A Tricycle.
Year: 1893

page_text: being date of first Foreign Application (in 24th Dec., 1892
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1893
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Tricycle.
I, HERMAN MATZEN, of 53 Dorchester Avenue, in the City of Cleveland,
County of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, one of the United States of America,
Teacher 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 :-
My invention relates particularly to what are known as sociable tricycles, that is
to say tricycles adapted to be ridden by two persons sitting side by side, although
the tricycle shown in the drawing may be ridden by one person, and can conveniently
carry three.
In all sociable tricycles heretofore constructed the seats for the two riders are
supported between the wheels, consequently it is difficult to get onto the seats,
well nigh impossible to get off unless the machine is at rest, and even then it is
inconvenient. Moreover, in case the machine should, by accident, be turned over,
both riders will get tangled up in the wheels and frame.
One of the primary purposes of my invention is to obviate the objectionable
features above noted, and provide a sociable tricycle which may be as easily
mounted and dismounted from aз can a ladies' safety, and with which there is
comparatively little danger of the riders becoming tangled up in the frame or with
the wheels; these results following mainly from the location of the seats on
opposite sides of the single rear wheel. Another object is to provide means
whereby the machine will automatically incline transversely when turning, a mode
of action of great value in rapid riding, which has never been attained or attempted
in tricycles so far as I am aware.
I will now proceed to describe in detail the machine shown in the drawing in
which my invention is embodied, after which the parts and combination of parts
which constitute the invention will be pointed out definitely in the claims.
In the drawing,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tricycle in which my invention is embodied;
Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof; Figure 3 is a plan view thereof; and
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the mechanism for attaching the seats to the
seat posts.
Referring to the parts by letters, a a represent the front wheels. They are
journalled in independent front forks bb, and when they are parallel with the rear
wheel, their axles are in line. Each fork is connected in the usual manner with the
fork head and each fork head extends through and has its bearing in one of the
The sleeves ce are rigidly connected and held at the proper distances
from each other by the cross bars c¹ c¹.
sleeves c c.
The rear
Secured to the lower bar c¹ are four bars or tubes d d and e e'.
sections of the middle bars d d constitute the rear fork in which the rear wheel a'
is journalled. The two outer bars e e¹ extend rearward, and their rear ends which

page_text: lic on opposite sides of the rear wheel, extend upward and receive and support the
seat posts ff. Secured to the bars dd' and extending therefrom upward and
rearward, following approximately the curve of the rear wheel, are the center bracc
bars, which are yoked together at their upper ends. Lying on opposite sides
of the rear wheel are the braces gg which are connected at their ends respectively
with the rear ends of the rear fork and with the center brace bars rr¹. Cross
bars 2 extend between and connect the braces g g with the upwardly extending
parts of the bars e e¹ thereby bracing the bars e e¹. The center brace bars rare
connected with the upper bar by the bar J. The bar J, the upper parts of the
brace bars rr', and the braces g g₁ constitute the back bone of the machine. The
paits heretofore designated as bars, braces etc. are preferably made of tubing and
the several parts are connected by brazing or welding or in any other suitable
manner. And these several parts constitute the tricycle frame, the construction
of which may be modified as desired,-it being important only that it be sufficiently
rigid and otherwise suitable for the intended purpose, and that means be provided
for holding the seat posts on opposite sides of the rear wheel.
The tubes d d are substantially of the form of the so-called drop-frame of a
ladies' bicycle, and to the lowest point on said tubes the crank shaft bracket is
secured. The tubes e e¹ are likewise bent down from their front ends, and the
crank shaft brackets k¹¹ are secured to them respectively in line with the
bracket k. The crank shaft is journalled in the three brackets named. Four
cranks n and pedals n' are secured to this shaft. The two on one side being for the
use of one rider and the two on the other side for the use of the other rider.
Secured to the back bone is a support for a third saddle p' on which a single
rider may sit and drive the machine by means of the two inner pedals.
A separate eaddle P is secured to each seat post, and if the riders are of
approximately of the same weight, the connection may be made in the ordinary
manner and with the ordinary means.
It will be observed that with the above described construction both riders can
mount to the seats as readily and in substantially the same manner as a lady now
mounts a ladies' safety, and without having to climb over and between parts of the
frame as is common with ordinary tricycles, and with all sociable tricycles
heretofore constructed. When riding, both riders are outside the wheels, instead
of between them as heretofore they have been. There is of course very little
danger that any tricycle will tip over, but if that herein before described should
tend so to do, one rider would be thrown off outside of the wheels, whereupon the
weight of the other rider would tip the machine in the other direction whereby he
could dismount without getting tangled up between the wheels or with the frame.
In tricycles as herebefore constructed difficulty is encountered to safely making
sharp turns when going rapidly, because there has been no transverse inclination
of the machine as there is with bicycles, and consequently the centrifugal force
tends to throw the rider and capsize the machine. In the construction shown in
the drawing, the entire machine is automatically inclined by the turning of the
fork heads in the sleeves to steer the machine; and the machine inclines in the
direction toward which the turn is being made. This result is secured by
the following construction. The forks are off set toward the center from their
respective fork heads. The steering heads are inclined from the perpendicular.
The axle of each steering wheel is so placed that when the planes of both steering
wheels are parallel to the plane of the rear wheel, that is to say, when the wheels
are in position to steer the machine straight ahead, the axles of the front wheels
are horizontal and the wheels are upright. But when either fork head is turned
in its sleeve, the wheel axle, because of the inclination of the axis of the steering
head, becomes inclined to the horizontal position, and the wheels incline and the
frame is tipped in consequence thereof. In turning the left wheel to the left, the
left side of the frame is lowered. In turning the right wheel to the left, the right
side of the frame is raised. In turning the said wheels in the opposite direction,
the right side of the machine is lowered and the left side raised. In the first case

page_text: the wheels incline from their upright position to the left, and in the latter case to
the right. In both cases the rear wheel is inclined by the tipping of the frame.
In order to compel both steering wheels to be simultaneously turned in the same
direction, an arm 63 is rigidly attached to each fork head and these arms are
connected by a rigid bar s. Each fork head is connected by handle bars, in
substantially the manner employed in safety bicycles.
In order to so arrange the saddles that the weight of the rider on one saddle shall
so nearly balance the weight of the rider on the other saddle whatever be the
relative weights of said riders, I make the saddles transversely adjustable. To
secure this result I connect one or both saddles to the upper ends of the tubes by
means of a device which permits of the movement of the saddles about two
independent and approximately vertical pivots. As for example as shown the seat
post may be revolved in its socket in the tube e thereby carrying the saddle away
from or toward the longitudinal center line of the machine; and the saddle clamp t
may turn upon a pivot on the horizontal arm of the seat post so as to bring the
longitudinal axis of the saddle into position parallel with the longitudinal center
line of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. In a tricycle, in combination, the two front steering wheels, a rear driving
wheel behind and midway between the front wheels, and two seat-supporting
members of the frame which lie wholly behind the front wheels and on opposite
sides of the rear driving wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a tricycle, in combination, a frame, having two front steering sleeves
which are inclined to the perpendicular, two fork-heads journaled in said sleeves,
two forks secured to the lower ends of said fork-heads respectively and offset
toward the central line of the machine, wheels journaled in said forks, and a rear
wheel journaled to said frame behind and midway between said front wheels,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a tricycle, in combination. a frame, two front steering wheels, a rear wheel
journaled to said frame behind and midway between the front wheels, two seat
supporting members of the frame adjacent to and on opposite sides of the rear
wheel, two saddles supported by said members, and means for transversely
adjusting the position of said saddles with respect to the central line of the
machine, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
4. In a tricycle, in combination, a frame, two front steering wheels, a rear wheel
journaled to said frame behind and midway between the front wheels two seat
supporting members of the frame adjacent to and on opposite sides of the rear
wheel two saddles, and mechanism connecting said saddles to the seat supporting
members and having two substantially vertical pivots whereby the position of said
saddles is transversely adjustable, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a tricycle, the combination of two rigidly connected front steering sleeves,
front steering forks journaled in said sleeves, and wheels mounted in said forks,
with a drop frame secured at its front end to the two steering sleeves and
terminating at its rear end and in a rear fork which is midway between the planes
of the front steering wheels, a rear driving wheel mounted in said rear fork, a crank
shaft mounted on the frame between the front and rear wheels, suitable mechanism
connecting said crank shaft with the rear wheel, and two seat supporting posts
rigidly secured to the frame, behind the front wheels and on opposite sides of the
rear wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
6. In a tricycle, the combination of a drop frame, two front steering wheels, a
rear fork midway between the planes of the front wheels, a driving wheel mounted
thereon, two seat supporting posts behind the front wheels respectively and on
opposite sides of the rear wheel, a seat support near the front edge of the rear
wheel in a plane midway between the planes of the front wheels, a crank shaft, four

page_text: pedals secured thereto and mechanism connecting said crank shaft with the rear
wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 19th day of June 1893.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.