IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JAMES AMBROSE DEERING, of 84 Nassau Street, in the City and State of New
York, United States of America, Counsellor at Law, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to various improvements in velocipedes, and more parti-
It has
cularly to the mechanism for transmitting motion to the driving wheels.
been shown to be applied to a tricycle, but it may also be used in connection with
bicycles and other velocipedes.
The invention consists in the various details of construction hereinafter pointed
out. In the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of a
tricycle provided with my improvement.
Fig. 2 is a back view of the same.
Fig. 3 a detail transverse section of one of the boxes containing the motion
transmitting mechanism.
Fig. 4 a longitudinal section on line x, x, Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 a similar section on line y, y, Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 an outer sectional side view of the box, and
Fig. 7 an inner sectional side view of the same.
The letters a represent the driving wheels keyed to axle b. c is the steering
wheel, the seat, and e the backbone, all as customary. f, f, are two boxes
encircling the axle b and free to turn thereon. 9 are straps attached to the
circumferences of the boxes f, at one end and to the treadles h at the other end.
These straps encircle the boxes, and by alternately stepping on treadles h, the
boxes are revolved and thereby revolve axle b in manner hereinafter described.
The treadles h are pivoted to a cross bar i attached to backbone e and are made
of the peculiar shape shown in Fig. 1. That is to say they project first forward
then downward and backward, and then again forward to form the foot rest. By
this construction a firm hold for each foot is secured.
Each box is by a partition j divided into an inner and an outer or right
and left chamber. The outer chamber surrounds a disc k tightly keyed around
shaft b and having a grooved periphery (Fig. 3). Between this disc and the inner

page_text: periphery of the chamber, a channel or way is formed and into this channel four,
more or less, balls are loosely placed. The channel is composed of as many sections
as there are balls, and these sections are widest at one end, and taper gradually
towards the other end. This construction I obtain, by forming the inner periphery
of the chamber in the arcs of four, more or less, circles, all eccentric to axle b
(Fig. 4), the contracted end of one are communicating with the widest portion of
the next are. This inner periphery should also be provided with a central groove
(Fig. 3) so that the balls cannot slip sideways.
The inner chamber of each box f contains a coiled spring m attached at one end
to said chamber and at the other end to any fixed support. This support I obtain
as follows: From each side of axle b projects upwardly a standard n, the lower
bearings of the standards encircling the axle, so as not to revolve therewith. At
the upper ends the standards are connected to a cross bar o, from which project
downwards the arms p, having each at its lower end a sleeve q, loosely encircling
axle b, and projecting into the inner chambers of the boxes f (Fig. 3). To these
sleeves one of the ends of each spring m is attached.
The operation of the device is as follows. As one of the treadles his depressed
the strap g will revolve the box f, to which it is attached, forward. Then one or
more of the balls in this box, owing to their gravity, will fall downward in their
tapering channels, and become clamped in the contracted portion thereof. The
frictional contact between box, balls and disc will now cause the box by means of
the balls, to grasp the disc and pull it around with it. Thus the rotary motion is
transmitted to the disc and accordingly to axle b. When pressure on treadle h is
released, the spring m will come into play and revolve the box backward as the
treadle is raised. Thus strap g is again wound upon the box, and the parts are
in proper position for the next descent of the treadle. In order to obtain an
additional tight grasp upon the axle in the ascent of hills, I have devised the
following construction:
To the right and left of each box f extends an upright r, r. Each pair of these
uprights is connected on top, while at their bottom all the uprights have a transverse
bore to loosely encircle axle b. 8 is a plug or stop affixed to the cheeks or side
pieces of each of the boxes f. The inner uprights r' have each an outer bend so
that their upper ends are inside of the arms p (Figs. 2 and 3) while their lower
ends are outside of such arms. Thus it will be seen that all uprights r, ×¹ are in
close proximity to the sides of boxes f near the periphery of such boxes.
At the top each of the outer uprights is connected by a rod t to treadle h.
The connection between treadle and rod t is formed by hook and eye, or in
equivalent manner.
Under ordinary circumstances, such as travel on level ground, the uprights are
entirely out of play, but when additional purchase is desired, the rods tare
connected to treadles h. The uprights,, will now bear against the stops s of
boxes as the treadles are depressed, and aid in revolving such boxes. On the
raising of the treadles, the rod t will oscillate uprights r, 7ª, backward, so as to be
in proper position for the next depression of the treadles.
In place of making the inner periphery of box with the eccentric curves, such
curves may be formed on the outer periphery of disc k.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination of axle b rigidly connected to driving wheels a and discs /
with boxes containing loose balls between eccentric curves adapted to clutch the
axle and a coiled spring m attached with one end to the box and with the other
end to a fixed support, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of backbone e with cross bar i and treadles each treadle
having a shoulder formed in its upright portion, adapted to fit above the heel,
substantially as specified.

page_text: 3. The combination of axle b with box f, balls l, standards n, cross bar o, arm p,
sleeve q and spring m, substantially as specified.
4. The combination of axle b with grooved disc k, grooved box f, balls & running
in tapering channels and with straps g and treadles h, substantially as specified.
5. The combination of axle b with box f having stop 8 and with uprights r, r²,
rods t and treadles h, substantially as specified.
6. The combination of axle b with uprights 7, r, boxes f, arms p, stops 8, rods t
and treadles h, the rods r¹ being bent near their lower end to pass outward of
arms p, substantially as specified.
2
1001
ALLISON BROS,
Agents for the Applicant.