Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1894--Accepted, 20th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
We, JOSIAH QUINCY and VICTOR BELANGER, both of No. 13 School Street,
Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Gentlemen, 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 :-
The prime object of this invention is to provide means in a bicycle whereby the
rider's weight can be utilized to promote propulsion of the machine. This is
accomplished by an arrangement whereby the weight is lifted forward of the centre
of rotation of the driven wheel when force applied to the pedals acts most
effectually to turn the crank-shaft, and falls when the rotative effect of said force
ceases, as in crossing dead centres, thus acting to propel the wheel at such times.
It will be seen that by such an arrangement a certain amount of power is stored
up for use in overcoming dead centres, and there is a more uniform application of
power.
The accompanying drawings, which form part of this Specification, illustrate an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a bicycle of the well-known Safety type, with
the improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 shows a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1, with the parts on a greatly
enlarged scale.
Figure 3 shows parts at the hub of the rear wheel, in side elevation, on an
enlarged scale.
Figure 4 shows a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.
Figure 5 shows a section similar to Figure 2, illustrating a modification.
The letter a designates the frame of the bicycle, which may be of any suitable
form or construction; b the front wheel, b¹ the rear wheel, e the pedals, c¹ the driving
sprocket-wheel, and d the sprocket-chain.
An axle or shaft e is fastened between the rear fork of the frame, and a sleeve e
surrounds said shaft and may rotate thereon, ball-bearings e² being arranged in a
well-known way between the shaft and sleeve. A sprocket-wheel is affixed to
the said sleeve, and the chain d engages said wheel and trausmits motion thereto and
consequently to the sleeve.
The sleeve does not constitute the hub of the rear wheel as in the ordinary
construction of bicycles, but said sleeve is supported in the hub of the wheel in such
a manner as to permit its oscillating therein to a limited extent. The hub takes
the form of a drum, and is made up of side-plates i, a cylindrical shell 2 screw-
threaded to receive the annular side-plates, and flanges fastened to said cylindrical
shell and to which the spokes 2 of the wheel are secured. Circular discs y are
journalled concentrically in the sides or heads i of the hub with interposed ball-
bearings, and the two discs are rigidly secured together by a yoke g² whose
side-arms fit square bosses g³ formed on the discs. The sleeve e' is journalled in the
discs g, eccentrically thereto, with interposed ball-bearings g', and these discs
together form an oscillatory bearing for the sleeve, whose oscillations are limited
through the following described means: An arm / having an annular base portion h¹
which embraces a hub on one of the discs is fastened to that disc by screws h², and
carries at its outer end a cross-head equipped with buffers h³ arranged to abut
divergent portions of the frame. The cross-head is composed of two overlapping
members fitting through a transverse opening in the arm and having interlocking
serrations in their confronting faces. A set-screw is entered through the end
.

page_text: of the arm, and bears against the cross-head. By this construction, provision is
made for adjustment to allow more or less movement of the oscillatory bearing.
The buffers are cylinders of rubber or other sound-deadening material fitted
on studs fastened in the members of the cross-head.
An internal gear j is fastened to the inside of the cylindrical shell 2, and a
pinion is affixed to the sleeve e¹ and meshes with said internal gear. The gear-
teeth are so constructed that they do not normally sustain the weight of the rider,
but this weight is supported on the ball-bearings between the discs and the hub.
The sleeve constitutes the axle of the pinion, and power applied through the means
heretofore described to rotate said sleeve is transmitted to the wheel through the
pinion and internal gear j".
Normally, the pinion engages the lowest part of the internal gear, as shown in
full lines in Figure 4. When force is applied to the pedals in those portions of their
strokes where the force acts to turn the crank-shaft, not only is rotary motion
transmitted to the rear wheel, but in the presence of sufficient resistance, the
pinion is caused to traverse the internal gear as far as the arm h will permit.
By this action the pinion moves forward of the centre of the rear wheel and to
a position above the bottom of the internal gear (see dotted-line representation in
Figure 4).
The upward movement of the shaft e allowed by the eccentric in the
direction of the arrow in Figure 4 elevates the whole frame of the bicycle,
said frame moving on a fulcrum which has its pivotal connection with the front
wheel at x.
The effectiveness of the force of the leg applied to the pedal in turning the
crank-shaft decreases as the dead centre is approached, and at the dead centre the
force has no propulsive effect by turning said shaft. As the dead centre, or
the point where the pedal-cranks are nearly vertical, is approached, there ceases
to be sufficient force to maintain the pinion; above the bottom of the internal
gear, and then the weight of the frame and the rider and the pressure exerted on
the pedals all tend to press the pinion down and back, and thereby to rotate the
rear wheel through a distance corresponding with the extent the eccentric g moves.
Thus, at those points where the force applied to the pedals ceases to be effective in
turning the crank-shaft, the weight of the rider is utilized to propel the machine,
and dead centres, so-called, are effectively overcome.
It will be seen that by the described arrangement a certain amount of power is
stored up at points where the pedal action is most effective, for use in propelling
the machine at points where the pedal action has little or no effect. By such an
arrangement the propulsive energy expended is more uniformly distributed, and a
more effective application thereof obtained.
It is to be observed that by the improved arrangement above described, friction
in the bearings of the rear wheel back of its centre is in a large measure annulled,
by reason of the fact that the weight of the rider is carried forward of that centre
a large portion of the time. By such a disposition of the weight, it is deprived of
any retarding effect such as occurs in the ordinary construction of bicycles, where a
large portion of the weight is felt back of the centre of rotation of the rear wheel.
Another advantage of our improved construction is the greater ease with which
obstructions in the surface travelled are overcome; for when the wheel encounters
an obstruction, the driving pinion will advance in the internal gear, and the weight
will be applied to carry the wheel over the obstruction, a certain leverage being
established for the time being, through which the weight acts.
Figure 5 illustrates a modification in the arrangement of the ball-bearings
between the hollow hub and the eccentric discs, and between the latter and the
tubular axle or sleeve. In this modified construction, the sleeve is turned with
shoulders 2, and cones are fastened on the sleeve with their bases against the
said shoulders. The eccentric discs 9" are reversed as compared with the arrange-
ment shown in Figure 2, and raceways for the balls g' are formed in the inuer
instead of the outer sides of the discs. Correspondingly, the raceways y at the

page_text: peripheries of the discs are formed in their outer sides instead of their inner sides,
and the heads of the hub have annuli 7 extending over the outer sides of the
dises and constituting raceways between which and the raceways y the balls ¹ are
contained.
With this arrangement, the yoke g² shown in Figure 2 can be dispensed with,
for displacement of the sleeve is effectually resisted, and no diversity in the
movements of the eccentric discs could take place without distortion of the sleeve
or shaft. Another advantage of this modified construction is that of simplicity in
adjusting the ball-bearings. It is simply necessary to have one of the hub-heals
screw-threaded to engage corresponding screw-threads in the hub, and then by
turning this head the bearings can be adjusted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hub with an
internal gear, an oscillatory bearing journalled in the hub concentrically therewith,
a pinion in mesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in said
bearing eccentric to the same, a seat-carrying frame supported by said axle, and
driving means connected with the latter.
2. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hollow hub with
an internal gear on the interior of the peripheral portion of said hub, circular
discs journalled in the ends or heads of the hub concentrically therewith and
forming an oscillatory bearing, a pinion in mesh with the internal gear and
having an axle journalled in the said discs eccentrically thereto, a seat-carrying
frame supported by said axle, and driving means connected with the latter.
3. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hollow hub with
an internal gear on the interior of the peripheral portion of said hub, circular discs
journalled in the ends or heads of the hub concentrically therewith, a pinion in
mesh with the internal gear and having a tubular axle journalled in the said
discs eccentrically thereto, driving means applied to said tubular axle, a fixed
axle extending through said tubular axle, and a frame connected with said
fixed axle.
4. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hub with an
internal gear, an oscillatory bearing journalled in the hub concentrically therewith,
a pinion in mesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in said
bearing eccentric to the same, a seat-carrying frame supported by said axle,
driving means connected with the latter, and means for limiting movement of the
oscillatory bearing.
5. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hollow hub with
an internal gear on the interior of the peripheral portion of said hub, circular
discs journalled in the ends or heads of the hub concentrically therewith and
forming an oscillatory bearing, a yoke rigidly connecting said discs, a pinion in
Inesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in the discs eccentrically
thereto, a seat-carrying frame supported by said axle, and driving means connected
with the latter.
6. In a velocipede, the combination of a ground-wheel having a hollow hub with
an internal gear on the interior of the peripheral portion of said hub, circular
discs journalled in the ends or heads of the hub concentrically therewith, a pinion
in mesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in the said discs
eccentrically thereto, a seat-carrying frame supported by said axle, driving
means connected with the latter and an arm on one of the circular discs
having abutments extending between portions of the frame to limit the movement
of said discs.
7. In a bicycle, the combination of a rear ground-wheel having a hub with an
internal gear, an oscillatory bearing journalled in said hub concentrically therewith,
a pinion in mesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in said

page_text: bearing, a seat-carrying frame pivotally connected at its forward end with the front
ground-wheel and at its rear end with the pinion-axle, and driving means connected
with the latter.
8. In a bicycle, the combination of a rear ground-wheel having a hub with an
internal gear, an oscillatory bearing journalled in said hub concentrically therewith,
a pinion in mesh with the internal gear and having an axle journalled in said
bearing, a seat-carrying frame pivotally connected at its forward end with the front
ground-wheel and at its rear end with the pinion-axle, a sprocket-wheel on said
axle, a crank shaft carrying a sprocket-wheel and a chain connecting the
sprocket-wheels.
Dated this 21st day of A1001
JOSIAH QUINCY.
VICTOR BELANGER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.