US778941A - Athletic feat and means for performing same. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905:

U. ANGILLOTTI.

ATHLETIC PEATS AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

SSHEETS-SHEET 1.

M: arm/Mex 78,941. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

U. ANGILLOTTI.

ATHLETIC PEATS AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATBNTED JAN. 3, 1905.

U. ANGILLOTTI. ATHLETIC FEATS AND MEANS FOR PBRPDRMING SAME.

APPLIUATIGN FILED SEPT. 6, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

7 v n l. :6 m V Wm M UNiTED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT rricn.

UGO ANOILLOTTI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATHLETIC FEAT AND MEANS FOR PERFORMING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,941, dated January 3, 1905.

' Application filed September 6, 1904. Serial No. 228,385.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ueo ANCILLOTTI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing in the city and county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Athletic Feats and Means for Performing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to tracks and appliances for enabling athletes,wheel or car riders, and the like to accomplish the feat of what is known as looping-the-loop and other hazardous riding on wheels, cars, and the like; and the object of my invention is to provide means whereby the performer or rider in one continuous act upon a car is enabled not only to leave the track and make a complete circle, somersault, or revolution with his car about an axis, but also return to the track under such velocity that he, with the car, can make a long leap through space or over a separation in the track and then out on the ground at the finish. I

For a better understanding of my invention attention is called to the following specification, which will describe in detail the manner in which the device is constructed and its mode of operation when read in connection with the drawings accompanying the same and forming a part hereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the track and the attachments for assisting the performer to make the revolution. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the concluding portion of the track shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one kind of a car used by the performer. Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: shows the performer about to'leave the track and start on the revolution or circle about an axis and in dotted lines two of the positions he assumes in making the revolution. Fig. 5 shows in full lines the performer returned to the track after having made the revolution about the shaft or axis and released from the shaft and in dotted lines the performer about to make the leap with his wheel across the space in the separated track shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a front view of the'appliance, showing the means for grasping and releasing the car for making the revolution and returning to the track. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one arm of the attachment, together with one arm of the swinging bar with which the wheel of the rider engages. Fig. 8 is a detail of the car.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each of the figures.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates one section of the track, which consists, preferably, in an inclined part 1 and a nearly horizontal part 5, with its outer end slightly raised. This track is set upon supports 6. as shown in Fig. 1. The other section, 8, of the track is placed at a slight incline and rests upon support-s 10. These two sections may be movable and set a given space apart, which space is determined by various conditions, such as the weight of the rider, the weight of the car or wheel, and the momentum.

On opposite sides of the track 2, preferably near the lower end of theincline, is seta frame '12, consisting of two upright posts or standards 14c and 15, which are rigidly stayed by ropes or braces 13. These standards are connected together at the top by a tube-shaft 16. To this tube-shaft is pivoted. a rectangular swing 18, having a horizontal bar 19 and the side arms 17, united together. For the purpose of attaching the swing 18130 the tubeshaft 16 there are secured around the shaft 16 two loops or rings 21, adapted to be freely rotated around said shaft. Integral with each loop is a lug or car 22, recessed out at its outer end, in which the arms 17 are pivoted by pins 23. It will be seen that by this mode of construction the swing not only may be rotated around the tube-shaft 16 as an axis, but also backward and forward beneath the tube and serving to make the swing slightly flexible, which are important features, as will hereinafter appear.

Between the standards 14 and 15 are placed loops 24:, adapted to slide up and down on the standards. These loops are connected together by a horizontal bar 20. Also around the standards are rings 27, which may be adjusted upon the standards to limit the movements of the bar 20 and then held in the adjusted positions by the set-screws 26. The loops 24 are provided with lugs 25, into which ropes 28 and 30 are secured.

Against the side standard 15, near the top, is secured a pulley 29, and the opposite end of the tube-shaft 16 is cut away and a pulley 31 is secured therein. Around the pulley 29 the rope 30 passes, and around the pulley'31 the rope 28 passes through the tube 16. By means of ahese ropes the horizontal bar 20isoperate The car 32, preferably to be used by the performer on this incline track, is of the bicycle class, having the usual wheels 33 and the usual stays 34, but without the drive-gear. Secured to the frame at the intersection of the three bars 34 and 35 is a brace 36, to the opposite ends of which are rigidly fastened upright arms 37. At the top of these arms are pivoted hooks 38. These bars are stayed by a horizontal bar 39, attached to each bar 37 and running through the upper stay 40 of the car The car is also provided with a guiding or handle bar 42 and seat 43.

The manner in which the performer accomplishes the feat of leaving the track while going at a great rate of speed and performing a revolution or somersault around the axis or tube-shaft 16 and then return to the track under speed and also leap a separated space in the track is substantially as follows: The car is placed at the top of the incline of the track 4 and the performer mounts into the seat and places his feet upon the brace 36, one foot on each side of the stays, near to the arms 37, and then grasps the handle-bar 42. Since the incline of the track is very sharp, the force of gravity will give the wheel a rapid motion down the incline till it comes beneath the swing 18. Then the hooks 38 will come into engagement with the horizontal bar 19 of the swing, and the momentum of the car and rider caused by the gravity of the incline will carry them around the axis 16, and the centrifugal force will cause them to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, with the hooks 38 in engagement with the bar 19 and exerting a great tension thereon. At the time of the engagement of the hooks 38 with the bar 19 the swing 18 is upon the opposite side of the bar 20 from the approach of the rider as he starts in to make his revolution. At this time the assistant lowers the bar 20 by loosening the ropes 28 and 30 till the bar has reached the position on the standards below the swing of the bar 19 and the bar 20 rests upon the rings 27. Then as the rider comes to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 the bar 20 will come in contact with the hooks 38 and disengage them from their engagement with the swing-bar 19, and the momentum of the rider will not be decreased by this release, but he will be moving rapidly by the forceimparted to him on the downward portion of the revolution and will then be released from the bar 19 and in position on the track with sufficient momentum to leap the space 50 between the sections of the track and strike upon the section 8. It will be seen by this mode of construction that the rider is enabled by the force of the gravity of the incline track to leave the track and make a complete revolution or somersault upon his car around an axis and return to the track under speed sufiicient to make the leap across the separation of the track in one and the same act.

It is manifest that the track may be instead of an incline a level track and the operator may be given a start by some other power than by gravity and still make the same revolution and perform the same acts. It is also manifest that other modes of holding the car while it is making its revolution about an axis and different modes of constructing the car, as well as the details of the mode of grap pling with the car and releasing it, may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device of the character described, a track, a car, means for grasping the car while under motion and rotating it about an axis,

and means for releasing the car after the revolution.

2. In a device of the character described, a track, a car, means for imparting speed to the car, means for removing the car from the track while under speed and rotating the car about an axis, and means for returning the car to the same plane on the track while un der speed.

3. In a device of the character described, a single track, a car, means for removing the car from the track while under speed with rider thereon and revolving them both about an axis and returning them to substantially the same position on the track that they maintained when removed, and means for imparting speed to the car when it is returned to the trac z.

4. In a device of the character described, a

track, a car, a shaft interposed in the line of the track, means for engaging the car with the shaft, and means for releasing the engagement of the car with the shaft while under speed.

5. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sections and the sections set with an open space between, a car, means disposed in the line of the track for removing the car from the track while under speed and rotating it about an axis away from the track, and means for returning the car to the track under speed and in position to make a leap across an open space between the sections of the track.

6. In a device of the character described, a car, a shaft a swing pivoted to the shaft, means connected with the car for grasping the swing and rotating the car around the shaft, and means for releasing the car while under speed from its engagement with the swing.

7 In a device of the character described, an inclined track, a car, a shaft, means for engaging the car with the shaft while under speed and rotating it around the shaft away from the track, and means for releasing the engagement of the car from the shaft while under speed after the car has been returned to the track.

8. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sections, a car, means disposed in the line of the track for removing the car from the track and rotating it about an axis away from the track, and means for returning the car to the track and imparting speed thereto for leaping across a space between the sections of the track.

9. In a device of the character described, a track, a car a shaft interposed in the line of the track, arms connected with the car and provided with hooks for engaging said shaft, and means for releasing the engagement of the hooks from the shaft while the car is under speed.

10. .In a device of the character described, a track, a car a frame setin the line of the track, a shaft connected with the frame, means attached to the car for engaging the shaft, means for imparting speed to the car, and means for releasing the car from the shaft while under motion.

11. In a device of the character described, a track formed in sections with space between the sections, a car, means for removing the car from the track while under motion and rotating it about an axis, and means for returning the car to the track after the revolution and while under motion.

12. In a device of the character described, an inclined track made in sections and the sections set a short distance apart, a car consisting of two wheels braced together with means for guiding the same, a shaft set outside of the track, hooks attached to the car for engaging the shaft while under speed, and means for releasing the engagement of the books with the shaft while under speed. 1

18. In a device of the character described, a single track formed in sections and set with an open space between the sections, a car, means for imparting speed to the car, means for removing the car from the track while under speed and rotating it about an axis away from the track, means for imparting speed to the car after it has been returned to the track to cause the car to leap across an open space in the track.

14. In a device of the character described, a single track, a car, means interposed in the line of the track for grasping the car and rotating it about an axis and returning the car to the track, means for releasing the car while under speed from the grasp of the means interposed in the line of the track.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANOILLOTTI.

UGO Witnesses:

M. M. (JADY, W. R. MACDONALD.

Images