US72401A - John johnson - Google Patents

Description

J. JOHNSON.

Sled.

No. 72,401. I Patented Dec. 17, 1867..

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JOHN JOHNSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

s Letters Patent No. 72,401, dated December 17 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLEDS.

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Be it known that I, JOHN Johnson, of Boston, in the county of Sufi'olk, and Commonwealth of Massacnu setts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleds used for coasting and purposes of sport and pastime; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention is, first, in providing a yielding or spring top to the sled, which, while it yields vertically, and so insures an easy and pleasant seat to the occupant,is, by my devices, prevented from a lateral 1 or tilting motion which would render the seat uncomfortable and dangerous; and, secondly, a steering-device,

by means of which the party seated on the sled can easily direct its course in coasting by means of aooi'd held in his hands without a change of position or any sacrifice of comfort and convenience.

The sleds in common use are made with the top or. seat solidly fixed to the runners, and so without the means of lessening the effects of the roughness and inequalities of the course over which they pass, and are also devoid of steering-apparatus, the course being generally directed by the feet of the rider, an operation inconvenient and dangerous, and resulting in the increased wear and tear of his boots or shoes.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invontion,'I will further describe its construction and operation. In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 represents a bottom view of a sled with my improvements. Figure 2 a side view, and Figure 3 an end view of the same. A and A are the runners of the sled; B is the top or seat; a and athe cross-bars connecting the runners; C the spring on which the seatrests; b and b are the hinges by which the seat is secured to thofront' cross-bar. D and D are the rudders, which, with thecords (Z and (Z, the hand-cord m, and the pulleys c and c,-

constitutc the steering-apparatus, c and e are the staples or eyes by which the cords are made fast to the rudders, andf andf the eyes through which they pass on the sides of the runners. g and-g are the braces or supports serving to further strengthen the sled.

My mode of constructing my improved sled is this: The runners A. and A are firmly connected by the cross-bars a and a, and further strengthened,'if reqnired, by the braces g and g.- The top or seat 13 is then attached to the front cross-bar a by means of the hinges b and b, or some similar device, by which theseat is firmly secured and any lateral or rocking motion prevented, and at the same time suilicient play allowed for the action of the spring 0, which is secured to the rear cross-bar-by the staple It, and to the top or sent by the I staple it. By this device the seat is rendered comfortable, while it is as secure from tipping or rocking as it directly fastened to the runners. I

My'steering-dcvicc consists of the rudders D and D, which are made either of wood or metal, or of wood shed with metal, inthc form represented in the dra\vings,'azul attached to the rear of the runners by the hinges z and 1 so constructed as to allow the rudders to move up and down to meet the inequalities of the surfaceovcr which the sled is passing, while their own weight tends to keep them upon-such surface with suiiicicnt force to accomplish the intended object. To the eyes or staples e and e are attached the tiller-cords (l and d, each one made fast to the outer side of the opposite rudders, and passing along on the sides of the runners through the eyesf andf, and then, through the loops at and n of the hand-cord, across under the seat 13 to the inner side of the opposite rudders, where they are again made fast. The hand-cord m passes down through holes from the top of the sled under the pulleys c e, and ends in the loops at at, through which the cords (Z and cl pass. These cords combined operate substantially like a pair of driving-reins for a span of horses. The rider on the sled b means of the hand-cord m. ullin which side he desires ulls directl men the outer side of one rudder V 7 P a 7 I) y and the inner side of the opposite one, and so moves them simultaneously and in the same degree and direction.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is A sled, in which the top or seat 13 is secured, at or near its for\\'ard,end, to the front cross-bar by hinges b and I), while its rear end is supported by means of a spring, a, when such is combined with a steeringapparatus, as described, the-whole being constructed, arrangcth and operated in the manner and forthe purposes set forth.

JOHN JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

A. B. Coma, S. E. Ivnsou.

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