Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1898-Accepted, 10th Sept., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES SMITH, of 26, Hanover Street, Peckham, in the County
of London, Patentee, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention has for its object the providing of a supporting attachment
whereby bicycles may be made to stand independently when out of use.
The attachment acts in connection with the front part of the machine and is
so arranged that when the front wheel is turned out of the plane of the frame
and the machine is inclined, it may rest on three points of support situated at
the corners of a triangle. Two of these points are provided by the parts of the
two wheels in contact with the ground and the third point is the base of a loose
foot carried by the supporting attachment. This foot may be hung so as to
swing freely, or may be fitted with a spring to regulate its action.
The attachment may be applied in various ways and may very conveniently
take the form of a mud guard for the front wheel. In this case the lower end
of the guard is furnished with the foot, preferably of triangular section and
hinged along one of its angles to the guard in a line at right angles to the plane
of the wheel.
The support may be a fixture, as in the mud guard form, with the foot at the
necessary distance from the ground and without any raising or lowering mechan-
ism. It may also be made in telescopic sections arranged to be extended and
contracted by suitable mechanism; and may consist of a rigid rod or frame
adapted to be raised and lowered by similar means.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1897
Improvements in Bicycle Supports.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES SMITH, of 26, Hanover Street, Peckham, in the County
of London, Patentee, 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:-
an
This invention has for its object the providing of attachment
whereby bicycles may be made to stand independently when not in motion.
The attachment acts in connection with the front part of the machine, and is
so arranged that when the front wheel is turned out of the plane of the frame
[Price 8d.]

page_text: and the machine is slightly inclined, it may rest on three points of support
situated at the corners of a triangle. Two of the points are supplied by the
parts of the two wheels in contact with the ground and the third bearing is the
base of a foot pivoted or hinged to a supporting attachment. This foot may
be hung so as to swing freely, or may have its action controlled by springs, or
other suitable means. The shape of the foot chosen will always be such that a
comparatively wide base is provided; so that no device shall be requisite for
setting the joint between the foot and the supporting attachment, to enable the
weight of machine to be borne.
The supporting arrangement may be applied in various ways, and in order
that the principle may be clearly understood I attach a sheet of drawings in
which Figure 1 shows a machine, fitted with a support in accordance with this
invention, standing at rest. The remaining figures illustrate methods of apply-
ing the support.
The support may be made to take the form of a mudguard to the front wheel
as shown in Figure 2, in which case the lower end of the guard a, is furnished
with a foot b, preferably of triangular section and hinged at c, along one of its
angles, to the guard in a line at right angles to the plane of the wheel. Arranged
in this manner the foot will yield should it come in contact with a large stone,
or other obstruction, while travelling along a road. When this method is used
the mudguard is made of sufficient strength to bear the weight of the machine,
and the foot is carried at the necessary distance from the ground. Means of
raising and lowering the foot may be adopted; but when desired it is preferable
to select one of the methods illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
A method of applying the support when the foot is intended to be carried at a
greater distance from the ground, and only let down into the supporting position
when actually required, is illustrated in Figure 3. This figure shows a sup-
porting leg designed to be secured by suitable fixing clips at its upper end d,
to the crown of the front fork, and at its lower end e, to mudguard stay at the
rear of wheel. The foot b, is pivoted near its apex to the lower end of supporting
leg, and is arranged so that it may be turned up into the position indicated by
dotted lines. It is retained in this position, and raised and lowered by means of
a rod f, extending from a crank pin g, on the foot, up to any desired position
at the head of the machine. The rod f, runs in guides fitted to, or formed in the
supporting leg, and is drawn up a short distance when the foot is required for
use, and pushed down into its normal position when the foot is to be drawn up
into its out-of-action position. To prevent the rod from riding up when the
bicycle is running, and so letting down the foot, the rod is furnished with a
spring 'detenth, which, when the rod is in its lowest position, projects in front
of one of the guide eyes j, and prevents movement of the rod until pressed away
from the eye. The spring also prevents the rod from rattling against the sup-
porting leg.
The foot may be operated automatically by the turning of the head of the
machine, and such an arrangement is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The foot
is pivoted as before, to a supporting leg k, and is fitted on one side of its centre
of rotation with a spring, arranged to keep the foot in the out-of-action position.
A cord, having one end secured to the bottom tube, or other suitable part of
the machine, and the other end attached to a pin on the foot, is used of such
length that when the front wheel is in the plane of the frame, no tension is on
the cord and the foot is retained in its upward position by the attached spring;
but when the wheel is turned out of the plane of the frame the cord becomes
taut, and pulls the foot down to its supporting position, as shown in Fig. 1.
A longer cord may be used and led to any convenient part of the machine, and
can then be utilised to operate the foot by hand. The rider having to pull the
cord up to a suitable catch to put the foot into its supporting position, and to
release the cord when the support is no longer desired.
The foot may be attached to the supporting leg as shown, and arranged to be

page_text: operated by the rider's foot. A foot suitable for this method of operating has
a spur projecting beyond its centre of rotation, and when wanted to afford support
to the bicycle the rider gives the spur an upward push with his foot, and the
supporting foot turns down as desired. When the support is no longer required
the cyclist pushes the supporting foot up into its at-rest position, where it is
retained by the aid of springs or other suitable means.
The foot may be attached base downwards to a rod such as f, in Figure 3,
and be adapted to slide up and down on face of supporting leg, and in this form
need not be pivoted.
Figure 5 illustrates a method applying the supporting attachment when it
is not intended to carry mudguards. The leg k, and stay m, are fastened to
fork of machine by suitable clips secured by screws, and can be readily attached
and detached.
Means of operating foot by pneumatic power may be adopted when so desired.
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. In bicycle supports, a foot attached to a supporting leg, mudguard, or
stay therefor carried by the front part of the machine, of such form that when
in the supporting position it shall so bear upon the ground as to obviate the
necessity of any device to prevent turning about its pivot, substantially as herein
described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In bicycle supports, a supporting attachment, either separate or in connec-
tion with the mudguard stays of the front wheel as herein described, and
illustrated in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5 of accompanying drawings, in combination
with a foot adapted to be let down into operative position when desired, and
drawn up into the in-operative position when machine is to be put in motion.
3. In bicycle supports of the description herein described, in which a foot
adapted to be carried in the upward position is employed, operating the said foot
by a cord, or other device, actuated by turning the head of the machine.
4. The improved bicycle support constructed and operated substantially as
herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1898.