Improvements in or relating to Luggage Carriers for Cycles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Luggage Carriers for Cycles.
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex.
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a communication to me from
abroad by James Henry Sager of No. 53 Olean Street in the City of Rochester
County of Monrce and State of New York, United States of America, Manu-
facturer. I do 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 improvements in luggage carriers for bicycles hereinafter
described and claimed, and the objects of my invention are to provide a convenient
device suitable to sustain packages of different sizes in advantageous positions on
the bicycle.
The said invention is illustrated by the accompanying sheet of explanatory
drawings whereon letters of reference are marked corresponding with those in the
following description thereof, that is to say:
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a part of a bicycle showing my device attached to a
vertical bar;
Fig. 2, is a like side elevation showing my device attached to a horizontal bar ;
Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the luggage supporting frame;
Fig. 4, is a rear elevation of the luggage supporting frame;
Fig. 5, is an elevation of the supporting clamp ;
Fig. 6, is a top plan view of the supporting clamp ;
Fig. 7, is a perspective view of one end of the luggage supporting bars.
The clamp A is composed of two sections, ab (Figs. 5 and 6). The part a has
two arms, ce each of which is provided with perforations c'c' at right angles with
each other and is tapped partly through and has suitable set screws "c" to bind
rods inserted in said perforations, for the purposes hereinafter described. These two
arms are joined by a suitable integral connecting piece a having a concavity on one
side, (see Fig. 6). The other section is formed substantially as shown in the
drawings, having on opposite sides concave depressions of different contours, so that
as one side or the other is opposed to the concavity of the section a, a smaller or
larger post or bar f, may be securely clamped between the two sections by means of
the bolts or screws e e, Fig. 6, and nuts fitting thereon.
Passing through the perforations c' c' and clamped therein by said set screws, are
the metal wires or rods B, herein called the main support. These I prefer to join
together; making the two of one rod or wire by bending the same from points on
either side of the central part, then bending the two ends parallel to each other on
a suitable curve for a suitable distance and leaving the remainder straight and still
parallel, (see Figs. 1 and 2). On the curved portions is adjustably fixed a suitable
clamp C having means of being adjustably fastened to the luggage supporting
frame. This frame consists of two luggage supporting rods or wires E E, at first
running straight and parallel to each other, then bent away from each other in a
straight line and then again bent to run still parallel and at an angle with the first
mentioned parts thereof. On the last mentioned parts of these rods E E are fixed
two luggage supporting bars D D, each rod passing through the hole in the end of
each of the bars and being fastened in position by set screws (see Figs. 3,
4 and 7).
The rods B and E E are preferably made of elastic material and together form a
spring support of goose-neck form for bearing the luggage.
Through each end of each of the supporting bars D are formed two pairs of
parallel slots d d. The slots of each pair being quite close together and the pairs

page_text: being set at right angles with each other, as shown in Fig. 7. Through these slots,
straps FF may be passed (see Fig. 3) so as to be longitudinal and transverse and
thus packages may be fastened upon the bars D longitudinally or transversely with
reference to the bicycle (see Figs. 1 and 2) as may be convenient.
By the adjustability of the depending parts of the rods E E in the clamp C, the
supporting frame may be raised or lowered, and by the adjustability of the clamp
on the curve of the rods. B the plane of the supporting frame may be tilted at
different angles to a horizontal plane.
From the rods E E may depend a bag G to hold small articles, provided with a
cover such as a pair of flaps buttoning together (see Fig. 3).
My device is particularly adapted to be used upon a safety bicycle by fastening
the clamp A on the vertical or horizontal portions of the saddle post H, as may be
desired, then fastening the two rods B in the horizontal perforations c¹¹. Thus the
luggage supporting device is, as shown in the drawings, brought between the saddle
and the handle bars K; it is adjustable forward and back by the adjustability of
the rods B in the perforations ce; and the luggage supporting frame is adjustable
for height and angle; and when the form of clamp shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is used,
the device is adapted to safety bicycles of different styles and sizes to a horizontal
or vertical bar thereof and to such bars of different sizes.
It is preferable that the luggage supporting frame should be fixed in a plane
above the handle bars K so that the latter may cramp beneath that plane.
The whole device occupied a position which gives full opportunity for steering or
otherwise operating the bicycle and is supported by that part of the bicycle frame
which is intended to bear weight, to wit: the saddle post. The balance of the
wheel for steering purposes is not changed in using this device even when heavy
weights are carried upon it; my device differs in this respect from luggage carriers
which are attached to the handle bars or head of the machine. The rods B and E
being formed of elastic material permit a fragile article to be carried by my device
without danger from the vibration of the bicycle or from any ordinary shock
thereto.
It is evident that by reversing the clamp C on the saddle post H my luggage
carrier may be placed at the rear of the saddle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, a main support, a clamp adapted to fix said
support to a bicycle in combination with luggage supporting rods and transverse
strap bars fixed thereon as by set screws and a clamp attaching said rods to said
support and in which said rods and said support are each moveable and adjustable,
substantially as described.
2. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, a main support, a clamp adapted to fix said
support to a bicycle in combination with luggage supporting rods, clamped to said
support and adjustable vertically with reference thereto and transverse strap bars
fixed to said rods as by set screws, substantially as described.
3. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, a main support, a clamp adapted to fix said
support to a bicycle and wherein the same is adjustable horizontally, in combination
with a luggage supporting frame clamped to said support and adjustable vertically
with reference thereto, substantially as described.
4. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, a main support having a portion clamped to
a bicycle and adjustable horizontally and an upwardly curved portion, in combination
with a vertically adjustable luggage supporting frame clamped to the upwardly
curved portion whereon the frame is adjustable at different angles to a horizontal
plane, substantially as described.
5. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, a main support consisting of a pair of
parallel rods having a portion straight and a portion curved, a luggage supporting
frame fixed to a pair of rods depending therefrom, a clamp adjustably connecting

page_text: the depending rods to the curved portion of the rods first mentioned together with
a clamp adapted to fasten said first mentioned rods to a suitable part of the bicycle,
substantially as described.
6. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, the combination of a main support, a clamp
adapted to fix said support to a bicycle a luggage supporting frame fixed upon said
support and composed of a pair of horizontal, parallel rods having depending ends
and connected by such depending ends to such support, a pair of transverse
supporting bars fixed upon said rods, provided with pairs of transverse and
longitudinal slots substantially as described in the ends of said bars and straps
passing through said slots for the purposes described, substantially as described.
7. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, an adjustable support of goose-neck form,
composed of a main support having a horizontal portion and an upwardly curved
portion, a luggage supporting frame having a depending portion, an adjustable
clamp connecting said inain support and said frame, and a clamp adapted to connect
said main support to a bicycle, substantially as described.
8. In a luggage carrier for bicycles, supporting bars having pairs of transverse
and longitudinal slots, substantially as and for the purposes described.
9. A clamp for devices of the class described, consisting of two sections, one
provided with two arms having perforations therethrough and set screws to clamp
rods in said perforation, the two arms joined by a suitably shaped connection the
other section having depressions of different contours on opposite sides thereof and
means of clamping the two sections together with either of said depressions opposed
to the first section, substantially as set forth.
10. A clamp for devices of the class described, consisting of two sections, one a
provided with two arms cc having therethrough cross perforations cc at right
angles with each other and joined by a connecting piece a integral therewith and
having a concavity on one side and set screws cc", to clamp rods in said
perforations, the other section b having depressions of different contours on opposite
sides and means, as bolts e e, of clamping the two sections together with either of
said depressions opposed to the first section, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.