IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES, BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Brown of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Jeweller's Glass Cutter for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brown at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th October 1882.
EDWARD BROWN of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Jeweller's Glass
Cutter "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES, BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
My invention consists First of the following improvements in the cranked shafts
of tricycles, bicycles and other velocipedes the object of my said improvements
being to enable the rider of the tricycle or velocipede to propel or drive the vehicle
at two different powers by pedalling upon different parts of the same cranked shaft
the rider effecting, the change of power while retaining his seat and without the
use of gearing or other mechanisın.
I will describe this part of my invention as applied to a tricycle to which it is
particularly applicable.
The ordinary crank shaft of a tricycle is provided with two cranks upon
which the rider's feet alternately act as is well understood According to my
invention I provide the cranked shaft with four cranks a pair of cranks for each
foot the cranks of each pair being of different lengths or throws and situated side
by side so that the foot of the rider can conveniently operate upon one or other of
the pair of cranks. I make the outer crank of each pair of about one third greater
length than the inner crank which latter is of the ordinary length. The cranks of
each pair are furnished with foot pedals of the ordinary kind. The inner or shorter
cranks of the two pairs of cranks are used by the rider for pedalling when the
vehicle is to be driven at the ordinary speed but when it is required to increase the
driving power for the purpose of ascending inclines or for other purpose the rider
transfers his feet from the inner cranks to the outer or power cranks of the two
pairs of cranks. The vehicle is now driven with cranks of longer leverage and the

page_text: power thereby increased. In this way the rider by transferring his feet from one
to the other crank of each pair can drive the vehicle with the required power
without changing his seat and without the use of costly mechanism.
In applying this part of my invention to bicycles I construct the cranked shaft of
the single driving wheel with a pair of cranks of different lengths at each side of
the said driving wheel, the long or power crank of each pair being either
permanently fixed to the shorter inner crank, or being made capable of ready
attachment to or detachment from it.
My invention consists Secondly of the following improvements in or additions to
the seats of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes.
For the purpose of giving support to the back and shoulders of the rider
I connect to the back of the seat a rest or support. The said rest or support is
made by preference of such a height that it reaches the shoulders of the rider, the
top of the rest being slightly curved to clip the shoulders. The back rest or
support is jointed to the seat proper so that it can be inclined more or less to suit
the convenience of the rider. The said back rest is supported by one or more stay
rods jointed to it the said rods being capable of sliding on the backbone or framing
of the velocipede in order to adjust the back rest. These stay rods are fixed in
their adjusted position by means of screw nuts or other fastenings.
By providing the seat with a back rest or support of the kind described great
comfort to the rider is secured the support which is by its use obtained for his back
and shoulders enabling him to employ to power of liis legs for pedalling with
great advantago as well as to use his arms in assisting his legs and back.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th March
1883.
EDWARD BROWN of Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Jeweller's Glass
Cutter "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
⋅
My invention consists First of the following improvements in the cranked shafts:
of tricycles, bicycles and other velocipedes the object of my said improvements being
to enable the rider of the tricycle or velocipedes to propel or drive the vehicle at
two different powers by pedalling upon different parts of the same cranked shaft,
the rider effecting the change of power while retaining his seat without the use of
gearing or other mechanism.
21
I will describe this part of my invention as applied to a tricycle to which it is-
particularly applicable.
The ordinary crank shaft of a tricycle is provided with two cranks upon which
the rider's feet alternately act as is well understood. According to my invention
I provide the cranked shaft with four cranks, two cranks for each foot the cranks
of each pair being of different lengths or throws so that the feet of the rider can
conveniently operate upon one or other of the pairs of cranks. I make the outer
cranks of about one third greater lengths than the inner cranks which latter are of
the ordinary length. The cranks of each pair are furnished with foot pedals of the
ordinary kind. The inner or shorter cranks of the double cranks are used by the
rider for pedalling when the vehicle is to be driven at the ordinary speed but when.
it is required to increase the driving power for the purpose of ascending inclines or
for other purpose, the rider transfers his feet from the inner cranks to the outer or
power cranks of the double cranks. The vehicle is now driven with cranks of,
longer leverage and the power thereby increased. In this way the rider by trans-
ferring his feet from one to the other crank of each double crank can drive the
vehicle with the required power without changing his seat and without the use of
costly mechanism.
In applying this part of my invention to bicycles I construct the shaft of the
single driving wheel with a double crank at each side of the said driving wheel, the
long or power crank of each double crank being either permanently fixed to the.
shorter inner crank or being made capable of ready attachment to or detachment
from it.
My invention consists Secondly of the following improvements in or additions
to the seats of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes.
:
. For the purpose of giving support to the back and shoulders of the rider
I.connect to the back of the seat a rest or support. The said rest or support is
made by preference of such a height that it reaches the shoulders of the rider, the *
top of the rest being slightly curved to clip the shoulders. The back rest or
support is jointed to the seat proper so that it can be inclined more or less to suit.
the convenience of the rider. The said back rest is supported by one or more stay
rods jointed to it.the said rods being capable of sliding on the backbone or framing
of the velocipede in order to adjust the back rest. These stay rods are fixed in:
their adjusted position by means of screw nuts or other fastenings
By providing the seat with a back rest or support of the kind described great.
comfort to the rider is secured, the support which is by its use obtained for his.
back or shoulders enabling him to employ the power of his legs for pedalling with
great.advantage as well as to use his arms in assisting his legs and back.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the:
manner in which.my invention is to be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in front elevation and Figure 2 in side elevation a portion of
a tricycle containing my improvements; Higure 3 represents the cranked shaft
detached from the tricycle without the foot pedals; Figure 4 represents a modi-
fication of the back and shoulder rest or support for the seat and Figure 5
represents a plan of the shoulder rest or support separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawings.
The cranked shaft of the tricycle is provided with two pairs of cranks instead of
a single pair as usual. One of the pairs of cranks is marked a band the other
pair is marked a³, ² (see the separate view of the cranked shaft Figure 3). Upon
the four cranks a, b; a, b foot pedals marked c, c, c; c are fitted. The outer
cranks a², 6 are of greater length or throw than the inner cranks a, b. the said
inner cranks ab having the ordinary length or throw. By this construction the
feet of the rider can operate either upon the pair of crauks a, b or upon the pair of
cranks a², b².
When the tricycle is to be driven at the ordinary speed the rider pedals or
operates upon the short cranks a, b but when it is required to increase the driving
power of the tricycle as when ascending inclines or for other purpose, the rider
transfers his feet from the inner or short cranks ab to the outer or power
cranks a, b of the two pairs of cranks. The tricycle is now driven with cranks of
longer radius or leverage, hence the driving power is increased. By arranging the
two pairs of cranks in the way described and illustrated the rider by transferring
his feet from one pair of cranks to the other pair of cranks can drive the vehicle
with the required power without changing his seat as will be understood by an
examination of the drawings.
In applying this part of my invention to bicycles I use at each side of the single
driving wheel a double crank or a crank having two throws as described with
respect to a tricycle. The long outer cranks of the double cranks may either
form a permanent part of the double cranks or be made separable from the short
cranks and be capable of ready attachment to or detachment from the said short
cranks.
I will now describe my improvements in or additions to the sent of the tricycle.
d is the sent for the rider supported on the elastic foundation e carried by the
bracket the latter being secured to the adjustable rod g sliding in a socket on the
back bone h. The back rest consists of the vertical rod i fixed to the backbone h
by the clip The horizontal or base part of the rod i passes through an eye i
in the clip . By sliding the part in the eye nearer to or further from the
seat d the position of the back rest may be adjusted to suit the convenience of the
rider. The rod is fixed after adjustment by driving home the set screw 1º. Or
the rod may pass directly through a hole in the backbone h and its vertical
position be fixed by a set screw. Near the top of the rod i the shoulder rest is
situated, shown separately in Figure 5. This rest consists of a middle rod having
side branches k³, which are furnished with semi-circular ends, . The rod is
adjustable on the main rod i or may be permanently fixed to the said rod i.
The main rod is stayed by the strong flexible cords, hooked to the ends of
the cross bar m adjustable on the rod i. The lower ends of the flexible stay cords l, l
are buckled at (see Figure 2) to the brake rod n.
Instead of the two flexible corda 1, 7 a single cord may be used. In this case, one
end of the cord is connected to the framing near the steering handle pand the cord
after passing through an eye on the rod i near the crossbar m descends and is
hooked by a chain at its end upon the bottom of the fixed handle g of the tricycle.
Or rigid stays may be used in place of flexible ones. Connected to the back and
shoulder rest or support is a stuffed or padded cushion the upper or shoulder part
of which is stretched between the semicircular ends and the lower part of the
said cushion r is connected by the cords represented to the loops 88 on the under-
side of the seat d. When the rider seats himself on the sent d the cushion r yields
so as to conform to the figure of the back of the rider and the shoulders of the

page_text: rider take a bearing against the shoulder rest k k³. The support afforded to the
rider's back and shoulders by the rest described and represented enables him to
employ the power of his legs for pedalling with great advantage as well as to use
his arms in assisting his legs and back. The said rest is also a great comfort to the
rider.
.
Instead of connecting the main rod i of the back rest to the back bone h of the
tricycle it may be connected to the adjustable rod g of the seat d as illustrated in
Figure 4-In this case the end of the base part 2 of the rod i is turned inwards
and is furnished with an eye t which can slide upon the adjustable rod g of the seat
and be fixed thereto by the set screw u.
The rest for the back and shoulders described and represented may be applied
to velocipedes having more than three wheels and with slight modifications to
bicycles.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention of
Improvements in tricycles bicycles and other velocipedes."
First Providing the cranked shafts of tricycles bicycles and other velocipedes
with double cranks or two pairs of cranks the cranks of each pair being of different
lengths or throws for the purpose and substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly The improvements in or additions to the seats of tricycles, bicycles
and other velocipedes herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings; that is to say, providing the seat with a back and shoulder rest or
support for the rider, the parts of the said back and shoulder rest or support
being constructed and arranged substantially as herein before described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Edward Brown have hereunto set my hand and
seal this twenty second day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT.
37 Temple Street
Birmingham.
EDWARD BROWN (L.S.)