Year: 1897

page_text: I, CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY, of 69 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to apply a spring or springs to control the steering
wheel of a bicycle or tricycle in such manner as to tend constantly to bring the wheel
to a central position. I so arrange that the spring can readily be applied to bicycles
or tricycles already constructed.
I arrange two spring buffers to abut one on either side upon the fork in which the
steering wheel is carried. I apply the buffers near where the two cheeks of the fork
meet the stem. Each buffer head carried by a rod which passes rearward into a
cylinder of small diameter. A coiled spring is contained in the cylinder and the
buffer rod terminates in a piston which is in contact with the coiled spring. The
spring can be more or less compressed. The two cylinders are connected by, or are
formed in one piece with, a clip which embraces the lower bar of the frame near the
lower end of the sleeve through which the stem of the fork passes.
So long as the fork is in a central position the two buffer springs are equally com-
pressed but on turning the fork from this position one spring is further compressed
whilst the other is relieved consequently the fork returns to the central position
as soon as it is permitted to do so.
Sometimes I employ two spring buffers such as described but separate the one from
the other. Instead of the buffer head I form an eye on the piston rod and have also
another eye on the further end of the cylinder. By these eyes I connect the buffers
with the fork and with a clip in a suitable position on the frame.
I may apply two buffer springs in this manner to the handle bar connecting it by
them to a clip on the upper part of the frame.
Other ways of applying my invention are as follows:-
I provide two clip rings one of which I clamp upon the stem of the fork which
carries the steering wheel at a point immediately above the sleeve or bearing on the
frame through which the stem passes; the other clip ring I secure upon the top bar
of the frame at some distance in rear and I connect the two clip rings by a coiled
inetal or other spring; the clip rings have arms or projections which the spring serves
to connect.
The clip ring upon the stem of the fork may be provided with two projections one
on either side and on to each of these a coiled spring may be connected; the other
extremities of both these springs being brought together and attached to the clip ring
which is fixed upon the frame.
Or the arms of the ring clipped on the fork stem may be connected by chains with
rods which pass through eyes on the clip ring carried by the frame. Coiled springs

page_text: are so applied to the rods that the springs are compressed when the chains are in
tension. It is of importance that the spring should not be subjected to tensile strain
and in every case I so apply them that this is avoided.
Improvements in Bicycles and Tricycles.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY, of 69 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, 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 following statement:-
The object of my invention is to control the steering wheel of a bicycle or tricycle
so as to tend constantly to bring the wheel into a central position. I employ for this
purpose coiled springs in such manner that as the wheel is turned to one side the
springs are compressed. Such springs can readily be applied to bicycles or tricycles ]
already constructed.
The annexed drawings show the arrangements which I prefer for carrying my
invention into effect.
Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 is a plan partly in section showing a pair of
spring buffers arranged to abut upon the fork in which the steering wheel is carried.
Figure 3 is an elevation and Figure 4 is a plan partly in section showing another way
in which springs can be conveniently applied. In Figures 1 and 2 a is a clip and bb
are two tubes fixed to lugs a¹ attached thereto or formed in connection therewith.
The tubes contain coiled springs c which abut at their rear ends upon plugs d d which
close the hinder ends of the tube b; the plugs being screwed into the tubes, more or 2
less, compress the springs to the extent desired. At their fore ends the springs abut
upon pistons e having piston rods ff which pass through holes formed for them in
the lugs a¹ and are furnished with heads f1 f1. In Figure 1 the clip a is shown in
position on the lower bar g of a bicycle frame and the buffer heads are shown
abutting upon the head h of the fork. When the fork is turned from its central 3
position one of the buffer heads is driven in whilst the pressure on the other is
relieved. It is not essential that the buffers should be set at right angles to the
stem of the fork, they may be set to act somewhat obliquely upon it and then I prefer
that the buffer head should be conical and free to rotate on the rod.
In Figures 3 and 4 kandlare two clips and m mare tubes containing springs n which
can be compressed more or less by screwing in plugs o as previously described. The
springs abut upon pistons p and piston rods q attached to the pistons pass through
passages in the plugs. The piston rod terminates in an eye q¹ and there is also an
eye at the end of the tube at m¹. In Figure 3 the parts are seen in position, r is
the upper bar of a bicycle frame and 8 is a socket through which the stem of the fork
passes. The clip k is made fast upon the stem of the fork t. The tubes m m
are connected to the clip k by joint pins k¹ which allow freedom of motion to the
tube to the extent required. The piston rods are connected to the clips by joint
pins which also allow freedom of motion. It will be seen that when the fork is
turned from the central position the distance between the joint pins k¹ and
altered and on one side the spring n is further compressed and on the other the spring
is somewhat relieved from compression. The tendency of the springs is at all times
to bring the fork to a central position or to retain it when there.
is
In various other ways coiled springs in compression can be applied to

page_text: control the steering wheel of a bicycle or tricycle but the arrangements shown
are those which I prefer.
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. Controlling the steering wheel by means of two coiled springs operating upon
the fork which carries the wheel one on either side substantially as described.
2. Controlling the steering wheel by means of two buffers having heads abutting
upon the fork substantially as described.
3. The combination of the clip or attachment a the two tubes bb the springs c c
confined within the tubes, the pistons e e against which the springs thrust, the piston
rods fand the buffer heads f1f1 upon the piston rods.
4. The combination of the clip or attachment on the upper bar of the frame, the
clip or attachment k on the stem of the steering fork, the tubes m springs n pistons p
piston rods and joints connecting the tubes and piston rods with the clips or
attachments.