Improvements in Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motor Road Vehicles.
I, BOHN CHAPIN HICKS, of 6438, Harvard Avenue, Chicago, Cook County,
Illinois, United States of America, 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:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient
motor vehicle; and the invention consists in the features, combinations and
details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of the running gear of
a vehicle; and Fig. 2 a vertical sectional elevation, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1,
showing the wagon body in dotted outline.
In the art to which this invention relates, it is well known that it is highly
desirable to have a running gear of a vehicle--especially a motor vehicle-con-
structed so that it will take the running on elevations and depressions of the road
in a way that will minimize the transmission of shocks incident to the undula-
tions of the road to the rider, thereby rendering the wagon very efficient in
operation.
In constructing a vehicle in accordance with my improvements, I make a main
frame having outside bars A and A' connected together at a base or cross bar a,
so that their frame when disassociated from the other parts is substantially
U-shaped. Rotatably mounted in this frame portion are the rear supporting
wheels B and B', which may be of any desired construction, although I prefer to
use the ordinary pneumatic tired bicycle wheel. In order to support the wagon
body on this frame, a U-shaped connecting supporting bar C is provided and
pivotally secured to the rear portions of the outside bar at c.
I also provide a
second connecting, supporting bar C which is supported on the side bars by
means of the curled springs D. The wagon body E is supported at the front on
this front connecting, supporting bar C¹; and at the rear portion on the rear
U-shaped connecting, supporting bar C.
A supplementary frame portion G is provided, which is also substantially
U-shaped when disassociated from other parts and which is pivotally connected
to the cross bar a of the main frame at 9 and g'. This supplementary frame
portion is flexibly connected at its rear portions with the U-shaped connecting
supporting bar C by means of the curled springs G¹, and is provided with a
single driving wheel H rotatably mounted in the bearings h and h¹ by means
of the axle h². It will thus be seen that when the main supporting wheels are
elevated and raise their frame portion, the elevation and consequent depressions
are not transmitted to the driving wheel H. The reverse is also true when con-
sidering the relation of the driving whee! to the main frame, for the reason that
the supplementary frame swings on its pivots and prevents the positive effect of
one portion from being transmitted to the other portion.
To support the running gear at the front end and provide steering mechanism,
a V-shaped extension I is provided and pivotally connected to the supporting
frame in a vertical steering pin or stud i, so that as the steering wheels I and I²
which are rotatably mounted on the front member of the V-shaped exten-

page_text: sion are moved laterally, sufficient room is provided for them to make the proper
turn and obtain the proper direction for the vehicle without contacting any other
member of the running gear.
It is also desirable that these wheels be permitted to take undulations which
may exist in different portions of the road. In order to accomplish this result,
the steering stud i is bored so as to furnish a bearing for the extension 2 of the
V-shaped extension, and thus permit the steering wheel frame to have a rota-
table motion in a vertical plane, as well as a steering motion in a horizontal plane.
The steering stud is provided with a sprocket at its lower end engaging a
sprocket on the lower tendiofithe steering rod J.by means of the sprocket
chain. The upper part of the steering rod is provided with a handle j directly
over the seat of the wagon body:
In order to furnish a yielding platform upon which to mount any desired
motor or engine which may be used for the purpose of generating power to drive
the vehicle, an auxiliary supporting frame portion K is provided, which is also
substantially U-shaped when disassociated from the other parts and which is
pivotally mounted on the axle 2 at the bearing points and . This auxiliary
supporting frame is yieldingly held on the supplementary frame by means of the
helical springs 2, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with a platform Kupon
which the motor may be mounted. From the above description it will be seen
that the shocks incident to the running of the vehicle are minimized before they
are transmitted to the motor platform.
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:-
1. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of an outside main
frame provided with supporting wheels, and an inner supplementary frame pivot-
ally secured at its front portion to the outside frame and provided with a driving
wheel at or near its rear portion and flexibly connected to the outside frame at
or near its rear portion, substantially as described.
2. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of an outside main
frame provided with supporting wheels, a supplementary frame pivotally con-
nected at the front portion to the main frame and flexibly to the rear portion
and provided with a driving wheel, a supporting platform pivotally connected
to the supplementary frame at or near the axis of the driving wheel and yield-
ingly supported on the supplementary frame at or near its front portion, substan-
tially as described.
bar
3. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a substantially U-
shaped main supporting frame provided with supporting wheels, and a substan-
tially U-shaped supplementary frame pivotally secured to the cross
of the main supporting frame at or near the front portion and flexibly secured
to the main supporting frame at or near its rear portion and provided with a
driving wheel, substantially as described.
4. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a substantially U-
shaped main supporting frame provided with supporting wheels, a substantially
U-shaped supplementary frame pivotally secured to the cross bar of the main
supporting frame at or near the front portion and flexibly secured to the main
supporting frame at or near its rear portion and provided with a driving wheel,
and a substantially U-shaped auxiliary supporting frame provided with a sup-
porting platform upon which the motor may be mounted and pivotally connected
to the supplementary frame at or near the axis of the driving wheel and yield-
ingly supported on the same at or near its front portion, substantially as described.
3. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a substantially U-
shaped main supporting frame provided with two supporting wheels at or near
the rear portion thereof, a substantially U-shaped supplementary frame pivotally
secured to the cross bar of the main frame and provided with a driving wheel at

page_text: the rear portion, a U-shaped connecting supporting rod pivotally secured to the
rear portions of the main frame, springs connecting this U-shaped supporting
rod with the rear portion of the supplementary frame, a supporting cross bar
arranged at the front portion of the vehicle, springs connecting this supporting
cross bar with the front portion of the main supporting frame, a substantially
U-shaped auxiliary supporting frame provided with a supporting platform upon
which a motor may be mounted pivotally connected to the supplementary frame
at or near the axis of the driving wheel, spring mechanism interposed between
this auxiliary supporting frame and the supplementary frame to yieldingly hold
the auxiliary supporting frame, and front steering wheels pivotally secured to
the front portion of one of the frames, substantially as described.
6. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a running gear made
in two parts one a main part arranged to support a wagon body and provided
with at least two supporting wheels, a vertical steering stud pivotally secured
in the front of the main frame and adapted to rotate in a horizontal plane, a
substantially V-shaped steering extension frame pivotally secured in the steer-
ing stud so as to rotate in a vertical plane and provided with two steering wheels,
substantially as described.
7. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a running gear made
in two parts-one a main part arranged to support the wagon body and provided
with at least two supporting wheels, a vertical steering stud pivotally secured in
the front portion of the frame and adapted to rotate in a horizontal plane, a sub-
stantially V-shaped steering extension frame pivotally secured in the steering
stud so as to rotate in a vertical plane and provided with two steering wheels,
a sprocket wheel on one end of the steering stud, a steering rod extending up
through the main frame and provided with a sprocket wheel, and a chain con-
necting such sprocket wheels together, substantially as described.
finom 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.