Improvements in or relating to Steering Devices for Tandem or similar Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Steering Devices for Tandem
or similar Cycles.
We, ALEXANDER CRAIG, Chief Engineer of Messrs. Humber & Co., Limited,
Coventry, in the County of Warwick, and WALTER PHILLIPS, General Manager of
Messrs. Humber & Co., Limited, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the steering of tandem or similar cycles, where it is
desired that the steering shall be effected or controlled by the back rider, whether
instead of or in addition to the control exercised by the front rider, particularly
in the case of open-fronted machines, in which a lady is assumed to occupy the
front seat.
In carrying out this invention we arrange the supporting pin for the saddle of
the front rider telescopically within one of the frame diagonals substantially in
the usual manner, but we leave the seat pillar open at the end and through it we
pass a tube which extends down the diagonal to somewhere near the bottom
thereof where it is provided with arms, or has a chain passing round it or is other-
wise so arranged that it may operate two rods, chains or equivalent which extend
forward to the steering fork of the machine, and are secured preferably at about
the crown of that fork.
manner.
This steering tube is carried in ball bearings, the upper one being located in .
the seat pillar and the lower one in the diagonal tube or preferably in a lug or
bracket to which that tube is secured; to the top of the steering tube is fixed a
bracket or equivalent device preferably split and adapted to be clamped by a
screw bolt upon a suitable steering handle provided with hand grips in the usual
Instead of having a single tube the steering tube may be divided, one
part telescoping into the other, and adapted to be frictionally engaged by means
of a tapered plug and screw holt which can be turned from the outside, one of
the tubes being if desired split to facilitate the gripping. The plug may be
provided with a feather to engage one of the slits to prevent it turning with the
bolt which screws into it when the latter is rotated for the purpose of slackening
or tightening it.
66
A special lug may be used at the lower portion to receive the diagonal or down
pole" and other portions of the frame and fitted with an adjustable ball bearing
and locking device. Preferably this would be a double ball-bearing, a ring having
ball races being secured upon the end of the steering tube and lying between
suitable cups or equivalent providing the remainder of the ball races so that there
may be a row of balls above and below this ring to which the chain etc. of the
steering mechanism can be fastened as already explained.
D
1
AT
100%
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Steering Devices for Tandem
J
or similar Cycles.
We, ALEXANDER CRAIG, Chief Engineer of Messrs. Humber & Co., Limited,
Coventry, in the County of Warwick, and WALTER PHILLIPS, General Manager of
Messrs. Humber & Co., Limited, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
This invention relates to the steering of tandem or similar cycles, where it is
desired that the steering shall be effected or controlled by the back rider, whether
instead of or in addition to the control exercised by the front rider, particularly
in the case of open-fronted machines, in which a lady is assumed to occupy the
front seat.
In carrying out this invention we arrange the supporting pin for the saddle of
the front rider telescopically within one of the frame diagonals substantially in
the usual manner, but we leave the seat pillar open at the end and through it we
pass a tube which extends down the diagonal to somewhere near the bottom
thereof where it is provided with arms, or has a chain passing round it or is other-
wise so arranged that it may operate two rods, chains or equivalent which extend
forward to the steering fork of the machine, and are secured preferably at about
the crown of that fork.
This steering tube is carried in ball bearings, the upper one being located in
the seat pillar and the lower one in the diagonal tube or preferably in a lug or
bracket to which that tube is secured; to the top of the steering tube is fixed a
bracket or equivalent device preferably split and adapted to be clamped by a
screw bolt upon a suitable steering handle provided with hand grips in the usual
manner. Instead of having a single tube the steering tube may be divided, one
part telescoping into the other, and adapted to be frictionally engaged by means
of a tapered plug and screw bolt which can be turned from the outside, one of
the tubes being if desired split to facilitate the gripping. The plug may be
provided with a feather to engage one of the slits to prevent it turning with the
bolts which screws into it when the latter is rotated for the purpose of slackening
tightening it.
or
A special lug may be used at the lower portion to receive the diagonal or
"down-
pole" and other portions of the frame, and fitted with an adjustable ball bearing
and locking device. Preferably this would be a double ball-bearing, a ring having
ball races being secured upon the end of the steering tube and lying between
suitable cups or equivalent providing the remainder of the ball races so that there
may be a row of balls above and below this ring to which the chain etc. of the
steering mechanism. can be fastened as already explained.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a tandem cycle provided with a steering
device according to one construction of this invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section through the seat pillar tube.
Figure 3 is a similar view of another construction of steering device also accord-
ing to this invention, and
Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figures 1 and 2.
:
г-
A is one of the frame diagonals of a tandem cycle and forms the tube to receive

page_text: the seat-pillar B.for the front rider. The seat pillar B is tubular and slides in the
tube A being gripped in the usual manner as at C. Through the open end of the
seat pillar B, the rounded portion D of a bracket D passes forming the end of a
tube E. The bracket I) is made in the form of a clip as at D2 in order that it may
grip the handle bar. The tube E passes down through the seat pillar B and tele-
scopes into another tube E. Frictional engagement between the tubes E and E¹
is secured by means of a tapered plug F which works in a seating F¹ attached to
the lower end of the tube E this end being preferably slotted in order that it may
be expanded by the action of the plug F. A rod G passes down through the
bracket D and tube E; it is screwed at its lower end and works in a tapped por-
tion of the tapered plug F. The screwed portion of the rod G is provided with a
collar G which bears against a block H fixed in the tube E; this block H also
serves as a stop to prevent the plug F being drawn too far up the tube E. The
rod G can be turned by a head G¹ and the plug F raised or lowered. When the
plug F is raised the lower end of the tube E is expanded and thus grips the tube E'.
The plug F may be prevented from rotating relatively to the tube E by a key
or equivalent, which engages with a slot in the tube. A second screwed collar G
is provided at the end of the rod G to prevent it being detached from the plug F.
The rod E terminates at its lower end in a plug E2 which is screwed to receive
a collar, J. Ball races J¹ are formed in the collar J and are completed by similar
races in cups J. The collar J is prevented from turning on the screwed plug E
by a bolt J. The lower cup J2 is screwed into a tube A¹ which enters a lug A²
and forms a continuation of the seat pillar tube A. This cup J2 is prevented from
turning by a locking pin or equivalent device as at K.
The lower end of the tube E¹ with its ball bearings is carried in the lug A
which is provided with openings to allow arms J (Figure 1) upon the collar J
to pass through. These arms are connected by chains, rods or equivalent as at M
to the steering fork M.
The round portion of the bracket D which forms the top of the steering
tube E, E, is carried in ball bearings as at L and as the balls L in this construc-
tion merely run on the outer part of the piece D¹ or tube E it will be seen that
the length of the tube E E¹ and consequently the height of the handle bar may
be altered independently of the position of the seat pillar B.
In the construction illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the tube E does not directly
telescope into the tube E¹ but is connected to it by means of an intermediate
member E3 which is provided with a long feather-way E. A feather E5 upon
the interior of the tube E' fits into the feather-way E' so that the tubes E and E¹
may be relatively adjusted in the direction of their length, but are prevented
from rotating relatively to each other.
The other details of this construction are similar to those in the steering device
illustrated in Figure 2, except that in this case the balls L' of the top ball bearing
run in a groove or race D³ in the stem D¹ of the bracket D so that while the
tubes E E may be turned relatively to the seat pillar B for the purpose of steering
yet it is not possible to adjust the height of the handle-bars without raising the
seat pillar to a corresponding extent. The lower ball bearing is also slightly modi-
fied, the upper portion of the lower race being formed upon a separate collar J5
screwed upon the plug E2 and the lower cup J2 fitting into a recess in the lug A³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In a multiple cycle steering by means of a tube or rod which passes through
and revolves within the front rider's seat pillar.
2. In a multiple cycle steering by means of a tube or rod which passes through
and revolves within the front rider's seat pillar and is adjustable for height rela-
tively to the seat pillar.

page_text: 3. The combination with a seat pillar and seat pillar tube of a steering device
substantially as described.
4. A steering device within the seat-pillar and seat pillar tube of a cycle com-
prising portions telescoping one within the other and frictionally engaged by a
tapered plug and screw.
5. A steering device within the seat pillar and seat pillar tube of a cycle com-
prising portions telescoping one within the other and engaged by means of a
feather and feather way.
6. In a cycle the combination with an adjustable seat pillar of a ball bearing
carried therein and thereby.
7. In a cycle the complete steering head or saddle support substantially as
described or illustrated in Fig. 2 or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
8. The complete steering-device substantially as described or illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 1, and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of August 1898.
ALEX. CRAIG,
WALTER PHILLIPS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.
ALEX. CRAIG,
WALTER PHILLIPS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.