Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 14th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 17th May, 1887.
I, HERBERT ARTHUR COUCHMAN, of 7 Stanley Villas, Pembury Road, Tottenham,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
It is well known that in tricycles and other velocipedes, and in those bicycles in
which the steering wheel is not the main or road wheel, it is desirable to make the
steering wheels as large as in diameter as possible; but that when they are made of
comparatively large diameters and mounted in forks in the usual way, they are liable
to lateral deflection by reason of the want of rigidity in the forks and their connections,
and that sufficient rigidity, to enable large wheels to be employed for this purpose,
cannot be obtained without using forks and connections of sizes and weights that are
not admissable in such carriages. Attempts have been made to prevent the above-
mentioned lateral displacement of large steering wheels by supporting their axles in
curved slotted, or open sided bearing plates, instead of in the ordinary steering
Psteering forks, and to effect the turning of such wheels for the purpose of steering,
by means of rods jointed to the blocks supporting the outer ends of the axles; but
these arrangements are expensive, and in other respects are not satisfactory.
According to my present invention, I mount the steering wheel, of whatever
diameter it may be, in an ordinary steering fork the upper end of which turns in a
socket in the frame in the usual way; and in order to prevent lateral deflection or
twisting of the said fork and wheel, I apply abutments or bearing pieces outside the
same. These abutments or bearing pieces are placed one at each side and are carried
by extensions of the framework; they are formed on their inner faces to a circular
segmental curve struck from the centre of the axis of the steering fork, and the axle,
on which the steering wheel turns and which is carried by and fixed in the steering
fork, is provided at each end with a friction roller or rollers turning on an axis or on
axes parallel to that of the steering fork; these friction rollers may, if preferred, be

page_text: carried on the sides of the steering fork, and they bear against the curved surfaces of
the abutments or bearing pieces on either side, and the steering wheel is thereby
steadied whatever position it may be turned into in the act of steering. Instead of
the friction rollers above described, segmental pieces may be fixed on the ends of the
steering wheel axis, or to the sides of the steering fork, and be adapted to fit into and
work in the segmental abutments or bearing pieces. The aforesaid abutments or
bearing pieces form, in effect, portions of a cylindrical socket in which the lower end
of the steering fork turns and is guided either by the beforementioned friction rollers
or by the segmental pieces.
The steering fork, with the steering wheel in it, may be turned on its axis into the
required position for steering by means of a lever fixed on the upper end of the
steering fork spindle, or by an arm or arms projecting laterally from one or both of
the arms of the steering fork, and connected by a rod or rods to the usual rack and
pinion steering appliances; or a toothed segment may be fixed to the arm of the
steering fork, or to the steering wheel axle, concentric with the axis of the steering
fork, and a straight rack arranged to gear therewith and to be moved longitudinally
in either direction by a rod, or otherwise, from the usual steering appliances.
Dated this 27th day of September 1886.
H. A. COUCHMAN.
Per W. H. Bock,
115, Cannon Street, London,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
I, HERBERT ARTHUR COUCHMAN, of 7 Stanley Villas, Pembury Road, Tottenham,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer 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, reference being had to the accompanying
three sheets of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
-
It is well known that in tricycles and other velocipedes, and in those bicycles in
which the steering wheel is not the main or road wheel, it is desirable to make the
steering wheels as large in diameter as possible; but that when they are made of
comparatively large diameters and mounted in forks in the usual way, they are liable
to lateral deflection by reason of the want of rigidity in the forks and their connections,

page_text: and that sufficient rigidity in such forks to enable large wheels to be employed in
them for this purpose, cannot be obtained without using forks and connections of
sizes and weights that are not admissible in such carriages. Attempts have been
made to prevent the abovementioned lateral displacement of large steering wheels by
supporting their axles in curved, slotted, or open sided bearing plates instead of in the
ordinary forks but these arrangements are expensive, and in other respects are not
satisfactory.
The object of my present invention is to provide, efficient and economical means for
preventing the lateral displacement or deflection of comparatively large steering
wheels when mounted in forks in the usual way whether applied to bicycles, tricycles
or other velocipedes. In order to effect this object, I employ the arrangements
illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a tricycle
constructed with my improvements applied thereto; Figures 2 and 3 are side and
front elevations respectively of the same; Figure 4 a partial sectional elevation on
line 1-1 of Figures 1 and 2, Figure 5 a partial sectional plan on line 2-2 of
Figures 2 and 3, and Figure 6 a partial elevation taken from the right hand side of
Figure 5; Figures 4, 5 and 6 being drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the Figures.
*
I mount the steering wheel A, of whatever diameter it may be, in an ordinary
fork B the upper end of which turns in a socket C in the frame D in the usual way;
and in order to prevent lateral deflection or twisting of the said fork and wheel, I
apply abutments, bearing pieces or guides E outside the same. These abutments,
bearing pieces or guides E are placed one at each side and are carried by extensions Dí
of the framework D; they are formed on their inner faces to a circular segmental
cylindrical guiding surface struck from the centre of the axis of the fork B. The
axle F, on which the steering wheel A turns, may be carried by and fixed in the fork
in the usual way as shown. G are segmental cylindrical sliding pieces or shoes fixed
by the pillars H or otherwise to the sides of the branches of the fork B and adapted
to fit into and work within the segmental cylindrical abutments, bearing pieces or
guides E. These segmental pieces G may be secured if preferred to the ends of the
steering wheel axle F instead of to the branches of the fork B. Instead of the
segmental sliding pieces or shoes G, friction rollers G³ turning on axes parallel to
the axis of the fork may be mounted in suitable frames or carriages on the ends of the
axle F, or on the sides of the branches of the fork B, and be adapted to bear against
the inner curved surface of the abutments or guides E on either side as shown in
Figure 7. Or friction rollers E¹ may be mounted on extensions of the framework
and the segmental pieces G adapted to bear against and to be guided by the surfaces
of such rollers as shown in Figure 8. Whichever arrangement be adopted, the
steering wheel A is steadied whatever position it may be turned into in the act of
steering, as will be seen by inspection of Figure 5 in which the axis of the steering
wheel is shown placed in an oblique position in dotted lines. The aforesaid abutments
or guides E (or the rollers E' in Figure 8) form in effect portions of a cylindrical
socket in which the lower end of the fork turns and is guided either by the segmental
pieces or shoes G, or by the friction rollers, as the case may be.
The fork B, with the steering wheel A in it, may be turned on its axis into the
required position for steering by means of a lever handle fixed on the upper end of
the fork spindle, or by an arm I projecting laterally from one or both of the arms or
branches of the fork B, and connected by a rod or rods J to the arms of a lever K
fixed to the lower end of a steering spindle L turning in a tube or socket M fixed to
the framing D. The upper end of the spindle L may be provided with the usual
bicycle steering lever and handles N. Or the lever arms K may be secured to the
upper part of the spindle L and the rods J connected to the ends of the arms of a
lever secured to the upper end of the axis of the steering fork B. These arrangements
of the steering gear are practically similar to those described and illustrated in the
specifications of patents granted respectively to Joseph Goodman dated 21st May 1863
No. 1280 and to James Bate dated 14th November 1878 No. 4625, and I make no

page_text: claim to such arrangements, but merely describe them as applicable to tricycles
constructed with my improvements applied thereto.
Instead of the rod or rods J being connected to the arms of a lever K it or they
may be connected to the usual rack and pinion steering appliances; or a toothed
segment may be fixed to the arm of the steering wheel fork, or to the steering wheel
axle concentric with the axis of the steering wheel fork, and a straight rack arranged
to gear therewith and to be moved longitudinally in either direction by a rod or
otherwise from the usual steering appliances.
The invention is described and illustrated in the drawings as applied to a tricycle
but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to bicycles or other velocipedes.
I am aware that in the specification of a patent granted to Walter John Lloyd
dated 31 August 1882 No. 4157 is described and in the drawings annexed thereto is
illustrated an arrangement of steering mechanism in which curved, slotted or open
sided bearing plates support the ends of the axle of the hind or steering wheel, where
such hind or steering wheel is not supported by means of the usual more or less
vertical fork and I wish it to be understood that I make no claim to any of the
arrangements described or claimed in the said specification.
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. In bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes in which the steering wheel is
supported or carried in a more or less vertical fork, the combination, with the said
fork and steering wheel, of the fixed segmental cylindrical abutments, bearing pieces
or guides E and the corresponding segmental cylindrical sliding pieces or shoes G
fixed to the said fork or to the ends of the steering wheel axle, and working within
the said abutments, bearing pieces or guides, the whole arranged and operating as
herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed.
Second. In bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes in which the steering wheel is
supported or carried in a more or less vortical fork, the combination, with the said
fork and steering wheel, of the fixed segmental cylindrical abutments, bearing pieces
or guides E, and friction rollers G' working in such bearing pieces and carried by the
said fork, or by the ends of the steering wheel axle, as herein before described, and
illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings hereto annexed.
Third. In bicycles, tricycles, and other velocipedes in which the steering wheel is
supported or carried in a moro or less vertical fork, the combination, with the said
fork and steering wheel, of friction rollers E¹ carried by extensions or parts of the
framework, and segmental pieces or shoes G carried by the said fork, or by the ends
of the steering wheel axle, and adapted to bear against and to be guided by the
surfaces of the said rollers, as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 8 of
the Drawings hereto annexed.