Improvements in or relating to the Driving Apparatus of Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Driving Apparatus of Cycles.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Milling Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to more perfectly apply the muscular power and
weight of the cyclist for the purpose of propelling a cycle.
It is well known that the power applied to bicycles on which there is a fixed seat
is obtained by stretching the legs from a bent position to a more or less extended
position or in other words by straightening the legs by muscular action and thereby
bringing a pressure to bear upon cranks attached to a crank shaft which is thereby
caused to revolve and transmit motion to the wheels of the bicycle by means of
chains and chain wheels or by gearing.
In the above described method of propulsion, the muscular power is only applied
to the cranks during about one fifth of the path of revolution of each crank pin.
In one way of carrying out my invention I use the muscular power of the legs to
communicate motion to a first crank shaft as above described and I also cause the
extension of the legs to raise the body of the cyclist to a higher level, by means of
a moving or rocking seat.
I connect the rocking seat by means of a connecting rod, links or levers with a
second set of cranks and a second crank shaft in such manner that the upward
rising and falling of the cyclist's body shall be utilised to revolve the said second
crank shaft or by means of gearing or link motion connect it with the ordinary
crank shaft. In either case the force given out by the lowering of the body can be
so applied as to operate while the cranks are near the dead points in relation to the
foot driving.
The first and second crank shafts, I connect together when used preferably by
means of chains and chain wheels and I preferably arrange to drive the second
shaft at twice the speed of the first shaft.
I preferably arrange upon the second shaft chains and chain wheels.or gearing
to communicate motion to the bicycle wheels in the usual well known manner.
In my new method the muscular power is applied to the first and second crank
shafts so as to cause them to mutually assist each other, also during that position
of time in which the muscles are contracted ready for another extension the falling
of the body of the cyclist by gravity is applied to propel the second crank shaft.
Dated this 9th day of June 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Driving Apparatus of Cycles.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM, of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Milling 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:-
The object of this invention is to more perfectly apply the muscular power and
weight of the cyclist for the purpose of propelling a cycle.
It is well known that the power applied to bicycles on which there is a fixed seat
is obtained by stretching the legs from a bent position to a more or less extended
position or in other words by straightening the legs by muscular action and thereby
bringing a pressure to bear upon cranks attached to a crank shaft which is thereby
caused to revolve and transmit motion to the wheels of the bicycle by means of
chains and chain wheels or by gearing.
In the above described method of propulsion, the muscular power is only
applied to the cranks during about one fifth of the path of revolution of each
crank pin.
In carrying out my invention, I use the muscular power of the legs to
communicate motion to a first crank shaft as above described and I also cause the
extension of the legs to raise the body of the cyclist to a higher level, by means of a
moving or rocking seat.
The accompanying drawings show my invention applied to a bicycle driven by a
chain gear and to a bicycle driven by bevel wheel gear, in which
Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevation of the bicycle with chain gear;
Figure 2 is a part sectional plan of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a part sectional side elevation of the bicycle with hevel gear drive;
Figure 4 is a part sectional plan of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a vertical section of Figure 4 taken on line A-A;
Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section showing the carrier of the moving seat;
and
Figure 7 is a sectional plan of Figure 6 on line B B.
In these figures in which like letters of reference indicate similar parts-C is the
frame of the bicycle, D the driving wheel and E the moving or reciprocating seat or
saddle.
In Figures 1 and 3, 6 and 7, the saddle is carried by an adjustable top pin F in
the usual well understood manner.
This top pin is fastened to the sliding socket G
by the bolt. H. The sliding socket. moves up and down in the annular tube I
at the top of the frame C. To reduce the friction I place ball bearings J
running in vertical grooves K, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, these grooves K
also serve to retain and guide the sliding socket G in its proper position. At
the lower end of the sliding socket. is a connecting rod L attached to G by
pin M. The lower end of connecting rod L is carried and actuated by the
crank N. The crank N is revolved by the shaft O. P is the pedal or first crank
shaft actuated by the pedals P¹ through the cranks P2. In the case of the chain
gear drive as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the first chain wheel Q on the first
or pedal crank shaft P is connected by a driving chain shown in dotted lines to
the chain wheel Q on the second or crank shaft 0, thus transmitting motion
to the same. The chain wheel Q on the second or crank shaft O is connected

page_text: by a chain shown in dotted lines to the chain wheel Q3 on the shaft of the
driving wheel D, thus transmitting motion to the driving wheel. The diameters or
number of teeth in the chain wheels Q and Q¹ are such that the second crank shaft O
makes two revolutions while the pedal or first crank shaft D makes one revolution,
thus the saddle or seat rises and falls twice to one revolution of the pedal shaft. The
diameter and the number of the teeth of the chain wheels Q2 and Q³ can be set as
desired to obtain an increased number of revolutions of the back wheel shaft to one
revolution of the pedal shaft.
In the case of the bevel wheel gear driven bicycle shown on Figures 3, 4 and 5,
the connecting rod I, is attached through the links R R guided by the reciprocating
levers or links or connecting rods S S to the connecting rod T connecting to crank N,
the several links and connecting rods L S R and T have suitable joints and pins at
their connection to each other to allow of free movement.
The object of the links being to cause the motion of the crank N in one direction
to be transferred in the direction of the sliding socket G.
The first or pedal crank shaft P, Figures 3 and 4, carries and revolves the bevel
wheel U, which engages with and drives the bevel pinion V, and as in the case of the
chain drive the second or crank shaft O is caused to revolve twice as fast as the first
or crank shaft P, the shaft O carries the bevel wheel W which drives the bevel
pinion X on the shaft of the back wheel and thus transmits motion to the back
wheel.
The shafts are carried by hubs and brackets with ball bearings in the usual well
understood manner, such hubs being arranged as shown in the figures.
When the rider is mounted on the saddle, by pushing downward with his foot at
one of the pedals he causes the pedal to descend, the crank shafts to revolve, and the
bicycle to move, also at the same time the saddle and the body of the rider rises a
distance according to the diameter of the path of the crank pin on the second crank
shaft.
As the foot of the rider gradually descends the body simultaneously ascends, in
such manner that when the foot of the rider arrives at the lower point of its stroke,
the saddle arrives at the higher point of its stroke, because of the proportionate rates
of speed between the first or pedal shaft and the second or crank shaft; the foot of
the rider having descended to the lowest or nearly to the lowest point of its stroke,
the saddle cominences to descend and thus a downward pressure from the body of the
rider is transmitted through the connecting rod 1. and crank N to the second shaft 0,
thus the second shaft O is propelled by the downward pressure which becomes
applied at the time the foot of the rider has ceased to exert a propelling pressure
upon the pedal of the first crank shaft P or at such time as the pedals and the pedal
cranks P are near their lower dead points in relation to the foot driving.
Thus the power exerted by the rider when pushing the pedals with his feet is
partly transmitted to propel the bicycle in the ordinary way, and partly to mise his
body to a higher level, the energy thus stored in raising the body is again utilised
when the body falls to propel the bicycle, at a time when the feet of the rider are not
in a favourable position to apply power to propel the bicycle.
In some cases I may use an eccentric on the second shaft 0 instead of the
crank N to connect the shaft O to the rising and falling saddle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improvements in or relating to the driving of bicycles which consist in
connecting a reciprocating saddle and a pedal shaft to the driving wheel in such
manner that the saddle shall inake two return reciprocations for each revolution of
the pedals, and the power given out by the reciprocating saddle device shall be
applied at or near the time when the pedals are passing over the dead point.

page_text: 2. The mechanism for carrying out the aforesaid method of driving, substantially
as herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 9th day of April 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, Patent Agents.