Improvements in the Method of Revolving a Velocipede or other Machinery Crank by the Foot.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Revolving a Velocipede or other
Machinery Crank by the Foot.
JOHN DICKSON DERRY M. Inst. C.E. London, Consulting Engineer of
22 Great Winchester Street London E.C. I do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The extension or elongation from the ankle joint of the point of contact of the
foot with the pedal of a crank and by this means enabling the crank to be revolved
more rapidly and at the same time reducing the movement of the centre of gravity
of the leg from the hip to the toe, which means a saving of energy.
The axiom that "what is gained in speed is lost in power" applies strictly in
this case, also the reverse that "what is lost in power is gained in speed," therefore
this invention would only be applied at such times when the available power could
be more economically used thro' the lengthened foot lever to gain speed. The
converse of this action is, when the waist or instep of the foot is applied to the
pedal to gain power, as in ascending a hill, or resisting the revolution of the pedal
in descending a steep hill. With my appliance, this change of position can be
effected in a moment, whereas with a toe clip on the pedal (which is another means
of extending the point of contact of the foot) to change the foot pressure from the
toe to the waist, it is necessary to release the foot from the toe clip & reverse the
pedal.
I effect the extension or elongation from the ankle joint, of the point of contact
of the foot with the pedal of the crank, by stiffening the sole of the boot or shoe
and form or fix a hook at its extremity or beyond to engage with or hook on to the
pedal.
The stiffening of the sole may be effected in numerous ways, one of which is to
screw a plate of steel about 9" long by 11" wide by " thick securely to the sole
of the boot or shoe. This steel plate terminates at the toe or beyond it in a flat
hook with its concave side downwards.
The boot or shoe must be securely fastened to the foot or leg to resist the
tendency of the heel of the foot to be drawn upwards out of the boot or shoe ;
a laced boot would effect this but with a shoe it is necessary to pass a strap round
the waist of the shoe and the instep of the foot and to prevent the tendency of
this strap to work forwards it must be held by a second strap or band passing
round the back of the foot above the heel, the whole forming an advantageous
support or reinforcement of the ankle tendons.
The pedal requires to be adapted to receive the boot hook, which I effect by
removing the two bars that are usually fixed on either side of the cylinder that
revolves on the crank arm and I attach a flat bar to one side of the cylinder, thus
causing it to hang in one position as the crank revolves and leaves the cylinder
free and uppermost to receive the hook. The pedal can thus be used equally well
by the foot without the use of the steel plate hook.
It is evident that the steel hooked plate could, instead of being permanently
secured to the sole of the boot, be fastened by various devices of clips or straps
in the same manner that skates are secured to the boot; or the steel plate could
be concealed between the upper & lower sole of the boot or shoe, the hook projecting
or provision be made for fastening it on or detaching it at pleasure.

page_text: "
The action of this elongation or extension of the point of contact of the foot
with the pedal may be likened to or illustrated by a comparison with the
"wimmers a device or appliance by means of which the aborigines of Australia,
throw, or fling a spear; or to the elongated metatarsal bones of the kangaroo;
or to the ancient "catapult" for throwing stones &c., so that my invention could
appropriately be termed the "Foot or Pedal Wimmera
the Catapult or the " Pedal-fling."
"
; the Kangaroo-foot" ;
The hooked toe enables the pedal to be both pushed and pulled round a
larger portion of the circumference of the circle described by the revolving
pedal, i.e. reduces the angle contained between the dead points.
Dated this 25th day of July 1895.
Improvements in the Method of Revolving a Velocipede or other
Machinery Crank by the Foot.
I JOHN DICKSON DERRY Member Institute Civil Engineers London
Consulting Engineer of No. 22 Great Winchester Street London E.C. 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 :-
The extension or elongation from the ankle joint of the point of contact of the
foot with the pedal of a crank by means of a hooked toe thus enabling the crank
to be revolved more rapidly or easily by pushing and pulling round a greater
portion of the crank revolution than is possible with the ball of the foot and when
increased power is required the ready transposition to the ball or waist of the
foot.
This enables more perfect ankle action to be possible, resulting in less fatigue
when pedalling rapidly and continuously, by bringing the lighter muscles that
actuate the ankle movement only, more into play and relieving the heavier muscles
that move the whole leg, thus lessening the raising and lowering of the mass of
the leg when great power is not necessary but rapidity of movement; in fact what
may be termed the unnatural use of the foot when pedalling rapidly as in cycling
demands a modification of Nature's provision at the termination of the leg and its
actuating muscles. If the use of the leg and foot for rapid cycling had commenced
at a sufficiently early period in our evolution and been continued long enough we
should doubtless have developed a foot and leg somewhat like the kangaroo's, with
a law as a termination; in fact the metatarsal bones and phalanges would have
been elongated and anchalosed or united and the toe nails be claws and the muscles
proportionately developed to work this second order lever with the weight or work
end considerably longer than the power end.
2. Therefore effect the extension referred to by fastening a hook to the sole
of the shoe at or near the toe end, preferably I stiffen the sole of the boot or shoe
(hereinafter termed shoe) and form or fix a hook at the extremity or near it to
hook on to or engage with the pedal cylinder or barrel that revolves on its axis.
Since the anterior muscles that elevate the foot are unduly worked in rapid
pedalling as compared with the slower movements of walking and running and to
compensate for the extra weight of the shoe and sole hooked plate, it may be
found advantageous to aid or reinforce these muscles by means of an elastic cord
attached to the toe hook at one end and the knee at the other. Fig. A illustrates
my argument By these means the foot is capable of making a rapid light stroke
when going fast which relieves the heavier muscles above the knee but which can
be immediately brought into play and the point of contact of the foot moved on
the pedal from the claw or hook to the ball of the foot.

page_text: 3. The stiffening of the sole may be effected in various ways one of which is to
fix a plate of steel (or other suitable metal) generally about 9" long, by 1 more
less wide and 16" more or less thick, securely to the sole of the shoe by screw
bolts or rivets, one at the waist (c¹) and another about 37 from it (c¹¹) leaving the
front part free to bend, but if greater stiffness is desired, a third fastening
about 3 towards the toe (cl) will effect this Fig. 1 & 2. This steel or other
metal plate terminates at or near the toe in a hook about 1" broad, with its concave
side downwards.
4. Instead of fastening a metal plate with hook at the end to the shoe, the sole
may be entirely of metal or other stiff substance, the hook being formed with it or
fastened to it, the upper being rivetted or sewn to this sole; a felt or other such
material sock would counteract the conductivity of the metal. The metal or other
stiff material sole would be advantageous where lightness was of importance as for
racing.
5. The metal plate with hook instead of being fastened to the bottom of the
sole, may be placed, between the upper and nether sole, by cutting a slit in
the latter near the toe allowing of the hook part of the plate being outside,
the fastenings being through the three thicknesses of the two soles and plate,
Fig. 10.
6. It is evident that the steel hooked plate could instead of being permanently
fastened to the sole, be secured by various devices of clips or straps or these
combined in the same manner that skates are to shoes.
7. The hooked plate could be easily fastened and removed at pleasure by means
of a metal socket or mortice being provided between the heel and sole of the shoe
for the end of the plate to fit into when one screw bolt in the middle of the sole
and plate would fix it securely.
8. Or the hook could be fastened to the reinforced or steel plated sole by means
of screws so that the hooks could be removed at pleasure; by this arrangement
the plate could be entirely out of sight being sewn or otherwise enclosed between
the upper and nether soles and bolted together as before described, the hook being
attached when desired; Fig. 11.
9. The hooked plate need not extend from the toe to the heel of the shoe
although the whole length plate is preferable by distributing the strain more
uniformly and acting more effectively.
10. The hooked plate should be wider where the greatest bending takes place
which is about 4" from the toe end and a hollow or curve in it at the ball of the
foot to engage the barrel or cylinder of the pedal but this may be dispensed with
and leather or other material "blocks" provided either single or double to retain
the foot at the desired position, Fig. 10; in fact the plated shoe should be made
to fit the pedal and vice versa.
11. The hook at end of plate need not encircle more than one half of the pedal
barrel but if desired to clip the barrel it can be thinned and bent to form more
than a semicircle.
12. The hooked plate may be formed of two or more thicknesses of metal if
greater stiffness is required or a combination of metal with other material plate.
13. The shoe must be securely fastened to the foot or ankle to resist the
tendency of the heel to be drawn out of the shoe; a laced boot would effect this,
but with a shoe it is necessary to fix a strap on one side of the heel upper and a
buckle on the opposite side, the strap or band being passed over the instep and
rove through the buckle and tightened, Fig. 9.
14. The pedal is preferably specially adapted to receive the sole plate hook
but it can be used on the ordinary felt or rubber barred and rat trap pattern
pedals but they can be better adapted by a slight modification.
15. As the book should not be used when considerable power is required, it is
essential that the pedal be equally well adapted for the application of power by
the ball of the foot and that transposing from it to the hook and vice versa be
possible with certainty and immediately. With these objects in view the bars

page_text: usual on either side of the barrel or cylinder that revolves round the pedal pin
or axis should be removed, leaving the barrel only for the hook to engage with.
If the hook only were used it would be only necessary to keep it in the middle by
some arrangement and the pedal would be complete but since the ball of the foot
has to be used when heavy propulsion is necessary to get up speed or when
ascending a steep hill &c., surfaces forming planes tangential to the pedal barrel
must be provided to engage or contact with the sole of the foot to prevent it
rolling off.
16. The simplest form of pedal is that shown in Fig. 6 where the barrel or
cylinder with circular end plates has three radiating tapering ribs or fillets
equidistant from each other fixed to the barrel and end plates, leaving about 1 of
the barrel circular for the hook to engage, this I term the "shell pedal with
ribs."
17. The felt or rubber barred pedal can be better adapted by allowing these
bars to revolve on their axi, but it can be still further improved by forming it as
shown in Fig. 7 & 7 where about 1" of the felt or rubber bars are removed from
their middles and the spaces thus left filled by cylinders and felt or rubber or other
material filled in between the felt or rubber ends and over the barrel ends leaving
three metal cylinders about 1" long for the hook to engage. The side plates can
be made with hooks on the "
"
insertus principle to engage projections secured to
or screwed into the sides of the sole of the shoe to prevent the .oot sliding
forward; this is the reverse of the action of Lawson's Patent No. 14,847 of '92.
18. But I prefer to fit the barrel with " "tangential planes" fixed at both its
ends and on opposite sides leaving about 1" of the barrel circular for the hook
to engage this I term the "dumb-bell patteru pedal" and is shown with spring
sides in Figs. 1, 2 & 3.
19. The tangential planes" can be conveniently and lightly formed by
stamping a piece of sheet metal as shown in Fig. 4, the dotted lines showing where
it will be bent when folding it round the barrel of the pedal; it will then be clipped
on to the side pieces.
20. Fig. 5 shows the form of the side pieces the two tapering ends of which
are doubled over and form springs to give an elastic pressure on the sides of the
sole of shoe causing a slight assistance to the foot being lifted out of the pedal
and keeps the foot in the required position without jamming or cramping its
movements.
21. The sole of the shoe should be made to project beyond the upper and if not
so originally, fillets or blocks of leather or other suitable material, should be
fastened to the sides and they could be formed to further act as stops to prevent
the forward movement of the foot shown as "f" in Figs. 1, 3, 9 & 10.
22. A block or plate of leather may be fastened across the sole of the shoe
that would stop against the ends of the tangential planes shown as "g" in
Figs. 1, 2 & 10.
23. The tangential planes and side pieces besides being clipped, can be soldered
together and to the pedal barrel ends, to ensure the two surfaces keeping in the
same tangential planes; as a further security against movement, I would screw or
tap the ends forming the cone and ball cup so that jamming nuts can be used to
fix the side pieces without soldering or as a double security; the outer jamining
nut would form a cover to the cone and ball race.
24. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another form of pedal that I term the "toe
clip and barrel pedal " designed to keep the foot from slipping forward when the
toe hook is not being used; this is effected by means of a toe clip, in which the
space between the sides "a," "a" of the clip allows of the toe hook passing from
the barrel forward until stopped by the toe clip, which would generally be when
the ball of the foot was over the barrel; the return from this position and hooking
on to the barrel can be effected instantaneously and certainly the hooked plate
being guided both by the clip sides and by the plate being in the depression
formed by the thickness of the clip metal where it encircles the barrel. To keep

page_text: the toe clip horizontal or at a favorable angle for the foot to engage it a
counterpoise, "b," can be attached to hang below the pedal or an elastic cord " C
may be fastened to the toe clip hook and the other end of the cord to a light cross
piece fixed to the steering head socket c', c' Fig. 84.
25. To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figs. 1, 2 & 3 are a plan,
sectional end view and elevation of the "dumb bell pattern pedal" with spring
side plates a, a, a, a, showing in dotted lines the sole of the shoe "h" with
reinforcing hooked plate "c" in position for applying power; and "C" showing
the same plate moved backwards and its hook caught on the barrel "d" of the
pedal; and in Fig. 3, lying in the depression formed by the tangent plates "e," "e"
which act as guides to keep the plate in the middle of the pedal. In Figs. 1 & 2
show the sole fillets being pressed by the spring side plates a, a; those on the
opposite side shown in Fig. 3, not being compressed stand out and narrow the
foot space.
The leather block or stop g, attached to the sole is also shown in
Figs. 1 & 2 also in the small scale views of the foot sole Fig. 10. Fig. 4, shows
the sides and surfaces of the tangent plates at both ends of the dumb-bell pedal
barrel before it is folded ou to it, wherein a, a are the tangent plates, b, b, b the
three flaps that lap and clip the middle portion of the pedal side pieces at b, b, Fig. 5.
Fig. 5, shows the superficies as a stamping of the pedal sides before the tapering
ends a, a, are folded to form the side springs; b, b are recesses where the flaps of
the tangent pieces clip on; c, c are punched springs that reinforce the springs a, a,
and yielding allow a, a, to recede by passing through the side piece. Figs. 6, are
a plan and transverse section of the "shell form of pedal," consisting of the
barrel, a, with three steel fillets b, b, b, at each end, equidistant from each other
and radiating from the barrel and brazed to it. Figs. 7 & 7ª are transverse
section and plan of a felt, or rubber barred pedal described in para. 17, about 11" of
which is replaced by cylinders a, a to act as distance pieces & form a hold for the
hook; the made up surfaces c, c, forming a guide for the hooked plate when
moving from the power to the speed position when on the central cylinder b. The
side plates d, d, have hooks d', d' formed in them. Fig. 8 is the "toe clip and
barrel pedal" described in para. 24, where a, a, are the side pieces of the toe clip
connecting it with the barrel, e; the counterpoise b; the elastic cord c, shown also
in Fig. 8 connected to cross pieces c', c'. To vary the angle of toe clip the cord, c,
can be attached to the ring, d, Fig. 8, moveable. Figs. 9 & 9 show the elevation
of a shoe and the plan of its sole, in which, a, is the hooked plate with a hollow, b,
in it at the ball of the foot to engage the pedal barrel. c, c are the screw bolts or
rivets fastening the plate to the sole of the shoe; d, is a strap or band fastened
to heel upper on the inside; e, is a buckle to fasten the end of strap to; f, f. are
fillets of leather to press against the spring side pieces. Fig. 10, shows the
hooked plate a inserted between the upper and nether soles through a slit, b, in
the lower sole; g, is the block of leather or other material. f, f, are side fillets to
touch the side plate springs. Fig. 11, shows by dotted lines a steel plate, a,
between the upper and lower soles without the hook attached. a', shows the hook
detached with holes for screwing it on to the hidden sole.
26. 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 I
claim :-
1stly. Fixing a hook at or near the toe end of a boot or shoe, to hook on to or
engage with the barrel of a pedal to facilitate the revolution by the foot of a
crank of a velocipede or other machine substantially as described.
2ndly. The stiffening of the sole of a boot or shoe by any substance, preferably
by means of a steel plate having a hook formed with it or fixed at or near the
toe end to hook on to or engage with the barrel of a pedal to facilitate the
revolution by the foot of a crank of a velocipede or other machine substantially
as described.

page_text: 3rdly. Forming the sole of the boot or shoe entirely of metal or other stiff
material having a hook formed with it or fixed to it at or near the toe end to hook
on to or engage with the barrel of a pedal to facilitate the revolution by the foot
of a crank of a velocipede or other machine, substantially as described.
4thly. The form of pedal described as the "dumb bell pattern" with or without
spring sides shown in Figs. 1, 2 & 3 substantially as described.
5thly. The spring side plates and mode of attaching same by screw rings or
nuts to the special pedal described or any other form of pedal whether used with
the toe hook or not.
6thly. The form of pedal described as the shell pattern pedal with three fillets
at each end substantially as described and shown in Fig. 6.
7thly. The form of pedal described in para. 17 being a modified felt or rubber
barred pedal with or without hooked sides, substantially as described.
8thly. The form of pedal shown at Fig. 8 that I term the toe clip and barrel
pedal with an elastic cord or counterpoise to keep it in a favorable position
substantially as described.
02-1 Al 1906
J. D. DERRY,
Applicant.