IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We JOSEPH WHITE of Earlsdon near Coventry in the County of Warwick,
Watch Manufacturer and JOHN ASBURY of Cheylesmore, Coventry in the County
of Warwick, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES," to be as follows:-
The main object of this invention is to facilitate the housing of Velocipedes by
reducing their dimensions breadth wise. It will be convenient to describe the
invention in relation to that class of velocipede which is worked by a central
driving gear and is steered through the travelling wheel axle but it is not intended
to limit its application to this class of machine. The backbone, which is fitted
with trailing wheel and saddle, as usual, is connected to a Stanley head steering
fork. This fork carries the bearings both for the travelling wheel axle and for the
pedal axle. The travelling wheel axle is a compound one, consisting of a solid axle
inserted within a hollow axle. The hollow axle is passed through a sleeve which
turns in the bearings of the fork, and has keyed to it a central chain wheel
situate between the bearings. The sleeve is secured to the hollow axle by means
of a clutch which it carries and also by a collar which is made to grip the split end
of the sleeve and cause it to bind upon the hollow axle. The collar and the clutch
serve also to prevent any endway motion of the sleeve in its bearings.
The hollow axle terminates at one end in a balance gear box fitted with radial
studs which carry bevil pinions working between a pair of bevil wheels. The
inner or solid axle extends beyond the ends of the hollow axle, and carries the two
travelling wheels, the one which is near to the gear box being loose on the axle,
and the other fast on the axle, but readily detachable therefrom. There is also
keyed onto this axle, one of the bevil wheels of the balance gear, the other bevil
wheel being secured as usual to the hub of the adjacent travelling wheel.
When it is desired to reduce the width of the machine, the compound axle is
removed. To effect this, the fast wheel is detached from its axle and the clamping
collar is slackened. The compound axle must then be withdrawn from the sleeve.
In order that the pedal axle and its fitting shall represent the maximum width
of the machine it is only necessary to provide for shifting the cross handle. This
may be done either by removing the cross handle from the machine or by shifting
the position of the handle on the stem of the steering fork. In the latter case we
form two keyways in the steering handle socket at right angles to each other, to
fit a feather on the stem of the fork. Below this feather the stem is threaded to

page_text: receive a milled nut, and the screwed centre pin with which the fork is fitted
carries a lock nut as usual, which when screwed down will hold the steering handle
in place. When it is required to shift the handle on the stem, so as to bring it in
line with the backbone it is only necessary to raise the nut on the screwed centre
pin and the handle may then be lifted clear of the feather, and shifted into line
with the backbone. On returning it to its working position, the lock nut is tightened
on the centre pin and the milled nut is caused to bind against the underside of the
handle socket.
When employing a detachable handle bar we fit it in a horizontal socket one half
of which is formed on the Stanley head while the other half is detachable. The
ends of the divided socket are threaded to receive nuts which when screwed up
bind the parts firmly together. When however the handle bar is divided as it is
convenient to do in some cases we form short sockets on opposite sides of the
Stanley head to receive the inner ends of the divided handle bar and we rebate the
sides of the inserted portions of the bar to receive a conical locking pin which is
held in place by a nut. An advantage incidental to the adoption of the detachable
handle is that handles of any desired form may be applied to the machine to suit
the convenience of the rider and if broken or damaged new ones may be readily
applied.
It should be remarked that although the detachable compound axle is described
in connection with a centrally driven machine it is equally applicable to machines
which have side driving gear. The sleeve which carries the chain or other driving
wheel being in that case extended to reach the side bearings.

page_text: . COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
We JOSEPH WHITE of Earlsdon near Coventry in the County of Warwick
Watch Manufacturer, and JOHN ASBURY of Cheylesmore Coventry in the County
of Warwick, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The main object of this invention is to facilitate the housing of velocipedes by
reducing their dimensions breadthwise.
It will be convenient to describe the invention in relation to that class of
velocipedes which is worked by a central driving gear and is steered through the
travelling wheel axle, but it is not intended to limit its application to this class of
machine.
The backbone of such machine being fitted with trailing wheel and saddle as
usual is connected to a Stanley head steering fork which fork carries the bearings
both for the travelling wheel axle and for the pedal axle.
In Sheet I of the accompanying drawings Fig: 1 shows in plan view and Fig 2
in sectional plan the travelling wheel axle which constitutes the first head of our
invention. This travelling wheel axle is a compound one, consisting of a solid
axle A inserted within a hollow axle B. The hollow axle is passed through a
sleeve C which turns in the bearings of the fork D and has keyed to it a central
chain wheel C' situate between the bearings.
The sleeve C is secured at one end to the hollow axle B by means of interlocking
parts bc formed respectively on the sleeve and hollow axle, and at its other end by
a collar c¹ which is made to grip the split end of the sleeve and cause it to bind
upon the hollow axle. This collar is held in place by means of a screw c³, the
tightening up of which causes the collar to bind tightly on the split end of the
sleeve.
All tendency of endway motion of the sleeve in its bearings is neutralized by
the antifriction balls entering annular grooves formed in the sleeve as shown
in Fig 2.
The hollow axle B terminates at one end in a balance gear box E fitted with
radial studs which carry bevil pinions working between a pair of bevil wheels in
the well known manner. The inner or solid axlo A extends beyond the ends of
the hollow axlo B, and carries the two travelling wheels, the one which is near to
the gear box E being loose on the axle and the other fast on the axle, but readily
detachable therefrom. There is also keyed onto the axle A, one of the bevel
wheels e of the balance gear, the other bevel wheel e¹ being secured to or formed
on the hub of the adjacent loose travelling wheel.
When it is desired to reduce the width of the machine the parts A and B of the
compound axle are removed. To effect this, the fast wheel is detached from the
solid axle A, and the clamping collar c¹ is slackened. The parts A and B of
the compound axle are then free to be withdrawn from the sleeve C.
In order that the pedal axle and its fittings shall represent the maximum width
of the machine, it is only necessary to provide for shifting the cross handle. This

page_text: may be done either by removing the cross handle from the machine or by shifting
the position of the handle on the stem of the steering fork as indicated by the
dotted lines in Fig 1.
The handle may be detached from the fork by using the clip attachment shown
in Figs 3 Sheet II, but what we prefer to employ is one or other of the arrange-
ments shown at Figs 4 and 5 which constitute the second head of our invention
Figs 4 show the plan of shifting the handle on the head of the steering fork into a
position parallel with the backbone or centre of the machine. In this arrangement
it will be seen that we form two keyways ff in the steering handle socket F at
right angles to each other to fit a feather on the stem G of the fork. Below this
feather the stem is threaded to receive a milled nut g and the screwed centre piu
with which the fork is fitted carries a lock nut as usual which when screwed down
will hold the steering bandle in place. When it is required to shift the handle on
the stem so as to bring it parallel with the backbone, it is only necessary to raise
the nut on the screwed centre pin and the handle may then be lifted clear of the
feather and shifted into a line parallel with the backbone as indicated in Fig: 1.
On returning it to its working position the lock nut is tightened on the centre pin
and the milled nut is caused to bind against the underside of the handle socket.
Figs 5 show a divided detachable handle which it is convenient to use in some
cases.
On the opposite sides of the Stanley head short sockets f' are formed to receive
the inner ends of the divided handle bar H. The sides of the inserted portions of
the bar are notched to receive a conical locking pin h which is dropped through a
hole in the socket coincident with the notch in the handle bar. A thread is cut on
the inserted end of the conical pin to receive the tightening nut h¹.
An advantage incidental to the adoption of the detachable handle is, that handles
of any desired form may be applied to the machine to suit the convenience of the
rider and if broken or damaged new ones may be readily applied.
It should be remarked that although the detachable compound axle is described
in connection with a centrally driven machine it is equally applicable to machines
which have side driving gear, the sleeve which carries the chain or other driving
wheel being in that case extended to reach the side bearings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The construction of compound axle (consisting mainly of the parts A, B and C)
as described, which admits of the facile removal. for the purpose above set forth, of
the parts fitted respectively with the travelling wheels and gear box.
2. The construction of velocipede handles as described with reference to Figs 4
and 5 of the Drawings.