Improved Driving Mechanism for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles Driven by Foot-power
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 189u-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Driving Mechanism for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Vehicles Driven by Foot-power.
•
I, LEON SOUCHEIRE, Watchmaker, of Rabastens, Department of the Carn, France
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of a novel driving mechanism particularly intended for
bicycles and tricycles, but also applicable to vehicles driven by foot power.
My driving mechanism is distinguished from the mechanisms hitherto employed
for the same purpose in so much that instead of using the ordinary crank pedals, I
employ a pivotted lever, the rising and lowering of which, by means of the foot
transmits the necessary rotary motion to the vehicle axle, by means of any suitable
intermediate devices.
The pivotted lever may find its bearing either on a stud secured on a continuation
of the backbone of the bicycle or tricycle or on the driving axle of the latter.
The mechanism which connects the driving axle to the pivotted lever may be a
series of gear wheels and a crank with a connecting rod. There may be one pivotted
lever for each foot of the bicyclist or tricyclist.
Dated this 20th love of Amil 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Driving Mechanism for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Vehicles Driven by Foot-power.
-
I, LÉON SOUCHEIRE, Watchmaker, 3 Rue de Beaumont, Rennes, France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
My invention consists of an improved driving mechanism intended for bicycles,
tricycles, but also capable of being applied to other kinds of vehicles.
The purpose, which I have sought to obtain is:
1. To increase the speed.
2. To provide sufficient power for running up grades or inclines.
3. To decrease the fatigue of the rider.
4. To allow of the machine being started, whatever may be the point at which it
may have stopped.
At the same time, I avoid first the circular motion of the feet, which is replaced
by an up and down motion, as being much more natural and less fatiguing, &
secondly the loss of power in passing the dead centre.
I may employ as auxiliary means either a driving chain or driving tooth wheel at
will.
The advantages which my mechanism possesses over systems hitherto known are,
that by using a pivoting lever, I increase the power of the rider, and enable him to
run up inclines. Furthermore, the motion being less fatiguing and less precipitated,
the bicycle or machine will have a more regular progressive movement.
My driving mechanism is characterised by the fact that instead of employing
pedals having ordinary cranks, I employ a pivoting lever, the up and down motion
of which transmits by an ordinary mechanical contrivance, the rotary motion
necessary for the axle of the driving wheel.
In order that, my. improvement may be clearly understood, I will describe it in
reference to the 4 figures of the accompanying drawing, in which the mechanism is
hown as applied to a bicyclette.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a bicyclette provided with my mechanism.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the driving wheel, with the saddle removed.
Figs. 3 & 4 are diagrams showing how the different parts which compose the
mechanism are connected and jointed.
In Figs. 1 & 2 a is the pedal lever pivoting on an axis b, which is situated in the
prolongation of the backbone e of the bicyclette. The free end of the lever a is so
arranged as to receive the feet of the bicyclist. & fulfil the functions of a pedal. The
lever a is united to a tooth wheel 9 by a connecting rod'd. The tooth wheel
imparts its motion through a pinion h, to another tooth wheel i which is keyed at
the back axle j.
It will be easily understood that by depressing the pedal, a rotary motion will be
imparted to the back wheel.
right of selecting the place
modify the arrangement of
either an arrangement of
I wish it to be understood that I reserve to myself the
or spot for the .bearing of the pivoting lever, also to
the mechanism by employing, instead of the gearing i h
two tooth wheels, of which one within the other, or an ordinary driving chain; also
of suppressing the gearing and the driving chain by bending or excentering the
driving axle
The lever itself a need not have any determined form, it may be
straight, curved, or of any other desired shape.
I also wish it to be understood that I can make use of all combinations or methods
which may be suggested by mechanics, within the principle of the same lever, and
also applying my mechanism to either one or the other lever.
What characterises my invention and forms the subject matter of the present
application is the special arrangement of the mechanism itself. Thus, the pivoting
point will always be higher than the centre of the driving wheel 9 and the attach-
ment of the connecting rod d to the said lever will be about one-half to one-third
the length of the said lever, so that when the connecting rod d is at its highest dead
centre, it will naturally fall accordingly to a vertical line and the lever a will be in
its highest position see Fig. 3.
In this position, the joint m connecting the rod d to the lever a, the pivot n con-
necting the said rod to the tooth wheel g, and the centre o of the said wheel will be
all in the same straight line. This being the case it is evident that the two cranks d
& Fig. 4, being fastened at 180° to each other, when one of the levers a assumes
its lowermost position shown in dotted lines Fig. 4. the three points m no being
again in a straight line, the other lever Fig. 4. will assume the position a', so that the
connecting rod d' will have passed the dead centre, and vice versa.
The difficulty of passing the dead centres is thus overcome, as one of the two con-
necting rods passes the upper dead centre when the other is at the lower dead
centre, the machine can always be started immediately, whatever may be the point at
which it may have come to rest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The hereinbefore described special arrangement, of mechanism in which the
lever a has its pivot at a point b, higher than the centre of the driving wheel g,
and has the joint of its connecting rod with the said lever at a point m, about from
one half to one third the length of the said lever, as hereinbefore described and
shown.
2. The application of the herein before described mechanism to bicycles, tricycles or
any other kind of vehicle, as described.
Dated this 17th day of October 1800.