IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I FREDERICK WARNER JONES of 3 Bury Place, Bloomsbury in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES" to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to that class of bicycle known as the "safety" through
having the small steering wheel placed in front of the driving wheel which is
itself of a small diameter. In this type of machine it is impossible to have a
"header" forwards and as the rider's feet are in close proximity to the ground a fall
sideways is next to impossible. Notwithstanding the great feature of safety that
this type of bicycle possesses, it has not become popular owing to the difficulty
there is in steering it. The machines at present constructed on these lines are both
erratic and sensitive in steering and they are not capable of being steered without
the use of the hands. Now a machine constructed according to my invention
overcomes these defects and gives the same easy and facilitating motion of steering
as an ordinary bicycle.
My bicycle is constructed as follows ;-I mount a small driving wheel in a
suitable frame and place immediately in front of it and as close to it as convenient,
a small steering wheel which is mounted in a fork fitting into a socket or other
shaped head attached to the frame carrying the driving wheel. The fork carrying
the steering wheel is raked backwards and the ends carrying the wheel are curved
forwards, the stem of the fork is prolonged upwards and terminates with a
transverse handle bar for operating the steering wheel. The saddle for the rider
is mounted on any suitable spring immediately over and slightly forward of the
centre of the driving wheel, so that his weight is practically balanced on it. The
pedal axle which in this class of machine placed just in front of the driving
wheel between it and the steering wheel, is brought back to within about 8 inches
of the vertical centre line of the driving wheel and therefore has to be divided into
two parts, one on each side of the driving wheel; each part is mounted in a
suitable bearing or bearings and is fitted with a crank and a chain wheel, the
latter of which are connected with chain wheels attached to the driving wheel by
endless chains in the usual manner.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71, & 72, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Bicycles.
I, FREDERICK WARNER JONES of 3 Bury Place, Bloomsbury in the county of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES," and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of bicycle known as the "safety" through
having a small steering wheel placed in front of the driving wheel, which is itself
of a small diameter. In this type of machine it is impossible to have a
"header"
forwards, & as the rider's feet are in close proximity to the ground a fall sideways
is next to impossible. Notwithstanding the great feature of safety that this type
of bicycle possesses, it has not become popular owing to the difficulty there is in
steering it. The machines at present constructed on these lines are both erratic
and sensitive in steering, and they are not capable of being steered without the use
of the hands. Now a machine constructed according to my invention overcomes
these defects and gives the same ease and facility of steering as an ordinary
bicycle.
My bicycle is constructed as follows:-I mount a small driving wheel in a suitable
frame and place immediately in front of it and as close to it as convenient, a small
steering wheel which is mounted in a fork fitting into a socket or other shaped head
attached to the frame carrying the driving wheel. The fork carrying the steering
wheel is raked backwards and the ends carrying the wheel are curved forwards,
the stem of the fork is prolonged upwards and terminates with a transverse handle
bar for operating the steering wheel. The saddle for the rider is mounted on any
suitable spring immediately over and slightly forwards of the centre of the driving
wheel, so that his weight is practically balanced on it. The pedal axle which in
this class of machine has hitherto been placed just in front of the driving wheel,
between it, and the steering wheel, is brought back to within about 8 inches of the
vertical centre line of the driving wheel and it therefore has to be divided into two
parts, one on each side of the driving wheel; each part is mounted in a suitable
bearing, or bearings, and is fitted with a crank and a chain wheel, the latter of
which are connected with chain wheels attached to the driving wheel by endless
chains in the usual manner.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will more particularly
describe it with the aid of the accompanying drawing which shows a side elevation
of my improved "safety" bicycle. Referring to the drawing it will be seen that
the driving wheel A is mounted in a suitable forked frame B the lower part of
which carries bearing brackets C for the divided pedal axle D, each part of which
carries a chain wheel (both of which are connected to chain wheels on the driving
wheel, by endless chains) and a crank E fitted with pedals F. The top part of the
frame carries a suitable spring G and saddle H. The steering wheel Ĵ is mounted
in front of the driving wheel A in a fork.K carrying a long stem k passing through
a socket b, which is part of the frame B, forming the steering head by which the

page_text: small wheel may be turned on an inclined axis by means of the transverse handle
bar L, attached to the top of the stem of the fork K carrying the steering
wheel.
I do not bind myself to any particular details in the construction of this machine
as they present no novel features, and I lay no claim to them. I am aware that
bicycles have already been made with the steering wheel placed in front of the
driving wheel; and I am also aware that a divided crank axle has been used on
bicycles with the small trailing or steering wheel in the rear of the driving wheel,
and therefore I do not broadly claim the use of these particular arrangements. My
invention consists of the combination of these two known contrivances, and arrange-
ments, producing a machine which gives better results than any existing machine.
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
First. A bicycle having the steering wheel running in front of the driving
wheel which receives motion from a divided pedal crank axle through a suitable
pair of chains running over chain wheels on the divided pedal crank axle and on
the driving wheel, as and for the purpose herein before described and shown.
Secondly. In a bicycle the combination of a front steering wheel, a rear driving
wheel and a divided pedal crank axle, all combined, arranged, and operating, as and
for the purpose herein before set forth.
Thirdly. In a bicycle having the steering wheel placed in front of the driving
wheel, the divided pedal crank axle placed between the centre of the driving wheel,
and its forward periphery.
Fourthly. In a bicycle the driving wheel of which is actuated from a divided
pedal axle placed between the centre of the driving wheel, and the forward
periphery of the same, the steering wheel placed in front of the driving wheel and
controlled by a transverse handle bar.
Dated this 27th day of November 1885.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71, & 72, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
r 1885.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71, & 72, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.