Improvements in or Additions to the Steering Mechanism of Safety Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to the Steering Mechanism of Safety
Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
We, CHARLES WILLIAM ASBURY of Bard Street, Sparkhill, near the City of
Birmingham, Engineer, and HERBERT CAUSER of Fulham Road, Sparkhill, near
Birmingham aforesaid, Tool Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
This invention relates to an automatic self-adjusting steerer, or in other words, to
means for automatically restoring or bringing the steering mechanism into its
normal position, after each steering movement.
Heretofore, the fore part, or the steering part, of safety bicycles, have been so
mounted and worked that a rider has to constantly apply his hands to the handle
bars, to restore the fore and aft parts of the machine to their normal and relative
positions, and also to check the too-free movement or swivelling of the fore part
with the back part.
In carrying out our invention, we will describe it 1st, in connection with a safety
bicycle.
The fore part of the rear framing of the machine, is provided or fitted with a
spindle, having oval or diamond shaped coned end or ends, which when, in their
normal position, take into like shaped top and bottom bearings, carried by brackets,
secured or made to clip around the head or pillar framing part of the said machine.
In practice, we prefer that the said oval, diamond, or other irregular shaped coned
end, should be disposed at bottom, and take into a like shaped seating in the bottom
bearing, which consists of an adjustable plug or stalk, screwing and taking vertically
through an extension of a bracket, attached to the fork, which may rake, or incline
to any angle as may be desired. This bottom bearing, after adjustment, is secured
by a jamb nut, or other suitable locking device.
The upper end of the spindle, which may be plain coned, takes within a bearing,
of a shape alike unto itself, countersunk within the middle of the head or enlarge-
ment of a slide or stalk, which works within a casing, and is guided therein centrally
by top and bottom bearings. Encircling the stem or stalk part, and with its ends
impinging upon the top of the casing, and back of the head respectively, is a
powerful coiled spring, which exerts its pressure in the direction of the axis of the
spindle, through the intervention of the slide, which rises and falls consequent upon
the change of position, and rising and falling of the spindle, caused by the lower
end of the same, working up its bearing or seat.
Thus, the turning of the steering wheel, around the spindle as a centre of motion,
causes both the top and bottom bearings, to turn upon the ends of the spindle, and
as one or both of them is or are of an irregular figure, the inclined planes of the one
impinge against, and ride up the inclined planes of the other, and cause the spindle
to rise, and with it, the top bearing or slide, which compresses the spring, in
obedience to the throw of the spindle, and pressure exerted.
The releasing of the handle, allows the tension of the spring to now expend itself
upon the slide, and through it to the spindle, which resting as it were, upon an
inclined plane, causes its seating or seatings to be drawn coincident, hence the
automatic and self adjusting steerer, or self righting means in connection with the
steering mechanism.
In lieu of the elliptical or diamond shaped end or ends of the spindle, we may
employ separate, or in conjunction therewith, a cam shaped snug, or an helix upon
the lower or upper end of the said spindle, to give the necessary rising and falling
movement to it.

page_text: The application of our inveution to socket and other steerers, differs in no essential
respect from its application to a safety bicycle, as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 10th day of March 1891.
CHARLES WILLIAM ASBURY.
HERBERT CAUSER.
By Henry Skerrett,.
Agent for Applicants.
Improvements in or Additions to the Steering Mechanism of Safety
Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
We, CHARLES WILLIAM ASBURY of Bard Street, Sparkhill, near the City of
Birmingham, Engineer, and HERBERT CAUSER of Fulham Road, Sparkhill, near
Birmingham aforesaid, Tool Maker, 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 :-
This invention relates to a right line, or a right line tracker automatic restoring
steering mechanism, as hereinafter described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents partly in elevation, and
partly in vertical section, a self-adjusting right line steering head, constructed and
arranged according to our invention.
The lower bearing end of the spindle of the said head, is of the figure of a
coned ellipse, and seats itself within a like coned ellipse, sunken within an
adjustable part carried by a lower bracket made fast to the post, which is
surmounted by a handle bar, which on being turned, rotates with it the said
post, and causes the coned ellipse of the spindle to rise, as it were, alike unto
a helix, up the she-coned ellipse, while at the same time, the plain cone surmounting
the spindle, works within a plain cone sunken within the head of a sliding
stalk, working and enclosed within an inverted socket, carried by a bracket
made fast to the steering post as aforesaid.
Figure 2 represents a plan of the top side of the lower bracket, and upon the
dotted lines A. B, and with the spindle removed.
Figure 3 represents an underside plan of the lower bearing end of the spindle or
joint of the back framing.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 3.
a is a cross or back framing, of a machine, having forward of it, a neck or
junction piece a², carrying an upright spindle a³, terminated at its upper end by a
plain cone a, and with the lower end of the said spindle, terminated by a coned
ellipse a, which takes a dead bearing in a like elliptical coned recess or seating b²,
of an adjustable plug or stem b, having a head 7', taking and screwing upwardly
through a rear outstanding part 2, of a bracket c, secured to the steering post d or
head of a machine, which is terminated by a handle bar, which moves both post and
bracket, on the same being turned as usual.
e is a lock nut for affixing the adjustable plug or stem b, after the adjustment of
the same.
Thus, the track of the machine is made to follow a right line, by making the
plane of the cone sinking follow the general direction of the machine, or to make
the plane of the front wheel, follow the dead plane of the back wheel, hence a right-
line track machine.
The said plane cone a', of the upper end of the spindle, seats itself and works
within a
plain cone seating f¹, sunken within the head 2, of a stalk f, which slides
within an inverted socket ², carried by, and directed from a bracket
the steering post or pillar head d, as aforesaid.
ولا
made fast.to
This socket y', is contracted at its upper inner end, and has a shoulder d³, against

page_text: which the upper end of a coiled spring h, interposed between the said shoulder and
head of the stalk, takes its bearing.
Thus the stalk works piston-like within the socket, and has encircling the same
a coiled spring, with abutments as aforesaid.
The turning of the post on steering, takes the elliptical coned socket or seating
out of the axial line of the spindle, thereby causing the said elliptically coned
bearing end as, of the spindle to rise up the sides of the elliptical coned socket or
seating 2, and by the spindle thus rising, the stalk f, is forced up the socket, and
the spring, compressed thereby.
On the handle bar of the machine being released by a rider, the axis of the
spindle immediately returns to its normal position, through the influence of the
spring exerting itself upon the spindle, which always tends to take its vertical axis
coincident with the axis of the elliptical coned seating in the lower bracket, hence
an automatic right line steering action.
Instead of employing elliptical coned seatings, or seatings of an irregular figure
at the lower bearings of spindle and seatings, both ends of spindle and bearings may
be of the figure of the lower one as aforesaid.
In this case, the stalk, and with it, its cognate parts, would be prevented from
rotating, by sliding within a square casing, or between guides, so that its axial line
should remain lignable with the lower sunken bearing.
Figure 4 represents another form of head or frame joint constructed and arranged
according to a further form of our invention.
In this arrangement, the adjustable part is removed to the top bearing instead of
to the bottom.
a is the cross or back framing, a² the neck, a³ the spindle, at a lower plain cone,
and as, an elliptically shaped cone, working within a like coned seating b², of a
headed stalk 6, the stalk of which is surrounded by a coiled spring h, disposed
between the head of the said stalk b, and an adjustable screw b', taking within the
open top of a sleeve ², carried by a bracket g, and made fast to a steering post d.
e is a lock nut, for affixing the screw plug in its adjusted position, whilst the
said headed stalk, is prevented from rotating, but still acquiring the power to
slide, by the said head being made angular, and taking within an inside angular
part of the sleeve. The end a', may be elliptically coned, and taking into a like
seating sunken within the bracket c, while the end a may be plain, and taking into
a like plain seating made in the head of the stalk to receive it.
The plain bearing a, takes within a like plain seating c¹, sunken within the
bracket c, carried by the steering post.
Figure 5 represents a modified form of the elliptically coned ends and seatings.
a³ is a spindle, a an elliptically coned bearing end, terminated by a stalk a, and
which latter a and a', work and turn within like shaped bearing recesses ²,
Figure 6 represents a plan of the underside of the spindle, showing the formation
of the lower end of the stalk proceeding from the middle of it.
Figure 7 represents a socket steering head constructed and provided according to
our invention.
a are branches of a diamond or other shaped framing, affixedly connected by
brazing or otherwise to a sleeve a², up the hollow middle part of which, the steering
post d, takes, and works within it.
.
The sleeve a², carries at its lower end, a V-shaped annulus a³, having inclined
acting faces a, which fit and work within annular recesses 62 of a collar b, sliding
loose about the lower part of the said post, and prevented from rotating by gaps b
taking over studs d', standing from the sides of the said post, which is terminated
at its lower end by forks d² and crown d³, and between which latter, and underside
of sleeve b, a coiled spring is interposed, and by it, balances the system.
h
Above the top side of the sleeve a, and the fixed clip or collar i, is a coiled
spring j, of less power than the one below marked A, hence the balanced head, with
automatic right-line restoring means.
Figure 8 shows the lower portion of the sleeve, with the V-shaped annulus upon it.

page_text: Figure 9 shows the loose collar, with V-shaped annulus recess formed within its
top side, while
Figure 10 is a top side plan of Figure.9.
Figure 11 is an automatic restoring right-line socket steering head, provided with
ball bearings.
The parts are alike in construction to the arrangement Figure 7, other than the
interposing of balls or spheres between the working parts or inclines of the V-shaped
inclined annulii, and the confining of the balls or spheres by an enclosing jacket or
casing (shown in section).
Instead of employing coned ellipses or elliptically shaped cones, I may employ
elliptically bulbous bearings or any such irregular shaped figures, or in lieu of such
figures I may bring into requisition a quick threaded helix or a part of one.
The spindles instead of having he ends, may have she recesses, and the parts
which now have she recesses may have he parts, and further the joints may, if
necessary be provided with a yielding attachment, instead of the framings as
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First In right line automatic restoring steering mechanism combining with a
spindle, or the joint of a machine, an elliptically coned or other irregular shaped
end or ends, which take and seat themselves within a like shaped socket or sockets
or recesses carried by another portion of a machine, substantially as, and for the
purpose as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 6.
Secondly-In a right line automatic-restoring steering mechanism, combining
with the joint of a machine, a plain and elliptically coned bearing, with the latter
taking within a like shaped seating in a plain seating formed within a slide, kept
down and in position by a coiled or other spring, substantially as, and for the
purpose described and set forth.
Thirdly In a right line automatic-restoring steering mechanism, combining with
a bearing end or ends, made elliptically coned, or of any other like irregular figure,
an adjustable seating, or seatings, to adjust the same, and correct any illignable
irregularities, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourthly-In an automatic restoring steering mechanism, combining with one
of the bearing ends of a spindle or joint of a machine, a rising and falling stalk or
piston, which allows the spindle or joint to rise and fall independent of the machine,
whilst still retaining its proper bearing during such motion, substantially as
described and set forth..
Fifthly The general construction, fitting and arrangement of parts of right
line automatic restoring steering mechanism, as described and set forth in Figures 1
and 4.
Sixthly In socket steering heads or machines, the construction, fitting, com-
bination and arrangement of parts as herein described and set forth, hence a right
line automatic restoring steerer, as set forth in Figure 7.
Seventhly-The combination with the steering mechanism, as herein described,
of ball bearings, arranged, combined and working, substantially as described and
set forth in Figure 11.
Dated this 9th day of December 1891
CHARLES WILLIAM ASBURY.
HERBERT CAUSER.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.