US647785A - Multicycle. - Google Patents

Description

nu. 647,785. PatentedApr. |7, |900. .1. c. ANDERSON.

MULTICYCLE.I

(Apizlication led Aug. 9, 1899.) (N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-'Sheet I.

No. 647,785. Patented Apr.. I7, |900.

J. C. ANDERSDN; MULIICYCLE.

A plication led Aug. 9, 1

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0. o W1. r. p

A d e t n e t a P J. 5. 8 7, 7 4 6 m N MULTICYCLE.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

yturni) STAT-ns PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

i VIULTICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. @L7/285, datedrAprilv 1'?, 1900.

Application filed August 9, 1899.

To @ZZ whom it may concern- Beit known that I, JAMES C. ANDERSON, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multicycles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex` act description of th e' invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and flguresof .reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Y Y

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bicycles, and has for one object, primarily, the production of what I denominate a multicycle, which may be added to for the purpose of increasing its carrying capacity, and4 when arranged as hereinafter set forth may; be divided or separated to constitute a number ot' individual .tandems having substantiallythe characteristics as such of a machine described and illustrated in an application filedlby me of even date herewith, Serial No. 726,693, for an improvement in tandem bicycles.

It has for a further object to provide a machine in which every Wheel constituting the multicycle, with the exception of the first of the series, shall become a steering-wheel, whereby a movement analogous to that of a snake may, when desired, be imparted to the machine.

It has for a further object to so construct and connect the several/unitary sections that each of the riders will receive but one mo-l mentum shock when the machine encounters ordinary obstructions, and that the machine throughout its length may have a verticallyundulatory motion in order that it mayaccommodate itself to the uneven surface of the roadway.

It has for a further object to lessen the slipping friction of the driving-Wheels existing in all bicycles carrying more than two riders by dispensing with all devices of any character whatever for transmitting the motive force from two or more fixed localities to one common driving-Wheel, and likewise Serial No. 726,692. (No model.)

to avoid the sluing or sidewise slipping of all of the wheels succeeding the steeringwheel. The slipping action of the driving'- wheel of all bicycles as at present constructed is due to the fact that there is only one drivingwvheel, Whether the frame be mounted upon two or more wheels, and consequently the combined motive force of all of the riders is transmitted to such wheel, the traction of which is depended upon to push, as it were, all wheels in advance of such driver, and consequently the friction -of such advance wheels and the weight carried by them reacting against the propelling force causes the driving-wheel to slip in an obvious manner. The sluing or sidewise-slipping movement of the wheels in turning corners necessarily results from the fact that the frame supporting theriders is rigid and bears a fixed-relation to all of the several Wheels except the single steering-wheel. l

With these objects in view my invention consists of the peculiar construction and arrangement hereinafter more fully explained.

In order that those skilled in the art to which'my invention appertains may know how to make and use myinvention and understand all of its advantages, I will proceed to describe the same, referring by letters and iigures to the accompanying drawings, in which;-

Figure l is a side elevation of one of my improved multicycles composed of four units or sections and adapted as a whole to carry four riders. Fig. 2 is a detail side-elevation, on an increased scale or full size and partly in section, showing the manner of connecting the several sections other than the first with each other. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the connections shown in Fig. 2, the horizontal pivot being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view, partly in section, showing the connection between the handlebars on the first or 'leading section and the steering mechanism intermediate of said handlebars and the succeeding section, and also showingthe handle-bars of the second section in cross-section; and Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, showing the manner of securing articulate connection between IOO . the first and'lv second sections, and also the [mannerof securing the handle-bars of the first section and the bah-bearing of the'same.

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Similar letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several ligures of `the drawings. v

Y The several sections-of the machine are numbered 1, 2, 3, and-4. The first and the fourthy or last section-frames consist of two` horizontal tubes B B, one vertical tube C at right angles vto the tubes B and one ver-- tically-oblique tube D. The intermediate v frames 2 and 3 are composed of two horizontal tubes B and three vertical tubes-E in they g framesl and L1. Thefront and rear tubes D, 2O

respectively, vare slightly oblique or at an acute angle to the lower horizontal tube B,

; While in all intermediate frames the vertical tubes are three in number and are all at right angles to the horizontal tube B.

rod-Q, and `securing-nuts R,`with suitable" .The upper horizontal tube B of frame lis' provided at its front end with a T-"joint F, and the similar tube-of the frame 4 is provided at its rear end with a similar T-joint F', each of which T-joints-constitutes supports for the vsaddles G, mounted on saddleposts II, secured in any adj usted position by binding-levers I of ordinary construction,

though I prefer to use theconstruction shown and described in an application filed by me on even date herewith and bearingySerial No; 726,694 for `improvement in bicycles for use in the military service. l l' t t The front frame or No. I is provided with handle-bars. J vJ', secured adj ustably by stems or shanks Kto tubular tw'in heads Lbynuts M. The heads Mare connected with a neckv 'N andl vertical stemv'O, the latter secured 'in ball-bearings, as shown at Fig. 5,.and as illustrated and` described .in my application for' hereinbefore referred to. v

- The front frame No. lis articulatively con'- nected lto frame No. 2,1as shown rin Fig. 5, through the mediumof the-rear vertical-tube patent for improvement in tandem bicycles C of the front frame and,the-forward-vertical tube E 'ofgthe second frame, lugs P, pintleball-bearings (shown in section at Fig. 5 and j tween frames 1 and 2 is secured throughthe medium of two fantail or segmental gears lS and T, the formerv secured to the neck LN" of i v ydescribed in said last-referred-to application. The succeedingframes'areconnected together by pivotal joints, (designated by referenceletter Uin Fig. 1,) and constructed las shown.`

all as described in the application. lastreferred to) and the vertical articulationv bethe handle-barhcad L and the latterto the upper-,lug I of .the tube E, also as shown and full size at Figs.,2 and 3 ,andy consisting of lugs V V, pivoted horizontally at the upper` 'Ve-inist and lowerextremities of each frame by a vertical screw-bolt V' and to each other by a vertical screW-bolt W and W and nuts V2, the lugs V and screw-bolt W being lformed with Aball-races to receive balls X for obvious purposes. j From the'con'nection described frame 2, it'will be seen, has a horizontal articulation with frame 1 and `all succeeding frames have both horizontal and vertical articulation with each other. Frames 1 and 2 are capable of horizontal articulations only, for' the reason that the initial steering impulse is communicated through themediumof the handle-bars J on frame l to frame 2 through the intermediate fantail-gears S and T. f

While I prefer to use the articulative joint between the frames or sections, such as shown and` described,'I do not wish to be confined to vanyparticular construction, so long as itis capable of permitting the movements of the frames relativelyl to each other in the direcltion stated, so that the frames may have the lateral swaying orl snake-like motion and ythe'longitudinal'tundulatory movement explained. The lower frame-tubesB B of the respective frames 1 2 3 4 are bifurcated, as shown at Fig. 3, to embrace the wheels A, which are mounted in ball-bearings in the usual or any preferred manner..

5, crank-gear (i, and extension-pedals 7, as described in my pending application last referred to, and the saddles G are so mounted upon the vframes that the riders shall be directly over the axes of the several wheels, as

` also explained inv said application, in order IOO that the human motive force maybe applied to the best advantage. i u

'4 As already explained, the handle-bars J on frame lare so constructed and arranged as fto control the articulation between frames 1 and 2. Rigid handle bars J are secured within both-the front and rear vertical tubes of fframe 2 and in the rear vertical tube of frame `3 andv of any other number of frames which lmay y be connected or interposed between vframe 2 and a final frame similar to frame 4f.

From this construction and arrangement itV vwill be seenthat after frame 2 each succeeding riders handle-bars lare mounted in the rear tube ofthe frame immediately preceding or in advance, and hence the rider steers the'whe'el and frame in front of the one he is mounted upon byartieulatingthe frame upon vthe pivotal joint between them. It will be also observed that the frames are all separable one from another, and that when arranged, as shown in Fig.` 1, the lframes 3 and 4 may be-rem'oved by releasing one or both IIO of the pivot-bolts V, thus leaving frames 1 t and 2 to constitute a tandem.

I desirel itv to b'e vunderstood that while I I'have shown only one section constructed like frame-No. 1 and connected as shown with frame No. 2 a train 'may be-made up with sections similar to sections 1 and 2 and connected as said sections are shown and with any number of intermediate sections like No. 3, so that when segregated a number of tandems may be produced like sections l and 2.

In each of the sections it will be seen that the frame' as a whole and the rider are pivotally mounted -upon the axis of the supporting-wheel, and by reason of the pivotal connection between the several frames any momentum shock received by any wheel is partially dissipated by the rocking movement of the frame upon said wheel and that so far as each individual rider is concerned he is, practically speaking, mounted upon a unicycle, relieved, however, of the dangers attending such machines as to loss of equilibrium forwardly or backwardly by the sustaining power of the connected sections or frames in front and rear.

By reason of the connections between the several frames the machine as a multicycle may not only be swayed laterally in a snakelike path, as heretofore described, but vertical movement of the sections independently may take place to adapt the machine through'- out its entire length to any inequalities in the road with a minimum of vertical movement of the bodies of the several riders, because the vertical movement of each wheel is not only independent of every other wheel, but,

for the further reason that the individual.

frames rocking upon their respective wheels are as a pivotal center, the vertical movement is transformed into motion on an arc of which the axis of the wheel is a center.

Recurring to the pivotalor articulative connection of the several sections of my improved machine and keeping in mind that in machines as at present constructed and designed to carry a multiplicity of riders the frame is continuous and rigid longitudinally it will be seen that by reason of the articulative connection of 'several sections in contradistinction to a single rigid frame the frame of my machine as a whole is capable of lateral articulation, adapting the several sections and the wheels carried therein to a path of any curve from a straight line, and hence there is no tendency of the wheels following the first or initial of the series to slue or slide out under the action of centrifugal force, as would be the case with a rigid-frame machine. -I desire also to call particular attention to the fact that each wheel in my improved multicycle becomes an independent driver, and hence the motive force of the several riders is distributed throughout the several wheels, or, in other words, each rider exerts his motive force to propel the wheel over which he is mounted, and no wheel has any naturally resistant body ahead of it to be pushed or propelled, and hence the slipping action heretofore referred to does not take place. The avoidance of this action is very important in order that the motive force may be exerted to the best advantage and also to protect the tires of the wheels from the wearing action produced by the slipping and sliding action.

With the frame composed of the articulative sections, the riders mounted directly over the respective wheels of each section, and with each wheel constituting a separate driver and driven with the extra leverage secured through the use of the extension-pedals and gearing referred to it will be obvious that my improved machine may be given great speed and serve to the best advantage as a pacing-machine in bicycle-races and for other purposes where fast time is desirable or necessary.

Having described the construction, operation, and advantages of my improved multicycle, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A multicycle composed of independent sections or frames each mounted upon a single wheel and connected one with another by an articulative joint adapted to permit the frames to move out of the longitudinal plane of the machine, said joint connected with each section by horizon tal pivots whereby the carrying capacity may be increased and diminished at will and the several sections may move vertically and laterally independently of each other, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.V

2. A multicycle composed of independent sections or frames, each mounted upon a single wheel and the several sections connected together adjacent to each other and in a plane between the wheels of the respective sections by a joint or link pivoted horizontally at each end to the adjacent sections or frames, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A multicycle composed of sections each mounted upon a single wheel and articulatively connected one with another, and each provided Wit-h a saddle and handle-bars, the handle-bars of the intermediate sections being located at the rear end of said sections and in position to be grasped by the rider in rear of said handle-bars, whereby each rider controls the path of movement of the section upon which he is mounted and also the one in advance of him, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. A multicycle composed of sections each mounted upon a single wheel and articulatively connected one with another and each provided with a saddle and handle-bars, the handle-bars of the sections intermediate of the leading and trailing sections, being located adjacent to the articulative joint between the sections and adapted to cause said sections to articulate, substantially as described. I

5. In combination with the frames l, 2, 3, 4t, the articulative connections U between each section, composed of lugs V secured to the` frames by horizontal pivots V', and to each other by vertical pivots W, W', substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. Ina multicycle having a leading section, In testimony whereof aix my signate intermediate sections 2 and 3, and rear seein presence of t'wowitnesses. tion 4, the lugs V secured to sections 2, Sand 4f, and formed with bau-races, in amlatina JAMES 0 ANDERSON 5 tion with antifrietion-balls X, screw-bolts W, Witnesses: formed with ball-races, and the securing-nuts Y J ENNIE G. BOOTH,

VV,- substantially as shown and described! SMITH DQFRY.

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