Improvements in Means for Supporting Bicycles in Railway Luggage Vans and other Places.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Supporting Bicycles in Railway
Luggage Vans and other Places.
I, WALTER HENRY ECCLES, of 53, Woodlands Street, Cheetham Hill, Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Commercial Traveller, 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:-
My invention consists in improvements in means for supporting bicycles in
railway-luggage-vans and other places and the object of my invention is to pro-
vide simple, convenient, efficient and cheap appliances by which bicycles may
be readily and securely fastened in position and readily released.
In making an appliance according to my invention I provide a rope or
equivalent therefor such as a strap or a metal rod or wire or wire-rope covered
if it be considered preferable with leather or other material to protect the bicycles
to be secured from injury and cause such rope or equivalent therefor to be stretched
in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position across or along the railway-
luggage-van or other place in which bicycles are to be secured by means of the
appliance and secure to or mount upon such rope or equivalent, cords, bands or
straps by which the bicycles to be secured may be tied or otherwise fastened to
such rope or equivalent so as to be supported thereby. The said cords, bands or
straps may be secured in permanently fixed positions upon the said rope or
equivalent but are preferably made capable of being slidden into different positions
thereon as may be desirable from time to time and secured in the tying or other
fastening of the bicycles to be respectively secured thereby to the rope or
equivalent. The rope or equivalent aforesaid is stretched in the van or other
place in which it is used in such position that the wheels of bicycles to be secured
to it may be passed beneath it and that the said rope or equivalent and the parts
of the bicycle around which the cords, bands or straps aforesaid are made to pass
may be brought close together in the tying or other fastening of such cords,
bands or straps around the said parts of the bicycles to be supported. When a
bicycle is to be secured to the said rope or equivalent one or other of the wheels
of such bicycle is passed beneath the said rope or equivalent and then one of the
cords, bands or straps provided upon the said rope or equivalent is passed once;
twice or oftener around the saddle, the head or any other part or parts of such
bicycle and fastened so as to hold such part and the said rope or equivalent close
together and enable the said rope or equivalent to hold such bicycle upright. In
any case in which the cords, bands or straps which are to be employed to secure
to a stretched rope the bicycles to be secured thereto are adjustable in position on
such rope or equivalent, any suitable method may be adopted in order to secure
the cords, straps or bands in position when in use for instance in the case of
cords each cord may be folded once upon itself and the folded cord being passed
around the rope or equivalent and the free ends being passed through the bight
or loop formed by the folding of the cord so that the tying of such cord to a
bicycle will secure such cord in position upon the rope or equivalent. In a

page_text: similar manner leather or other straps may be secured in position upon a rope
or equivalent by being coiled round such rope or equivalent and then passed around
the part or parts of the bicycle to be thereby secured to the said rope or equivalent.
The rope or equivalent employed in any appliance made according to my in-
vention may be stretched between or by means of any appliances suitable for
the purpose such as single or double hooks like those ordinarily used in order
that ropes may be secured by being coiled around them, and in order that the
rope or equivalent employed according to my invention may be readily tightened,
may provide any suitable tightening appliance such as a screw provided with a
ring or hook preferably capable of swivelling thereon, arranged to be screwed
into a tube also provided with a ring or hook preferably arranged to swivel
thereon.
In order to further illustrate my invention and the manner in which it may
be carried into effect I have in the accompanying drawings shown certain forms
of appliances which may be very conveniently employed according to my in-
vention.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of one form of appliance
made according to my, invention consisting of a rope provided with a tightening
appliance and cords as herein before described and secured to double hooks, across
a railway-luggage-van or other place the sides of which are indicated dia-
gramatically in vertical section. (a) is the rope, (b) (b) are cords looped around
such rope, (e) is the tightening appliance illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 2
and consisting of a screw (d) provided with a swivelling ring (e), capable of being
screwed into a tube (f) provided with a swivelling ring (g). The ring (e) of the
screw (d) is hung upon one arm of a double hook (4) secured in any suitable way
upon one side of the railway-luggage-van or other place in which the appliance
is to be used, and the rope (a) which is secured at one end (a¹) to the ring (g)
of the tube (f) is drawn as tight as may be convenient and passed around the
arms of a double hook (2) secured to the other side of the said railway-luggage-van
or place and the screw (d) or tube (f) is turned by means of the handles (d') (ƒ³)
provided thereon, until the rope (a) is sufficiently tight to enable it to hold steady
bicycles which are tied to it by means of the cords (b). When the rope (a) is
not required for use in supporting bicycles the cords (6) may be slidden near to
the ring (g) and then the rope (a) may be coiled up and hung upon one of the
hooks (h) or (i).
In any case in which an appliance made according to my invention is to be
placed lengthwise in a railway-luggage-van or other place in which by reason of
access to or through doors being necessary, it is not possible to allow the rope or
equivalent to extend throughout the length between the terminal walls or parti-
tions of such van or place I may employ any suitable supports to which the said
rope or equivalent may be secured, and one form of support which may be applied
in any such case is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 3 being a plan of two of such supports (1) indicating diagramatically in
horizontal section one side and part of the ends of a railway-luggage-van and
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the said supports () indicating in vertical
section part of the side of the railway-luggage-van to which it is secured. Each
of the supports (j) consists of a bracket (1) mounted in a socket (2) secured in any
suitable way to the side of the said van. Each bracket (¹) is formed of an arni
provided with a pin (k) serving instead of one of the double hooks (h) (i) illustrated
in Fig. 1 and with a square stem (3) which is arranged to fit into a square
socket() formed by a band of metal bolted or otherwise secured to the side of
the said van. The rope or equivalent (a) to be secured to the supports (5) which
is indicated by the dotted line (2) is secured to the pins (k) of the arms (¹) in
a manner similar to that in which the rope (a) illustrated in Fig. 1 is secured to
the double hooks (h) (i) illustrated in such figure. When not required for use
the brackets (¹) may be lifted from the sockets (2) and replaced therein in the
position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

page_text: It is preferable though not necessary that the ropes or equivalents employed
according to my invention in railway-luggage-vans be placed at a distance of
about twenty inches from the ends or sides of such vans so that one wheel of
each bicycle secured to such ropes may rest against the side or end of the van
in which it is placed.
+
In any case in which a rope or equivalent is to be secured in a railway-luggage-
van in a position such that it is not possible for one wheel of each bicycle secured
thereto, to reach to the nearest end or side of such van, a rail may be placed about
twelve inches from the floor of the van in suitable sockets upon the sides of the
van or other suitable supports in a suitable position for one wheel of each bicycle
secured to the said rope or equivalent to rest against it.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate another form of device which may be used in tightening
a rope or equivalent employed according to my invention, Fig. 5 being a front
elevation and Fig. 6 a side elevation of such device. The device illustrated in
Figs. 5 and 6 consists of an axle (m) which is provided with a hole (ml) through
which a rope or equivalent may be passed and is made capable of being turned
in bearings provided in a plate (n) and is furnished with a worm-wheel into
which engages a worm (o) capable of being revolved in bearings provided upon
the plate () and furnished with a handle by which it may be turned. The
arrangement illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 will allow a greater length of rope to
be taken up in the tightening than the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
In another mode of tightening a rope or equivalent employed according to my
invention a barrel or axle provided with a handle of any suitable form and with
a ratchet-wheel arranged in a conjunction with a suitablo pawl may be employed.
In yet another mode of tightening a rope or equivalent employed according
to my invention a strap provided with a buckle or arranged to be fastened to a
buckle upon any suitable support may be connected to one end of the rope or
equivalent to be tightened so that by such strap being buckled in a suitable
position any requisite tension may be imparted to the rope or equivalent to which
it is connected. When an appliance made according to my invention is not in
use the rope or equivalent used therein may be disconnected from one or both
of its supports and coiled up or otherwise arranged so that it may not interfere
with the use for any desired purpose of the luggage-van or other place in which
it is employed, although when allowed to remain in position for use the said
appliance causes little or no interference with the use of a luggage-van or other
place for many purposes.
Appliances made according to my invention may be arranged to hold a single
bicycle or any number of bicycles according to the places in which such appliances are
intended to be used. In an appliance intended for the support of only one
bicycle, only one cord, band or strap to tie or secure a bicycle is provided. In the
case of appliances intended to support two or more bicycles I prefer to employ
cords, bands or straps which can be slidden into different positions upon the ropes
or equivalents with which they are employed as they render the appliance more
convenient in use and also more convenient to coil up or otherwise place out of the
way when not in use.
I prefer to use ordinary ropes in the formation of appliances according to my
invention, as being less liable than metal rods or wires to damage the bicycles
tied to them and as being flexible and so capable of being easily bent against
each bicycle to be tied to them while affording adequate lateral support to such
bicycle.
Appliances made according to my invention are simple in construction. and
convenient in use and very efficient in supporting bicycles against movement or
vibration likely to injure them and enable any one of a number of bicycles sup-
ported by one appliance to be removed at any time and when not required for use
may be very readily unfastened from their supports and placed in positions in
which they will cause no inconvenience and may be very readily and quickly
prepared for use.

page_text: Appliances made according to my invention are also very convenient for
supporting bicycles while being cleaned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The herein before described means for supporting a bicycle or bicycles which
consists in a rope or equivalent therefor stretched approximately horizontally and
provided with a cord, band or strap or cords, bands or straps by which a bicycle
or bicycles may be tied or otherwise fastened to such rope or equivalent for the
purposes and substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The hereinbefore described means for supporting a bicycle or bicycles which
consists in a rope or equivalent therefor provided with a tightening device and
with a cord, band or strap or cords, bands, or straps by which a bicycle or bicycles
may be tied or otherwise fastened to such rope or equivalent for the purposes and
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The hereinbefore described means for supporting a bicycle or bicycles which
consists in a rope or equivalent provided with a cord, band, or strap or cords, bands
or straps by which a bicycle or bicycles may be tied or otherwise fastened to such
rope or equivalent and with a tightening device consisting of a screw and tube
with eyes or hooks, for the purpose and substantially as herein before described
with reference to Figs. and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this First day of February 1899.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.