Safety Appliance for Two-wheeled Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Loft 16th Dec 1505 Accented 18th Jan 1866
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Safety Appliance for Two-wheeled Vehicles.
I, HARRY SMITH EDWARDS, of Byethorn, Corbridge-on-Tyne, in the County
of Northumberland, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention consists in a safety appliance for two-wheeled vehicles, which may
also serve as the step-carrying device, and has for its object to hold up the
vehicle and prevent its departure to any great extent from its normal and practically
horizontal position in case of the horse falling or stumbling, so that the occupants
of the vehicle will not be thrown out nor the shafts broken, and the horse will be
better able to recover itself.
To this end I provide and firmly secure to either shaft at the most efficient
distance from the front of the body of the vehicle a spring lever device forwardly
inclining and projecting downwardly to a suitable distance from the ground surface,
and carrying at its foot a roller or wheel adapted to come against the ground in
case of accident and so support the forward end of the vehicle, the shock or impact
being taken up by the buffer-like action of the applied springs. To such appliance
the step or steps may conveniently be fixed.
The safety appliance on each shaft may consist of double levers, each comprising
three parts, the uppermost made of forged steel suitably splayed out for attach-
ment to the shafts and distributing the strains; to these are fixed the intermediate.
portions consisting of steel tubes containing spiral springs; the lower parts are of
solid bar steel, their upper ends adapted to slide into the said central tubes and abut
against the said contained springs, slot and stop or equivalent suitable means for
limiting motion and preventing withdrawal being provided. Their lower ends are
joined in U-form and carry in a slot a fore and aft roller or wheel of hard rubber or
suitable substance.
The step bars may be arranged to cross and connect the said double levers,
thereby strengthening the appliance.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
J. C. CHAPMAN, C.P.A.,
Agent.
1, HARRY SMITH EDWARDS, of Byethorn, Corbridge-on-Tyne, in the County
of Northumberland, Gentleman, 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:—
My invention consists in a safety appliance for two-wheeled vehicles which may
also serve as the step-carrying device, and has for its object to hold up the vehicle
and prevent its departure to any great extent from its normal and practically
horizontal position in case of the horse falling or stumbling, so that the occupants
of the vehicle will not be thrown out nor the shafts broken and the horse will be
better able to recover itself.

page_text: To this end provide and firmly secure to either shaft at the most efficient
distance from the front of the body of the vehicle, or it may be to the front of
the vehicle itself. though I prefer the former, a spring lever device forwardly
inclining and projecting downwardly to a suitable distance from the ground surface,
and carrying at its foot a roller or wheel adapted to come against the ground in
case of accident and so support the forward end of the vehicle, the shock or
impact being taken up by the buffer-like action of the applied springs. To such
appliance the step or steps may conveniently be fixed.
The safety appliance may consist of double levers such as are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of my safety appliance fixed upon the
shaft of a two-wheeled trap, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.
a
Fig. 3 illustrates another arrangement of my invention.
In this construction L L' are the spring levers, each comprising three parts, the
uppermost which is preferably made of forged steel and suitably splayed out for
distributing the strains; it is attached to the shaft T at each side by straps and
bolts as shown at 1. 1. or otherwise; to these upper parts are fixed the inter-
mediate portions 12 13 consisting of straight or suitably curved steel tubes
containing spiral springs s. s of appropriate compressible strength; the lower
parts are preferably of solid bar steel, their upper ends being connected with
sliding attachment to the central tubular parts 12 12, as shown for example at f
consisting of a slot and stop arrangement such as t or equivalent suitable means of
limiting motion and preventing withdrawal. The upper ends of the parts 13 13 abut
directly against the lower ends of the springs s. s. for the purpose hereinafter
explained. The lower ends of the parts 13 13 are joined in U form and carry in a
slot V or other suitable bearing a fore and aft roller W which may be of hard
rubber or other suitable substance, or provided with rubber or other tyres. The
steps P may be arranged to cross and connect the double levers as illustrated,
thereby strengthening the appliance.
In use, should the horse fall the shaft ends do not come to the ground as usual,
but the wheel W first striking it supports the shafts, the impact or force of the
collision between the ground and my safety appliance being practically absorbed
and taken up by the springs so as not to transmit any undue force to the shafts
and the vehicle; further the horse, not being pressed down by the weight of the
vehicle, is enabled more easily to get up.
It is obvious that various arrangements of parts having action equivalent to
that above described may readily be devised; one such as is shown for example
in Fig. 3, wherein the supporting levers L are made in one piece and fitted
with cross steps P and roller Was before; the forward lever I is pivotted at
its upper part to a bearing fixed to the shaft, and to the rear extremity 1 of
the hindermost lever L' a spring s either of such kind as is illustrated, or of other
convenient form, is applied in such manner that upon the roller W taking ground
from any cause the shock of impact and the weight of the vehicle will be trans-
mitted to and taken up by the spring s as above explained.
I do not claim any particular or precise arrangement of levers and spring
device so long as the above described functions thereof be maintained and effected,
but
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 1
claim is:-
1. A safety appliance for two-wheeled vehicles consisting of a forwardly inclined
downwardly projecting spring lever device such as L attached to each shaft or
to the front end of the vehicle and carrying at its foot a roller or wheel, the
device being disposed and applied as indicated or in any convenient manner for
supporting the vehicle and taking up the force of impact when the roller comes
against the ground, substantially as above set forth.

page_text: LWO-Wheeled
2. The several arrangements of safety appliance for
substantially as described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of December 1895.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C