Improvements in the Propulsion of Manumotive Bicycles and other similar Carriages.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Feb., 1897-Accepted, 31st Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Manumotive Bicycles and other
similar Carriages.
I, HENRY VANDER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, W. Artist and Electric Light
Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manual propulsion of bicycles and other manamotive
carriages and has for its object to enable the rider.to imitate the movements of, and
obtain the same muscular exercise as, a sculler or oarsman rowing a sliding seat boat.
I will describe the invention as applied to a bicycle of the rear driving safety type.
The seat is fitted to slide to and fro upon the frame which is provided with forward
abutments for the feet. Propulsion is effected by a pair of hand levers fulcrumed in
what may be termed rowlocks carried by the frame, the levers being free to slide in
the rowlocks for a purpose hereafter mentioned. The lower members of the levers are
connected by link rods with suitable mechanism on the rear wheel whereby the
to and fro motion of the link rods is converted into rotary motion of the wheel and
these link rods are jointed to collars through which the hand levers are free to slide, the
collars being maintained at the same or nearly the same level throughout the stroke
by guides or by radius links pivoted on fixed supports.
The hand levers are pivoted at their lower ends to pendent radius links or cranks
adapted to oscillate through a certain are proportional to the stroke so as by causing
the hand levers to slide through their rowlocks to maintain the handle ends at one
level from beginning to end of the stroke.
Instead of radius links or cranks, curved guides and rollers might be used for the
same purpose.
To enable the convergence of the hands at the middle of the stroke to be produced
as in rowing the radius cranks or their equivalents are adapted to work in planes
oppositely inclined from the central vertical plane of the machine so that the hand
levers in making their stroke are caused to deviate from vertical fore and aft parallel
planes the handle ends working in horizontal arcs as in rowing, the rowlocks being so
slotted and shaped as to conduce to this motion, the rowlocks being fitted with rollers
to reduce the friction of the levers in their up and down motion these rollers being
acted on by springs to cushion the fulcrum.
In order to enable the hands to move forwards on the return stroke at a lower level
than on the working stroke as in rowing the handles are fitted to slide or are pivoted
or otherwise made movable in respect of height with regard to the levers on which
they are mounted.
The steering is effected from the hand levers (which normally move to and fro
together) through the medium of universally jointed connections which are so
connected to the hand levers as to receive torsional motion therefrom whenever the
two levers move the one in advance of the other instead of side by side, this torsional
motion being imparted to the steering wheel fork for steering the vehicle.
The same propelling mechanism is applicable to tandems, tricycles, and other similar
vehicles.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Manumotive Bicycles and other
similar Carriages.
I, HENRY VANDER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, W. Artist and Electric Light
Photographer, 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 relates to the manual propulsion of bicycles and other manumotive
carriages and has for its object to enable the rider to imitate the movements of, and
obtain the same muscular exercise as, a sculler.
I will describe the invention as applied to a bicycle of the rear driving safety type
and with reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification
wherein
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the bicycle fitted with my manumotive
propelling gear in addition to the ordinary pedal driving gear.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the manumotive gear.
Figure 3 shews a modification of Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5 shew side and rear views of a further modification of the pivotal
motion of the hand levers.
Figure 6 shews in plan the arcs described by the handles.
Figure 7 shows a lady's machine.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
Propulsion is effected by a pair of hand levers A A furnished with handles a and
fulcruined on what may be termed rowlocks B formed by a ring or box pivoted to a
bracket D on the machine frame the levers being free to slide up and down and also
to turn slightly in the rowlocks for a purpose hereafter mentioned. The lower
members of the levers are connected to radius links C pivoted at c to the bracket D
and adapted to oscillate through a certain are proportional to the stroke of the hand
levers, as indicated in Figure 1, so as to cause the hand levers to slide through their
rowlocks and so maintain the handles a at about the same level from beginning to end
of the stroke, that is to say the handles instead of describing arcs 1. follow the course
indicated by lines 2 2.
To enable the convergence of the hands at the middle of the stroke to be produced
as in sculling, the hand levers A are oppositely inclined to the central vertical plane
of the machine and are connected to opposite links C, that is to say the right hand
lever is connected to the left hand radius link and conversely, each hand lever being
in a plane at an angle to the plane of its link, as shown in Figure 2, so that the hand
levers in making their stroke are caused to deviate from fore-and-aft planes with the
result that the handle ends work in horizontal arcs diverging at the ends and
converging at the middle of the stroke, as indicated in Figure 6. The rowlocks are
so shaped as to permit of this motion and may be fitted with rollers to reduce the
friction of the hand levers in their up and down motion.
In order to permit of the crossing of the hand levers to radius links at the opposite
sides of the machine the one lever A is cranked, as at A', to afford passage for the
other lever, or both levers may be oppositely cranked to prevent interference.
Instead of the levers crossing, the radius links might be oppositely inclined so as
to cross each other, as in Figure 3, one or both of them being cranked.
Instead of the hand levers being pivoted to radius links, as in Figure 1, they may
be guided, as in Figures 4 and 5, being furnished with pairs of friction rollers e
adapted to embrace and run on downwardly curved guide brackets E which take the
place of the brackets D before mentioned, the right hand lever being guided by the
left hand bracket and conversely, and one or both levers A being cranked to permit of

page_text: the crossing of the levers as before described. Instead of a pair of friction rollers e e
embracing the guide Ẹ the latter might be double or slotted to receive a single friction.
roller.
Or the guides E may diverge in which case the levers A would not cross each
other.
The steering is effected from the land levers A (which normally move to and fro
together) through the medium of a central shaft F mounted on a universal joint G
placed centrally between the rowlocks, the lower member y of the universal joint being
pivoted on the bracket D and being connected by links hh to lugs a projecting at
either side of the handle bar spindle X. The upper end of the shaft F is connected
by a crosshead I to the hand levers A so that whilst the shaft F may swing to and fro
with the hand levers without affecting the steering it will receive torsional motion
from the hand levers whenever the one is moved in advance of the other instead of
equally, this torsional motion being imparted to the steering wheel fork for steering
the vehicle.
In order to permit of the divergence of the band levers at the ends of the stroke
and likewise their up and down sliding motion, the cross head I may either have
telescopically sliding ends connected by universal joints to collars loose on the hand
levers, as in Figure 2, or the ends of the cross head may be slotted for the hand levers
to pass through, as at i in Figure 24, or the crosshead may be formed of links i, i,
hinged to the hand levers A and to a socket sliding up and down the square shaft F,
as in Figure 2B.
The means by which the motion of the hand levers is transmitted and converted
for purposes of propulsion consists of cords K attached to the lower members of the
hand levers A and extending rearwards to a point k where they are connected and
continue as a single cord, over suitable guide sheaves k¹, k², mounted on the frame,
the end of the cord being attached to and wound upon a spring barrel L upon the
axis of which is mounted a ratchet toothed wheel M adapted to be put in gear with
a corresponding pinion N on the hub of the driving wheel. In order that the putting
in and out of gear shall be effected automatically the axis of the barrel L and wheel M
is supported upon a spring bearing which constantly tends to raise it so as to
disengage the wheel M from the pinion N this tendency being overcome at the
commencement of each working stroke of the hand levers A by the pull of the
cord K which is so led from the last sheave as to pull the wheel M into gear
with the pinion, the continued pull on the cord throughout the working stroke then
unwinding the cord from the barrel and so transmitting rotary motion to the driving
wheel. On the return stroke of the hand levers the tension of the cord being relaxed
the spring supported bearing of the barrel axle, first disengages the wheel M from the
pinion N and then the spring barrel re-winds the cord upon itself in readiness for the
next stroke. Instead of the cord being re-wound on the barrel by an internal spring
the re-winding might be effected by coiling a second cord on the barrel in the opposite
direction to the first, leading it over suitable sheaves and connecting it to the lower
ends of the lever handles which would thus effect the re-winding by their forward
motion.
The rowing motion may be used entirely in lieu of, or as an alternative for, the
ordinary pedalling motion, the hands being transferred from the ordinary handle bar
handles to the handles a and the feet from the pedals to the foot rests, and vice-versa.
The particular mechanism here described for converting the oscillating motion of
the lever handles into rotary motion of the driving wheel, forms the subject of another
application for Letters Patent dated the 1st day of February 1897 No. 2656.
The seat S may be fixed as usual or it may be fitted to slide or run on rollers on
the horizontal arm of the saddle pin which in that case should be of angular section to
prevent the saddle turning round sideways, and a clamping cam worked by a lever s
may be provided to fix the seat at any point when the sliding seat motion is not
required.
The same propelling mechanism is applicable to tandems, tricycles, and other
similar vehicles.

page_text: In the case of a lady's open frame machine the bracket D would be supported by a
bracket rearwardly extending from the head of the frame, as shewn in Figure 7, and
the cords K would be attached to the hand levers A. at points above the rowlocks B
and be led forwards instead of backwards and after being joined together would pass
as a single cord round guide sheaves on the front and lower members of the frame
and so to the guide sheaves k² and spring barrel L.
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 herein described manumotive apparatus combined and arranged for operation
substantially as described for effecting the propulsion of bicycles and other vehicles by
a simultaneous pull of the hands through ares corresponding to those described by the
hands in sculling substantially as specified.
2. The combination, with the herein described manumotive propulsion apparatus,
of means substantially as described whereby the motion of the one hand lever in
advance of the other is transmitted to the steering spindle for the purpose of steering
the machine as specified.
3. In combination with a manumotive apparatus such as described, a seat-mount
adapted to slide substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of January 1897
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.