IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Marshall Starley and John Kemp Starley, both of
Coventry, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VELOCIPEDES."
Sealed the 15th April 1879, and dated the 16th November 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Marshall Starley and
John Kemp Starley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
16th November 1878.
JOHN MARSHALL STARLEY and JOHN KEMP STARLEY, both of Coventry, in the
County of Warwick. IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
"
The chief object of this Invention is to provide for the passage of velocipedes
with three or more wheels through a narrow entry.
These vehicles, unless a given width is preserved between the main carrying
wheels, are liable to be easily upset, but if the requisite width is preserved, then the
use of this class of vehicles is limited owing to their being unable to pass through
a narrow entry.
To provide for contracting the width of the velocipede when desired, we use a
central driving wheel, connecting it to a pedal shaft by means of chain gearing.
This wheel and the crank shaft we mount in a frame which is hinged to the
main frame, and is free to rise and fall independently thereof.
In a line with the axle of the driving wheel we provide two stud axles, on which
are loosely mounted the main carrying wheels. These axles are connected to the
carriage frame at their inner extremities by pivot pins, and they are stayed in
position, when their wheels are on the ground, by bearing against pendant forked.

page_text: projections on the end of the carriage frame. A fourth wheel is provided for
steering the vehicle.
When it is desired to pass this vehicle into a house, it is only necessary to raise
the carriage framing clear of the stud axles, and these with their wheels may then
be readily detached from the carriage.
As the driving wheel will be of smaller diameter than the main carrying wheels,
it may be desirable to increase its speed by means of multiplying gear.
The driving wheel may also be used as a steering wheel, but in this case the
wheel is mounted in a frame which is pivotted to the front end of the backbone,
which backbone is socketed into the carriage frame, horizontal bearings on the
frame forming sockets for the hinder end thereof. The steering handle is carried by a
forked piece which is made fast to the frame of the driving wheel, and by means of
this handle not only is the driving wheel steered but the backbone is capable of
being rocked in its socket. The axles for the main carrying wheels are cranked,
and upon them the wheels are mounted loosely. These cranked axles are mounted
in the carriage frame in such manner as to permit of the wheels folding over and
under the carriage. The horizontal portions of these axles which lie longitudinally
of the carriage carry each a vertical stay piece. These stay pieces are connected
together at their lower ends by means of a transverse bar which is pivotted thereto
at its opposite ends, and at the middle of its length this bar is pivotted to an arm
pendant from the hinder end of the backbone, and rigid therewith.
The upper ends of these stay pieces we connect together by a spring, which
serves to support the seat for the rider. When therefore the rider tips the steering
handle he will rock the backbone and cant the wheels so as to provide for the
vehicle passing around a sharp corner. We propose to provide a stay which will
limit the canting of the wheels, and on displacing the stay the wheels may be laid
horizontally against the carriage framing, thereby contracting the vehicle so as to
permit of its being passed through a narrow aperture, and packed away in a small
врасе.
Our Invention also refers to improvements on certain details of velocipedes.
As an improvement on the antifriction bearings of those vehicles we turn down
the middle part of the rollers, leaving only the ends thereof to bear against the
axle; the middle part only of the rollers we cause to bear against the axle box,
forming in the axle box an annular projection for the smaller diameter of the rollers
to bear against. In a line with this annular projection is a collar on the crank
axle, which enters the space formed by reducing the diameter of the rollers.. By
this arrangement there is an interlocking of the parts, which effectually prevents
endway motion, and by thus shaping the antifriction rollers and the inner face of
the axle box a material reduction of friction is ensured. The rollers are prevented
from touching each other by the insertion between them of small distance rollers.
This form of bearing is applicable to other axles than crank axles.
As an improvement in the steering handles of velocipedes we propose to secure
the same to the fork stem by means of pivot screws, which will permit of the handle
being turned axially so as to operate the brake and also allow of the ready detach-
ment of the handle. To this end, the steering handle is composed of three parts,
namely, a central socket piece into which the two handles are screwed. Each
handle is fitted with a pivot screw, which screws enter tapped holes in opposite
sides of the socket, and projecting inwards constitute the pivot coupling the fork
stem.
. One of these handles we propose to make detachable, keying the other in place.
By unscrewing the removeable handle, the pivot is drawn back, and the steering
handle may then be detached from the fork stem.
As an improvement in the pedals of velocipedes, we propose to give them an
axial motion, and thus ensure to the rider a firmer foot hold. This pedal, supposing
it to be applied to the crank axle of a bicycle, will consist of a circular or other
suitably shaped tread piece mounted on the trunnion of a sleeve which fits loosely

page_text: on to the end of the axle. This sleeve will carry a pair of trunnions in order that
it may be provided at its opposite sides with a counterpart tread piece.
To provide for the bringing of the seat of a bicycle somewhat nearer than here-
tofore to the backbone and thus allowing of an increased diameter of driving wheel
being used, without increasing the elevation of the rider, we propose to carry the
seat on a pair of side springs, which are made fast at their rear ends to the back-
bone, and are free to play over rests projecting from the sides of the backbone.
This arrangement of elastic supports permits of the seat being brought much
closer to the backbone than heretofore, there being nothing interposed between it
and the backbone.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Marshall Starley and John Kemp Starley in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 16th May 1879.
JOHN MARSHALL STARLEY and JOHN KEMP STARLEY, both of Coventry, in the
County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES.'
"
The chief object of this Invention is to provide for the passage of volocipedes
with three or more wheels through a narrow entry.
These vehicles, unless a given width is preserved between the main carrying
wheels, are liable to be easily upset, but if the requisite width is preserved, then the
use of this class of vehicles is limited owing to their being unable to pass through
a narrow entry.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shewn two modes of obtaining the above
mentioned object. Sheet I. shews in several views a mode of contracting the width
of the velocipede by effecting the ready detachment from the framing of the main
travelling wheels, and thereby reducing temporarily the width of the vehicle to the
extent of some eighteen inches more or less.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of this improved velocipede, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the
same, and Fig. 3 is a half end elevation.
A, A, is a pair of detachable travelling wheels mounted loosely on stud axles A¹, A',
which are attached to a rigid frame B in such manner as to admit of their ready
disengagement therefrom.
Fitted to the fore part of this frame B is a steering wheel C which has its
bearings in a swivel fork C¹ that carries an arm, through which the wheel is steered
by a rod actuated by gearing in a well known manner.
D is a central driving wheel, the axle of which is in the same vertical plane. as
the stud axles of the wheels A. The axle of the wheel D is connected to a pedal
shaft I by means of chain gearing. This wheel and the crank shaft is mounted in
a frame which is hinged to a cross bar of the main frame, and is free to rise and
fall independently thereof. The stud axles A¹ are connected to the hinder part of
the carriage frame at their inner extremities by horizontal pins a projecting from
the frame, and entering eyes formed on the inner ends of the stud axles, and they
are stayed in position when their wheels are on the ground by bearing against
pendant-forked projections a' on the end of the carriage frame.
G is the seat for the rider, made fast at its underside to a carriage spring G¹
suspended on leather shackles, which are pendant from hooked extremities of
brackets G² made fast to the framing B.
To prevent the tipping of the seat, it is provided with a guide bar attached to its
underside, which bar enters a slot fitted to the back cross bar of the frame B, and
is free to slide vertically therein as the spring yields to the varying pressure of the
Beat.
When it is desired to pass this vehicle into a house, it is only necessary to
lift the weight of the framing B off the stud axles A', and these with their wheels
may then be readily detached from the carriage.
As the driving wheel is of smaller diameter than the main carrying wheels, it
may be desirable to increase its speed by means of multiplying gear.
An arrangement for this purpose is shewn in the Drawing, the chain wheel on
the crank axle being twice the diameter of the chain wheel on the axle of the
driving wheel.
Sheet II. shews in several views an arrangement of velocipedes which, without
detaching the main carrying wheels from the framework, will admit of its width
being materially contracted for the purpose of passing it through a narrow entry.
Fig. 1 shews in side elevation a three wheeled velocipede constructed with a front
frame and a back frame which are easily detachable, the front frame having bearings
for a front driving and steering wheel and for a pedal crank shaft, and the back

page_text: frame having attached to it a pair of travelling wheels which, when the front frame
is detached, will admit of being folded back on to the back frame to form a narrow
compact portion with running wheels.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of this arrangement of velocipede, Fig. 3 is a back elevation
of the same, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the back frame detached, with the carrying
wheels folded upon it.
In these Figures, A is the back frame composed of two parallel bars, which are
connected together by three pivot pins a, a¹, the pins having shoulders which butt
against the inner faces of the bars, and being held in place by means of nuts fitting
the threaded extremities of the pivot pins. The pivot pins are formed with arms b
which project rearwards and are all connected with a transverse tie rod 6. The
pin which connects the arm of the pivot a¹ to the cross tie rod projects downwards
to enter a notch in the side of a hand lever c which has its fulcrum on the lower
bar of the frame A.
This hand lever serves to lock in position the arms of the coupled pivots and
prevent their moving while the velocipede is in use.
Bolted firmly to the outside pivots a, a, are stud axles d, d, to which are fitted
loosely the running wheels B, B. The arm of the central pivot a' extends forwards
in the form of two prongs b¹ which stand one immediately above the other. These
prongs are intended to carry a pivot pin e which forms the rearmost extremity of
the front frame D. In the extremity of the lower prong a hole is drilled to receive
the lower end of the pivot pin e, and in the extremity of the upper prong a recess
is cut to receive the upper end of the pivot pin.
This pin is forged with a cross piece e¹ standing at right angles to it, which cross
piece constitutes the back part of the front frame or fore carriage D. The extrem-
ities of this piece e¹ are bent at right angles to connect by rivets with the side bars
of the fore carriage. These bars dip downwards for a short distance, and then run
horizontally at a suitable level to receive the axle of the driving wheel E, bearings
being formed in their extremities to carry the axle of that wheel.
In the rear of the wheel E is a pedal crank shaft F mounted also in bearings in
the fore carriage D. A chain wheel f is keyed on this axle, and from it passes an
endless chain f¹ to a pinion f2 on the axle of the driving wheel E. This piniou is
made half the diameter of the chain wheel f in order to increase the speed of the
driving wheel.
H is the seat for the rider, mounted on the back frame A in the manner explained
with reference to Sheet I., and from his seat he steers the driving wheel by means
similar to that described with reference to Sheet I.
Let it now be supposed that it is desired to pass this velocipede through a narrow
entry, the rider will first detach the seat H from the frame A by simply lifting it
off its supports, and then by tipping the back frame slightly rearwards he will
disconnect the pivot pin e from its forked bearing piece b¹.
The fore carriage may then be run under shelter, its width being such as to
permit its passing through any doorway. The rider will then disconnect the
locking lever, and the pivots a, a, a, will be free to turn in their sockets and allow
the carrying wheels to take the position shewn at Fig. 4.
Sheet III. shews a modification of the volocipede illustrated in Sheet II., Fig. 1,
being a partial side elevation of the velocipede, and Fig. 2 a partial plan view.
In this arrangement, the fore carriage is replaced by a cranked curved bar D,
which is united to the pivot pin e and is free to turn with the pin as its centre of
motion under the action of suitable steering gear.
The bar D is forged with a socket bearing to receive the pedal crank shaft E, and
to it is keyed the chain wheel f, as in the former arrangement. The bar D is
cranked at its extremity to receive the driving wheel in line with the main portion
of the bar.
This cranked portion is fitted with a stud axle, on which the driving wheel is
loosely mounted, and to the box of this wheel is made fast à chain pinion f2. The
chain which connects this pinion with the chain wheel f passes round the

page_text: cranked portion of the bar D, and thus the driving strain is borne by the opposite
sides of the bar.
Our Invention relates, lastly, to improvements on antifriction bearings applicable
to velocipedes. This part of our Invention is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5,
Sheet I. of the Drawings, where Fig. 4 is an end view of the improved bearing
with the axle in place, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same, the cap of the
bearing being removed the better to shew the arrangement of the antifriction
rollers.
In these Figures A is the axle box; B, the crank shaft; and C, C, are the
antifriction rollers.
The middle part of these rollers we turn down, leaving only the ends thereof to
bear against the axle B, and this middle part only of the rollers we cause to bear
against the axle box A, forming in the axle box an annular projection for that
purpose, or, as in the Drawing, constructing the axle box of a width corresponding
to such annular projection. In a line with the bearing surface of the axle box is a
collar on the crank axle, which enters the space formed between the ends of the
rollers. By this arrangement it will be seen that there is an interlocking of the
parts, which effectually prevents endway motion of the crank shaft, and by thus
shaping the antifriction rollers and the inner face of the axle box a material reduc-
tion of friction is ensured. To prevent the rollers C from touching each other, we
insert between them small distance rollers c, which are not intended to take any
bearing pressure. This form of bearing, it will be understood, is applicable to other
axles than crank axles.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in Veloci-
pedes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First. The means of connecting the axles of the running wheels with the back
frame of the velocipede, as described with reference to Sheet I., whereby the wheels
may be readily detached and replaced, as and for the purpose above set forth.
Secondly. Mounting the driving wheel and the pedal crank shaft in a hinged
frame, in the manner and for the purpose above described with reference to Sheet I.
of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The construction of velocipedes, described with reference to Sheet II. of
the Drawings, which admits of the folding over of the carrying wheels, as and for
the purpose above set forth.
Fourthly. The use in velocipedes of a central driving and steering wheel,
arranged and operated as above described.
Fifthly. The construction of interlocking antifriction bearings for velocipedes
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Kemp Starley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.