US977749A

US977749A - Coasting-sled.

Info

Publication number: US977749A
Application number: US54913910A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dolph A Page
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1910-03-14
Filing date: 1910-03-14
Publication date: 1910-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1927-12-06

Description

1). A. PAGE. GOASTING SLED.

APPLICATION FILED MA BHM, 1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. FUEL l WITNESSES: 2 7 7 7 g-g INVENTOR.

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DOLPH A. PAGE, OF KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

COASTING-SLED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

Application filed March 14, 1910. Serial No. 549,139.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOLPH A. PAGE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Keene, in the county of Cheshire and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Coasting-Sled, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sleds, more particularly coasting-sleds, and resides in certain peculiar general features of construction in which are included a guiding or steering mechanism, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to produce a strong, durable, and comparatively simple and inexpensive coasting-sled, which can be easily and conveniently guided without the use of the feet.

A further object is to provide a sled of this kind that can be steered with a wheel, or with a rope, or by direct application of the hands to the steering runner, such wheel with its directly connected and associated parts being. detachable and removable so as to be entirely out of the way when it is desired to resort to either of the other two steering methods. The removal of the steering-wheel apparatus can be easily and quickly effected, and the same thing is true in regard to the replacing of the same.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan of a coasting-sled which embodies m invention in a practical form; Fig. 2, a si e elevation of such sled; Fig. 3, a bottom plan of a portion of the sled, showing the equalizing springs in full; Fig. 4, a central, longitudinal, vertical section through said sled, the rear portion being broken'ofi Fig. 5, a transverse, vertical section taken on the axial line of the steering apparatus and looking toward the front end of the sled, the steering-post being in elevation, and, Fig. 6, a front end elevation of the steering-fork-arm.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention is applicable to a sled which consists of a seat mounted on two runners and provided with a third runner for guiding or steering purposes, and I have shown such a sled in the drawings, wherein 1 represents the seat, 2-2 represent the main runners, and 3 represents the steering runner. The runners 2 are rigidly connected by means of two

cross-pieces

4 and 5, and the seat 1 is fastened in place on said crosspieces. These members in and by themselves are old and well-known.

The steering runner 3 is pivoted at 6 to the cross-piece 5, such pivot, in the present case, passing downward through the seat 1 and the center of said cross-piece into said runner some little distance from the back end thereof. The runner 3 is cut away at 7 to receive the cross-piece 5 and so that said runner can swing to whatever extent may be necessary without interference on the part of said cross-piece. The seat 1 and the crosspiece 5 bear directly on the runner 3, and a cross-bar 8, which forms a foot-rest and is rigidly connected with the overhanging front terminals of the main runners 2, also bears on said runner 3. In this way the runner 3 supports the, front part of the sled, yet said runner may be freely turned either to the right or to the left in spite of the frictional engagement at the three points noted, because the members are so proportioned that the sled supports and carries its load rather well back of the aforesaid points and very largely, chiefly in fact, on the main runners 2.

In order to maintain the runner 3 normally in parallelism with the runners 2, two equalizing springs 9 are employed. These springs are introduced between opposite sides of the runner 3 and the runners 2, be ing located just in front of the forward end of the cut-away portion 7 or a little in advance of the cross-piece 5, and having their ends fastened in any suitable manner to the runners. These springs, while strong enough to swing the runner 3 into coincidence with the central, longitudinal, vertical plane of the sled, when diverted from such plane and upon being released from the diverting force, and to retain it in such plane, under ordinary or normal conditions, are not so stiff as to materially interfere with the proper operation of said runner incident to the act of steering.

The steering runner 3 extends upward in front of the cross-bar 8, and projecting from opposite sides of this upwardly-extending part are two screw-eyes 10 to which the ends of a rope 11 may be attached. Mounted on the cross-bar 8 is a guide 12 for the rope 11 which passes from the screw-eyes 10 back ward through openings or notches 13in the ends of said guide.

The front ends ofthe runners 2 are provided with screw-eyes 14-14 for the at tachment of a rope that may vbe used in drawing the sled. Ordinarily the rope 11 will be attached to the screw-eyes 10 and employed for draft as well assteering-pun poses, but this or another rope may be attached to the screw-eyes l t and used as the draft rope, if desired;

The before-mentioned steering wheel a p paratus consists of a steeringwvheel 15, a vertical steering-post IG'to thetop of which said wheel is fixed}, a horizontal forh arm 1 7 so connected with said post that said arm moves with said post a cr0ss-bar1-8'- secured to the sled frame, and a' pivot; 19 whichper= mits the steering=post toturniwi th its-arm; The crossbar 18 extends across the top of the sled" over the cross piece 5,and is fas tened' to the upper edges ofthemnners 2 by means of two screw eyes 20, or'in any other suitable manner whiclr permits said crossbar to be removed readily. The steering post 16- has its base mortised into the fork arm 17 near the back end of thelatter, but this particular method of prov-iding arigid connection between thetwo members-is not important; The pivot 19" extends upward through the center of thecross-bar 1 8"-into the steering-post; coinciding with the axis Ofsai'd post and constituting the real axis thereofi The location and arrangement of the parts are such, by preference; that the pivot 19 is directly above the'pivot 6.

The fork-arnr 17 7 rests at its rear terminal; with" the steering-post 1'6, on the crossbar 18, and said arm projects forward-from said cross-bar to rest on the-upper edge of 'the runner 3, being augmented in depth at the front end, as clearly show-Ir in- Fig; 4", for that purpose ;'in other words; said fQrk-arm is supported in a horizontal position on said cross-bar and said runner. Depending fromthe front end of'the forlt-arin 17, and adapted to receive between them and snugly embrace alportion of therunnerB, aretwo lugs 21. These lugs form the fork of the arm 17, and by reason of their engagement with the runner 3 carry said runner with said arm when the latter is swung about the pivot 19, the runner, of course, swinging about its pivot 6.

Assuming that thesteering-p'ost apparatus just described isin place, it is clear that, when the steering wheel 15* is turned in either direction, the steering runner 3 must also" be turned in thesame direction, since the steering-post 16 then makes a partial revolution on its pivot 19 and carries with it the fork-arm 17 and the latter imparts its movement to said runner. Thesprings 9 tend to steady theaction of the steeringwheel apparatus and to restore the runner 3 to normal position upon the release of the steering-wheel. Said steering-wheel is situated' in a suitable andconvenient position and at a sultable and convenlent helght, so that the mechanism controlled thereby can be operated to the best advantage, the operator being seated on the sled behind the steering-post with his feet on the foot-rest. \Vhen thus seated the operator can also steer by means of the rope 11, regardless of the-presence or absence of the'steering-wheel apparatus, the method of so steering being obvious. v

When thesteering-wheel apparatus isnot required it canbe removed from the sled after first taking. out" the screw-eye's 20. Theabsence" of such apparatus does not affect the steering-"runner in'any way. With theaforesai'd apparat'usout of the way a person ca nh'e at length on the 'sled and steer the same by grasping: witln his hands the runner 3 and swinging said runner on its pivot 6 in whatever direction or: directions may be" necessary. The springs act in the samewayin throwing the runner 3 into paral l'elism with the runners 2" and retaining it in such relationship with said runners; 2 whether the steering is'-accomp lisl 1'ed' directly by hand or through the medium of the rope 1 1, as when by means of the steering wheel apparatus. It is sel-f-evident how the sled is guided and" its direction changed bythe steering runner and the manipulation thereof;

That this sled is susceptible tochangemot only in matters of shape and size but also of construction of someor'all of itsparts", is evident', therefore"I don'ot desire or intend to be restricted in these particularsbeyond the restrictions impose'd by my claims:

What I claim as my invention, and ode sireto se'cureby Letters Patent, is-

1'. In combinationwith the frame" of a sled, including the main runners, thesea-t', and foot-rest crossbar located forward of said seat and connecting. the front ends of said runners, of a central steering runner at the forward end of the sled, said steering runner heingpivot'ed directly to'sa'id frame beneath the same and arranged in direct supporting and contacting relation" to said cross-bar and to other parts of'the frame behind such bar.

2. The combination, in a sled, of the frame, including the" main runners; of the sled, a cross-barand aguide mounted" at the front end of said frame" on" said runners, said guide having its endsada-pted tmsupport a rope, a central steering runnerpiv ota-lly connected, with; saidframe" and extending beneath and in" contact with said crossbar and forward of said guide, and a rope attached to the forwardly-extending part of said steering runner and passin'g outwardly and rearwardly to=the aforesaid ends of said guide and behind the same, such rope being in sliding relation with said guide.

3. The combination, in a sled, with the frame, including the main runners, of the sled, and a centrally-located steering runner, for the forward end of the sled, pivotally connected with said frame, of a steering-post pivotally mounted on the sled and provided with a forwardly-extending arm arranged in direct engagement with said steering runner to operate the same when said post is operated, the steering-post pivotal connection being independent of the steering runner pivotal connection but having its axial center coincident with the axial center of said last-mentioned pivotal connection.

at. The combination, in a sled, with the frame, including the main runners, 0f the sled, and a centrally-located steering runner, for the forward end of the sled, pivotally connected with said frame, of a removable member mounted on the sled, and a steeringpost pivotally mounted 011 said removable member and provided with a forwardly-extending arm arranged in direct engaging relation with said steering runner to oper ate the same when said post is operated.

5. The combination, in a sled, with the frame, including the main runners, of the sled, a centrally-located steering runner, for the forward end of the sled, pivotally con nected with said frame, and equalizing springs interposed between said main run- 11ers and 'said steering runner, of a steering post pivotally mounted on the sled and provided with a forwardly-extending arm arranged to engage said steering-runner and to operate the same when said post is operated.

DOLPH A. PAGE. lVitnesses EVA S. Dow, LEWIS W. HOLMES.