IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Marshall of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Mechanical Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Marshall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1882.
EDWARD MARSHALL of Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
"
My invention consists of the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter
described of the gearing of tricycles and other velocipedes, whereby the rider can
readily change the rate of motion communicated by the crank shaft to the travelling
or driving wheels.
I will describe my invention in connection with a tricycle. On the crank shaft
is a toothed wheel having a given number of teeth and connected with the travelling
wheel or wheels is a similar toothed wheel. The toothed wheel connected with the
travelling wheel or wheels is not fixed but is capable of a sliding motion so that
it is not limited to rotation in the same vertical plane.
An arm turning on the crank shaft as a centre carries a double toothed wheel one
of the wheels having about the same number and the other about one half the
number of teeth which the toothed wheel on the crank shaft has but these
proportions may be varied. The smaller wheel is always in gear with the toothed
wheel on the crank shaft to whatever position the arm carrying it may be raised or
lowered.
By raising or lowering the arm carrying the double toothed wheel and adjusting
the position of the toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel or wheels
either the small or large wheel of the double toothed wheel connected with the
travelling wheel or wheels may be made to gear with the toothed wheel on the
travelling wheel or wheels and the said wheel or wheels thereby driven at a greater
or less speed.

page_text: The raising and lowering of the arm carrying the double toothed wheel is effected
by a vertical rod having at top a handle in a position convenient for the hand of
the rider. By raising or lowering this handle, the arm carrying the double toothed
wheel may be raised or lowered and by a slight turning of the same handle the
requisite sliding motion of the toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel
or wheels is effected.
The vertical rod carrying the handle passes through a slot in one arm of a
horizontal cranked lever the other arm of which is engaged with a collar on the
toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel or wheels. The said rod has a
cam or projection which on the turning of the handle changes the position of the
cranked lever and effects the required adjustment of the toothed wheel connected
with the travelling wheel or wheels. The travelling wheel or wheels may be thrown
out of gear with the crank shaft, when the crank shaft may cease to rotate while
the tricycle is moving. The gearing rod is held in the position to which it has been
brought by a spring catch fastening.
By slight modifications more than two speeds may be obtained when required.
My invention is applicable to tricycles and velocipedes in which one of the
travelling wheels is fixed to the shaft, the toothed wheel connected with the
travelling wheel in this case sliding on the shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Marshall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th March 1883.
EDWARD MARSHALL of Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
"
My invention consists of the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter
described of the gearing of tricycles and other velocipedes, whereby the rider can
readily change the rate of motion communicated by the crank shaft to the
travelling or driving wheels.
I will describe my invention in connection with a tricycle. On the crank shaft
is a toothed wheel having a given number of teeth and connected with the
travelling wheel or wheels is a similar toothed wheel. The toothed wheel connected
with the travelling wheel or wheels is not fixed but is capable of a sliding motion
so that it is not limited to rotation in the same vertical plane.
An arm turning on the crank shaft as a centre, carries a double toothed. wheel,
one of the wheels having about the same number and the other about one half the
number of teeth which the toothed wheel on the crank shaft has but these
proportions may-be varied. The smaller wheel is always in gear with the toothed
wheel on the crank shaft to whatever position the arm carrying it may be raised
or lowered.
By raising or lowering the arm carrying the double toothed wheel and adjusting
the position of the toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel or wheels,
either the small or large wheel of the double toothed wheel connected with the
travelling wheel or wheels, may be made to gear with the toothed wheel on the
travelling wheel or wheels and the said wheel or wheels thereby driven at a greater
or less speed.
The raising and lowering of the arm carrying the double toothed wheel is effected
by a vertical rod having at top a handle in a position convenient for the hand of
the rider. By raising or lowering this handle the arm carrying the double toothed
wheel may be raised or lowered and by a slight turning of the same handle the
requisite sliding motion of the toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel
or wheels is effected. The vertical rod carrying the handle passes through a slot in
one arm of a horizontal cranked lever, the other arm of which is engaged with a
collar on the toothed wheel connected with the travelling wheel or wheels. The
said rod has a cam or projection which on the turning of the handle changes the
position of the cranked lever and effects the required adjustment of the toothed
wheel connected with the travelling wheel or wheels. The travelling wheel or
wheels may be thrown out of gear with the crank shaft, when the crank may cease
to rotate while the tricycle is moving. The gearing rod is held in the position to.
which it has been brought by a spring catch fastening.
By slight modifications more than two speeds may be obtained where required.
My invention is applicable to tricycles and velocipedes in which one of the
travelling wheels is fixed to the shaft, the toothed wheel connected with the
travelling wheel in this case sliding on the shaft.
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, a portion of a tricycle provided with change
gearing constructed according to my invention, the smaller toothed wheel of the
double toothed wheel being represented in gear with the sliding toothed wheel
connected with the travelling wheel; Figure 2 represents in side elevation, Figure
3 in plan and Figure 4 in edge view the said gearing arranged for giving a quicker
speed to the traveller wheel than the arrangement represented in Figure 1; Figure
5 represents the arrangement of the said gearing when the travelling wheel is
thrown out of gear with the crank shaft; Figure represents in horizontal section
the hub of the travelling wheel and other parts and exhibits the arrangement for.

page_text: giving the sliding motion to the toothed wheel on the travelling wheel, the said
sliding toothed wheel in Figure 6 being in the position for gearing with the smaller
toothed wheel of the double toothed wheel as in Figure 1; Figure 7 represents a
section of part of the apparatus.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the drawings.
a is the travelling and driving wheel of the tricycle and b is the crank shaft; c is
a toothed wheel on the crank shaft b and d is a larger toothed wheel connected
with the hub a³ of the travelling wheel a. This toothed wheel d is capable of
sliding to and from the hub, being guided in its motion by the pins e, e on the said
wheel d working in holes in the hub (see Figures 4 and 6). The said sliding toothed
wheel & carries a collar f with which the horizontal forked lever h engages to give
the sliding motion to the said toothed wheel d. By means of the sliding motion
which the toothed wheel d is capable of, it may be geared with either of the two
wheels of the double toothed wheel i. k. The wheels i, k of the double toothed
wheel are of different diameters and are situated side by side or in different vertical
planes. It will be seen that the smaller toothed wheel i of the double toothed
wheel i, k is always in gear with the wheel c on the crank shaft b. The double
toothed wheel i, k is carried by the arm l. 12 turning on the crank shaft b as a centre
and the said arm is raised and lowered by the vertical rod m having at top the
handle n in a position convenient for the hand of the rider. The rod m is
connected to the link or part 2 of the arm 1, 12 and the said rod m is capable of
swivelling through a semi-circle in the boss 13 to which the arm 1, 12 is connected.
The inner end of the link or part 12 turns on the same centre as the double toothed
wheel i, to increase or diminish the distance between the boss 13 and the crank
shaft b as required by the rising and falling rod m. The rod m passes through the
slotted sleeve or case p which is capable of a slight swivelling motion on the centre
p² to follow the motion of the boss 13. The sleeve is furnished with a slot p³ at
one side and a short slot p near the bottom at the opposite side (see the sectional
view Figure 7) for the rib or cam m² on the rod m to take into as hereinafter
explained. The said rod m and parts carried by it are supported in the required
positions by the lever bolt q on the said rod, which bolt is pressed into its holding
position by the spring lever q².
When the smaller wheel i of the double toothed wheel is in gear with the
wheel d on the travelling wheel a, the lever bolt q is engaged with the shoulder r
near the top of the case or sleeve p as seen in Figure 1; and when the larger toothed
wheel is in gear with the wheel d on the travelling wheel a, the lever bolt q rests
on the lower tooth or shoulder 8 on the sleeve p as seen in Figure 2. When the
double toothed wheel i, k is in its lowest position the crank shaft is thrown out of
gear with the travelling wheel and the lever bolt q and other parts then occupy the
respective positions represented in Figure 5.
The lever h for giving the sliding motion to the toothed wheel d on the travelling
wheel a is worked in the following manner. The vertical rod m passes through a
loop h (see Figure 6) in one arm of the horizontal lever h and the cam or pro-
jection m² on the sliding and swivelling rod m works in the said loop h² and when
the rod is turned through a semi-circle in one or other direction the said cam or
projection m² causes the lever h to slide the wheel d in one or other direction and
bring it into a position proper for gearing either with the smaller toothed wheel i
or the larger toothed wheel k of the double toothed wheel. The operating of the
lever by the cam or projection m² can only be effected when the said cam or
projection is brought below the bottom of the sleeve p.
In the ordinary working of the tricycle the change gearing occupies the position
represented in Figures 2, 3 and 4, that is, the larger toothed wheel k of the double
toothed wheel is in gear with the sliding toothed wheel d on the travelling wheel a
and the said travelling wheel is driven at a quicker speed, than the crank shaft.
When it is wished to drive the tricycle at a slower speed, the handle n in the
position Figure 2 is grasped by the hand and the spring lever q² is at the same
time pressed inwards. The spring bolt q is thereby removed from the shoulder &

page_text: and the rod m is first lowered and then rotated through a semi circle and
afterwards lifted so as to engage the spring bolt q with the shoulder r. by the
raising of the rod m the smaller toothed wheel i is made to gear with the toothed
wheel d on the travelling wheel a, the said toothed wheel & having been brought
into the proper position by the action of the cam m² on the loop h³ of the lever h
as before described. By the semi-rotation which has been given to the rod m, the
cam or projection m² is brought opposite the long slot p³ in the sleeve p and on the
lifting of the rod the said cam or projection enters the said long slot p³. The
several parts of the gearing and fixing appliances now occupy the respective
positions represented in Figure 1 and the tricycle is driven at a slower speed with
increased power.
In order to again arrange the gearing for the normal driving of the tricycle as
represented in Figures 2. 3 and 4, the bolt a Figure 1 is released from the shoulder r
and the rod m is depressed to its full extent. The said rod is next rotated through
a semi-circle so as to slide the wheel d into a position to gear with the large
toothed wheel k of the double toothed wheel and the rod m is afterwards lifted
and the spring bolt q engaged with the lower shoulder & on the sleeve p, the cam m³
now entering the short slot p* in the sleeve P.
To throw the crank shaft bout of gear with the travelling wheel a, it is only
necessary to release the lever bolt q from the tooth or shoulder r or 8 on the
sleeve p when the rod m takes its lowest position and both the toothed wheels i, k
are ungeared from the wheel d on the travelling wheel as illustrated in Figure 5.
When more than two speeds are required in the tricycle the gearing is modified
in the following manner.
For obtaining, say, three speeds, three combined toothed wheels of different
diameters instead of the double toothed wheel i, k are carried by the arm land
rod m and the throw of the cam m² is so arranged as to give three positions to the
sliding toothed wheel d. An additional shoulder is also made on the sleeve p for
the spring bolt q to engage with.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention of
Improvements in tricycles and other velocipedes."
16
"
The construction and combination of the parts of gearing herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for changing the rate of motion
communicated by the crank shaft to the travelling or driving wheel or wheels of
the tricycle or velocipede; that is to say, the combination of the double toothed
wheel, k (or more than two toothed wheels) carried by an arm turning on the
crank shaft as a centre and capable of being raised and lowered and fixed by the
appliances described and illustrated, with the sliding toothed wheel d connected
with the hub of the travelling wheel or sliding on the shaft of the travelling wheels,
and operated by the rod by which the double or compound toothed wheel is raised
and lowered, the smaller toothed wheel of the double or compound toothed wheel
being always in gear with a toothed wheel on the crank shaft, the several parts
being arranged and operating substantially as described and illustrated.
In Witness whereof I the said Edward Marshall have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Eighth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT
37 Temple Street
Birmingham.
EDWARD MARSHALL. (L.S.)