Improvements in Exercising or Recreative Apparatus. and T Roundabouts to be Operated by. Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan.,
1896"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Exercising or Recreative Apparatus. and T
Roundabouts to be Operated by. Velocipedes.
I, JEAN. ANATOLE JOST of 120 Rue Oberkampf, Paris, France, Manufacturing
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to exercising or recreative apparatus to be operated
by velocipedes and to the construction of roundabouts the said exercising or
recreative apparatus forming part of such roundabouts and being preferably
arranged,so as to constitute the means of driving them.
. >
According to my invention I employ a number of large wheels mounted upon
shafts underneath a platform and preferably placed excentrically upon the shafts.
The tyres or rims of these wheels are of semi-circular or other trough section', in
order to receive and guide the wheels of velocipedes, hereinafter spoken of as
bicycles, which run on the upper part of the same. There is one bicycle upon each
wheel and it is held in place by rods jointed at one end to the underside of the
saddle or other part of the bicycle and at the other end to fixed points of attach-
ment on the platform. The bicycle is thus held in the same plane as the large
wheel and when the latter rotates the rods allow the bicycle to change its position
in accordance with the peculiar movement of the tyre of the large wheel due to its
excentric mounting. In order to balance the wheel it may be provided with a
counterweight at the part of the periphery that is nearest the centre.
When a
rider mounts the bicycle and works the pedals he causes the large wheel to turn
under him and it will alternately lift and lower him and at the same time give him
a forward and backward movement, the sensation being like that caused by the
pitching of a boat. The movement is made very gentle by reason of the
counterweight.
1
The platform under which a number of these large wheels are mounted is capable
of revolving on its centre and the shafts of the wheels may have rollers to run on
circular ways under the platform. It will thus be seen that by rotating the wheels
the riders drive the whole apparatus as a roundabout. If two wheels be mounted
on the same shaft the person who drives the one will also drive the other on which
may be placed a bicycle for a lady or child who need not work the pedals.
To prevent the roundabout from being acted upon in reverse directions by
different riders ratchet wheels can be fitted on the shafts and pawls on the hubs so
that they will only turn in one direction.
The movements of the bicycles' due to the excentricity of the large wheels may
be accentuated by the use of appropriate mechanism; for example the shaft or
the hub of the large wheel may constitute a crank from which a connecting rod,
transmits a movement to a set of levers which are 'thereby caused to impart an
increased forward and backward movement to the bicycle while it at the same time
has an up and down movement as already explained.
J.
The bicycles being mounted on the large wheels the latter turn in the opposite
direction and would therefore, drive the roundabout backwards, but by the inter-
position of a toothed or other wheel the roundabout will be driven in the forward
direction:
.
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In a modification of the invention the wheels are made very large and one or
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page_text: more bicycles are placed inside the same so as to run upon the inner periphery,
the bicycles being held and guided from the shaft of the wheel by means of rods.
These wheels may be excentric to their shafts or not or they may have internal
undulations so as to impart up and down movements to the bicycles. The wheels
first described on the outside of which the bicycles are supported may also be
constructed with external undulations for the same purpose.
The large wheels with the bicycles placed thereon and secured by rods to fixed
points of attachment as above described may be employed as an exercising or
recreative apparatus independently of a revolving apparatus.
Dated this 8th day of April 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Exercising or Recreative Apparatus and
Roundabouts to be Operated by Velocipedes.
I, JEAN ANATOLE JOST of 120 Rue Oberkampf, Paris, France, Manufacturing
Engineer, 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:-
My invention has reference to exercising or recreative apparatus to be operated
by velocipedes and to the construction of roundabouts, the said exercising or
recreative apparatus forming part of such roundabouts and being preferably
arranged so as to constitute the means of driving them.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the annexed drawings are diagrammatic views illustrating
the arrangement and action of one of the elements of the roundabout.
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an elevation and a plan of the roundabout.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a modification.
Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate some of the shapes which can be given to the
large wheels upon or within which the velocipedes are worked.
Figure 12 represents diagrammatically an arrangement for increasing the
backward and forward movement of the velocipedes.
According to my invention I employ a number of large wheels a a a8
seen in Figures 1 to 5 mounted upon shafts d d underneath a platform 6 and
preferably placed excentrically upon the said shafts. The tyres or rims of these
wheels are of semi-circular or other trough section in order to receive and guide
the wheels of velocipedes V V .hereinafter spoken of as bicycles, which run on
the upper part of the same the wheels a a thus constituting vertical endless
tracks. There is one bicycle V upon each wheel a and it is held in place by
rods hh jointed at one end to the underside of the saddle or other part of the
bicycle and at the other end to fixed points of attachment ii on the platform.
The bicycle V is thus held in the same plane as the large wheel a and when
the latter rotates the rods h h allow the bicycle to change its position in
accordance with the peculiar movement of the circumference of the large wheel
due to its excentric mounting. In order to balance the wheel it may be provided
with a counterweight p at the part of the periphery that is nearest the centre.
When a rider mounts the bicycle V and works the pedals he causes the corre-
sponding large wheel a to turn under him and it will alternately lift and lower
him and at the same time give him a forward and backward movement, the
sensation being like that caused by the pitching of a boat. The movement is
made very gentle by reason of the counterweight p

page_text: The platform b under which a number of these large wheels are mounted is
capable of revolving on its centre and the shafts d of the wheels may have
rollers ff to run on circular ways y under the platform. It will thus be seen that
by rotating the wheels a the riders drive the whole apparatus as a roundabout.
If two wheels a be mounted on the same shaft d the person who drives the one will
also drive the other on which may be placed a bicycle for a lady or child who need
not work the pedals.
To prevent the roundabout from being acted upon in reverse directions by
different riders ratchet wheels can be fitted on the shafts, and pawls on the hubs so
that they will only turn in one direction.
The roundabout above described instead of being driven by the riders may be
driven by any other suitable power; in this case the platform will drive some or
all of the wheels a a either by means of the rollers ƒ for by toothed wheels
running on a circular rack or otherwise and the wheels a a thus driven will in turn
drive the bicycle wheels.
The movements of the bicycles due to the excentricity of the large wheels a a
may be accentuated by the use of appropriate mechanism; for example as illustrated
in Figure 12 the shaft d or the hub of the large wheel a may constitute a crank
from which a connecting rod k transmits a movement to a set of levers which
are thereby caused to impart an increased forward and backward movement to
the bicycle while it at the same time has an up and down movement as already
explained.
The bicycles being mounted on the large wheels a the latter turn in the opposite
direction to the bicycle wheels and would therefore drive the roundabout backwards,
but if a toothed or other gear wheel be interposed the roundabout will be driven
in the forward direction.
or have
In the modification of the invention shown in Figures 6 and 7 the wheels or
endless tracks a are made very large and one or more bicycles V are placed inside
the same so as to run upon the inner periphery the bicycles being held and guided
from the shaft d of the wheel by means of rods h h. These wheels may be
excentric to their shafts or not or they may be elliptical as in Figure
internal undulations as in Figures 9 and 10 so as to impart up and down movements
to the bicycles. The wheels a a Figures 1 to 5 on the outside of which the bicycles
are supported may also be constructed with external undulations as
Figure 11 for the same purpose..
Been in
The large wheels or endless tracks with the bicycles placed thereon or
therein and secured by rods to points of attachment as above described may
be employed as an exercising or recreative apparatus independently of a revolving
platform.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved roundabout constructed, arranged and operated substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.
2. The improved roundabout constructed, arranged and operated substantially as
herein before described with reference to Figures 6 to 10.
3. As a characteristic feature of the roundabout described with reference to
Figures 1 to 5 a large wheel mounted excentrically on its shaft or having an
undulating periphery, the rim of this wheel being trough shaped to receive and
guide the wheels of the velocipede and the velocipede being attached to the
platform, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination with a large wheel or vertical endless track and a velocipede
running thereon as set forth of mechanism such as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figure 12 for increasing or accentuating the movements of the
velocipede,

page_text: 5. Exercising. or recreative apparatus constructed and operated substantially as
hereinbefore described but without a revolving platform.
Dated this 19th day of December 1895.
J. C., MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.