Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May; 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1900
Communicated from abroad by ERNEST JOSEPH MACFARLANE. WOOD, Captain
Indian Staff Corps, 6th Infantry Regiment, of Hingoli, in the Administrative
Division of Deccan, in the Empire of India.]
Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
F. I. Inst., Practising as Phillips and Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a device for supporting a. bicycle, and the object of .it
is to support or hold the cycle in a vertical position, to obviate the necessity of
holding it up by hand or of leaning it against a wall or other like support.
The device consists of two clips or clamps adapted to be attached to the bottom
tube of the frame of the cycle, the said.clamps being provided with a hinged arm
and a pair of divider-like legs which latter are hinged to a pivoted piece which
is in turn hinged to a lug on one of the clips or clamps by means of a sector or
like joint. The other clip is provided with lateral, upwardly curved wires or
plates which form rests for the front ends of the legs of the instrument when it is
not in use, the legs. being turned or rotated upwards on their hinge or joint and
placed in the said rests which support them until removed for use.
A short movable piece or link working on a pin axis intervenes between the
rear clip and the legs. The hinge of the legs is so arranged that, they can be
opened out laterally and they may be normally held apart by means of a spring
between their top ends. The amount of opening of the legs is limited by means
of stop-studs on the centre pin of the hinge.
..
The stays are fitted at the lower end with a small movable catch which when
in use serves to keep the hinged arm rigid between them.
Either or both of the clips may be lined with india-rubber, cloth, or other soft
material to prevent scratching the enamel or tube and also to afford the clip a
better grip.
From the above, it will be understood that the device when in use rests with
its two legs apart on the ground at points on each side of the plane of the machine
or vehicle, thus acting as a prop or strut to support it on each side, and that
when not in use the legs are gripped in one hand as a pair of tongs, and pressed
towards each other against the force of the spring between them and then rotated
on their common hinge upward and placed in the curved lateral projections or
rests of the forward clip, when the legs immediately spring outwards as far as
the rests with permit, and by virtue of the spring tending to force them further
apart they are pressed firmly against the sides of the rests and so prevented from
vibrating during the travel of the cycle. The device thus when not in use rests
parallel with the bottom tube of the frame and immediately beneath it.
101 1 of May 1899
HENRY H. LEIGH.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A,
Practising as Phillips and Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings," Chancery
Lane in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from Ernest Joseph
Macfarlane Wood, Captain, Indian Staff Corps, 6th Infantry Regiment of
Hingoli, in the Administrative Division of Deccan, in the Empire of India), 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 a device for supporting a bicycle, and the object of
it is to hold such machine in a vertical or upright position to obviate the neces-
sity of holding it up by hand or of leaning it against the wall or other support.
The holder is intended mainly for use out of doors when the rider has to dis-
mount and wishes to keep the bicycle in an upright position without leaning it
against anything; but obviously it will be found useful in other instances both
indoors and outdoors, such for example as shewn cleaning the machine or whan
the rider desires to rest on the machine.
The device, which is applicable to either the high or the so-called "safety"
type of machine, consists of two clips or clamps adapted, in the case of the
safety" type of machine, to be attached to the bottom tube of the frame of the
cycle; the said clamps being provided one with a pair of divider-like legs pivotally
connected to the clip and of such length as to reach the ground when in their
clown or operative position, and the other with lateral upwardly-curved horns
forming rests for the free ends of the legs when the device is in its up or inopera-
tive position.
From the above brief description it will be understood that the device when
in use rests with its two legs apart on the ground at points on each side of the
plane of the machine or vehicle, thus acting as a prop or strut supporting it on
each side, and that when not in use the free ends of the legs rest in the curved
lateral horns of the foremost clip, the legs being placed therein by being gripped
in one hand as a pair of tongs and pressed towards each other against the force of
the spring between them, and then rotated on their common hinge upwards and
placed in the rests. When in the rests the grip is released and immediately the
legs spring apart as far as the rests will permit, and consequently are pressed
firmly against the sides of the rests and so prevented from vibrating during the
travel of the cycle. Thus the device when not in use rests parallel with the
bottom tube of the frame, and immediately beneath it.
The following is a detailed description of the invention reference being had to
the accompanying sheets of drawings illustrating it and also, by way of example,
its application to a safety" type of bicycle
66
In these drawings:-Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus excluding
the rest-clip, shewing the apparatus clamped to a fragment of the frame of the
cycle.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1, the fragment of frame being omitted.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of the clip or clamp and the arm
hinged thereto, which supports the legs of the apparatus.
66
Figure 4 shews, A¹, a front elevation of the hinged arm and, B¹, a front eleva-
tion of the upper end of one of the divider-like legs.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a safety" type of bicycle with my improved
support attached thereto; the support being shewn in use supporting the machine
in a vertical position.

page_text: Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section of Figure 5 the section being made on
a plane cutting the machine a short distance in front of the support apparatus.
The clip or clamp A which carries the divider-like legs b, 61 is preferably made
either in two separate parts or in two pieces hinged together at one side in order
to enable it to fit tubes of various sizes, and in either case may be fastened on
its support advantageously by means of one or more bolts passing through them
and clamped with a nut or nuts in the well-known manner as shewn on the
enlarged scale in Figures 1, 2 and 3, which illustrate it as composed of two
separate pieces. The clamp is preferably lined with soft material, such for
example as indiarubber, felt, cloth or the like for the double purpose of enabling
it to obtain a firm grip and so prevent it moving or rattling after fixing, and of
preventing the clamp from damaging the enamel plating or surface of the tube
or support to which it is fixed.
This clip or clamp has two small depending stays or lugs a fixed or formed on
its lower half a short distance apart and at such an angle thereto that they will
be substantially perpendicular to the ground plane when the clip is in place upon
the sloping bottom tube C of the frame of the cycle. The interval between these
lugs a is closed at the back by a plate or wall piece c, but open in the front.
Between the said lugs is fixed at the upper end thereof near to the clip a pin d
in such manner that said pin bridges across the interval at right angles to the
face of the lugs. On this pin pivoted an arm or link e, and to the lower end
of the latter are pivoted or hinged, preferably by a sector joint or the like,
the legs b, bl.
These legs are each formed in one piece jointed at the upper and to the lower
end of the pivoted arm or link e, and pointed at the lower end.
A fairly powerful spring such as g (see Figure 2) secured by its ends to and
between the legs b and b', or such as g (see Figures 5 and 6) serves to splay and
hold the legs apart when the device is in use. In the example shewn in
Figures 5 and 6, the middle of the spring is coiled a few turns and secured on a
pin axis h, which is fixed in the lower end of the link e, the said pin passing
through the said convolutions as shewn, and the lower or free ends of this spring
being formed into loops or curves k, k encircling loosely or resting against the
legs so that the said spring can slide up and down to a certain extent whilst
continually exerting a pressure on the legs tending to keep them apart.
The amount of opening of the legs must be limited, and this may be effected
for example by fixing or forming stop-studs or projections such as i, on the tongue
or centre piece of the pivoted arm or link e which forms part of the sector
joint f. Thus the hinge of the legs is so arranged that they may be opened out
laterally and they are normally held apart by the spring g or g¹ interposed
between their upper ends.
The stays or lugs a are fitted at their lower end with a small movable catch,
such for example as 1, which serves to keep the pivoted arm or link a rigid
between them when the holder is in use; a small projection m on the said arm or
link serving to prevent the catch falling below a horizontal position.
The other clip or clamp B, which serves as a rest for the free ends of the
legs b and b¹, when the latter are not in use, is preferably composed of one piece
of spring-steel formed at the middle into a loop adapted to be sprung in position
on the bottom tube or support to which it is to be fixed, and the said clip secured
thereon by means of a bolt passing through it from side to side beneath the
tube or support. Or it may be, as far as the clamping part of it is concerned,
formed in two parts and secured in place in a similar manner to the clamp A,
as shewn in Figure 6. This clip B is provided with lateral upwardly-curved
horns o, which forms rests for the front or free ends of the lebs b 1 of the
instrument to rest in when not in use. This clip is also preferably lined with
soft material such as indicated above with regard to clamp A, and for the same
purpose.
The legs are firmly retained in this clip by the outward pressure of the spring
between them tending constantly, as above stated, to open them apart.

page_text: 10
776
To attach the holder to the safety type of cycle, fasten the clamp A' tightly on
the bottom-tube C of the frame at such distance from the crank hanger or
bracket D, that the legs b, b when rigidly fastened by the catch which is on the
lugs a, rest firmly on the ground. The clip B is fastened further along forwards
on the same tube of the frame as shewn in Figure 5 at such distance from the
clamp, B that the free ends of the legs b'b', when raised off the ground and brought
together by grasping them" in "one hand, will rest securely in the horns k kof
said clip.
.L.
.1. J..
The operation of the invention is as follows:-Assuming that both clips or
clamps are secured in place and the legs bb resting in the clip B, slightly com-
press by the grasp of one hand the legs bb together and at the same time raise
them out of the horns kk of the clip. B, allow them to drop to the ground and
be opened apart by the action of the spring. g or between them press the
pivoted link e liome flush between the lugs a and close the moveable catch
The bicycle will now remain alone supported in an upright position by the
legs bb Should the front wheel swing round at right angles it will not affect
the stability of the whole machine.
To close the holder, release the moveable catch 7, move the bicycle slightly
backwards, raise the legs b b in one hand at the same time bringing them
together by a grasp as above stated and place them in the horns kk² of the clip B.
Some of the advantages of this device are:-
(a) It can be attached or detached with facility by anyone and to any bicycle.
(b) Can be instantly opened or closed and with one hand.
(c) Is not unsightly and is not in the way of the rider and does not interfere
with the working of the machine.
(d) Is of no appreciable weight and very compact.
(e) Will support the machine properly even on a steep incline.
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
1. A holder for supporting a bicycle in an upright position consisting of the
combination with a clip or clamp adapted to be fixed firmly on the bottom-tube,
or other convenient part of the frame, of the link pivoted to the lower part of
the clip, the pair of divider-like legs hinged to the said link, and the compression
spring interposed between the legs, substantially as and for the purpose described
and set forth.
2. The combination with the holder for supporting a bicycle in an upright
position consisting of the combination of a clip or clamp adapted to be fixed
firmly on the bottom tube or other convenient part of the frame, the link pivoted
to the lower part of the said clip, the divider-like legs hinged to said link and
the compression spring interposed between the legs, of the clip or clamp bearing
lateral upwardly-curved horns adapted to receive the free ends of the legs, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described and set forth.
F
3. The combination with a bicycle of the device for holding the bicycle in an
upright position, constructed operated and working substantially as described and
set forth.
T1
1000