US601109A - John j - Google Patents

Description

J. J'.WH1TTLB. BICYCLE SUPPORT.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 22, 1898.

afgana/cl Arm/mfr.

I Z /NVE/von 92m J Whale, e

\ e Nonns mus co. mumu'mo.. wAsMmojrou, m a

. hinged between these supports k la.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. WHITTLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BICYCLE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 601,109, dated March 22, 1898. Application filed September 12,1896. Renewed August 26,1897. Serial No. 649,653. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Beit known thatI, JOHN J. WHITTLE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bicycle- Supports, of which the following is a specification. Y

The nature of the invention consistsin the details of combination and construction substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings hereinafter described, and subsequently pointed out in the claim.

Figure I is a side View of an ordinary bicycle with my invention attached. Fig. II is a rear view of the same on a larger scale. Figs. III, IV, V, and VI are detail views more fully hereinafter described.

The great difficulty ordinarily encountered by beginners who at first try to ride a bicycly is the tendency they have to fall sidewise. It in fact requires a great deal of practice before some persons can ride safely. To assist these and obviate the diiiiculty my invention has been devised. y

The saddle of the bicycle is hinged at a, with its free end resting with the lug a upon the top of the rod b. This rod b slides in a sleeve in the bridge f. This bridge is fastened to the rear of the bicycle-frame, as illustrated. A helical spring g actuates the rod b. Upon this bridge f are formed two opposite jaws f and f. In these jaws are hinged the supports llc k. A toggle-joint t' t 7l is also In the middle member t is a hole y adapted to the rod b. The rod b may be clamped by suitable set-screws in the member t of the toggle-joint or in the sleeve of the bridge f, as hereinafter more fully described. The lower ends of the supports lc lo are provided with rollers b,

as illustrated,the whole device to be substantially as illustrated in the drawings.

When my invention. is in use, the rod b is free to slip in the sleeve of the bridge f, and the resilience of the spring g carries it up against the saddle, so that the rear end of the saddle stands higher than the front end. At the same time the rod b, which is'to be fastened by a set-screw or in some other convenient way in the member t of the toggle-joint, draws this member of the joint upward, and in so doing closes the supports la and'k up near to the sides of the bicycle, as illustrated in Fig. I; but when pressure comes upon the saddle, as of the rider sitting on it or the like, it slips the rod b downward through the sleeve of the bridge f and pushes the member tof the toggle-joint downward, causing the toggle-joint to open. This spreads the supports k and lo apart from the sides of the bicycle into the position illustrated in Fig. Il. It will then be found that if the machine should be inclined to fall over sidewise it will be caught by the wheel Zand held up while still in motion, and so neither the machine nor the rider will fall. As soon as the pressure is removed from the saddle the spring g carries the rod b upward and all the parts assume their original position.

' If it be desired to retain the supports folded up against the sides of the machine, the saddle is iirst pressed downward, so as to carry the rod b down as far as it will go. This rod is then clamped fast in the sleeve of the bridge f. The set-screw, which holds the rod b in the member t of the toggle-joint, is then released. The supports are then folded up to the sides of the machine, and, lastly, the rod b is again clamped with the set-screw in the toggle-joint. It will now be found that the supports will be held iirmly in folded position and that the bicycle can be used in the common and well-known way.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with a bicycle, a saddle hinged thereon, a bridge fastened to the frame of said bicycle, a rod sliding in a sleeve in said bridge, a helical spring embracing said rod, and in connection with said saddle, actuating said rod, of side supports, substantially as specified, hinged in said bridge, rollers upon the lower extremities of said supports, and a toggle-joint hinged in said supports, and operated by said sliding rod to open and close said supports, substantially

Images