Improvements in Motor Propelled Road and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left 28th Oct 1897-Accepted 28th Jan. 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motor Propelled Road and other Vehicles.
I, WALTER JOHN HUBERT JONES, of 21, New King Street, Deptford, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention has reference to, improvements in motor propelled vehicles.
One object of my invention is to enable a vehicle to be propelled forward or
backward (or ahead or astern) its speed to be varied and the vehicle to be stopped
without reversing or changing the speed of or stopping the motor. Another object
is to provide for effecting by means of a single, hand-lever the starting, stopping.
reversing, or change of speed according to requirement, and the steering of a motor
propelled vehicle.
I use the word vehicle in a wide sense intending thereby to include vehicles of
different kinds whether adapted to travel on roads or on the water.
In carrying out my invention a motor of any suitable construction can be
employed. Upon the motor shaft is mounted a disc and across the face of this
disc is arranged a shaft able to rotate in suitable bearings and geared in any
suitable way to a secondary shaft whence the wheels of the vehicle (in the case of
a road vehicle) or other propelling devices or device are.or is actuated. On the
shaft located across the disé is. mounted a sleeve able to move longitudinally of
that shaft but by means of a key or equivalent compelled to rotate with it; fast
on this sleeve is a friction wheel or roller whose periphery is in contact with the
face of the disc so as to be actuated thereby when the dise is rotated. With en
annular groove around the dise there engage or engages projections or a projection
from a pivoted lever in connection with which there are springs acting to retain
the sleeve normally in such a position longitudinally of its shaft that the centre of
the periphery of tie friction wheel and the axis of the shaft that carries the disc
will be in a common plane in which relative positions of the parts rotation of the
disc will not cause rotation of the friction wheel. By actuating the lever so as to
move the friction wheel to one side or the other of its central or inoperative position
the vehicle can be started forward or backward (or ahead or astern) and the speed
at which it will be propelled will depend upon the radial distance to which by the
movement of the lever the friction wheel is shifted from the centre of the disc; the
greater such distance the greater the speed: To stop the engine the lever will be
moved so as to return the friction wheel to its central or inoperative position.
When the vehicle is being propelled in a given direction in order to reverse its
direction. of movement the lever will be moved over so as to shift the friction wheel
to the opposite side of the centre of the disc. The disc constitutes or may con-
stitute the fly wheel of the engine.
Suitable stops are provided to limit the movement of the lever.
In connection with variable speed gear such as above referred to and with
suitable brake gear and steering gear I in some cases provide a controlling hand-
lever able to move about a universal joint and so connected to the steering gear to
the brake gear and to the lever of the variable speed reversing gear that by

page_text: different movements of the one hand-lever motion from the motor can be com-
municated to the wheels or propelling devices of the vehicle to drive it at will
ahead or astern faster or slower to reverse its direction of movement change its
speed arrest its motion and to steer the vehicle. In carrying out this part of my
invention the arrangement may be such that by fore and aft movement of the hand-
lever starting, stopping, reversing, and change of speed of the vehicle may be
effected whilst the motor is running and that by lateral movements of the lever
according to requirement the steering of the vehicle will be effected.
Do df December 1900
Improvements in Motor Propelled Road and other Vehicles.
I, WALTER JOHN HUBERT JONES, formerly of 21, New King Street, Deptford, in
the County of Kent, but now of 134, Gladstone Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, 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 has reference to improvements in motor propelled vehicles.
One object of my invention is to enable a vehicle to be propelled forward or back-
ward (or ahead or astern) its speed to be varied and the vehicle to be stopped
without reversing or changing the speed of or stopping the motor. Another object
is to provide for effecting by means of a single hand-lever the starting, stopping
reversing, or change of speed according to requirement, and the steering of a
motor propelled vehicle.
I use the word vehicle in a wide sense intending thereby to include vehicles of
different kinds whether adapted to travel on roads or on the water.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to explain
the same by the aid of the accompanying illustrative drawings wherein Fig. 1
shows diagrammatically in side elevation, Fig. 2 in plan, and Fig. 3 in cross
section, part of a motor propelled road vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 1
is a similar view to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction. Fig. 5 is a sectional
detail view hereinafter referred to.
In carrying out my invention a motor of any suitable construction can be
employed. Conveniently it may be a motor of the kind described in the Specifica-
tion of another application for Letters Patent filed by me No. 29610 of 1896. The
motor employed is shown diagrammatically and comprises two pairs of
cylinders 1, 1 the piston of which works onto two crank shafts 2 which, through
suitable gearing such as helical gearing 3, drive a common shaft 4, which it is
intended should run continuously when the vehicle is in use, that is to say, not
only when the vehicle is in motion but also when it is temporarily at rest. On the
motor driven shaft 4 is mounted a disc 5 and across the face of this disc is arranged
a shaft 6 able to rotate in suitable bearings and geared in any suitable way to a
secondary shaft whence the wheels of the vehicle (in the case of a road vehicle)
or other propelling devices or device are or is actuated. In the example shown
is the secondary shaft made in two parts on which the rear carrying wheels 8 of
the vehicle are fixed, the two shafts being connected together through ordinary
differential gearing comprising toothed bevel wheels 9 (Fig. 5) fixed to the

page_text: adjacent ends of the two parts of the secondary shaft or axle 7 and two other
toothed bevel wheels 10 that are in gear with the bevel wheels 9 and are mounted
to rotate in a box or case 11 that is arranged to rotate around the secondary shaft
or axle and has fixed to or formed in one with its exterior a helical toothed wheel 12
in gear with another helical toothed pinion or worm 13 on the shaft 6.
On the latter shaft is mounted a sleeve 14 able to move longitudinally of that
shaft but by means of a key or equivalent compelled to rotate with it; fast on
this sleeve is a friction wheel or roller 15 whose periphery is in contact with the
face of the disc 5 so as to be actuated thereby when the disc is rotated. The wheel
or roller 15 can be moved across the face of the disc 5 by any suitable means. In
the example shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the sleeve 14 is formed with an annular
groove 14 with which engage projections 17 from a pivoted lever 18 in connection
with which there are springs 20 acting to retain the sleeve normally in such a
position longitudinally of its shaft 6 that the centre of the periphery of the friction
wheel 15 and the axis of the shaft 4 that carries the disc 5 will be in a common
plane in which relative positions of the parts rotation of the disc will not cause
rotation of the friction wheel. By moving the lever 18 to and fro about its
fulcrum 18 by a hand lever 19 so as to move the friction wheel 15 to one side or
the other of its central or inoperative position, the vehicle can be started forward
or backward (or ahead or astern) and the speed at which it will be propelled will
depend upon the radial-distance to which by the movement of the said lever 18 the
friction wheel is shifted from the centre of the disc the greater such distance the
greater the speed. To stop the engine, the lever 18 will be moved or allow to be
moved by the action of its springs 20, so as to return the friction wheel to its
central or inoperative position. When the vehicle is being propelled in a given
direction, in order to reverse its direction of movement the lever will be moved over 80
as to shift the friction wheel to the opposite side of the centre of the disc. This
shifting over of the friction wheel to the opposite side 9 the centre of the disc 5. may be
utilized to cause the disc to act as a brake for bringing the vehicle to rest, the
friction wheel being returned to its central position when or just before the vehicle
comes to rest so as to prevent its being driven in the opposite direction when this
is not desired.
Suitable stops 21 are provided to limit the movement of the lever 18.
In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 4 the friction wheel 15 instead of
being moved endways by a lever is moved endways by cords 22 which are connected
to opposite sides of a lever 18 fulcrummed at 18 and connected to the hand lever 19,
are connected to opposite ends of the sleeve 14, and pass around suitable guide
pulleys 22, the arrangement being such that by moving the lever 18° in a forward
or backward direction about its fulcrum 18" by the hand lover 19, the friction
wheel will be moved across the face of the disc 5 and cause the vehicle to be driven
in a forward or backward direction respectively. 20 are springs for normally
maintaining the lever 18 and hand lever 19 in the mid position, and for returning
them to the mid position after being moved therefrom and released.
In connection with variable speed gear such as above referred to and with.
suitable brake gear and steering gear I in some cases provide a controlling hand-
lever able to move about a universal joint and so connected to the steering gear,
to the brake gear, and to the lever of the variable speed reversing gear that by
different movements of the one hand-lever, motion from the motor can be com-
municated to the wheels or propelling devices of the vehicle to drive it at will
ahead or astern, faster or slower, to reverse its direction of movement, change its
speed, arrest its motion and to steer the vehicle. In carrying out this part of my
invention the arrangement may be such that by fore and aft movement of the
hand-lever starting, stopping, reversing, and change-of speed of the vehicle may be
effected whilst the motor is running and that by lateral movements of the lever
according to requirement the steering of the vehicle will be effected.
In the arrangements shown in the drawings the hand lever 19 is jointed at its
lower end to a support 23 by a ball and socket joint 24 so that it can be moved in

page_text: any direction about such joint, and when turned in a. forward and backward
direction will move the lever 18, or 18* in a corresponding direction about its
fulcrum. 18 as a centre, for the purpose of starting, stopping, reversing and chang-
ing the speed of the vehicle. For steering the vehicle the fulcrum 18 of the
lever 18 may be on another lever 25 fulcrummed at 25 and having its two arms
connected to the two ends of a cord 26 or other flexible connector that is led around
suitable guide pulleys 27 mounted on the vehicle body or frame and around steering
wheels or heads 28 on the upper ends of steering forks in which the front wheels 29
of the vehicle are mounted, the arrangement being such that by moving the hand
lover 19 laterally to the right or left it will, through the lever 18 or 18 turn the
lever 25 in one or other direction about its fulcrum 25, and through the cord 26
and steering wheels or heads 28, steer the vehiclo to the right or left without
affecting the lever 18 or 18 or the direction or speed of driving. 30 are springs
connected to the lever 25 and adapted to return this lever to the mid position and
normally to hold it in this position for steering straight ahead or astern. As will
be obvious the hand lever 19 may have a compound movement imparted to it,
that is to be moved both in a lateral and in a longitudinal direction for simul-
taneously steering the vehicle to the right or left and changing its speed or direc-
tion of motion. If it be desired to exert a braking action for arresting the motion
of the vehicle other than that exerted by the driving disc when the friction
wheel 15 is moved across the centre of the disc from that side by which it was
driven to the opposite side, the support 23 to which the hand lever 19 is jointed
may be a lever arm fixed to a rock shaft 31 mounted in suitable bearings and pro-
vided with a pulley 31 to which is fixed a cord or flexible connector 32 that is
connected to one end of a brake strap 33 that passes around the gear case 11,
which then also acts as a brake drum, and has its other end secured to a fixed part
of the vehicle body. By this arrangement it will be seen that by depressing
the hand lever 19 and lever arm 23 against the action of a suitable spring 34 the
flexible connector 32 will be partly wound up on the pulley 31ª and so cause the
brake strap 33 to be applied to the gear case or brake drum and arrest the motion
of the vehicle. The disc 5 may be made endways adjustable on its driving shaft +
to ensure good driving contact between it and the friction wheel 15.
As will be obvious the propelling steering and brake apparatus and the con-
nections between the same and the universally jointed hand lever 19 can be
variously modified to suit different vehicles without departing from the essential
features of my invention..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a motor propelled vehicle, the combination with a motor, a disc rotated
thereby, and a secondary shaft whence the wheels of the vehicle or other propelling
devices or device are or is actuated, of a rotary shaft arranged across the face of
the dise and from which the secondary shaft is driven, a friction wheel or roller
mounted to slide endways upon but to rotate with the said rotary shaft and in
driving contact with the face of the disc, and means whereby the friction wheel or
roller can be moved along its shaft to either side of the centre of the disc and
back to the said centre, the arrangement being such that by moving the friction
wheel or roller across the face of the disc the vehicle can at will be propelled
forward or backward (or ahead or astern), its speed varied and the vehicle stopped
without reversing or changing the speed of or stopping the motor, substantially
as herein described.
2. Effecting the starting, stopping, reversing change of speed and steering of
a motor propelled vehicle by means of a single hand lever, as set forth.
3. In a motor propelled vehicle, the combination with variable speed reversing
gear, brake gear and steering gear of a controlling hand lever able to move about
a universal joint and so connected to the steering gear, to the brake gear and to

page_text: the lever of the variable speed reversing gear that by different movements of the
one hand lever, motion from the motor can be communicated to the wheels or
propelling devices of the vehicle to drive it at will ahead or astern, faster or slower,
to reverse its direction of movement, change its speed, arrest its motion and to
steer the vehicle, substantially as described.
4. In a motor propelled road or other vehicle the improved variable speed driving
gear constructed arranged and operating substantially as described and shown.
5. In a motor propelled vehicle, variable speed driving gear, brake gear, steering
gear and controlling hand lever constructed, arranged and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 28th day of October 1897.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London,, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.