An Improved Back Rest or Support to Enable the Rider to Exert Greater Driving Power for Cycles and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 24th Aug.,
1899
An Improved Back Rest or Support to Enable the Rider to Exert
Greater Driving Power for Cycles and the like.
I, EDWARD BRICE KILLEN, of 38, Victoria Street, Belfast, Tea Dealer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
This invention relates to a driving back for cycles and such like. The back is
so made that it can be easily attached to or detached from the cycle in a few
minutes.
The back is preferably made in the form of a frame which may or may not,
as desired, be cushioned or padded. It may be provided with strengthening stays
or ribs. The lower end of the back is provided with forwardly extending arms
or their equivalent, said arms or equivalent being hinged to the ordinary pin or
bolt for tightening the diagonal tube upon the seat pillar. If so desired the back
may be hinged or jointed to the frame of the cycle in any other suitable manner.
The back which may be made with a strengthening framework below the arms
aforesaid is provided with lever handles arranged in such a manner that by means
of these handles the rider, whilst sitting on the saddle, can move the back upon
its hinged connection and thereby readily adjust it to any position or angle
desired. The handles can be joined by means of a pin or other device if so desired.
Catches actuated by springs or otherwise can be used for locking the back, in the
adjusted position, to the frame of the cycle. These spring catches may be
arranged in conjunction with the handles.
The whole arrangement is such that by a simple manipulation of the handles
the driving back can be made to assume, at the will of the rider, many different
positions. When being shifted it turns upon its hinge or other joint connection
to the frame.
When the back is used it enables the rider to obtain great additional motive
power for driving his cycle by pressing at the same time against this driving back
and on each pedal or treadle alternately.
It is to be specially noted that this driving back can be advantageously used
on almost all kinds of cycles at present in vogue without altering any part of
the cycles themselves. It must however be remembered that in the case of a
bicycle the rider cannot mount from behind when the back it fitted to the cycle
so that the ordinary lady's cycle or a low bicycle like the "Bantam" is the most
suitable to which to attach the back. It is specially adapted for any cycle having
a frame without the usual horizontal top bar or stay.
The back may be made of wood, metal or other material or a combination of
such materials and it may be made in any suitable shape.
Some people, when riding, lean forward very much on the present cycles but
even in this position the driving back can be taken full advantage of as it can
be moved into the right position for the rider to press his back against it.
The addition of this driving back enables the rider when sitting on the

page_text: saddle to get greater speed out of the cycle both on a level and up hill as with it
he is able, in driving, to acquire and utilise more motive power than at present.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
An Improved Back Rest or Support to Enable the Rider to Exert
Greater Driving Power for Cycles and the like.
I, EDWARD BRICE KILLEN, of 38, Victoria Street, Belfast, Ireland, Tea Dealer,
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:
-
This invention relates to driving backs for velocipedes and such like, that is,
to back rests or supports against which the rider can press at the same time as
he operates the pedals or treadles so as to give additional driving power. The
back constituting the invention is so made that it can be adjusted to any desired
angle and can also be easily attached to or detached from the cycle in a few
minutes.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon:-
Fig. is a side view of a part of a cycle showing one arrangement of the driv-
ing back attached thereto and as being used in an upright position.
Fig. 2 is a plan view.
Fig. 3 is an end view of same.
Fig. 4 is a side view. partly in section showing the back being used in the
inclined position.
Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively side and end views of a modified form of the
back. Fig. 6 is partly in section.
Fig. 7 shows a plan view of the hand levers g of the arrangement Figs. 5 and 6.
Fig. 8 shows in perspective view another modification of the adjustable back.
Fig. 9 shows in side view a modified arrangement of the adjustable back
Fig. 1.
Figs. 10 and 11 are side and back views of the driving back Fig. 8 as it appears
when properly adjusted to suit the rider when travelling.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same or similar parts.
The back can be made in the form of a frame a, or of other suitable shape, which
may or may not be cushioned or padded as shown in dotted lines at 6 Fig. 1.
The back may be provided with stays or strengthening ribs c. The lower end
of the back is provided with forwardly projecting arms or their equivalent d;
said arms or equivalent being hinged at to the ordinary pin or bolt e which is
lengthened for this purpose and which also tightens the diagonal tube B upon the
seat pillar. If so desired, the back may be linged or jointed to the frame of
the cycle in any other suitable manner. The back is preferably made with a
strengthening frame work f, below the arms d aforesaid, and a hand lever g which
may have two handles g, g, if desired, arranged in such a manner that by
means of this hand lever, the rider, whilst sitting on the saddle, can readily
adjust the back with either of his hands, to any desired position. The hand
lever g is preferably connected to the strengthening frame work f by means of a
pin or the like.

page_text: A pin is fitted to the back stays A and this pin fits into any one of a series of
notches made on the lower side of the hand lever. g.
With this arrangement of apparatus, the rider can alter the angle of the movable
back by raising the hand lever g out of the notch in which it may be for the
time being, by either the left or the right hand, and pushing the lever backwards
or pulling forwards, as the case may be, until the frame work attains the desired
position. When this takes place, the hand lever g is released and allowed to
drop on the pin which will immediately enter another of the notches k, thereby
locking the back in the new position.
The whole arrangement is such, that by a simple manipulation of the hand
lever, the driving back can be made to assume, at the will of the rider, many
different positions.. When being shifted, it turns upon its hinge pin e.
In order to make the new driving back suitable for machines in which wheels
of larger diameter are used and also where the saddle pillar comes nearer to the
wheel, the form shown at Figs. 5, 6 and 7 may be used. With this arrangement.
the cross bar of the frame work is bent or recessed as shown at Fig. 6 so as to
clear the wheel and the hand levers g, of which there may be two, are pivotted,
at h, to the lower end of the framework f and lock on to pins j, j fitted to the
back stays A.
If desired a spiral or other spring may be fitted in connection with the hand
lever g in order to facilitate its action when the driving back is changed from
one position to another.
There may be adjustably. fitted upon the frame a a cross bar m for the rider to
press against.
In the modification Fig. 8 the back a is made of wood and is held in. position
by means of telescopic arms do, do and fo, fo, jointed upon the pin e and telescopic
supports ff, adjustably clamped upon the back stays A.
With this arrange-
ment the back can be adjusted to different angles to suit the rider and can be
set forward or further back by altering the lengths of the telescopic tubes. When
the back is properly adjusted the thumb nuts n are tightened so as to lock the
telescopic tubes.
It will be seen (Fig. 11) that the back a is recessed at a¹ for the passage of the
back wheel.
Figs. 8 and 9 show the back in the vertical position whilst Figs. 10 & 11 show
the back inclined forwards to suit the rider.
In the arrangement Fig. 9 the tubes d, f, of, the back, shown in Fig. 1 are
made telescopic so that the back can be adjusted, as desired, either near to or at
a distance back from the saddle.
When the back is used it enables the rider to obtain great additional motive
power for driving his cycle by pressing at the same time against this driving
back and on each pedal or treadle alternately. The rider thus utilizes the muscles
of his back, thighs and legs in the propulsion of the vehicle.
It is to be specially noted that this driving back can be advantageously used
on almost all kinds of cycles at present in vogue without altering any important
part of the cycles themselves. It must however be remembered that in the case
of a bicycle the rider cannot mount from behind when the back is fitted to the
cycle so that the ordinary lady's cycle or a low bicycle like the "Bantam
" is the
most suitable to which to attach the back. It is specially adapted for any cycle
having a strong frame without the usual horizontal top bar or stay.
The back may be made of wood, metal, or other material, or a combination of
such materials, and it may be made of any suitable size and shape.
With the construction shown in Figs. 5, 6, 8 and 9 the frame of the back, if
so desired, can be made to extend down to the axle of the back wheel and be
hinged thereon, the extending arms being fastened, as before, to the pin or
bolte whilst telescopic adjusting tubes would be used for adjusting the back,
This arrangement, however, gives the rider a much smaller range of adjustment.
Some people, when riding, lean forward very much on the present cycles but

page_text: even in this position the driving back can be taken full advantage of as it can
always be moved into the right position for the rider to press his back against it.
The addition of this driving back enables the rider when sitting on the saddle
to get greater speed out of the cycle both on a level and up hill as with it he is
able, in driving, to acquire and utilize more motive power than at present and
thereby is able to easily drive a much higher geared machine. A bicycle with
this driving back on it can in a few minutes be easily fitted to suit almost any
size or height of rider.
This driving back enables any person to acquire and utilize greater motive
power especially when it is used in conjunction with suitable slides, see-saw
drives, and moving pedals and it can not only be utilized to assist in the driving
of cycles at high speed but it can also be used to assist in the driving of light
easy running vehicles and small boats, in the latter case the driving back would
be hinged to the back of the seat.
It is to be understood that this invention has no connection with mere rests
against which the rider can lean.
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 consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. The combination with a cycle or such like of a driving back which is detach-
able and which can be adjusted to different angles to suit the rider substantially
as hereinbefore described, and for the purpose set forth.
2. The constructions of adjustable driving back substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown on the drawings annexed.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1899.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.