IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Crompton Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th January 1881.
ROBERT CROMPTON FLETCHER, of Tarleton Rectory, near Preston, in the County
of Lancaster, Clerk in Holy Orders. IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
"
My Invention relates more particularly to tricycles, and consists, first, in a new
arrangement of the wheels and a mode of steering, and, second, in a device for
transmitting the motion of the treadles to the driving wheels.
In order to reduce the power necessary for propelling a tricycle two of the three
wheels have been placed in the same track or line of motion, one of these two
wheels being the steering wheel.
In my improved tricycle both these wheels are steering wheels so connected
together that when the leading wheel is turned to the right the trailing wheel is
turned to the left, and vice versa, the result being a more correct position of the
wheels when running on curves.
In applying this principle I hold each steering wheel in a fork which can be
turned by means of a tiller so as to turn the wheels and change the course of the
vehicle. I prefer to make the tiller of one wheel project to the right and the other
to the left, and to connect the ends of the tillers by a long rod having in the
middle a rack into which gears a small pinion capable of being turned by the
driver at will in either direction so as to turn the two steering wheels in opposite
directions.
Any other suitable device may be used however for turning the two steering
wheels uniformly (though not necessarily equally) in opposite directions.
I prefer
to place the third wheel at equal distances from the two steering wheels, in which
case the latter will be turned equally, but if the third wheel is nearer to one than
to the other the nearest wheel must be turned aside more than the other.
The second part of my Invention consists in introducing a choice of speeds and
powers by mounting on the treadle shaft two spur wheels of different diameters
which impart motion to two corresponding spur wheels on the driving shaft (shaft
of the driving wheels) by means of a pair of intermediate wheels which can be
turned in or out of gear in such a manner that either of the two spur wheels on

page_text: the treadle shaft may be made to drive the driving shaft according to the rate of
transmission desired.
When the vehicle is running on a good level road the intermediate gear is placed
so as to obtain a quick motion of the driving wheels, while on a muddy road or
uphill the speed is reduced and the power increased.
I prefer to mount the two charge wheels on two different axles placed horizontal
and at right or other angles to each other and to pivot the said axles on a vertical
axis passing through their point of intersection (or through the line of intersection
of the vertical planes passing through the axes of the intermediate wheels). The
vertical shaft on which the axis of the intermediate wheels move is provided with
a handle or suitable connections whereby the shaft can be turned by hand, so as
to set either the quick or slow intermediate wheel in gear or that both wheels may
be disengaged.
My Invention relates further to brakes for the wheels of velocipedes and consists
in perforating the upper part or centre of the fork which holds the wheel, and
introducing through the hole a short spindle, the lower extremity of which holds or
is connected with a brake block, while the upper end is capable of receiving pressure
preferably by means of a helical spring so as to press down the brake upon the
wheel when desired.
One or more wheels of the velocipede may be provided with a brake of this
description and the connection of the brake with the rider'may be effected by a
crank lever pressing with one arm on the top of the short brake spindle while the
other arm is connected by a steel tape (or other suitable cord) with a roller capable
of turning on a (horizontal) shaft upon which is mounted a crank or hand wheel to
be worked by the left hand of the rider. For obtaining the necessary supports I
connect the top of one fork with the top of the other by a horizontal beam which
carries near each end a bracket for supporting the shaft of the said bell crank lever,
while the central portion is perforated to receive a short vertical spindle having at
the lower extremity a toothed pinion and at the top a handle for the driver; the
the said pinion gearing right and left into a rack which gears into a toothed
segment at the top of the fork which is to be steered by the rack.