US561798A - lawson - Google Patents

Description

(N0 Model.)

H. J. LAWSON.

VBLOGIPEDE.

Patented June 9, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. LAW'SON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,798, dated June 9, 1896.

Application filed April 11, 18%. Serial No. 507,106. (No model.) Patented in England January 18, 1894, No. 1,120; in France March 28, 1894,11'0. 237,271, andin Belgium March 30,1894, lie-109,266.

T0 (655 20. 2.0121, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY J OHN LAWSON, a citizen of England, residing at No. 7 Lot-hbury, in the city of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, dated January 1S, 1894, No. 1,120; in France, dated March 23, 1894, No. 237,271, and in Belgium, dated March 30, 1894:, Ho. 109,266,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of a velocipede by which I attain the following objects: The rider can safely run the velocipede as a unicycle on one wheel, balancing himself with case, so that his weight is directly over the axle, thereby insuring efiective driving without slip and loss of power consequent on slip. The rider also can sit erect in an attitude much more conducive to health and comfort than the steeping attitude which riders of safety-bicycles have generally to assume. As there is only one main wheel requiring an elastic tire, as the front and back wheels are small and not necessarily having elastic tires, the weight and cost of the veloci pede are much less than of those which have two wheels with their expensive tires. The parts are so arranged, as will be hereinafter explained, that the whole velocipede can be packed up for transport in small compass scarcely exceeding the bulk of the wheel; and this arrangement of the parts permits also of their being so set that the velocipede can stand by itself.

I shall describe the construction of velocipede according to my invention, referring to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side view. Fig. 2 is a front view of a velocipede according to my invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the forkbearing. Fig. at is a section showing the attachment of one of the steering-handles. Fig. 5 shows a detail hereinafter referred to.

On the backbone A, I mount the saddle S, which may be provided with springs arranged in any known manner, and to the backbone I joint, preferably with ball-bearings, as shown in Fig. 3, the steering-fork F, and also a front frame 13, which is made integral with the fork F at the joint and is stayed to the fork by ties b, which may also be integral with the fork.

In holes formed in the-shoulders of the fork at K, Fig. 4, are secured the ends of the steering-handles II, which can be turned more or less obliquely up and secured in any desired position by spring-catches L. The steeringarms are bent, as shown by the dotted lines H in Fig. 1, so as to clear the legs of the rider.

' They may also be'withdrawn from their sockets K and turned backward, if desired.

To the lower parts of the forks F are jointed bearers for the pedal-axles P, and these bearers can, by means of screws and nuts 19, be strained more or less away from the main axle D, so as to tighten the driving-chains C. To the end of the backbone A, I secure in ascrewclamp, such as is shown in section in Fig. 5, a curved arm E which carries the back wheel \V. The upper end of the arm E is made with two or more grooves with several holes in each.

groove.

By partly unscrewing the setting-screw I- can raise or lower the arm E and turn it more or less around, and then by screwing in the screw so that its point enters one of the holes in the groove I can fix the arm E in the position shown or that indicated by the dotted lines E. In the lower end of the front frame B, I in like manner clamp an arm M, which carries the front wheel N, mounted as a caster. The wheel N, being mounted as a caster, will readily take the direction of travel when it touches the ground. To keep it generally in alinementwith the main wheel, it may have a spring '21,, arranged to bear on a flat at the front side of its collar.

As in respect of the arm E, so I can raise or lower the arm M or turn it around to the dotted position ll The back wheel W and the caster N may be so adjusted that they do not reach the ground when the rider balances himself, so that the velocipedc then operates as a unicycle. By turning the arms E of the back wheel and M of the caster out of line with the driving-wheel the veloeipede can stand at rest, as on three supports. Also by turning these arms around to the dotted po sitions E and M, so as to bring them against the main wheel, and also turning down the steering-handles to the position II, against the forks, the whole velocipede is brought into a compact form for transport.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know for carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. In a velocipede, the combination of the backbone A, the steering-fork F carrying the main driving-wheel and mounted to turn on a vertical axis in the forward end of the backbone, the front frame 13 having its upper end integral with the fork, the stays or ties b rigidly connecting the lower portions of the fork and front frame, and the curved arms E and M each carrying a small wheel and clamped, respectively, to the lower ends of the backbone and front frame in which said arms have a turning and vertical adjustment substantially as described.

2. In a velocipede, the combination with the single main driving-wheel, the backbone A, the front frame B, and the steering-fork F rigidly connected to the front frame and mount ed therewith to turn on a vertical axis in the forward end of the backbone, of the curved arm E carrying a small back wheel WV, the

curved arm M carrying a small front wheel

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