IMPROVEMENTS IN DIAVOL ES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Scantlebury of Kenninghall Road Lower
Clapton in the County of Middlesex, for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DIAVOL ES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Scantlebury at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th April 1882.
WILLIAM SCANTLEBURY of Kenninghall Road Lower Clapton in the County of
Middlesex, IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
$6
This invention rclates first to the application of a self-acting safety stop or
break to arrest the momentum of the rider when the driving wheel of a bicycle
comes in contact with any obstruction tending to throw the rider over the front of
the bicycle as is so frequent with bicycles of the ordinary construction.
For this purpose according to the first part of my improvements I elongate the
bearings fixed to the fork above the driving wheel which bearings carry the
ordinary break lever.
'
This elongation attached to and forming part of the bearings is formed hollow
underneath with an inclined serrated face the forward end being formed so as to
receive a ball of india rubber or other suitable material. This ball whilst the
wheel is travelling forward simply rests and revolves within its cage on the rim of
the driving wheel but when the wheel meets with such an obstruction as to retard
its progress the momentum of the rider overtakes the ball and causes it to be
gripped tightly between the tyre of the wheel and the serrated inclined surface
above the ball thus retarding the momentum of the rider and preventing the fork
from swinging upon the axis by being firmly locked to the rim of the wheel.
A similar result may be obtained by mounting a disc in advance of the break
lever bearings or otherwise the disc being supported by an eccentrically placed.
axis above and behind the centre of the disc. The disc allows the driving wheel
to travel freely in a forward direction but when the wheel meets with any
obstruction to retard its progress the disc by reason of its eccentricity becomes

page_text: jammed between the tyre of the wheel and the axis of the disc and thus prevents
the sudden forward movement of the front fork.
Another part of my improvements consists in weighting the rim of a wheel of a
bicycle or other velocipede advantageously in 4 equidistant places for the purpose
of imparting additional momentum to the upper part of the wheel whilst travelling
thereby causing the machine to travel with less expenditure of manual labour.
According to another part of my improvements I apply springs to the head of
the front fork the ends of such springs resting against the back bone of the
machine. The springs tend at all times to keep the driving wheel in a straight
line with the back wheel.
A similar result may be obtained by the pressure of a spring holding the fork
and front wheel in a straight line.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Scantlebury in the Great Seal Patent Office on, the
6th October 1882.
WILLIAM SCANTLEBURY of Kenninghall Road Lower Clapton in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention relates first to the application of a self acting safety stop or
brake to arrest the momentum of the rider when the driving or other main wheel
of a bicycle or other velocipede comes in contact with any obstruction or by the
too sudden application of the brake tending to throw the rider forward or over
the front of a bicycle or other velocipede as is so frequently the case with bicycles
of the ordinary construction.
And in order that this part of my improvements may be clearly understood and
readily carried into practice I will proceed to describe the drawings hereto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows part of the side clevation of a bicycle having my improvements
applied thereto.
According to this part of any improvements I elongate the bearings a¹ usually
fixed or jointed to the head of the fork a at a² above the driving wheel A which
bearings a carry the ordinary brake lever.
formed
This elongation a² attached to and forming part of the bearings a
hollow or arched underneath as shown with an inclined serrated face the forward
end being formed so as to receive and retain therein a ball of india rubber or
other suitable material.
This ball b whilst the wheel A is travelling forward simply rests and revolves
within its cage or holder a² upon the rim of the driving wheel A but when the
applied thereto.
According to this part of any improvements I elongate the bearings a¹ usually
fixed or jointed to the head of the fork a at a² above the driving wheel A which
bearings a carry the ordinary brake lever.
This elongation a² attached to and forming part of the bearings a' is formed
hollow or arched underneath as shown with an inclined serrated face the forward
end being formed so as to receive and retain therein a ball of india rubber or
other suitable material.
This ball b whilst the wheel A is travelling forward simply rests and revolves
within its cage or holder a² upon the rim of the driving wheel A but when the

page_text: wheel A meets with such an obstruction as to retard its progress the momentum
of the rider overtakes the ball b and causes it to be gripped tightly between the
tire of the wheel and the serrated inclined or arched surface a² above the ball bas
shown thus retarding the momentum of the rider and preventing the fork a-from
swinging upon the axis of the driving wheel A. owing to its being firmly locked to
the rim of the wheel by the jamming of the ball b between the tire and the
holder a².
Figure 2 shows separate views of the part or holder a² and the ball b.
A similar result to that previously described may be obtained by mounting a
disc c (as shown by Figure 3) in advance of the brake lever bearings or otherwise
the disc c being supported by an eccentrically placed axis c¹ above and behind the
centre of the disc c.
The disc c allows the driving wheel A to travel freely in a forward direction
but when the wheel meets with any obstruction to retard its progress the disc
by reason of its eccentricity becomes jammed between the tire of the wheel A
and the axis c¹ of the disc c and thus prevents the sudden forward movement of
the front fork a.
It will be evident that brakes of the above description may be readily applied
to one or both of the main wheels of a tricycle or other manumotive machine in
accordance with my invention.
The second part of my improvements consists in a new method of applying
weights dd to the rim of the wheel of a bicycle or other velocipede advan-
tageously in 4 equidistant places (as shown in Figure 1) for the purpose of
imparting additional momentum to the upper part of the wheel whilst travelling
thereby causing the machine to travel with less expenditure of manual labour.
I find it advantageous to apply the weights d in the form of clips which embrace
the underside of the tire being rivetted there to a spoke of the wheel passing
through each weight d as shown by which means the weights d are firmly secured
to the tire. Two of such weights & are fixed at each fourth division of the tire.
In applying weights for this purpose to hollow tires I pass (through a hole
made for the purpose) a suitable quantity of shot for one of the 4 weights. The
shot is run into the hollow tire and by its own gravity falls to the bottom of the
tire which is then heated so as to melt the shot into a mass to form a fixed weight.
The wheel is then turned one fourth of a revolution and a corresponding quantity
of shot is introduced as before into the hollow rim and melted to form another
fixed weight and so on in succession until the four fixed weights are secured in
position when the hole or holes in the hollow tire and closed in any convenient
manner. By this means the weights d d are hidden from sight..
The third part of my improvements relates to the application of springs e (as
shewn in Figure 1) to the head of the front fork a of a bicycle the ends of such
springs resting against the neck of the back-bone of the machine.
The uniform pressure of the springs e on each side of the neck of the front
fork a tends at all times to keep the driving wheel A in a straight line with the
back wheel.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 1 springs e are mounted on each side of
the head of the front fork a one end of the spring e takes two or more turns round
the tube e¹ and is fixed thereto and is prevented from altering its position (when
adjusted by turning the tube e¹) by the set screw e² which fixes the tubes e¹
between the head of the set screw and the fixed nut e3 into which it screws. The
other end of each spring e rests in an elongated groove or recess in the side of the
back-bone.
A similar result may be obtained by the pressure of a single spring holding the
fork and front wheel in a straight line. In this arrangement the parts e, e', e2
and e³ are mounted at the front of the head of the fork a only one spring e being
required the two ends of which pass from the helix around the tube e' and enter
groove or recess on each side of the back-bone and are adjusted and act in like
manner to the two springs e previously described.

page_text: I am aware that it has before been proposed to apply springs to retain the front
wheel in a straight line.
"
Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice I would remark that I make no
claim to any of the parts separately which are well known and in common use,
But what I claim is :-
First, The improved arrangement and application of brakes such as a², b, and c
to the driving or main wheels of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes acting
substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described with
reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the drawings hereto annexed.
Second, I claim the improved methods of weighting the rims of bicycles and
other velocipedes by the application of weights such as d to impart additional
momentum thereto substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and represented in Figure 1 of the drawings bereto annexed.
Third. I claim the improved arrangement and application of springs such as e
to the head of the front fork acting substantially in the manner and for the
purpose herein before described and represented in Figure 1 of the drawings
hereto annexed.
In witness whereof I the said William Scantlebury have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fourth day of October in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
WILLIAM SCANTLEBURY. (L.S.)
Witness
EDWARD BLAKE,
Clerk to Messrs. Tongue & Birkbeck
Patent Agents.
34 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane W.C.