Improvements in Driving Mechanism of Bicycles and Tricycles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1894-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Mechanism of Bicycles and Tricycles.
I, WALTER BRIERLEY of Penny Bank Chambers, Halifax, in the County of
York, Patent Agent, do hereby declare that I am in possession of an invention
which has been communicated to me by Victor Schneider of Amberg, in the
Empire of Germany, Mechanician.
This invention consists of improved mechanism for propelling bicycles and
tricycles through the employment of which the propelling chain is dispensed with,
the propulsion being effected by levers, which shorten the movement of the foot.
The transmission of force does not take place direct upon the back wheel, but by
means of an up-and-down motion of the cranks upon a rack slide that communicates
its movement through a cog-wheel-segment to the larger cog-wheel, and by this to
the small cog-wheel on axis of the front wheel of the bicycle.
The mechanism comprises a driving cog-wheel on axis of the front wheel of the
bicycle, and gears with a smaller wheel. The rotation of the former wheel is
effected through a double rack slide mounted in the velocipede's frame, and driven
up and down by the levers; through this rack slide a cog-wheel-segment is driven,
which is set up on axis of front wheel of the bicycle.
The rack slides are toothed inside and in going up, puts segment into rotation in
one way until the last tooth leaves the left teeth of the double rack, whereupon the
first tooth of the segment acts upon the lowermost tooth of the right teeth of the
said rack, through which the downward movement is effected. When the segment
has got over the right hand side of the rack slide, it will come into contact with the
latters left side once more; when another impulsion takes place. Such an impulsion
arrangement is adapted to each side of the bicycle, the two being arranged that if
the one side power is operated, and slide goes up, on the other side the slide is going
down.
Dated this 24th day of October 1893.
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Mechanism of Bicycles and Tricycles.
I, WALTER BRIERLEY of Penny Bank Chambers, Halifax in the County of
York, Patent Agent do hereby declare that I am in possession of an invention
which has been communicated to me by Victor Schneider of Amberg in the
Empire of Germany, Mechanician, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of improved mechanism for propelling bicycles and
tricycles by which the propelling chain is dispensed with, the propulsion being
effected by levers, which shorten the movement of the foot. The force is not
exerted or applied directly upon the driving wneel, but by means of an up-and-down
motion of the cranks upon a rack slide that communicates its movement through a
cog wheel segment to a larger cog wheel, and by this to a small cog wheel on axis
of the driving wheel of the bicycle.

page_text: Such being the nature and object of my said invention the following is a complete
description of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a side view of a bicycle with the improved driving gear.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side view of the frame sliding rack plate and segment
cog wheel.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the lines A, B of Fig. 2..
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
The rear driving wheel A of the bicycle is fixed on the axle c¹ on which axle is
also fixed the pinion c. The pinion c gears with a cog wheel a fixed on the short
shaft b mounted in an extension of the bicycle frame or backbone. On the short
shaft b is a cog segment e the teeth of which engage with the racks or teeth formed
on the opposite edges of a vertically sliding open plate d, in the opening of which
plate is the cog segments c. The plate d is guided so as to reciprocate or rise and
fall vertically in a frame of fastened to an extention of the bicycle frame or
backbone.
A pivot 9 on the bottom of the vertically reciprocating plate d passes through a
slot in the end of a pedal lever fl pivoted at f to the bicycle frame a pedal lever f
and corresponding sliding plate d cog segment cog wheel a and pinion c are arranged
at each side of the driving wheel. As shown in Fig. 1 the pedal lever f¹ on the
near side of the bicycle has been depressed and the corresponding plate d raised.
As the plate d on the other side of the wheel is now raised by depressing the
corresponding pedal lever, the first mentioned plate is lowered by the action of the
teeth of the cog segment c on the right hand rack of the plate d. Fig. 2 and said
cog segment is thereby turned to such an extent (in the direction indicated by the
arrow) that when the plate d on the near side of the bicycle, Fig. 1 is in its lowest
position, the teeth of the cog segment c engage with the teeth of the left hand rack
of the plate d. In this manner the pedal levers are worked up and down alternately,
the driving gear on each of the two sides of the wheel being so arranged that one
is in the lowest position when the other is in the highest position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A driving gear for cycles composed of a pinion on the axle of the driving
wheel, a cog wheel engaging with said pinion, a cog segment on the shaft of said
cog-wheel, a sliding plate having an opening provided with racks at the opposite
edges, the teeth of which racks engage with the teeth of the cog segment and a
pedal lever for reciprocating said sliding plate substantially as herein set forth and
as illustrated by Fig. 1 of the drawings.
2. The combination with a cycle frame and its wheels of pinion on the driving
wheel shaft, cog-wheels fixed on shafts mounted in extentions of the cycle frame,
cog segments on said cog wheels shafts sliding plates having openings provided with
racks on the opposite edges of the openings, the teeth of which racks engage with
the teeth of the cog segments pedal levers pivoted on the cycle frame and connected
with the sliding plates and guide frames for the sliding plates attached to extension
of the cycle frame substantially as herein set forth and as illustrated by Fige. 1 of
the annexed drawings.
Duted this 22nd day of I.1 1001
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Applicant.