Improvements in the Driving Gear of Bicycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar.. 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Driving Gear of Bicycles.
A communication from ROBERT STANTON DIxox, Mariner, and JAMES JOHN
MARSHALL, Gentleman, both of Sydney, in the Colony of New South
Wales.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex',.
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
This invention has been devised specially to obtain greater speed from a.
bicycle, without, at the same time, putting a greater strain of exertion upon the
rider.
The invention consists essentially in replacing the ordinary pedals with pivotted
levers that operate gearing that drives the wheel of the cycle. The movement of
the pivotted levers is a direct up and down motion and not a circular motion, as is
the case with the ordinary pedals; with the result that greater and more direct.
power can be exerted by the rider with less exertion. But in order that the
invention shall be thoroughly understood reference will be made to the accompany
sheet of drawings, in which
The figure is a side elevation of the bicycle, showing all the driving parts.
A is the backbone of the cycle and this is forked at the point a at the base of
the socket B, that carries the seat C, for the rider. The forked part D, runs
right round the back, or driving wheel E, and is provided with roller bearings.
and journals for the driving wheel, and for the spur or other gear that drives
the driving gear. The pedal levers F, are preferably pivotted or fulcrummed
upon the same axis as the driving wheel, but special journals and bearings may
be provided for such levers at any suitable point on the fork D, of the
back-bone A.
In the drawing, the levers F, are shown as first-class levers, i.e. with the
power at one end, the work at the other end, and the fulcrum in the middle
between the two; but, there is no reason why second-class levers should not be
used, i.e., that class of lever which has the power at one end, the fulcrum at the
other end, and the work between to two. The work end of the lever is slotted
at f to receive a crank pin g, that is secured to the outer side of the gear wheel G.
As the pedal end f, of the lever F is depressed, it will, by pressing against the
crank pin g, cause the rotation of the gear wheel G, which, gearing with a pinion e,.
keyed on the axis of the driving wheel E will cause such driving wheel to revolve
and the cycle to be thereby propelled. It is preferred that the gear wheel G,
should be constructed with a number of recesses, into which the teeth of the
pinion e, (which is made exactly like a chair pinion) may take or gear, so that
the periphery of such gear wheel G, should act upon the pinion e, very much in the
same manner as would an ordinary driving chain; but, any kind of gear whether
spur, friction, or chain, might be used, if it could be shown to be more advantageous.
In the drawing the tail end of the lever is shown curved. This is done for the
purpose of getting a more direct pressure upon the crank pin and thereby
minimising the dead point and increasing the power that is exerted by the
driver.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, Í declare that what I claim is ;-
1. In bicycles the driving wheel in combination with pedal levers that are
pivotted to any suitable part of the frame about the driving wheel and deferential
gear that shall be rotated by the downward movement of the pedal levers, such
rotary movement being conveyed with an access of speed to the driving wheel as
specified.
2. In bicycles in combination the driving wheel and pinions upon the same axis
gear wheels of larger diameter than the pinions and pedal levers that are pivotted
to the frame of the machine and that act upon crank pins on the larger gear wheels
for the purpose of obtaining greater speed with no greater exertion of power as
specified.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.