IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTANCE INDICATORS FOR VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: We HENRY LOE of Brading in the Isle of Wight, Watchmaker and ERNEST
RICHARD SHIPTON of N° 139 & 140 Fleet Street in the City of London Journalist
do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTANCE
INDICATORS FOR VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the operating mechanism whereby the train of wheels
which register the distance travelled is set in motion, and belongs to that class in
which the motion is obtained by a balance weight or pendulum.
Instruments of this class are fixed on to the axle of the driving wheel of the
machine, or as near thereto as possible. As the wheel revolves the instrument is
carried round with it, but the balance weight or pendulum remains stationary and
consequently sets in motion the train of wheels which record the distance the
wheel has travelled This class of indicators has not been found a suitable one for
Velocipedes as the constant jolting and vibration to which these machines are
subject, tends to make the balance-weight or pendulum oscillate so violently that
it frequently "throws over" the centre and consequently fails to register the
revolution when this occurs. If this takes place when the machine is travelling
rapidly, the centrifugal force stored up in the heavy balance weight or pendulum
causes it to revolve with the instrument, which therefor ceases to register until
some extraneous movement of the machine causes the balance-weight or pendulum
to resume its normal position. Various means have been adopted to remedy this
defect but all have been more or less unsuccessful.
The principle of our operating mechanism is a balance-weight though it is
constructed on a different plan which entirely obviates the defect hereinbefore
mentioned. We use a balance-weight only just sufficiently heavy to overcome the
resistance of the train of wheels. We construct this weight as follows:-We take
a thin disc of metal about one sixty-fourth of an inch in thickness and pivot it
slightly out of centre so as to give a preponderance on one side We place the
pivot of this eccentric disc as near the centre of the instrument as convenient, so
as to get in as large a disc as possible.
This gives a delicately sensible balance-weight, which has no tendency to oscillate.
or throw over, and in practice acts with the most reliable accuracy.

page_text: This balance-disc is connected by a train of wheels with any suitable arrangement
of indices and dials to record the distance travelled, the one we prefer to use, as
being simple,, and easily read, is arranged. like a watch- with a single dial and
a pair of indices one slightly longer than the other; one revolution of the long
hand moves the short-hand one step whatever that, may be ;--for instance suppose
the dial to be divided into 20, parts, one revolution of the long-hand would score
20 miles and the short hand have moved to 1,-i.e. one 20 miles;-two revolutions.
of the long hand would move the short-hand to 2, i.e.-twice 20 miles = 40 miles
and so on thus the limit of the instrument is the square of the parts into which
the dial is divided, in this case 20* = 400 miles.

page_text: “
We HENRY LOE of Brading in the Isle of Wight, Watchmaker and ERNEST
RICHARD SHIPTON of Nos 139 & 140, Fleet Street in the City of London, Journalist,
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTANCE
INDICATORS FOR VELOCIPEDES," and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to the operating mechanism whereby the train of wheels
which register the distance travelled is set in motion, & belongs to that class in
which the motion is obtained by a balance weight or pendulum.
Instruments of this class are fixed on to the axle of the driving wheel of the
machine, or as near thereto as possible. As the wheel revolves the instrument is
carried round with it, but the balance weight or pendulum remains stationary &
consequently sets in motion the train of wheels which record the distance the
wheel has travelled. This class of indicator has not been found a suitable one for
velocipedes, as the constant jolting & vibration to which these machines are
subject, tends to make the balance weight or pendulum oscillate so violently
that it frequently "throws over" the centre & consequently fails to register the
revolution when this occurs. If this takes place when the machine is travelling
rapidly, the centrifugal force.stored up in the heavy balance weight or pendulum
causes it to revolve with the instrument, which therefore ceases to register until
some extraneous movement of the machine causes the balance weight or pendulum
to resume its normal position. Various means have been adopted to remedy this
defect but all have been more or less unsuccessful.
The principle of our operating mechanism is a balance weight; though it is
constructed on a different plan which entirely obviates the defects hereinbefore
mentioned. We use a balance weight only just sufficiently heavy to overcome the
resistance of the train of wheels, we construct this weight as follows:-we take
a thin disc of metal, about one sixty-fourth of an inch in thickness, & pivot it
slightly out of centre so as to give a preponderance on one side, We place the
pivot of this eccentric disc as near the centre of the instrument as convenient, Bo
as to get in as large a disc as possible, This gives a delicately sensible balance
weight, which has no tendency to oscillate or "throw over," & in practice acts
with the most reliable accuracy.
In the accompanying drawing Figs 1 & 2 show the arrangement of our balance
eccentric disc A is the balance disc mounted on a small axle B, running in bearings
formed by the two plates c c of the frame C. of the instrument. The train of
wheels which actuate the indices on the dial D. is mounted between the two
plates co; the primary wheel being mounted on the axle B. so as to receive its
motion from the balance disc A. Figs 3 & 4 show an alternate balance disc in
which the slight preponderance of weight on one side a of the disc A. is obtained
by making a small hole a¹ on the opposite side. The other parts are arranged as
in the before described arrangement & are marked with similar letters of reference.
We do not bind ourselves to use any particular form of dial or arrangement of
mechanism to operate the indices pointing thereon, nor do we prefer to adopt any
particular form of case to contain the mechanism, & solely limit the scope of this
our invention to the balance disc as above described & shown.

page_text: Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our said
invention, & in what manner the same is to be performed We declare that what
we claim is-The construction of a balance weight or disc for actuating distance
indicators for velocipedes substantially as & for the purpose hereinbefore described
& shown.
his 23rd day of October 1884.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71 & 72, Chancery Lane, W.C.
(Late of 46, Southampton Buildings),
Agent for the Applicants.
4.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71 & 72, Chancery Lane, W.C.
(Late of 46, Southampton Buildings),
Agent for the Applicants.