An Improved Method of Transmitting Motion to Distance or other Indicators for Bicycles, Tricycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: An Improved Method of Transmitting Motion to Distance or other
Indicators for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
FREDERIC LOUIS STRIFFLER Watchmaker 86 Manchester Old Road Middleton near
Manchester in the County of Lancashire do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to enable Distance or other Indicators to be fixed
stationary to the head or handle bar or other suitable part of the Machine or Vehicle
and to have motion transmitted to them from such other moving parts of the said
machine or vehicle as may be most suitable.
In order to accomplish this, I attach a cam shaped piece to the face of the hub of
the steering wheel (if this be suitable for the purpose). To the fork on the same side
of the wheel as the cam a rod is attached turning in one or more bearings.
The lower end of the rod is bent so as to form a crank on which is a roller carrying
a rubber ring (to prevent noise in working against the cam). If the fork is in line
with the steering head, the rod may be carried right up to the Indicator without
jointing.
If the fork is not in line with the steering head, or in any other case where it is
not practicable to carry the rod to the Indicator in one pieco, the said rod is divided
into lengths and single double or universal joints introduced as may be required. A
spiral or other spring is fixed to the rod to give the return motion after the cam
acting on the roller has pushed it outwardly.
In cases where it is not practicable to operate the rod by a cam on the face of the
hub (or other arrangement to give a partially circular motion to it) I provide a method
of giving the rod a rising & falling motion as for example a pin with a rubber
covered roller on it may be fixed to the face of the hub, or to the spokes of the
wheels or to one of the cranks (the cam for giving lateral motion may also be fixed
in any of these ways if more convenient) whichever method of communicating
motion is adopted. I provide a means of longitudinal & circular adjustment by
tube (which may be part of one of the joints) into which one of the divisions of the
a

page_text: rod is free to be moved circularly or up and down until the proper adjustment is
attained, when it is secured by a set screw. In order that my Invention may better
understood I attach a sheet of Drawings.
B. B Rods.
C. C Bearings attached to fork, carrying rods.
D. Rubber covered roller.
E. Cam shaped piece attached to face of wheel hub, which as it rotates dis-
places the roller laterally, which motion is transmitted through the rods up to the
Indicator A.
F. Tube for longitudinal & circular adjustment with set screw for fixing rod when
adjusted.

page_text: Indicators for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Vehicles.
FREDERIC LOUIS STRIFFLER, Watchmaker, 86 Manchester Old Road Middleton near
Manchester, in the County of Lancashire, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to enable distance or other indicators to be fixed
stationary to the steering head, or handle bar, (or other suitable part of the machine,
so as to be preferably in sight of the rider when riding the machine, in order that the
distance or other indications, may easily be read, without dismounting) and to have
motion transmitted to them from such other moving part of the machine or vehicle
as may be most suitable. The apparatus preferably constructed in such a manner as
to be applicable to nearly all classes of Velocipedes and capable of being fitted
thereto with little or no skilled labour.
In order to accomplish this, I attach a cam shaped piece to the spokes close to the
hub of the steering wheel (if this be suitable for the purpose); to the fork on the
same side of the wheel as the cam, a bracket carrying a cranked wire on which is a
rubber (or other suitable material) covered roller, the upper part of the cranked wire
is formed into a ring as shown in Fig. 2. This bracket is intended to be clamped
under the axle nut so as to make the attachment as simple as possible & being of a
pliable material may easily be bent if required without any special tools. I do not
confine myself to this special form of bracket but have illustrated it as being very
generally applicable-A rod B. B. is taken from this bracket and enters the adjusting
tube F. which is provided for the purpose of obtaining circular or longitudinal
adjustment. If the machine has "antivibration" steering, a sliding joint is introduced
into this rod, or other means employed to compensate for the varying distance between
the indicator & bracket, when the machine is travelling over rough ground. If it
is not desirable to take the rod B. B. in a straight line from bracket C to tube F, the
rod is divided and carried through bearings as required. A spring which may be
spiral as at H, fixed one end to the indicator clamp or screw, or other suitable part, &
the lower end to the rod which enters into and actuates the mechanism of the
Indicator A. This spring gives the return motion after the cam E pushed the roller
outwardly, thus completing the motion.
When it is not practicable to operate the rod by a partially circular motion as
described or otherwise-I provide a method of giving the rod a reciprocating motion
as for example an eccentric may be clamped to the spokes, or a pin or cam catching
the lower end of the rod or a lever attached to the rod, once in each rotation would
raise the rod sufficiently or instead of raising it, be used to depress or pull down the
rod the return motion being effected by a spring or by means of another cam or pin,
or in the case of an ordinary bicycle the crank itself or a rubber covered roller fixed
inside, would give the requisite motion.
'

page_text: In the sheet of drawings given herewith-Figure 1. A. Indicator clamped to
handle bar. B. B connecting rods. C. Bearing bracket carrying rubber covered
roller D. E Cam shaped piece attached in a simple manner to the spokes-and which
moves the rubber covered roller D outwardly once in each rotation of the wheel I.
The spring H. giving the return motion. F. Adjusting tube. G. G. G. joints.
Figure 2. is an enlarged drawing of Bracket C carrying rubber covered
roller D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The method or methods of operating Distance or other Indicators as described
and shown in the drawings.
2nd. The attachment for operating Distance or other indicators being constructed
in such a manner (as for instance the one described & shown in the drawings) as to
be fixed to the machine or vehicle with little or no skilled labour.
Dated the 23rd day of Navambar 1888