US1139174A - Polycycle. - Google Patents

Description

u. (a. FINLEY. POLYCYCLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2|, I913.

Patented May 11, 1915.

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DAVID GUY FINLEY, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

POLYCYOLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Application filed .Tu1y 21, 1913. Serial No. 780,287.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID G. FINLEY, citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Island, in the county of Hall and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Polycycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toys and more particularly to a new and improved toy of the manually propelled velocipede type and the object of my invention is to provide a toy representing a horse drawn vehicle so constructed that the propelling of the toy will cause the legs of the horse to move as though drawing the vehicle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel means of steering the vehicle from the operators seat, the steering mechanism being so arranged as to be normally locked when the vehicle is traveling straight ahead.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then. specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved toy; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the operating mechanism thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the crank shaft which forms the main or drive axle of the vehicle, together with the pedal levers which are connected to the crank shaft and to the lower portions of the hind legs of the horse; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a portion of the steering mechanism, showing the manner in which the same operates. i

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The vehicle proper of my improved toy, as also described in my divisional application No. 841,051, filed May 26, 1914, includes a shaft 10 forming the main axle of l the vehicle, wheels 11 being keyed upon the ends of the shaft. This shaft 10 is bent intermediate its length to provide spaced crank portions 12 and lever arms 13 of metal are bent at one end about the wrist pms of the cranks l2 and are provided intermediate their length with flattened portions 14 forming pedals by which the rear axle may be rotated as will be later explained. A. vertical U-shaped frame 15 of metal is secured by its free ends about the end portions of the axle 10 immediately within the wheels 11 and secured to the bight portion is a horizontally disposed U-shaped frame 16, the free ends of which converge slightly toward each other to form spaced shafts 17. The bight portion of the frames 15 and 16 support a plate of sheet metal 18 forming a seat for the operator, this seat being provided with an upstanding guard rail 19 supported by brackets 20. Diagonal braces 21 connect the intermediate portions of the U-shaped frames 15 and 16.

Mounted between the shafts 17 is a fanciful representation of a horse or other animal 22, preferably formed of sheet metal and of sufficient strength to support the forward part of the vehicle, said figure being-supported between the shafts by bands 23 representing parts of a harness. This figure 22 is of hollow formation and the central portion of its body is braced by a pair of vertically spaced apart braces 24 and 25. A shaft 26 is rotatably mounted in alined bores formed in'the braces 24 and 25 and held against longitudinal movement through said bores by a head 27 at its upper end and a collar 28 bearing beneath the lower face of the brace 25. This shaft terminates at its free end in a downwardly and forwardly directed fork 29 carrying a shaft 30 upon which is mounted a supporting wheel 31.

Keyed upon the shaft 26 between the braces 24 and 25, is a spur gear 32, the teeth of which mesh with the teeth 33 of an arouate rack bar 34, this bar being mounted upon the downwardly depending fork 35 of a shaft 36. This shaft 36 extends at right angles to the forked terminal being journaled in a downwardly depending lug 37 of the brace 24 and in a bracket 38 extending downwardly and forwardly from the seat 18, This bracket is disposed centrally of the seat and includes an upper L-shaped member 39, one arm of which extends horizontally and the other of which extends vertically downward from the free end and a second substantially Z-shaped member 40 secured by one end to the lower face of the first by the same fastening rivets 41 which secure the first to the seat, the opposite end of this latter portion carrying a bearing 42 for the shaft 36.

Pivotally connected for forward and rearward swinging movement to the rear end of the shaft 36, is a hand lever 43. A helical spring 44 is secured by one end to the down wardly directed arm of the L-shaped member 39 of the bracket and has its free end passed through the intermediate-portion of the member 40 of the bracket and secured to the intermediate portion of the lever 43. The forward edge of the bracket member 39 is notched as at 45 and this spring serves to normally hold the lever in the notch and consequently lock the same against swinging movement from side to side. It will be apparent however, that if the lever is swung forwardly against the force of the spring to free it from the notch, it may be then swung to one side or the other to partially rotate the shaft 36 and so swing the rack bar 34 to partially turn the shaft 26 and consequently steer. the vehicle.

The shoulder and hip portions of the figure 22 are pressed outwardly to form cupshaped seats for correspondingly shaped terminals of upper forward and rear leg portions 46 and 47, respectively, these portions being secured for swinging movement by pivots 4S and 49. Lower forward and rear leg portions 50 and 51 are pivotally secured by pivots 52 and 53 to the lower ends of the corresponding upper leg portions. The pivots 53 also pass through the forward ends of the pedal levers 13.

Links 54 are pivotally connected to the upper ends of the lower forward leg portions by pivots 55 located at the rear of the pivots 52 and are connected by their opposite ends to the upper portion of the body 22 by pivots 56. Similar links 57 are connected by pivots 58 to the upper ends of the rear lower leg portions immediately in advance of the pivots 53 and by pivots 59 to the upper portions of the body or figure 22. The upper leg portions 46 and 47 are provided at their upper ends with extended cars 60 and 61 and links 62 and 63 pivotally connect these ears with the free ends of levers 64 which are pivoted centrally as at 65 in the horses body. It should be noted that the leg portions of the figure are of hollow configuration and that the various links, etc., above described, are all inclosed in the body and hidden from view.

In operation, the driver occupies the seat 18 and actuates the pedal levers 13 in the usual well known manner to rotate the axle 10 and so propel the vehicle. The movement of the pedal levers 13 is also transmitted to the lower rear leg portions of the horse and from there to the upper leg portions, this latter movement being due to the swinging of said latter portions upon the links 57. The movement of the upper leg portions is transmitted through the links 63, levers 64 and links 62 to the upper forward leg portions and in turn from said leg portions to the lower forward leg portion. Because of this, the vehicle, when in movement, will cause a movement of the legs of the figure similar to that of the legs of a horse when trotting.

It will of course be understood that I do not wish to in any way limit myself to the specific details of construction illustrated in the drawings and set forth in the above specification, as various minor changes, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made at any time, without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of my invention.

If desired, a hand lever 66 may be pivoted to one of the shafts 17, in advance of the seat 18 with its lower end slidably mounted through an eye 67 swiveled upon the adjacent lever arm near the pedal thereof. One of these hand levers may be employed alone or one may be provided for each lever arm 12 and 13, as preferred. By this means, the vehicle may be driven either by hand or by foot, as preferred, or by both.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A toy including a frame, a shaft in the frame, bearing wheels carried by the shaft, a seat carried by the frame, a bracket extending forwardly of the seat and provided at its free edge with a notch, a toy animal mounted in the frame, a vertical shaft j ournaled in brackets within the animal and terminating at its lower end in a wheel carrying fork, a gear keyed on said shaft, a horizontal shaft having a downwardly depending arm, an arcuate rack carried by said arm and meshing with the gear, a lever pivoted for forward and rear swinging movement to the free end of said shaft and adapted in one position to seat in the notch of the bracket, and a spring secured to the seat and lever arm to normally move the latter into said notch.

2. A toy including a figure and a seat spaced from the figure supported upon bearing wheels, a vertically disposed shaft in the figure carrying one of the bearing wheels and revoluble to steer the figure, a second shaft extending longitudinally of the figure, operative connection between the shafts, whereby turning of the second shaft will turn the first, a hand lever pivoted to that In testimony whereof I aflix my signature end of the second shaft adjacent the seat in presence of tWo Witnesses.

and movable to turn such shaft, a bracket in advance of the seat provided With a notch DAVID GUY FINLEY to receive the hand lever, and a spring nor- Witnesses:

mally tending to hold the lever in such BERTHA F. Roms,

notch. THOMAS J. NEYLON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the "Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0

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