of 47 Firringdon Road in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our sud invention to
'be as follows
We construct our improved velocipede so that it can be used as a rear-driving
safety bicycle for one rider, as a Tandem safety bicycle, or as a single or a Tandem
tricycle We build a velocipede with a framework similar to that of the usual type
of rear driving safety bicycle, and furnished with pedalling apparatus and saddle
support for one rider, but with two chain wheels on the gear bracket To convert
this into a Tandem bicycle, we detach the front wheel and forks and handlebars at
the steering head, and insert a tube furnished with neck at the forward end, and
carrying a seat and pedalling apparatus for a front rider, and also a handlebar for
the back rider
This tube is so bent as to leave the framework open sideways so that it may be
easily mounted even by a rider in female attire Extensions of somewhat similar
construction, and for a similar purpose have been used, but they have necessitated
the detachment of the arm carrying the steering, and have been built up out of
a series of three parts with at least two joints, which must necessarily be weak
To convert the machine into a tandem tricycle, the front wheel, forks and
handles are dispensed with a seat and handles are attached to the nech, and a
short tube having a neck at the forward end and cari ying a second pedal bracket,
is bolted or otherwise secured to the back pedal bracket
To this tube we hinge a cross tube supported by two wheels, and furnished with
two rods which serve as the handles for the back rider This cross tube is preferably
in front of the head and neck and also in front of the axles of the steering wheels,
so as to allow the front pedal bracket, and consequently the weight of the front rider
to be situated nearly between the two steering wheels
In order to avoid the strain on the back or driving wheel bearings, which generally
revolve about a fixed pin, from which they are separated by balls-we prefer to have
the bearings fixed to the extremities of the back forks, the hub spindle pissing
through the bearings, but being made hollow, so is to enable a bolt to be passed
through, for the purpose of bracing together the two forks
It will be evident that instead of employing chain gear, either linkwork or wheel
gearing may be used
Dated this 8th day of June 1888
POPPLEWELL, COLTON & Co,
Agents for the Applicants
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Velocipedes for One or More Riders
We, ISAAC WATTS BOOTHROYD of 46 Farringdon Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Manager, GEORGE SHANN of 2 Park Row, Albert Gate in the County of Muddlesex,
Engineer, and PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF of 47 Farringdon Road in the County of
Middlesex Engineer, 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
-
The object of our invention is to construct a rear frame for velocipedes 'containing

page_text: .
a single driving wheel which can be readily attached to different front frames so as
to form either a bicycle or tricycle and to provide the driving wheel with a suitable
bearing which is however also applicable to driving wheels with frames of a different
construction
In the accompanying drawings the driving gear has been omitted and either chain
gear or lever gear may be used in the usual way
In Fig 1 the driving wheel A 18 supported by a frame which at its lower end has
a large clamp joint C, the front wheel B is supported in a fork furnished with the
usual steering bar and an ordinary steering arrangement, the tube D being inserted
into the clamp C by means of which it is rigidly attached to the rear frame
E15
a compression stay which is omitted when the machine is used as a lady's safety
Fig 2 shews a similar rear wheel and frame as applied to a tricycle, the single
front wheel being replaced by two wheels, these are mounted on a horizontal cross
arm I which carries the steering head F and a pair of handles G sud cross arm I
pivotting about the centres of heid F, the tube D which is hinged to the head F is
inserted into joint C and thus completes the machine
Fig 3 shews tandem sifety bicycle in which the front wheel B and the tube D
are attached to the rear frame by a clamped joint H in such a way as to be readily
detachable The rear frame is furnished with a head F close to the joint H
The
A tandem tricycle as shewn in Fig 4 is made by detaching the front wheel and
tube D and hingeing to head F a horizontal cross arm I which carries a pair of
wheels and handles said cross arm I pivotting about the centre of head F
cross arm I is kept as far behind the position of the front rider as possible, the
steering neck and the lugs to which the wheels are attached project forwards, so as
to keep the weight of the front rider as much as possible between the axis of the
steering wheel without his heels striking the cross arm I
We sometimes make the joint under the rear rider at C in Figures 3 and 4 a
detachable one similar to the joints under the front rider so that by detaching the
frame supporting the front rider, the machines shewn in Figs 1 and 2 may be
obtained
Instead of letting the cross arm I swivel about a central head F in Figs 2 and 4,
the cross arm may be rigidly held at its centre, but support the two side wheels by
means of heads or hinges attached to the sides of these wheels which are then steered
by a link motion connected with the handles in the usual way
The detachable joints may be made with conical sockets, split sockets or of any
other suitable form
We prefer to mount the driving wheel in such a way as to keep the bearings as
far apart as possible and to let the extremities of the hub revolve inside the bearings,
instead of adopting the usual device, in which the hub forms a bearing revolving
around the cones on the stationary pin
Fig 5 shews our improved driving hub in section
KK are the bearings, which are attached to the end of the forks or stays of the
velocipede, they are tied together by the pin L, one end of which is screwed into a
side of bearing K¹ M is the chain wheel, N N¹ the flanges into which the spokes
are screwed By slacking the nuts O and P at the end of the pin L and then
screwing the pin round the required distance and then tightening up the nuts again
the bearings will be adjusted
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim 15,
1 The Joint C, substantially as described and shewn in Figs 1 2 3 and 4 of the
drawings, which may carry either the connection with the front wheel and steering
parts of a safety bicycle or the front wheels and steering parts of a tricycle in which
two loose wheels pivot about one centre
2 The joint C substantially as described capable of holding either the connection
with the front wheel and steering parts of a safety bicycle or the connection with

page_text: the front wheels and steering parts of a tricycle in which two loose wheels pivot
about centres attached to their sides
3 A frame containing one driving wheel and seats for two riders with a joint
capable of attachment to eitner the connection with the steering wheel of a tandem
safety bicycle or the connection with the steering wheels of a tandem tricycle in
which there is only one driving wheel
4 The frame containing the seat of a rider and a rear driving wheel furnished
with a joint (as and for the purpose described by means of which the same rear
frame may be used for a single bicycle, a single tricycle, a tandem bicycle or a tandem
tricy cle
5 The bearings of a velocipede with one driving wheel, in which the driving wheel
hub is made to revolve within the bearings which are capable of adjustment and are
tied by a pin passing through the centre of the wheel
Dated th. OR J
1000
POPPLEWELL, COLTON & Co,
Agents for the Applicants