Improvements in or relating to Cycles and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1395-Accepted. 30th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Cycles and similar Vehicles.
I, JOHN HANCOCK, of 44 Carrington Street, in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Lace Dresser and Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to improvements in, or relating to, cycles and similar
vehicles, and is designed to provide means whereby the disadvantages of the
ordinary pedal cranks (with their varying leverage and dead centres) can be
overcome, and the cycle can be propelled more advantageously, as the force can be
exercised more fully, especially in ascending hills, and yet, when required, it can
be driven as slowly as desired, without fear of stopping on dead centres.
And yet
further, the rider can keep his feet at rest on the pedals at any moment without
interfering with the progress of the machine, when descending hills, or when
exhausting the impetus acquired.
According to my invention the driving power is communicated to the driving
wheel, or wheels, through the intermediary of clutch mechanism mounted upon
any convenient part of the frame of the cycle, or upon the driving axle. Motion
is imparted to the clutch from treadle levers, or their equivalent, fitted with pedals
for the convenience of the feet. Or the levers may be actuated by suitable
mechanism attached to the handle or steering bar; these methods may be used as
alternatives or conjointly when both hands and feet assist to drive the vehicle.
The clutch is so arranged that the reciprocating motion produces a continuous
rotary motion, driving the wheel, or wheels.
In applying the invention to any form of cycle, or other like vehicle, I employ
treadle levers, or their equivalent, instead of the ordinary pedal cranks, and com-
municate the reciprocating movements of these to the clutch mechanism by chains,
ropes, or gut, the driving wheel, or wheels, receiving a continuous motion from
such clutch mechanism.
The form of clutch I find it advantageous to employ, may consist of one or more
sets of parts mounted on an axle, one of the parts of each set being loose, while the
other part is fast on the axle. Balls, or their equivalent, are arranged in inclined
spaces, or recesses, between the said parts, so that when one of the parts revolves
in one direction the balls are carried into the narrow parts of the recesses and grip
the other part so as to cause it to revolve in the same direction, but when the first
mentioned part revolves in the opposite direction, the balls, or their equivalent,
remain idle and the other part is not revolved. Obviously, however, a single ball
may be employed instead of a number.
The fast and loose parts above mentioned may consist of two discs, or the like,
arranged side by side, one of them being larger than the other and having a
flange which overlaps the periphery of the other. The inclined recesses for the
balls may be formed in this flange, and the periphery of the other disc may be
grooved to form a ball race, or vice versa.
Suitable chain-wheels may be fitted to either the fast or the loose parts of the
clutch, for receiving or for communicating motion; or, in some cases, grooved
pulleys may be employed to enable ropes, gut, or other material to be used instead
of chains for driving purposes.
In place of balls, I may employ triangular pieces, or dogs, arranged in recesses

page_text: in one of the parts, and each having an edge, or point, to grip the other part
when moved in one direction, but to remain idle when moved in the other
direction.
Any suitable break may be used.
Dated this 1st dar of Luna 1905
7
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:
Improvements in or relating to Cycles and similar Vehicles.
I, JOHN HANCOCK, of 4ª Carrington Street, in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Lace Dresser and Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
My invention has reference to improvements in, or relating to, cycles and similar
vehicles, and is designed to provide means whereby the disadvantages of the
ordinary pedal cranks (with their varying leverage and dead centres) can be over-
come, and the cycle can be propelled more advantageously, as the force can be
exercised more fully, and yet, when required, it can be driven as slowly as desired
without fear of stopping on dead centres, and when stopped, it can be restarted at
any moment without regard to the position of the pedals. And yet, further, the
rider can keep his feet at rest on the pedals at any moment without interfering
with the progress of the machine when descending hills, or when exhausting the
impetus acquired.
According to my invention, the driving power is communicated to the driving
wheel, or wheels, through the intermediary of clutch mechanism mounted upon
any convenient part of the frame of the cycle, or upon the driving axle.
Motion is imparted to the clutch from treadle levers, or their equivalent, fitted
with pedals for the convenience of the feet.
The clutch is so arranged that the reciprocating motion produces a continuous
rotary motion so driving the wheel, or wheels.
In applying the invention to any form of cycle, or other like vehicle, I employ
treadle levers, or their equivalent, instead of the ordinary pedal cranks, and com-
municate the reciprocating movements of these to the clutch mechanism by chains,
ropes, or their equivalent, the driving wheel, or wheels, receiving a continuous
motion from such clutch mechanism.
One arrangement of clutch which I find it advantageous to employ, consists of
one or more sets of parts mounted on an axle, one of the parts of each set being
loose, while the other part is fast on the axle. Balls, or their equivalent, are
arranged in inclined spaces or recesses between the said parts, so that, when one of
the parts revolves in one direction, the balls are carried into the narrow parts of
the recesses and grip the other part so as to cause it to revolve in the same
direction, but when the first mentioned part revolves in the opposite direction, the
balls, or their equivalent, remain idle, and the other part is not revolved.,
Obviously, however, a single ball may be used in each recess instead of a
number.
The fast and loose parts, above mentioned, may consist of two discs or the
like, arranged side by side, one of them being larger than the other, and having a
flange which overlaps the periphery of the other. The inclined recesses for the

page_text: balls may be formed in this flange, and the periphery of the other disc may be
grooved to form a ball race, or vice versa.
Suitable chain wheels may be fitted to either the fast or the loose parts of the
clutch, for receiving or for communicating motion; or, in some cases, grooved
pulleys may be employed to enable ropes, gut, or other material, to be used instead
of chains for driving purposes.
In place of balls, I may employ triangular pieces, or dogs, arranged in recesses
in one of the parts, and each having an edge, or point, to grip the other part
when moved in one direction, but to remain idle when moved in the other
direction.
Any suitable break may be used.
.
And in order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describe the
same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of a tricycle constructed
according to my invention.
Fig. 3 is a detail view, in plan, of the treadle levers.
Fig. 4 shows, to a larger scale, partly in vertical section, and partly in elevation,
the bottom bracket and clutch of the machine shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the said bottom bracket and clutch.
Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the parts of the clutch.
Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views, in vertical section, showing a part of the
race of the clutch.
Fig. 9 shows a modification of one of the parts of the clutch.
Figs. 10 and 11 are side and end sectional elevations of another modification of
the clutch mechanism.
Figs. 12 and 13 are respectively a side elevation, and an end elevation, of a
modified form of tricycle.
Fig. 14 shows, to a larger scale, and partly in section, the clutch mechanism of
the same.
Figs. 15 and 16 are sections, at right angles to each other, of a modified form of
clutch in which triangular pieces or dogs take the place of balls.
Fig. 17 is a side elevation, and Fig. 18 an end elevation; of a bicycle constructed
according to my invention.
" sociable" tricycle.
Fig. 19 is a plan, showing my invention applied to a
Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, which show the invention applied
to a tricycle, a, a, are the treadle levers which are mounted on a shaft a
supported by arms a³.. b is the bottom bracket of the frame, which bracket
carries the clutch for converting.the reciprocating movement of the treadles into
a continuous movement. c is a chain by which this continuous movement is
transmitted from the clutch to the rear driving axle c*, and d, d', are chains which
convey the reciprocating motion from the said treadle levers to the clutch.
The latter chains are connected to lugs, or brackets, e, e¹, secured to the treadle.
levers, the pair of lugs e serving for one of the chains, say d, while the pair e¹·
serves for the other chain d', that is to say, each chain is connected at one end to
one of the treadles and at the other end to the other treadle.
The construction of clutch shown more clearly in Figs. 4 to 8, comprises a metal
wheel or disc formed in two parts f,f, screwed one upon the other, and secured
fast on the axle g. An internal circular ball race f' is formed in each of these
parts. The loose or movable portion of the clutch consists of two discs or clutch
drums h, h¹, each running loose and independent of the other on a tubular boss or
extension 3 of the wheel or disc. Each of the clutch drums has a flange over-
lapping the corresponding disc f, or f¹, and on its inner face this flange is provided
with inclined or tapering recesses h³, opposite the ball race f³, adapted to receive
one or more balls.
The taper of the recesses h³ causes the balls in the races f' to grip or clutch the
parts, or f, when the drum revolves in one direction, whereas, if the drum'
revolves in the opposite direction, or if the parts f, or f¹, revolve faster than the
i

page_text: parts:h, h, the balls run loosely without gripping. Similarly, when the parts:f; f¹,
turn in one direction that of the arrow, Fig. 7-the balls do not grip, whereas
when they turn in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 8, they grip and carry the loose
portions or clutch drum round with them.
To facilitate the introduction of the balls, one or more apertures h* are formed
at the wider ends of the recesses ², and are normally. closed by screw plugs h
The rotation of the clutch drums h, h', is effected by means of the chains d, d',
one of which passes over a chain wheel 4 on the loose portion h, while the other
passes over a chain wheel h' on the loose portion
..
Secured to one of the fast portions f, f₁, of the clutch, is a chain wheel i over
which passes the chain c. This latter communicates movement to the rear driving
axle cx, over a pulley c¹ on which axle it passes.
When the treadles are operated, they communicate a reciprocating motion to
the loose portions h, h¹, through the medium of the chains d, d', which revolve the
said parts simultaneously in opposite directions, so that while one of the said parts,
say h, is revolving in a forward direction, and its balls are gripping or clutching,
the other part h¹ is revolving in a backward direction, and its balls are idle. In
the next movement of the treadles, however, the part ¹ will be moving forward
and be gripped or clutched, while the part will run backward idly. Thus the
reciprocating movement of the treadles is communicated to "the movable part of
the clutch and is converted into a continuous rotary movement of the fast
portions ff, of the said clutch, and it is this continuous movement which is trans-.
mitted through the chain to the driving axle of the tricycle.
In some cases, I may form the fast portion of the clutch in a single piece, as
shown in Fig. 9, instead of in two parts.
In the modified form of clutch shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the inclined recesses ²,
which lock the balls, are formed in the hub or interior disc f', instead of in the
outer portion of the clutch. Instead of only four inclined recesses I may, in this
arrangement, employ any number of inclined recesses, and have one ball. only.in
each recess.
Figs. 12 and 13 represent a tricycle suitable for ladies, or gentlemen, and driven
by a rope instead of chains. In this arrangement, the clutch is preferably
constructed as in Fig. 14, two rope drums k, k¹, being employed instead of the
chain wheels h, h'. The axle of the driving wheels is formed in two parts g', 9³,
the part g¹ having a central projection 93 taking into a recess in the part 9. The
drums k and k¹ are mounted respectively, on the portions g' and.g² of the axle, and!
the two portions of the axle are screw threaded at 9, 9, to receive the discs f*.
and f³ corresponding to fand f' in Fig. 4.. The rope l extends from one treadle
lever a around the drum k, and over a pulley or rollern, carried by a bracket p,
which is adjustable on the frame-tube or seat-tube q, and can be secured in position
by a set screw q¹, or in any convenient manner. From the pulley. n the rope
passes around the drum k¹, and thence to the treadle lever at to which it is
secured.
'
The foregoing arrangement makes one wheel independent of the other, and thus:
facilitates the turning of corners and curves. In propelling the vehicle in a
straight line, the drums, act alternately, but this does not interfere with an even
and continuous motion.
In some cases, I may dispense with the use of balls. altogether, as in the clutch.
shown in Figs. 15 and 16. In. this case, o is the axle, f the fast portion of the
clutch and the loose portion thereof. Fitted in recesses f in the portion f
are triangular pieces or dogs' whose faces are inclined, so that only one of their
points, namely, bears against the inner circumference of the loose portion h.
The dogs' rest loosely in the recesses / so that, when the axle g turns in a right
handed direction, the said dogs slide freely inside the part h, but when it turns in
a left-handed, direction, the points of the dogs grip the said part and cause it to
turn with the axle.
8
Figs. 17 and 18 show one, mode of applying my invention to a bicycle. In this:

page_text: arrangement, a clutch of any of the forms hereinbefore described and shown is
constructed in the hub of the wheel, the spokes of the wheel being attached to the
outer ring of the clutch, or to the spindle according to which form of clutch is
employed. A barrel or sleeve A is formed preferably in one piece with the chain
wheels d, d. The bicycle may be driven by chain, or by a connection formed
partly of chain and partly of rope, as shown on the drawing, the rope portion of
the connection between the two treadles passing round one or more pulleys B
carried on an extension C, or fork of the frame. The treadle levers are also
pivotted on the said extension C. The barrel or sleeve A is provided, so that,
should an accident happen to the driving chain, the cyclist can repair his machine
by winding a rope (which he may conveniently carry) round the barrel or sleeve A
in the manner indicated with reference to Figs. 12 and 13.
Fig. 19 shows the application of the invention to a "sociable" or similar vehicle,
and may be worked by rope, chain, or other equivalent device. It will be seen
that this arrangement consists of two frames, similar to that described and shown
with reference to Figs. 12 and 13, combined or joined together so that the riders
sit side by side.
It is obvious that the chain and rope driven clutches are applicable to various
forms of cycle frame, and can be variously applied both as to position and arrange-
ment. Yet, however varied in form or application, I rely on the clutch action to
replace the old form of pedal crank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A cycle, or similar vehicle, wherein the power is transmitted from treadle
levers to the driving wheel, or wheels, through the medium of a clutch so
constructed and arranged that intermittent or reciprocating movements of the
treadles are converted and transmitted to the driving wheel, or wheels, as continuous
rotary movements, substantially as described.
2: In a cycle, or similar vehicle, constructed as above claimed, the employment
of a clutch consisting of one or more fast and loose portions having balls (or their
equivalent) arranged in recesses between them, so that when the fast portion, or
portions, revolve in one direction, the balls (or their equivalent) engage the loose
portion, or portions, and cause the same to revolve, but when the said fast portions
revolve in the opposite direction the balls (or their equivalent) remain idle,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination with a cycle, or similar vehicle, of either of the constructions
of clutch shown in Figs. 4 to 8; in Fig. 9; in Fig. 12; or in Figs. 10, 11, 15
and 16, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
4. The combination with a cycle, or similar vehicle, of driving mechanism such
as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3; to Figs. 12 and 13; or to Figs. 17
and 18 of the accompanying drawings.
5. My improvements in or relating to cycles and similar vehicles, substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying
drawings, and for the purposes specified.
JALAN
Voroh I QUYS
Daren This 2nd da
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5ª Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.