Year: 1888

page_text: I, RICHARD HENRY LEA, Machinist of Paradise Street, Coventry, in the County
of Warwick do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The special object of my present invention is to so construct and produce the
axles and axle frames of tricycles and other velocipedes that the said machines may
be caused to pass through narrow doorways by being reducible in width, but at the
same time are absolutely as strong as similar axles and axle frames not so reducible
all as hereafter described.
Various forms of telescopic axles have been heretofore devised for this purpose, but
whilst being necessarily heavy, they have invariably proved unequal to the wear and
tear of road work; by my invention these defects are obviated.
In describing my present invention I may refer to an improved axle for which
Letters Patent were granted jointly to George Singer and myself, the 9th December
1885 No. 15131.
According to my present invention, I by preference, use the same general form of
construction as that described in the specification of the above patent, but instead of
forming the bridge of one tube, I use two short tubes which are dropped to a lower
level and terminate in the brackets each side of driving gear and adjacent parts. One
of these two brackets is permanently connected to the lug which in the usual type of
"bridge" forms the central span. This central lug is bored out and receives a strong
taper pin, which latter is permanently connected to the other bracket before referred
to. A suitable nut and washer are used to tighten the taper pin in its socket.
Provision for readily detaching the two halves may be conveniently made as
follows:-On the top of the bracket having the taper pin, a small lug is formed,
In the former
as is also a corresponding lug on the central part of "bridge."
small lug is fixed a stud which passes into a corresponding hole in the latter small
jug. Between the two lugs and on the stud is a nut so arranged that by screwing

page_text: it up against the face of the lug on "bridge" centre, the half axle and frame are
drawn out with the taper pin from its socket."
As an alternative I may use an annular or ring cam placed between the central
part of bridge and the bracket to which the taper pin is connected.
11
1000
R. H. LEA.
By Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, RICHARD HENRY LEA, Machinist, of Paradise Street, Coventry, in the County
of Warwick, 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:-
The special object of my present invention is to so construct and produce the axles
and axle frames of tricycles and other velocipedes that the said machines may be
caused to pass through narrow doorways by being reducible in width, but at the
same time are absolutely as strong as similar axles and axle frames not so reducible,
all as hereafter described.
Various forms of telescopic axles have been heretofore devised for this purpose, but
whilst being necessarily heavy they have invariably proved unequal to the wear and
tear of road work, by my invention these defects are obviated.
In describing my present invention I may refer to an improved axle for which
Letters Patent were granted jointly to George Singer and myself, the 9th December
1885 No. 15131.
This invention will be best understood by describing same with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional back elevation of the central part of an axle and bridge
tubes constructed according to my invention and as suitable for a tricycle or other
velocipede. Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line X Y of Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a rear view of an axle and bridge with the wheels, but drawn to a smaller
scale than the previous figures. Figure 4 is a view on a similar scale to the previous
figure shewing the axle and tubes separated.

page_text: According to my invention I by preference use the same general form of con-
struction as that described in the specification of the above patent, but instead of
forming the bridge of one tube, I use two short tubes A B which are dropped to a
lower level than those described in the specification of the patent before referred to
and terminate in the brackets A' B' each side of driving gear and adjacent parts.
One A' of these two brackets is permanently connected to the short tube A³ which in
the usual type of "bridge" forms the central span. This central lug or short tube A²
is bored out and receives a strong taper pin D which latter is permanently connected
to the other bracket B' before reforred to. A suitablo nut and washer on the end of
the taper pin D are used to tighten and hold the said taper pin D in its socket.
Provision for readily detaching the two halves may be conveniently made as
follows: On the top of the bracket B¹ having the taper pin D a small lug E is
formed and there is also a corresponding lug F on the central part A² of "bridge."
In the former small lug E is fixed a stud G which passes into a corresponding hole in
the lug F. Between the two lugs E and F and on the stud G is a nut so arranged
that by screwing it up against the face of the lug F on "bridge" centre A², the half
axle and frame marked H in Figure 4 is drawn out with its taper pin from its socket
and thus separated from the part of the machine marked J in the said Fig. 4.
As an alternative I may use, for the purpose of easily withdrawing the taper pin D,
an annular or ring cam placed between the central part of bridge A2 and the bracket B
to which the taper pin D is connected.
By means substantially as described the axles and bridge tubes of velocipedes may
he separated into two parts without removing or disturbing the driving chain and
with great ease and quickness and axles so constructed are not appreciably increased
in weight, while at the same time they are when connected together rendered as stiff
and strong and as well suited for road work as axles of the ordinary non reducible
velocipedes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
In velocipedes, the axle and bridge tube formed in two parts A and B, held and
secured together by means of conical pin D on one half B the said conical pin D
fitting into socket A3 on the other half A together with the means described for
loosening or separating the parts whereby the axle and bridge tube may be separated
into two parts with ease, and when put together a firm and rigid connection is secured
substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
11 1
2
300