Improvements in or Appertaining to Convertible Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or Appertaining to Convertible Cycles.
I, ALBERT EDWARD SCOTT, of 138, Pershore Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Solicitor's Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the converting of safety bicycles into cycles of the duplex,
sociable or companion type, and has for its object, a simple and efficient way of
converting two single machines into a double tricycle.
According to my improvements, I take two ordinary machines, say a gentlemans
and a ladies, the former being of the diamond pattern and the latter of the drop-frame
type, each being provided with the usual ball-head socket, handle-bar, steering post
and front forks, the two latter being connected together and with the handle bar
adapted to be fitted to the summit of the post when directed up the middle of the
socket or sleeve. In addition to these two complete safeties, I employ an auxiliary
or supplementary socket or sleeve, having at the lower part thereof, cross-wise and
horizontally directed branches, with the ends turned up into vertical posts or upright
arms upon which the ball head sockets of the two machines, after being dis-assembled
from their forward parts, viz., the handle bars, steering posts, front forks and cognate
fittings carried by them, take, and around which they turn or swivel as centres.
Thus, the sleeve or socket of this supplementary part carries a cross frame with
nearly right angled posts or arms at its ends, separated from each other to a distance
equal to that to which the companion machines are to be separated.
In addition to the said supplementary socket or sleeve I employ an additional
handle bar, adaptable to be fitted to the summit of the steering post removed from
one of the single machines and the ends of this handle bar are bifurcated into
branches and provided with double sets of handles, one set of which comes
immediately opposite the rider of one machine and the other set immediately in front
the rider of the other machine.
Assuming that a ladies nachine and a gentlemans safety are required to be
converted into a double or companion machine, the front wheel of each machine is
first removed together with its accessory parts, such as the front forks, steering post,
handle bar, mud guard and brake lever.
One of the removed wheels with forks and steering post is then taken and the
socket or sleeve of the supplementary socket or junction framing is passed over the
post and the supplementary handle bar, with two sets of handles, is secured in
the ordinary way to the protruding upper end of the post, which handle bar and
wheel is fitted with the accessory fittings usually employed in connection with single
machines.
'The ball head sockets of the partly dis-assembled separated frames are then dropped
or passed over the upright posts or axle arms at the ends of the cross junction framing
and then by nuts, caps or equivalents, taking upon the extending ends of the said
arms or posts, they are secured in their fitted positions, ball bearings being provided
at the contacting points in order to reduce friction when the one part moves around
the other, and if necessary a stay or cross bar, clear of or threaded upon the socket
may unite and brace together the two ends of the arms of the supplementary frame.

page_text: The after parts of the separated framings, with their wheels, which are left intact,
are then coupled together by crossing stays or tubes with their ends fitting into eyes
or like connections bolted or otherwise secured to lugs or suitable parts of the framing
as may be desired.
There is thus produced, by the utilization of two ordinary safety bicycles, a front-
steering tricycle or sociable or companion machine, with two seats, double sets of
handles and double sets of independent driving gear.
As an alternative, the supplementary handle bar may be a plain one with sockets at
its ends for receiving the handle bar of the two machines, thus útilizing as many as
possible of the principal components of the fore parts of the machine, and
Instead of a handle bar carrying pairs of separated handles, at the bifurcated ends,
I may employ a single wide handle bar with only one handle at each end.
It is understood that the vertical posts or arms as herein before referred to, are not
absolutely vertical but have a slight rake corresponding to the inclination of the
steering post, and corresponding to the angle of the sockets or sleeves of the particular
machine desired.
The said posts or arms may, if necessary, be made adjustable relative to each other,
so as to increase or decrease the distance between thein, and further the said arins
may be so mounted as to admit of their angle or rake being changed, in order to
adinit of their taking within the sockets of varying machines, or as an alternative
the socket or sleeve of the supplementary frame or attachment may be made
adjustable so as to admit of the same being secured at any desired angle relative to
the frame and in order to change the desired angle of the pillars or posts such
adjustment may be effected by split lugs, clamping or by other means.
ALBERT EDWARD SCOTT,
by Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
improvements in appo
I, ALBERT EDWARD SCOTT, of 138, Pershore Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Solicitor's Clerk, 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 the converting of safety bicycles into cycles of the duplex,
sociable or companion type, and has for its object, to provide a simple and efficient
means of readily converting two single machines into a double tricycle, and of again
reconverting the same into two separate bicycles.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a side elevation of a companion
or duplex machine made by the conversion of two single safety bicycle by means of
auxiliary fittings in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a topside plan of the said convertible duplex machine and Figure 3 is a
front elevation of the same.
Figure 4 represents in vertical section, upon an enlarged scale, the steering, head
of the double machine, taken upon the dotted line x, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a like section upon the dotted line x', Figure 3, showing the head sleeve
of one of the converted single machines slipped over a stationary post of the
supplementary front framing.
Figure 6 represents a separate elevation of the cross coupling framing and its stay,
with the post of the steering wheel in position.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
In making up the said companion machine represented in Figures 1 to 5, I take
two single ordinary machines a, a¹, each being provided with the usual ball-head
socket a², and remove therefrom the handle-bar steering post and front forks and
front wheel, leaving the framings a, driving gears a³, and back wheels at, intact.
In addition to these two framings I employ an auxiliary or supplementary coupling
frame b, provided with a central socket or sleeve b', having at the lower part thereof,
cross-wise and horizontally directed branches 62, with the ends provided up, or turned
up into vertical posts or upright arms 63, upon which the ball head sockets a², of the
two separate machine framings, take, and around which they turn or swivel as centres,
so that the sleeve or socket of this supplementary part carries a cross frame with
nearly right angled posts or arms at its ends, separated from each other to a distance
equal to that to which the companion machines are to be separated.
In addition to the said supplementary socket or sleeve, I employ an additional
handle bar c, with a stem c², adaptable to be fitted to the summit of a steering post c¹,
of the steering wheel a5, preferably one that has been removed from one of the single
machines and the ends of this handle bar are bifurcated into branches c¹, and provided
with double sets of handles, one set of which comes immediately opposite the rider of
one machine and the other set immediately in front of the rider of the other machine.
Assuming that two single safety machines are required to be converted into a double
or companion machine, the front wheel of each machine is first removed, together with
its accessory parts, such as the front forks, steering post, handle bar, mud guard and
brake lever.
One of the removed wheels with forks and steering post is then taken and the
socket or sleeve b¹, of the supplementary socket or junction framing b, is passed over
the post c¹.
The ball head sockets a², of the partly dis-assembled separated frames a, a¹, are then
dropped or passed over the upright posts or axle arms 63, at the ends of the cross
junction framing b. A stay or cross bar b', adapted to brace together the ends of the
supplementary framing, and having central and end sockets 68, 69, which take over the
steering post and end arms, is then placed in position, and then by nuts b' or caps or
equivalents, taking upon the extending ends 65, of the said arms and steering post
they are secured in their fitted positions, ball bearings 66, being provided at the con-
tacting points in order to reduce friction when the one part moves around the other.
Next the stem c², of the handle bar c, is placed into the said post c¹, and secured by
the drawing up of an ordinary handle bar stem clip ca. The after parts of the
separated framings with their wheels, which are left intact, are then coupled together
by crossing stay members d and e, the former having clamps or clips d¹, adapted to
embrace the back stays a7, of the machine framing whilst the latter is connected by
means of screw couplings e', to the fixed axles of the back wheels, or other junction
means in connection therewith.
There is thus produced, by the utilization of two ordinary safety bicycles, a front
steering tricycle, or sociable or companion machine, with two seats, double sets of
handles and double and independently actuated sets of driving gear.
As an alternative, the supplementary handle bar may be a plain one with sockets
at its ends for receiving the stems of the handle bars of the two machines, thus
utilizing as many as possible of the principal components of the fore parts of the
machine, and
Instead of a handle bar carrying pairs of separated handles, at the ends, I may
employ a single wide handle bar with only one handle at each end.
It is understood that the vertical posts or arms as herein before referred to, are not
absolutely vertical but have a slight rake corresponding to the inclination of the
steering post, and corresponding to the angle of the sockets or sleeves of the
particular machine desired.
The said posts or arms may if necessary, be made adjustable relative to each other, so
as to increase or decrease the distance between them, and further the said arms may be.

page_text: so mounted as to admit of their angle or rake being changed, in order to admit of
them taking within the sockets of different machines, or as an alternative the socket
or sleeve of the supplementary frame or cross junction framing may be made
adjustable so as to admit of the same being secured at any desired angle relative to
the frame and in order to change the desired angle of the pillars or posts, such
adjustment may be effected by split lugs, clamping or by other means.
In Figure 4, which represents the steering head of the cross junction framing in
section and shows the means I propose to employ for retaining the balls when the
steeringpost is withdrawn, c¹ is the steering post receiving the stem c², of the handle
bar c, at its upper end and being encircled throughout its whole length by a
supplementary sleeve h, having a ball bearing ring i, fixedly secured to it at h¹,
whilst the lower end is screwed at h², to take a second ball raced ring i. 61 is the
fixed outer socket having ball raced rings 610, 611, at its opposite ends the races of
which are opposed to those of the rings i, i, and between which the ball bearings
are located.
Now the upper ends c¹, h³, of the steering pillar and the sleeve
surrounding it are split and are capable of being contracted together around the
stem of the handle bars by means of the stem clip c³, so that normally the said pillar
and sleeve move together, but when it is required to remove the steering post, the
stem clip is slackened, the handle bar stem withdrawn, when the parts c¹, h, being
no longer connected can be separated by the withdrawal of the one from the other,
the bearings and bearing cups of the sleeve h and socket b', remaining behind
intact.
The view Figure 5 represents the bearings of the head of one of the single machine
framings in position upon the upright arm of the supplementary cross coupling
frame, the balls being retained in position by the same arrangement as described in
connection with Figure 4.
..
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 Converting two single bicycles, from which the steering wheel and pillar
and handle bars have been removed, into a companion or duplex machine by the
employment of a cross-coupling frame having upright arms or posts over which the
head sockets of the said machines take, and a central steering sleeve or socket
adapted to receive a steering post having at its lower end, frame forks and steering
wheel and at the other end a steering handle or handles; the said single machine
framings being also coupled together at the back, substantially as described and
set forth.
Secondly: Converting the framing parts of two single bicycles into a companion
or duplex machine by connecting them together at back by suitable stays or ties,
and at front by a cross-coupling frame, having upright end arms or posts and a
central steering socket, adapted to respectively receive the head sockets of the said
framings and the post of a single steering wheel, and a cross stay having sockets
adapted to take over the protruding ends of said arms and steering post and keep
the framing sockets in position upon the arms, substantially as described and set
forth.
Thirdly Converting the framing parts of two single bicycles into a companion
or duplex machine by connecting them together at front by a cross coupling frame
and cross stay, as referred to in the proceeding claims, and at back by suitably
arranged cross stays having clips, screw couplings or equivalents adapted to be
engaged with suitable parts of the said framings, substantially as described and set
forth.
Fourthly -The combination with the means herein described for connecting
together the framing parts of two single bicycles for converting them into a duplex
or companion machine, of the means for retaining the ball bearings of the steering
socket of the cross coupling frame and the heads of the connected framings on the
steering posts being withdrawn, substantially as described and set forth.

page_text: :-
Fifthly The improvements in, and in connection with, the conversion of two
single bicycles into a duplex machine, substantially as herein described and set
forth.