Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1887
Complete Left, 1st Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in velocipedes with one or two driving
wheels of a very large diameter (generally 6 feet or more) and has reference to a prior
invention for the same purpose, complete specification of which was lodged by me in
the Great Seal Patent Office dated the 19th April 1887 No. 5722.
Instead of the stay rods used in the above cited application for the purpose of holding
the two rings or hoops of the inner body of the driving wheel apart the following
improved arrangement is used :-
To the felloe of the driving wheel is fixed an inner hoop or ring by spokes and this
ring is fixed again to the rings or hoops of the inner body by stay rods to hold the
inner rings or hoops always the same distance apart.
By this arrangement more room is gained in height so that the ridor may sit more
comfortably.
Lot
A
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.

page_text: I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 present invention relates to improvements in velocipedes with one or inore
driving wheels of a very large diameter (generally six feet or more) and has reference
to a prior invention for the same purpose complete specification of which was lodged
by me in the Great Seal Patent Office dated the 19th of April 1887 No. 5722.
In the accompanying drawings Figs. 1 2 and 3 represent the improved driving
wheel in combination with a pivotted hind wheel and
Figs. 4 and 5 the same in combination with two hind wheels.
Figs. 6 and 7 represent a velocipede with three driving wheels of the same size, for
2 or 3 persons, which may be divided and the parts used singly as machines with
one and two driving wheels respectively.
The driving wheel is constructed as follows:
The two rings or hoops A of the inner body are connected with the tyre B by means
of the spokes fin such a manner that there will be sufficient room between the hoops A A
for a grown person to sit and move. To give stability to this construction an inter-
mediate ring or hoop X is introduced between the hoops A and the tyre B. This
hoop X is connected with the tyre B by the spokes and with the hoops A by the
stay rods a. In this manner the machine is not influenced by shocks or by the weight
of the rider.
The rings A are fixed to the naves c by strong spokes b. The deeply cranked or
bent axle is journalled in these naves c. The hind wheel F is journalled in the fork H'
pivotted at P to the forked frame H which is attached to the axle C. To prevent the
bind wheel from altering its course by itself a spring t is arranged in the pivot P
which keeps the hind wheel in its proper position.
The wheel B is driven by the usual pedals E upon the crank or pedal axle, the
movement being communicated to the wheel by means of pitch wheels g g' and pitch
chain. One of these pitch wheels is provided with a brake mechanism to enable the
driver to stop the machine.
The machine is steered by means of the side wheels i journailed in the forked ends
of suitably bent rods G pivotted or hinged to the forked frame H. The upper ends of
these rods G pass through openings of the draw-bars in which pass ibrough the axle
and are at their inner ends provided with suitable handles. The rider can in this
manner either lift or lower either one or both of the wheels i.

page_text: An experienced rider may use this machine without the hind wheel F, the principal
feature of the invention always being, that the rider sits inside the wheel and drives
and steers the machine from the inside.
In the modification of the driving wheel represented in figures 4 and 5 the inter-
mediate hoop X is dispensed with and to ensure the stability of the wheel the inner
hoops A are of a greater diameter and tubes a are passed over the spokes connecting
the tyre B and the inner hoops A, figure 9. These tubes are screwed into the tyre B
and the hoops A and the spokes fare rivetted to the tyre B while the other ends
connected with the hoops A are provided with a screw thread so that with a suitable
nut the spokes are strained and the tyre B and hoops A pressed tightly against the
tubes a.
The steering mechanism of this machine is also modified, the steering wheels i being
placed behind the driving wheel and the lower part of the axle C is curved backwards
The forked
horizontally so that the weight of the rider is placed further back.
frame H forms here a semi-circular guide to which the axle of the wheels i is connected
in such a manner that it is supported by the latter and forms a guide therefor. The
axles of the wheels i is pivotted and can be turned at will laterally by the rider for the
purpose of steering the machine. To effect this the draw-bars m reaching through
the axle C must be adapted to be turned and they are connected with the axle of the
steering wheels i by means of jointed knee levers n while their inner ends are provided
with suitable handles for turning them.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a further modification of the machine in which the hind
steering wheels i are replaced by two wheels of the same diameter as the front or
driving wheel. The construction of these hind wheels is only in so far different from
that of the front wheel that only one hoop A is used for each wheel and that this hoop
is connected to the tyre B by spokes without the tubes a.
In the naves of these hind wheels is journalled a deeply cranked axle C¹ in the crank
of which a form like seat for one or two persons is arranged.
This machine is steered in the same manner as the previously described one, the
levers being here in communication with the axle C¹ of the hind wheels or the
levers may operate the axle C¹ indirectly as represented in dotted lines in
figure 7.
The hind wheels are also provided with pedals pitch chains and pitch wheels the
same as the front wheel, only the pitch wheels g' are provided with a clutch mechanism
so that the hind wheels may turn independently of each other when the machine is
describing curves. The pitch wheels gare further provided with a brake mechanism
which is connected with the clutch mechanism in such a manner that when the clutch
has been disengaged it only wants a further movement of the respective handle to
apply the brake.
The seats may be provided with hoods similar to those used with gigs which can be
opened or shut according to the state of the weather.
The front wheel and the hind wheels of this machine may be separated by unfastening
the pivot connecting the forked frame H with the axle of the hind wheels and both
parts may be used then as separate machines.
It is evident that the construction of the wheel as represented in figures 1, 2 and 3
may also be used for the construction of a double machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A velocipede the driving wheel of which consists of two inner hoops such as A A
and the tyre B with an intermediate hoop X connected together by spokes ff' and the
stay rods a and in the axle of which is journalled a bar m which can be turned for the
purpose of steering the machine, and the lower end of the vertically cranked axle of
which is horizontally curved backwards so as to place the weight of the rider further
back.
2. A driving wheel such as described above consisting of two hoops such as A A

page_text: and the tyre B connected together by spokes the stays being in form of tubes passed
over the spokes; this construction being adaptable for velocipedes with three driving
wheels by only using one hoop A for the hind wheels while two hoops A are used for
the front wheel.
3. The method of steering the above described three wheel velocipedes by means of
bars m journalled in the ends of the axle, which bars are either connected directly or
indirectly with the axle C of the hind wheels.
4. The axle of the front wheel which is deeply cranked vertically and then curved
backwards horizontally, and which is connected on the outside of the wheel with a
forked frame such as H which forms a round guide and support behind the driving
wheel for the small steering wheels if used singly or for the bind driving wheels if
used as a double machine.
The whole constructed and operating substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.