IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BICYCLES AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edouard Carl Friedrich Otto, of Peckham, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF BICYCLES AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edouard Carl Friedrich Otto
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd April 1880.
EDOUARD CARL FRIEDRICH OTTO, of Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BICYCLES AND OTHER
SIMILAR VEHICLES."
This Invention relates more particularly to improvements in the construction of
the driving bands and steering gear of my improved bicycle and tricycle. Such
improvements are also applicable to velocipedes in general, and have for their
object, firstly, to render the driving bands far more durable and effective than
hitherto, and secondly, by an improved arrangement of the steering gear to
materially assist the rider in maintaining his equilibrium by affording him a firmer
purchase on the steering handles of the machine, and thus giving him perfect
control over the vehicle.
My present improvements consist in employing endless driving bands manu-
factured from thin spring steel or other suitable elastic metal, the advantages of
employing the same being that such bands never stretch to any perceptible degree,
and that when painted, electro plated, or otherwise protected, they are rendered
impervious to atmospheric influence. Preferably I cover the pullies whereon such
driving bands are mounted, either with india rubber, vulcanite, leather, or other
material, or any suitable combination of the same, so as to afford a better grip or
purchase to the driving bands.
Another great advantage of employing these improved metallic driving bands is,
that they require but very little slackening for steering purposes, owing to which
I am enabled to place the steering handles in a fixed vertical position, so that they
afford a steady support to the rider on grasping the same, at the same time that by
simply twisting either one of such handles, the driving bands are slackened and the
brakes tightened, thus retarding or arresting the motion of the corresponding
wheel. In addition to this improved position of the handles, the improved arrange-
ment of steering gear consists in fixing a bevel wheel to the tubular stock of each

page_text: steering handle, which stock works on a pivot firmly attached to the axle. Such
bevel wheel gears into a corresponding sectional bevel wheel conveniently fixed on
such axle, thus forming a bevel gear. To each of such sectional bevel wheels a
steering rod is attached, connected at its lower end to the bearing of the crank
axle in such a manner as to lift both the crank and crank pulley towards the rider.
Suitable brake rods are also attached to each of such sectional bevel wheels, to
which rods the brakes are attached, and which brakes are actuated by the same
movement of either steering handle, and slide up and down the side rods of the
bicycle. Upon these side rods and immediately above the brakes, suitable spiral
springs are placed, which serve to keep such brakes in position. Such handles are
made of a curvilinear form (preferably in the shape of a horse shoe), and within each
of the recesses formed thereby I place a secondary handle which is attached to n
tubular link moving up and down the lower part of each handle stock, while placed
on each such stock is a suitable spiral spring which serves to depress such tubular
links after they have been raised by the hand of the rider. Attached to each such
link is a movable collar which is connected by means of a rod to a lever fixed to
the axle to which the steering gear is fitted, while the brake blocks are connected
to such levers by wires, and are actuated and controlled by simply raising the
secondary handles which are so placed as to be inmediately beneath the fingers of
the rider, and can thus be operated with the utmost facility.
By this improved arrangement of steering gear the rider obtains a better purchase
and control over the vehicle, as he is enabled to grasp the steering handles firmly,
owing to their rigid vertical position, at the same time that by means of the
secondary handles he possesses immediate and entire control over the brakes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edouard Carl Friedrich Otto in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
23rd October 1880.
EDOUARD CARL FRIEDRICH OTTO, of Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BICYCLES AND OTHER
SIMILAR VEHICLES."
My Invention rolates more particularly to improvements in the construction of
the driving bands and steering gear of my improved bicycle and tricycle. Such
improvements are also applicable to velocipedes in general, and have for their
object, firstly, to render the driving bands far more durable and effective than
hitherto; secondly, by an improved arrangement of the steering gear to materially
assist the rider in maintaining his equilibrium by affording him a firmer purchase
on the steering handles of the machine, and thus giving him perfect control over
the vehicle.
My improvements in the driving bands consist in employing endless metallic
driving bands a manufactured from steel or other suitable clastic metal, the
advantages of so doing being, firstly, that such bands nover stretch to any percep-
tible degree; secondly, that when painted, electro plated, or otherwise protected,
they are rendered impervious to atmospheric influence; thirdly, that they require
but very little slackening for steering purposes. Preferably I cover the pullies
whereon such driving bands are mounted either with india rubber, vulcanite,
leather, or other suitable material, or any suitable combination of the same, so as to
afford a better grip or purchase to the driving bands.
My improvements in the steering gear are as follows:-As already observed, my
improved metallic driving bands require but very little slackening for steering
purposes. This enables me to place the steering handles bin a fixed vertical
position, so that they afford a steady support to the rider, at the same time that by
simply turning either one of such handles, the driving bands a are slackened and
the breaks tightened, thus retarding or arresting the motion of the corresponding
wheel. In addition to this improved position of the handles, the improved arange-
ment of steering gear consists in fixing a bevel wheel c to the tubular stock d of
cach steering handle, which stock works on a pivot firmly attached to the axle at
the point 1, where it assumes the shape of a fork, and is furnished with a nut and
washer at the point 2. Each bevel wheel c gears into a corresponding sectional
bevel wheel c¹ conveniently fixed on such axle, thus forming two bevel gears. To
each of such sectional bevel wheels a steering rod e is attached, connected at its
lower end to the crank slide bearing in such a manner as to lift both the crank and
crank pulley towards the rider. Each steering rod is made tubular in the centre,
and is provided at its upper end with a left hand scrow furnished with an eye
which allows of its moving on a bolt attached to the sectional bevel wheel c', while
at its lower end is a right hand screw terminating in the form of a ring, as shewn
at f, Figures 3 and 4, wherein the crank slide bearing 3 is fitted loosely so as to
allow of its being raised by the steering rod e. Such steering rods have set nuts
placed one at either end, to allow of their length being regulated so as to permit
tho steering handle b to assume a convenient position.
The crank slide bearing 3 contains one or more perforated tubes f', Figures 3
and 4, for the purpose of lubricating the bearing and preventing friction.
The upper part of the crank slide bearing is tubular, as shewn at 7, Figures 3
and 4, and fits loosely on the side rods g¹, so as to allow of its sliding up and down
easily when actuated by the steering rod.
Suitable break rods are also attached to each of such sectional bevel wheels c',
to which rods the breaks are attached, and which breaks are actuated by the same

page_text: '
movement of either steering handle by wires 4, and slide up and down the side
rods of the bicycle. Upon these side rods and immediately above the breaks
suitablo spiral springs 5 aro placed, which serve to keep such breaks in position.
The steering handles b are made of a curvilinear form (preferably in the shape of a
horseshoe, as shewn in the Drawings), and within each of the recesses formed
thereby I place a secondary handle b which is attached to a tubular link 6 moving
up and down the lower part of each handle stock, while placed on each such stock
is a suitable spiral spring 7 which serves to depross such tubular links after they
have been raised by the secondary handles b. Attached to each such link is a
movable collar 8, which is connected by means of a rod 9 to a lever 10 fixed to tho L
axle to which the steering gear is fitted, while the break blocks are connected to
such levers by wires 11, and are actuated and controlled by simply raising the
secondary handles b' which are so placed as to be immediately beneath the fingers
of the rider, and may thus be operated with the utmost facility.
By this improved arrangement of steering gear, the rider obtains a better 1
purchase and control over the venicie, as he is enabled to grasp the steering
handles firmly, owing to their rigid vertical position, at the same time that by
means of the secondary handles b', he possesses immediate and entire control over
the breaks.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews a view in side elevation of the 2
right wheel of one of my improved bicycles fitted with my improved steering
apparatus when seen from the inside. Figure 2 shows a view of the same in front
elevation; Figures 3 and 4 shew views in letail of tubular crank slide bearing 3,
right hand screw f, and perforated tube f¹.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, I claim as my present improve- 2
ments in the construction of my improved bicycle and tricycle,-
1°. The employing therefor endless metallic driving bands manufactured from
steel or other suitable elastic metal.
'
2º. The construction and arrangement of the steering gear, consisting of steering
handles b, secondary handles b', bevel gears c, sectional bevel wheels c', steering 3
rods c, screws f, tubular links 6, spiral springs 7, collars 8, connecting rods 9, and
levers 10, together with the crank slide bearings 3, perforated tubes f, and hollow
sockets g.
3°. I claim the adaptation of such improvements to velocipedes in general.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edouard Carl Friedrich Otto, have hereunto 3
set my hand and scal, this Twenty third day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
ATAATT
וNDI/
Awחזנר מAi