Improved Method and Apparatus for Coupling Cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1898-Accepted, 10th Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by BARON DE HEIMANN, of 18, Rue de Spontini, and
PAUL LEGRAND, of 8, Rue du Sentier, both of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineers.]
Improved Method and Apparatus for Coupling Cycles.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Temple Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
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 follow-
ing statement:
The present invention relates to an arrangement for coupling bicycles, tandems,
and the like cycles together. It allows not only of the union of two machines of
the same build and the same pattern, or even constructed specially for the purpose
of being coupled together as in certain systems, but it also permits of combining
at will two machines of different patterns, and this by means of rigid connecting
devices which nevertheless admit of a certain displacement of the machines with
regard to one another. This arrangement will be particularly described herein-
after with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism intended to couple a gentleman's
bicycle to a lady's bicycle.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same device.
Figure 3 is a view from behind of the elevation of one of the hind wheels with
the horizontal connecting bar B.
Figures 4 and 5 are two views on a larger scale of the piece which serves for the
connecting.
Figures 6 and 7 shew details of the articulation of the front wheels with the
ends of the cross bar A.
Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 shew various details of the combination.
Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15 shew various arrangements which may be made use of
for connecting the cross piece H to the steering pillars EE.
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a link of vulcanized rubber.
As shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the present system of coupling comprises two cross
bars A and B which are respectively connected as follows:-
A connects the forks a a¹ of the front wheels and B connects the forks b b¹ of
the hind wheels of the two bicycles. The bar B is formed of two tubes sliding on
a central piece B¹ with their ends provided with collars & set screws Bª. These
cross bars are joined together at their middle by a longitudinal bar C parallel to
the frames D D. The frames D D' are moreover connected at their upper part
by means of the steering pillars E E¹ of the handle bars G G₁ by the horizontal
cross piece H, which may in case of need possess a strengthened bar h at each
of its ends. This cross piece H is moreover formed of two distinct parts which

page_text: slide the one within the other, which admits of effecting to a certain degree a
variation in the distance apart of the ends. The parts are secured in position by
means of the screw collar Ž.
When the two bicycles are coupled in this manner they possess the advantage
of having their connecting points upon the axes of the wheels, and upon the
strongest parts of the steering pillars, which parts are the most rigid of the
machines; it moreover secures the steadiness of the two machines by keeping them
parallel and vertical.
Any couplings may appear to be satisfactory upon a very level road or upon a
flat surface, such as a floor; but it is obvious that in practice the machines are
not always required to move only on level ground. There are inclines on the road,
and uneven parts. If the machines are coupled together rigidly they will act like
the wheels of a vehicle and remain perpendicular at the declivities of the road, but
in such case the weight of the riders, which is transmitted according to the per-
pendicular on which the weight acts, no matter what the inclination of the road
may be, would be no longer absorbed as on level ground directly by the resistance
of the wheels without influencing the combination. The perpendicular of the
gravity would consequently no longer be in the plane of the machines. It would
consequently more or less deviate from the point of contact of the wheels with the
ground according to the amount of inclination of the road, and it would conse-
quently result in placing upon the articulations of the cross pieces, uniting the
bicycles, strains which would tend to damage them.
This system obviates these inconveniences. The cross piece H connecting in the
upper part of the frames the pieces E E¹ and the piece B, which unites at their
lower parts the forks b b of the hinder wheels, are all mounted at their ends so
as to permit to the cycles a certain amount of vertical play, as will now be described
with reference to the drawings.
As may be seen in Figure 2 the cross pieces H and h have at their ends the
rings ce passing around the quadrangular bars d on which they slide. These
bars are held and guided by the rings or eyelets e which latter are in one piece
with the clips f secured upon the pillar by means of the screw bolts gg. Above
and below the ring c are placed springs i i. At the back (see the view Figure 3,
and the illustrations on a larger scale, Figures 4 and 5) the bar B possesses at its
ends a head j fixed by means of the screw nut upon the bar 1. This latter is
guided in a slide m between two spiral springs oo, that is to say, in a manner
similar to the piece above described. The piece m is moreover supported upon
a ring, and can adjust itself in one direction or in the other so as to correct the
difference in size of the frames of the machines. Owing to this method of spring
mounting of the cross pieces H and B the four wheels of the two bicycles can always
rest upon the ground, and the machines remain in the vertical plane in which the
gravity acts, no matter what the inclination of the ground may be.
The bars and 7 instead of being quadrangular might obviously be made
triangular or circular with keyways. They might even be replaced by two guide
bars placed parallel side by side, or by any other similar device.
The cross bar uniting the axles of the front wheels, which also contributes to the
stability of the device by preventing the separation of these wheels, and uniting
their motion, is not mounted upon spring bars, but upon ball joints (see Figures 6
and 7). The cross piece A connects at its ends the ends of the tubes s, joined
together by a springt (Figure 1). Each of these tubes sis in one piece with a
This latter
box which holds in its interior the ball joint q attached to the link r.
is fixed to the front fork a. Owing to this link r the connection can be made
even when the axles of the front wheels are not uniform, and thus any difference
of diameter in these wheels can be compensated for.
The cross piece A can be divided at its middle upon the end of the horizontal
girder C as shewn in detail in Figure 8. This arrangement enables the steering
of the machines to be easily effected, no matter what the inclination of the road
may be. For this purpose the cross piece A. possesses two grips u u attached to

page_text: the fork K, and into which pass the screws vv. The fork K is in one piece with L,
which is attached to the tube C C". This piece L has an annular channel * into
which the end of the screw y passes. The tube C slides upon C¹ so as to obtain
the desired adjustment; it can also be fixed in any desired position by means of
a clipz, which is tightened by means of a screw.
The combination apparatus turns easily on a radius of five to six metres, which
is sufficient, because it would obviously be too dangerous for such combinations
to attempt to turn too short. The hind cross piece B is connected to the girder C
by means of the piece M, into which is screwed the head N of the girder C, as
shewn in detail in Figure 10. The piece M penetrates laterally into the tubular
portions of B which are split at their ends, and united by couplings and screws.
Figure 11 shews a method of utilizing the screws of the wheel hubs themselves
to support the cross bars. If the ordinary threaded bar O of the machine is not
long enough to hold the loop r or n between the end of the fork and the ordinary
screw nut P, there is screwed upon O a nut Q which supports the threaded bar K.
When the piece r or n is in its place the ordinary screw P is screwed up. In the
above description it is supposed that the cross piece H, is connected to the steering
pillars of the two machines, by means of a device, such as represented in Figure 4
and 5, and which has for its object to allow the said steering pillars to move
longitudinally one with regard to the other, that is to say, in a direction approxi-
mately vertical.
There will now be described certain variations which have the advantage of
allowing the front parts of these two machines to be displaced in a strictly vertical
direction.
Figures 12 and 13 shew in side view and front view an arrangement in which
the steering pillar E is held as before between two pairs of clips f by means of
screw nuts g, but the loops e shewn in Figures 1 and 2 are so constructed that the
guide piece d is placed vertically, and not parallel to the steering pillars of the
machines. The said piece d can moreover be of such a size as may be deemed
advisable to prevent it from turning in the cavity of the loops e, or the piece d may
be of circular-section, whilst the loops e are united by a cross piece el parallel to d,
and serving as a guide to a fork or slider c attached to the end of the tube.
The modification represented in Figures 14 and 15 differs from the preceding
arrangement by its method of attachment. As may be seen in the drawings the
steering pillar E and the lower tube I are thus connected by two lateral bars t¹ t
each provided with a piece of suitable shape devised to bear upon the pillars E
and I, and which may be provided with an elastic body intended to distribute the
pressure, and protect the enamel of the tubes. The bars and are clasped and
maintained in place by means of a screw threaded connecting piece to provided
with a screw nut t+. The bars and can moreover be provided with a certain
number of loops or holes 5 which admit of the distance of the pieces being
changed according to the type of the machine to be coupled. The bar can be
utilized with advantage to serve as a guide to a fork or sliding piece C fixed at the
end of the tube H. In this latter arrangement the pieces p' may also be replaced
by three pieces of vulcanized rubber (Figure 16) placed on the one side and
the other of the tubes E and I which are then kept in place by the pressure com-
municated to the bar t t by the screw t These bars may moreover in this case
be provided on their shafts with key ways or grooves of any kind destined to
increase their adherence to the bars p.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated the apparatus devised for the coup-
ling of two bicycles. But it will be obvious that the same apparatus can equally
well serve to couple two tandems, two triplets, two quadruplets, and so forth. It
suffices for this purpose to alter correspondingly the dimensions of the girder C,
and to use as many cross pieces H as may be found necessary.
The invention may also be made use of to couple together two motor bicycles,
or a motor bicycle with a bicycle without a motor so as to form a kind of auto
mobile vehicle, which is detachable, and serves two purposes, namely, a bicycle

page_text: without a motor, being provided with a releasing pedal or other convenient arrange-
ment which enables the rider to pedal at will.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An apparatus for coupling two bicycles, tandems, triplets or the like, in
which the two parts of the frames, as well as the axles of the hind wheels, are
united firmly together, but so as to allow them a certain amount of vertical, adjust-
ment, whilst the axles of the front wheels are connected by a rigid cross piece
which is extensible, and possesses ball joints at both ends, and is joined together
at its middle by a universal joint; one of the machine or both thereof being
optionally actuated by a motor.
2. In a coupling device for cycles, the combination of a cross bar connecting
the axles of the front wheels provided at each end with the ball joint ? connected
to the holder enabling two wheels of different diameter to be coupled together,
the said ball joint revolving in a box p bearing a tubes connected to an opposing
tube by a spiral spring, and guided in an outer tube, substantially as above
described, and shewn in the accompanying drawing.
3. In a coupling apparatus for cycles, the combination of a cross bar B of
adjustable length connecting the axles of the hinder wheels, composed of two
tubes adjustable to the required distance, attached to a central piece M, the said
cross piece being connected at each of its ends to a T-piece supported by spiral
springs, and guided in a slide m provided with an adjusting ring n which permit
of one of the wheels being brought forward as may be desired if the machines to
be coupled are not the same size.
4. In combination with the cross bars set forth in Claims 3 and 4 a longitudinal
horizontal girder parallel to the frames, and fixed to the front cross piece by a
universal joint, and to the hinder cross piece by a fixed attachment, substantially
as described.
5. In an apparatus for coupling cycles, the combination of a horizontal cross
bar of regulatable length connecting the front parts of the two machines to be
coupled, and provided at each end with a bar d supported by springs, and sliding
either vertically or horizontally to the steering pillars E E¹ between two rings e,
substantially as above described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 12, 13, 14, and 15
of the accompanying drawings.
6. In an apparatus for coupling cycles the combination with the front coup-
ling bar H of the two pieces f attached to the steering pillars E E¹ and bearing
the guide rings e, so placed that the bar d slides therein in the vertical direction or
approximately vertical direction, substantially as above described, with reference
to Figures 1, 2, 12, and 13.
7. In an apparatus for coupling cycles, the combination with the cross bar of
the two bars 2 having holders p¹ of metal or of vulcanized rubber or other suit-
able material, and clamped upon the steering pillar E¹ and on the lower tube I
by means of a bar provided with a nut t, one of the said bars having rings which
hold the piece d of the cross bar H, and serve as a guide for the end c¹ of the said
cross bar substantially as described, with reference to Figures 14 and 15.
Dated the 21st T1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Helborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.