USRE3297E - Improvement in velocipede - Google Patents

Description

6., w.. A., E. a; F. HANLON.

Velocipede. v

Reissued Feb. 9, 1869.

fhnnhral ifluitml wamay WILLIAM HANLON AND EDWARD HANLON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNEES OF GEORGE, WILLIAM, ALFRED, EDWARD, AND FREDERICK HANLON.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

ability to persons of different sizes, and its weight and clumsiness, when madesiifliciently strong.

To overcome these objections, and provide, for use, a velocipede-which may be easily balanced by the novice, may be used by diiierent-sized persons with equal facility and comfort, and which will be lighter, and in every way more desirable than machines heretofore made, are the objects of'our invention; and to these ends,

Our invention consists in so constructing a carriage and adapting to it a shifting rear axle, or axles, and wheels, that it may be arranged or adjusted by the rider, to be used with either one or two wheels in the rear, according to the skill of the person by whom the carriage is to be used, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

And our invention further consists in making the saddle, or seat, adjustable toward and from the handle and treadles, (or foot-cranks,).to adapt the machine to the use of persons of dilferent sizes.

And our invention further consists in the employment of variable, or adjustable, crank-arms, for the purpose of varying the throw of the treadles, to suit differentriders, and to increase ordiminish the leverage and velocity of the foot-pieces, or stirrups, as will be presently more fully explained.

And our invention further consists in the use of a forked or bifurcated perch, or bar, substantially such as hereinafterdesciibcd, in lieu of the frame-work heretofore used, to hold the rear axle and form the body of the vclo'cipede, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the construction and operation of one of our improved velocipedes.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side View, or elevation, of our improved machine;

Figure 2 is a top view of the same; and

Figure 3 is a detail partial top view, showing the adaptation of the double running gear at rear of carria e.

it Figure 4, we have illustrated, (in I'Od,) by side elevation, the two-wheelvelocipede in use prior to our invention, and to which we shall allude hereinafter.

In figs. 1,2, and 3, the same parts are designated by the same letters of reference.

A and B are, respectively, the front and rear axles of the carriage, and y O is the perch, or body, the rear or hind portion of which is made forked, or bifurcated, '(as clearly illustrated in the drawings,] and is proyided or formed with suitable bearing-boxes, for the reception of the axle B.

The front axle A is suitably hung in the lower end of the straddle or framea, which is arranged to swivel in and supports the-forward end of the perch, or body of the carriage, in the usual manner.

D is the forward wheel, and

G and H H, the single and double hindwheels, which are used as needed, as will he presently explained.

Eis the saddle, or seat, which is formed on, or attaohed to a spring-bar l}, as shown.

This seat-bar, or bracket, I, reconnected to'the perch- G, by means of clamps ff and set-screws g g, in such a manner that it can be adjusted to, and secured at diflerent points or places on said bar O,-at pleasure.

Each of the cranks c, to which are pivoted, in the usual manner, the foot-rests, or stirrups, d, is madcf in two parts, i and j, the former being in each case attached rigidly to the axle A, and the latter coupled, by means of a screw, it, to the former.

. The attachment of the parts 4', j together is made, as illustrated, bymeans of the set-screw is projecting from 6, through a slot, :0, (see fig. 1,) in j, the head of said screw bearing on the portion j, and clamping it firmly to i. By this (or some other equivalent would answer) means, the throw, or length, of the crank can be made greater or less, at pleasure, by adjusting the parts i and j on each other.

The straddle, or steering-frame, a, is. of course provided with suitable handles, or arms, by means of which it is conveniently turned. I

When the machine is to be used by a. novice, (or when the rider begins,) it may be adjusted, or have its running gear arranged in the rear, with the two wheels H H, so that no expertness is required to balance the machine, (on all its wheels.)

After the rider shall have learned to work the cranks and steering-mechanism expertly, he can then remove the axle B and wheels H, and, placing one of said wheels between the forks ofperch B, as seen at G, fig. 2, put in the axle again, and practise with two wheels only, in lieu of three.

The axle Bniay be made so as to fit snugly to the eyes, or hubs, of the porch O, and the wheels H be made to turn free on said axle. And, in lieu of having the projecting or protruding 'endsof axle B, when one of the wheels H is used, a separate and shorter axle may be made to go with each machine, when sold, such as shown at B, fig. 2.

Of course the hubs, or eyes, of the perch O, fn which the axle B is used, may be made of any desired length to throw the wheels far enough apart to suit the beginner, using the double running gear behind.

It will be seen that, by constructing and adapting the parts so that the carriage maybe adjusted to run with either one or two wheels behind, as shown and described, the velocipede is rendered much more useful and desirable, less dangerous to the novice, and hence, much more useful to the public.

The old-fashioned velocipede, such as seen at fig. 4, having a heavy frame, or body, 0, with double sidepieces or frame, 1) b, for the reception of the rear axle, is heavy, clumsy, and requires more stock and expense in its manufacture than does ours. I

And the seat E and cranks, not admitting of any adjustment or variation, it has been necessary to have the machine constructed of justthe given or proper size to suit the rider who had to use it.

It will be seen that, by having the seat E adjustable, as shown and described, we are enabled to adjust one machine so that it can be used with equal facility by diiferent persons, (having longer or shorter legs and arms,) and it will be understood that this is a great desideratunn; and further, that the expert rider can adjust his seat (and consequently his relative position with the driving and steering-mechanism) to a different position than that found most convenient when he was learning on the same'machine, which is also very desirable.

the application of more power, and vice versa, the advantages of having the throw of the cranks variable, or adjustable, are numerous, and will be obvious to the rider; and with expertliriders, the great advantages of the adjustable cranks, to adapt the machine to difierent ently from whatwe have shown, and one or more of the features of our invention may be used without the rest, with considerable advantage.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- A velocipede constructed so that it can be converted from a three-wheel to a two-wheel velocipede, and vice verse, by means substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Also, the adjustable or variable saddle, or seat, as and for the purposes described.

Also, making the driving-cranks of a velocipede variable, as and for the purposes described.

Also, making the body of a velocipede, substantially as described, of a bifurcated, or forked bar, or perch, as setforth.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 26th day of December, 1868.

' WM. HANLON. '[L. s.] v

EDWD HANLON. [L. s.] Witnesses:

OHAs. A. Soon,- Fnnnnmc A. SAYER.

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