Improved Means for Converting Safety Bicycles into Soolables or Twin Safety Bicycles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1889
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Converting Safety Bicycles into Soolables or
Twin Safety Bicycles.
DAVID REGINALD ASHTON 13 London Road, Clapton, London, in the County of
Middlesex Brassfinisher do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention consists of the idea by means of coupling's and rods of being able to
connect two Single Safety Bicycles into a Sociable and thereby having three
machines in one and at the same time only having two tracks instead of three which
is the case with all Sociables in present use.
The Machines are connected at the end of back Forks by means of a rod with half
coupling at each end and the corresponding half of coupling is attached to the Fork
and the two are joined together with four bolts. The same method is adopted at
the end of each Back Bone and this causes the Machine to be firm & rigid. The
steering of each Machine is joined by a Bar with hinged joints and by this the
Machine can be steered effectually.
DAVID REGINALD ASHTON.

page_text: COMI DEIN DIECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Converting Safety Bicycles into Sociables or
Twin Safety Bicycles.
1 DAVID REGINALD ASHTON, of 13, London Road, Clapton, London, E., Brass
Finisher 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 has for its object to enable two rear-driving bicycles of the safety
type to be converted into a "Sociable" or to be used separately at will. When thus
coupled together the two bicycles form one single machine having four wheels running
in two tracks, whereas sociables now in use have three wheel tracks, hence there is a
great gain in driving power and in the ability to climb hills as compared with
ordinary sociables, besides the advantage of being able to use separately either or both
of the twin bicycles.
The Invention consists in coupling the back bones or frames of the twin bicycles
rigidly together side by side and parallel to one another at a suitable distance apart,
and in also coupling the steering wheel forks by cross-bars or braces which may be
readily attached and detached, as required, and whereby the two machines are so
connected as to move together as one.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein figure 1 is a side elevation, and figure 2 is a complete plan, of
the machine. Figures 3 and 4 shew, on a larger scale, details of the preferred mode
of coupling the cross-braces to the backbones.
Each of the twin bicycles is an ordinary rear-driving safety bicycle, each complete
in itself and capable of being used separately as a bicycle, the two being of course alike
as regards their size and driving gear although either or both may be adapted, by the
form of the backbone or frame, for use by either a gentleman or lady.
In the example shewn, the two backbones A of the twin bicycles are braced rigidly
together by cross-braces C and D at the front and rear, the one C being secured by
nuts e in ears a brazed on to the back-bones, preferably as near as possible to the
steering head, the form of the joint being clearly shewn in figure 4. The brace D is
secured to the axles of the hind wheels by a screw-coupling, such as shewn in figure,
being a wing nut E embracing a head d on the end of the bar D and screwing on to
the threaded end e of the axle either in place of the ordinary nut f by which the axle
is usually fixed in the hind wheel fork or in addition to such nut through which the
threaded end of the axle would, in that case, project, as shown in figure 3.
In some cases, only the front brace may be used; but it should be observed
however that the invention is not limited to cross-braces, nor to the position they
occupy or the mode of coupling them, as they may be arranged diagonally or otherwise
so as to couple the two machines rigidly together.
The steering wheel forks have forwardly projecting arms brazed on their axis,
said arms being of equal length and being coupled together by a link Ġ pin-jointed

page_text: by its ends to the ends of the said arms by any form of joint which may be easily
connected or disconnected as required. By this means, the parallelism of the two
front steering wheels H and their steering handles is ensured and the steering motion
of both wheels controlled by either or both steering handles I so that the double
machine may be steered conjointly or by one rider in case of need.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
"3
The combination, substantially as herein described and illustrated in the drawings,
of a pair of rear-driving safety bicycles to form a " sociable or single machine for
two riders, the two machines being coupled together side by side by means of one or
more cross braces detachably connected to their frames so as to hold the same at an
invariable distance apart, and of a coupling, substantially as described, whereby
parallelism of the steering motions is maintained.