Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 31st May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th July, 1888
1 JOHN SHARP of 19 Bath Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
--
My invention relates to those Velocipedes which contain two shafts-in the same
line and which are both driven by means of Central Balance Gearing.
The object of this invention is to produce greater rigidity and less friction in such
said velocipedes in those parts of mechanism by which the two driving shafts in the
same axial line are held in position and put in operation than by the ordinary
means.
I effect the said objects by the following or equivalent means:-1 secure to the
central chain driving wheel-on each of its two sides a cap of a funnel shape
sufficiently large on its inner end to cover the usual bevel wheel and a boss or
sleeve on its outer end to loosely fit its driving shaft. The two funnel caps being
secured to the sides of the central chain wheel thus forming a case or box which
contains the double driving balance gearing and also the inner portions of the two
driving shafts. At, or near to, the inner ends of the said two driving shafts are
secured the usual bevel wheels in gear with the usual bevel driving pinions which
rotate freely on the plain radial non-rotating shafts in the central chain wheel. The
two driving shafts may be solid or tubular and may abut each other and loosely fit the
central hole in the chain wheel or they may terminate in a line with the inner faces of
the bevel wheels and the faces of the central boss of the chain-wheel. The inner
faces of the bevel wheels fit the faces of the central boss of the chain-wheel and their
outer faces fit the inner faces of the said sleeves and thus the two bevel wheels are
kept nicely in gear with the driving pinions and the two driving shafts are held
laterally and lineally in their proper positions.
That part of the frame of the machine to which the bearings are attached I prefer to
be of the form of an arch having one or two light tie-rods secured to the base of the
arch or the tie-rod or rods may be attached to the frame of other form than the arch
for the purpose of preventing the deflection of the frame.

page_text: When three or four bearings are used the sleeves of the said funnel shaped caps may
be short but I prefer to dispense with the usual third and fourth bearings by making
the said sleeves long enough to hold the two driving shafts firmly in a line with only
two bearings.
The two sleeves with the central chain-wheel rotate freely upon the two driving
shafts. The outer ends of the said sleeves---by preference-extend to the two bearings,
'or the bearings may be upon the ends of the long sleeves.
It is a well-known fact that the weight of the riders of the ordinary tricycles cause
the frames and shafts to deflect and that any deviation of the driving shafts from a
straight line causes a proportional amount of extra friction.
Velocipedes made according to my said invention-although made very light in the
framing will be more rigid--and as the driving shafts will not be so liable to
diverge from a right line as those of the ordinary make-they will run more
smoothly and more easily than those now in use.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I MARY ANN FREARSON Widow and Sole Executrix of John Frearson called in the
application for a Patent for this Invention John Sharp of 19 Bath Street Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer 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 :-
My invention relates to those velocipedes which contain two driving shafts in the
same line, which are both driven by means of central Balance Gearing. The object of
my Invention is to produce greater rigidity in the frames of such said velocipedes
and to effect a greater reduction of friction in those parts of mechanism by which the
two driving shafts in the same axial line are held in position and put in operation than
has been obtained by the ordinary means. I effect the said object in the following or
an equivalent manner as hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
In all the Figures where shown A and B represent the two driving shafts in the
same axial line. C represents the central chain wheel. D and E represent the usual
double driving wheels gearing with the bevel driving pinions F and G which
rotate on the plain non-rotating radial shafts H and J in the chain wheel C.
K and L (Fig. 1) represent two funnel shaped caps enclosing the bevel wheels D
and E respectively-each of the said caps being secured to an opposite side of the

page_text: wheel C. In Figure 1. N and M indicate two tubes or sleeves loosely fitting the
shafts A and B. N being rigidly secured to the boss a of the cap K, and M in
like manner to the boss b of the cap L. In Figure 3 K with its boss a rigidly
secured to the sleeve N, is the same as in Fig. 1, but the combined funnel shaped
cap and brake wheel L2 with its boss 62 firmly secured to the sleeve M 2 is hore
shewn as used when a brake wheel is required in place of the cap L shewn in
Fig. 1. In Figures 1 and 30 and P are pins passing through the bevel wheel D
and E and shafts A and B respectively, and exemplify a mode of securing
D to A and E to B firmly together.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) represents an elevational view principally in section through
the broken line WX (Fig. 2) and Figure 2 an end view of Figure 1 with the shaft A
the cap K and the bevel wheel D removed and with the bevel pinions F and G in
section. Figure 3 (Sheet 2) represents an elevational view principally in section
through the broken line YZ (Fig. 4) and Figure 4 an end view of Fig. 1 with the
shaft A the cap K and the bevel wheel D removed and with the bevel pinions F and G
in section. The caps K and L (Fig. 1) and K and L2 (Figs. 3 and 4) firmly
secured each to an opposite side of the wheel C and made of a funnel shape
sufficiently large on their inner ends to cover the usual bevel wheels, D and E
and have each a boss (a and b Fig. 1 and a and 62 Fig. 3) on its outer end
which may either loosely fit the driving shafts A and B in accordance with one
mode of using this invention, or which may be mounted upon and rigidly secured
to a long sleeve as illustrated by N and M (Fig. 1) and by N and M 2 (Fig. 3)
respectively, to loosely fit its driving shaft A and B. The two funnel caps K and Ĺ
(Fig. 1) or K and L2 (Fig. 3) being secured to the sides of the central
chain wheel C a case or box is formed which contains the double driving balance
gearing and also the inner portions of the two driving shafts A and B. At or
near the ends of the two driving shafts A and B are the usual bevel wheels D
and E secured by the pins O and P or by any other suitable means in gear with
the usual bevel driving pinions F and G rotating freely on the plain non-rotating
radial shafts H and J in the central chain wheel C. The two driving shafts A
and B may be solid, as shown, or tubular, and may abut each other, and loosely
fit the central hole in the chain wheel C, or their inner ends may terminate in a
line with the inner faces of the bevel wheels D and E and the faces of the central
boss of the chain wheel C. The inner faces of the bevel wheels D and E fit the faces
of the central boss of the chain wheel C, and these outer faces fit the inner faces of the
bosses a and b (Fig. 1) or a and b 2 (Fig 3) and thus the two bevil wheels D and E
fit the faces of the central boss of the chain wheel C and their outer faces fit the inner
faces of the bosses a and b (Fig. 1) or a and b (Fig. 3) and thus the two bevel wheels D
and E are kept accurately in gear with the driving pinions F and G and the two
driving shafts A and B are held laterally and lineally in their proper positions.
When three or four bearings are used the bosses or sleeves a and b (Fig. 1) or
a and 62 (Fig. 3) loosely fit the driving shafts A and B but I prefer to dispense with
the usual third and fourth bearings by making the said bosses or sleeves a and b or
a and 62 of a much greater length and loosely fitting the shafts A and B, or long
sleeves of a smaller outer diameter-illustrated as N and M (Fig. 1) and N and M 2
(Fig. 3) upon which the aforesaid bosses or sleeves are mounted and rigidly secured,-
long enough to hold the two driving shafts A and B firmly in a line and thus not
necessitating the use of more than two bearings. The said sleeves with the central
chain wheel and the funnel shaped caps by which they are connected rotate freely
upon the two driving shafts A and B and the outer ends of the said two bosses or
sleeves, or sleeves extending from them, may extend to the two bearings-where
two bearings only are used-or the bearings may be upon the ends of the long
sleeves.
It is a well known fact that the weight of the riders of the ordinary tricycles causes
the frames and the shafts to deflect and that any deviation of the driving shafts from
a straight line causes a proportional amount of extra friction. That part of the frame
of the machine to which the bearings are attached I prefer to be of the form of an

page_text: arch, having one or two light tie rods secured to the base of the arch-or the tie rod
or rods may be attached for the same purpose to a frame of other form,--that is, the
the said part of the frame may be straight with a tie rod or rods passing from
end to end under a central pillar attached to and forming part of it, for the
purpose of preventing the deflection herein referred to.
Velocipedes made according to my said Invention although very light in the
framing will be more rigid than ordinarily and as the driving shafts will not be so
liable to diverge from a right line as in those of the ordinary make they will run
more smoothly and easily than those now in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. The combination with the two driving shafts A and B in the same axial line, and
their connecting central double driving bevel balance gearing illustrated by the bevel
wheels D and E (on A and B respectively) in gear with the bevel driving pinions F
and G on the radial shafts H and J carried in and by the central chain wheel C, of
the funnel shaped caps K and Lor K and L 2 each respectively with a boss or sleeve a
and b or a and b 2 or with a boss and sleeve a and N and b and M. Figure 1, or
a and N and 62 and M 2 Figure 3, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
2. The combination of an arched part of the frame of the machine, to which the
bearings of the balance gear driving shaft are attached, with a tie rod passing
from end to end of the base of the said arch, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
Dated this Thirtieth day of May 1888