IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Urry Fairbairn, of Southampton, in the
County of Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES."
Scaled the 4th February 1870, and dated the 5th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Urry Fairbairn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on`
the 5th August 1869.
I, JOHN URRY FAIRBAIRN, of Southampton, in the County of Hants,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
velocipedes, whether formed as bicycles, tricycles, or four-wheeled
machines, the objects being to dispense entirely with pedomotive and
manumotive power, and to operate the propulsion by a motion of the
body of the rider similar to that made use of in riding a horse.
I propose to apply to the cranks connecting rods, ascending to pivoted
junctions on oscillating levers set on bearings on the socket, through

page_text: which the stem of the guiding wheel or wheels is passed, and to which
socket the main bar, bars, or frame forming the body of the machine are
fixed, wrought, or attached. In a bicycle this bar would extend to a fork
in order to contain the trailing wheel, but in tricycles, to which this
Invention is more particularly applicable, a curved or semicircular
extension is to be made, the extremities of which are caused to rest on
the crank shaft by suitable journals or bearings. One of the oscillating
levers is provided with a saddle or seat; this lever is borne above the
second, which has a stirrup or foot support suspended therefrom. The
rider raises himself from the saddle and rests all his weight on the
stirrup, thereby throwing down the crank connected to its lever, and
thus when the opposite crank has risen and is passing over its centre the
rider seats himself in the saddle, which has risen to an elevated position,
and consequently the crank connected to its lever is in turn forced down,
and so on successively, thus propelling the velocipede by the cranks with
the mere weight and motion of the body.
I also propose to employ a three-throw axle crank to machines to be
worked on the foregoing principle. In order to effect this I use a third
oscillating lever and connecting rod, and instead of forming the stirrup
to receive both feet (as should be the case in the former example) I
apply to the two connecting rods separate stirrups or foct bearers, one
for the right the other for the left foot. By these means the feet are
caused to act successively and not together in the forward thrust of the
crank shaft, the full leverage of the crank being presented at separate
portions of the throw to each foot, the saddle crank acting in advance or
after the combined action of both stirrups, the same as when only one
is used for both feet, and thus a more equable and uniform power is
applied to the driving gear, avoiding the mere sudden motion obtained
by the double crank. The application of the three-throw crank will also
afford rigidity or firmness to the machine.
In bicycles the connecting rods would be bent or arched from the
oscillating levers, and then extend vertically or obliquely to the cranks,
so as to freely pass one on each side of the driving wheel, but in bicycles
they would extend in a direct line to the crank shaft. The guiding
handle may be of any convenient form, the transverse double handle
being preferable as a steadying support. The saddle lever would be of
course central in the three-throw machine, the stirrup levers working
one on each side, and the angles of their cranks may be made to corre-

page_text: spond if desired, so that both feet may operate with equal power at
each forward motion instead of slightly in advance the one of the
other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Urry Fairbairn in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 5th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
URRY FAIRBAIRN, of Southampton, in the County of Hants, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her. reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Urry Fairbairn, Her special licence that
I, the said John Urry Fairbairn, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Urry Fairbairn, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Urry Fairbairn, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Urry Fairbairn, do hereby
declare the nature of my said 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 certain improvements in the construction of
velocipedes, whether formed as bicycles, tricycles, or four-wheeler]

page_text: machines, the objects being to dispense entirely with pedomotive and
manumotive power as heretofore applied, and to operate the propulsion
by a motion of the body of the rider similar to that made use of in
riding a horse.
I propose to apply to the cranks connecting rods ascending to pivoted
junctions on oscillating levers set on bearings on the socket, through
which the stem of the guiding wheel or wheels is passed, and to which
socket the main bar, bars, or frame forming the body of the machine are
fixed, wrought, or attached. In a bicycle this bar would extend to a
fork in order to contain the trailing wheel, but in tricycles, to which this
Invention is more particularly applicable, a curved or semicircular
extension is to be made, the extremities of which are caused to rest on
the crank shaft by suitable journals or bearings. One of the oscillating
levers is provided with a saddle or seat; this lever is borne above the
second, which has a stirrup or foot support suspended therefrom. The
rider raises himself from the saddle and rests all his weight on the
stirrup, thereby throwing down the crank connected to its lever, and
thus when the opposite crank has risen and is passing over its centre the
rider seats himself in the saddle which has risen to an elevated position,
and consequently the crank connected to its lever is in turn forced down,
and so on successively, thus propelling the velocipede by the cranks
with the mere weight and motion of the body.
I also propose to employ a three-throw axle crank to machines to be
worked on the above principle. In bicycles the connecting rods would be
bent or arched from the oscillating levers, and then extend vertically or
obliquely to the cranks, so as to freely pass one on each side of the driving
wheel, but in tricycles they would extend in a direct line to the crank
shaft. The guiding handle may be of any convenient form, the
transverse double handle being preferable as a steadying support. The
saddle lever would be of course central in the three-throw machine, the
stirrup levers working one on each side, and the angles of their .cranks
may be made to correspond if desired, so that both feet may operate with
equal power at each forward motion, instead of slightly in advance the
one of the other, in which case, which is preferable, the stirrup rod or
bearer is in one and the same line.
In order that my said Invention may be completely understood I
annex the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side

page_text: elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of a tricycle constructed on the last-
mentioned principle.
The hollow stem a through which the guiding pillar is passed
receives the main bar or frame c of the tricycle, above which on pivoted
joints d, d, the saddle lever e and stirrup lever fare set; g is the saddle,
and h, h, the connecting rods to the three-throw crank i, and k is the
connecting rod from the crank to the stirrup lever f. In Figure 2 the
form of this connecting rod is shewn consisting of a bracket, through
which the main bar passes, whereby a free vertical motion is afforded to
the stirrups or foot bearers f¹. The bracket or compound rod k¹ is
capable of adjustment on the lever by means of the sliding socket k³
and bolts and screw nuts, in order to set the stirrup bearer further from
or nearer to the rider's seat. The bearer is also capable of adjustment
in the slot l, Fig. 1, to suit the rider. The wheels may be made with
iron spokes doubly dished, and set in an iron or metal nave or box, as
shewn, or the spokes and nave may be of wood. m is the steering
handle.
On the same principle I also make a tricycle with a three-throw
crank, but cause the two side cranks to be worked by duplicate stirrup
levers and connecting rods, one on each side of and below the main bar,
the stirrup bearer connecting the two transversely; the saddle lever is
then connected by one rod to the central crank. The method of working
is the same, but in some cases the latter arrangement would be preferred,
because the pressure of the feet on the stirrup bearer would be thrown
equally on the two external cranks instead of on the central crank, as
first described, and consequently a greater steadiness of travel would be
effected.
In the application of this Invention to bicycles it would be necessary
to apply a double crank on each side of the driving wheel, and to bring
two sets of connecting rods or levers thereto; one set from the saddle bar
or lever, and the other from the stirrup bearers, the operation of working
being the same.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I
do not limit or restrict myself to the precise details and configuration
of parts which I have expressed and shewn, as the same may of course
be varied or modified without in any degree departing from the principles
explained; but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the

page_text: herein in part recited Letters Patent is, the general arrangement; com-
bination, and construction of parts constituting improvements in velo-
cipedes, whereby they may be worked by the motion of the rider similarly
to the motion of a rider on horseback, the saddle operating one portion
of the throw of the crank and the stirrup the other by the weight of the
rider, substantially as herein specified and partly shewn by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Urry Fairbairn, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
JOHN URRY FAIRBAIRN. (L.S.)
FREDERIC BERNARD EDMONDS,
7, York Place.
Wortham,
Southampton,
Hants.