An Improved Route and Distance Indicator for Cyclists,
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Route and Distance Indicator for Cyclists,'
I, CARL BIRG, of Werden on Ruhr, Rhenish Prussia, Germany, Mounter, 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 present invention relates to a new and useful mechanical road-indicator in
which a pulley fixed on the axle of the fore-wheel operates in conjunction with a
greater roller mounted on an axle arranged on a frame fixed to the handle-bar, and
with speed reducing gears enclosed in said frame, by means of which reducing-
gears two spring-actuated fiction rollers are turned in order to draw a riband
graphically showing the road, from a third roller to gradually wind it up on one
of the said friction-rolleis.
The objects of my invention are first to provide means to automatically show
to the cyclist in regions, he does not know, the road he must take, that is, show
when he must ride straight ahead or when he should turn off to the right or to
the left; second to provide means to graphically indicate to the cyclist the names
of cities and villages he passes through, as well as the number of kilometres he
has already made; and finally to provide a clutch mechanism whereby the above
named gearing enclosed in the frame may be placed either in operative or in-
operative engagement with the driving roller arranged on the said frame.
.
I attain these objects by means of the arrangement of the mechanism illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference designate like
parts throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of the entire mechanism.
Fig 2 is a plan view of the same:
Fig. 3 is a piece of the riband containing the graphic, statement of the road,
which the cyclist must make.
Fig. 4 represents the corresponding way, that answers to the representations on
the piece of riband (Fig. 3) and finally
Figs. 5-8 are detailed views of different parts of the road-indicator.
In order to better understand the mechanism hereafter described, I may be
permitted to explain at first, in what manner the ribands graphically showing the
road to be followed, are obtained.
A cyclist, very well acquainted with the road for which I will prepare the riband
as road-indicator for cyclists not acquainted with this road, makes his way on the
bicycle bearing on its guide-bar the mechanism, the riband-roller of which is
provided with an unprepared riband. The riband then is wound up from the
first riband roller on another roller in such a manner that the riband in passing
over the roller is always in full sight of the cyclist Now, when he arrives at a
cross-way and must go to the right for instance, he marks by means of a little
stamp the direction on the riband. Must he go to the left, the point of the stamped
arrow must be directed to the left; but must he go on in a straight direction, he
stamps an arrow, the point of which is corresponding to that straight direction.

page_text: So he does every time when the road branches off to the right or to the left;
and in the same way he can mark on the unprepared riband the names of cities,
villages, as well as the number of kilometres he has already made. Such a riband,
that can be made for each road, as for instance from one town to the other, will
be multiplied in any way, by weaving, printing or the like.
Every cyclist, that wishes to ride on a road he is not yet acquainted with, needs
only insert the corresponding riband into the apparatus and he will able to read
the way graphically designed on the riband being mechanically wound off before
him.
When he wishes to use the same riband for returning on the same road, he only
needs to exchange the two riband rollers one for the other; the riband can be used
to indicate the road in both directions since the arrows have points at both ends,
the points being of different colours.
The apparatus is constructed as follows:
The small toller R secured to the hub of the fore-wheel, turns by means of an
endless band, when the bicycle is moved and therefore the fore-wheel is put into
rotation, the greater roller 12, loosely arranged on an sleeve r, which is secured to
the extremity of the axle (a) mounted in one chamber of the double-casing frame f.
On this same axle a is mounted a small gear wheel z, meshing with a relatively
great gear wheel zg mounted on the axle b On the axle b there is mounted besides
the wheel z, a small gear wheel z that engages a great wheel z, on the axle c,
(Figs. 1, 2 and 8).
On the axle c there is arranged preferably in a separate casing of the framing-
box a small roller w, against which presses a second ioller 2 of the same diameter
and the axle d of which is mounted in a slits and held at both sides by means of
a spring-actuated bow B (Fig. 2).
A bent plate L is secured to the fiamo f of the apparatus, said plate extending
vertically downward and supporting one end of the axle m of the riband-roller w³.
The other extremity of this axle is mounted in a separate spring-plate F', the under
extremity of which is mounted on the bolt of the screw, t, to be turned around
this bolt in order to take the roller if required out of its bearings and to replace
it by another roller.
The plate F being a spring one, its upper extremity presses a little towards the
roller thus preventing the latter from vibrating.
As already mentioned, the band-roller R is loosely mounted on the sleeve r
which is fastly arranged on the axle (a). To the sleever is secured a spring k
formed of two hinged and spring-parts. The free extremity of this spring can
be turned into the plane of the spokes of the roller R2 so that, when the latter is
1otated, the axle (a) must communicate to this rotation the other extremity of the
said spring being secured to the sleever fastly arranged on the axle (); and the
gear pinions enclosed in the frame f, are placed in operative engagément with
this driving roller R³.
If I desire to make the apparatus an inoperative one, I merely turn the extremity
of the spring out of the plane of the spokes of the roller It, as it is represented
by dotted lines (Fig. 5)
I will now proceed to explain the operation of the apparatus
If the apparatus is to be made use of in order to indicate the road, I place the
spring so that the gear pinions are operative with the band-roller R2, which latter
is driven from the bicycle fore-wheel by means of the band roller R. The speed
of the rotation of the roller R2 and consequently that of the gear-wheel z¹, mounted
on the same axle a, is reduced relatively fo that of the fore-wheel by the proportion
of the diameters of the rollers R¹ and R2 one to another. Ther the speed is reduced
by the speed-reducing gears and so that the riband can be most slowly
wound off from the riband-roller and wound up on the other roller. If, for in-
stance, the proportion R¹: R2-1:2 and the proportions of ¹: ¿ª = 3: 1: 10,
the speed of rotation of the roller W₁ mounted on the axle d will be the two
hundredth part of that of the bicycle fore-wheel,
=

page_text: As soon, as the roller w is turned by means of the speed reducing gears, the
roller w³, pressed towards the roller by the spring-actuated bow B, is turned by
friction. The riband indicating the road is conducted from the roller w³ over the
roller w' to the roller was it is shown by the arrow indicated in Fig. 6.
If I desire to return over a road which, I have just passed, I need only change
places between the roller w, on which all the riband has been wound and the
roller w³. When I desire for this purpose to take the roller w³ out of its bearings,
I draw the spring-plate F a little from the roller w³ and turn it around the
gudgeon t, whereafter I can insert another roller between the plates L and F,
which latter I must turn back into its original position.
In order to take the roller w out of the casing of the frame f, the plate p of this
frame is hinged to the latter at e and can be secured to the frame, or the casing
can be shut by means of the pin g.
If the casing is opened, I can easily take out the roller w and replace it by
another roller.
The apparatus is secured to the guide-bar of the bicycle by means of the clamp E,
which parts are screwed one with the other when put on the guide-bar.
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) In an automatic road-indicator for bicycles, the combination with a fixed
axle, a rotative hub mounted thereon and a handle-bar, of a band-roilet secured to
said hub and adapted to turn with it, a frame or casing fastened to said handle-
bar, a band-roller loosely mounted on an axle arranged on said casing, said band-
roller being connected to the above-named band-rollei by means of an endless band,
a riband-roller mounted in plates secured under said frame, a riband on said riband-
roller and provided with graphical statements, friction-roilers and speed reducing gear
pinions arranged in said frame, means for locking the band-roller loosely mounted
on the axle arranged on said frame, to said axle, and means for exchanging the
riband roller for one of said fiction rollers, all essentially as set forth and for the
purpose specified.
2) In an automatic road-indicator for bicycles, the combination with a fixed
axle, a rotative hub mounted thereon and a handle-bar, of a band-roller secured to
said hub and adapted to turn with it, a frame or casing fastened to said handle-
bar, a band-roller loosely mounted on an axle arranged on said frame, said band-
roller being connected to the above named band-1oller by means of an endless band,
a riband-roller mounted in plates secured under said frame, a riband on said riband
roller provided with graphical statements, friction-rollers and speed reducing
gear pinions arranged in said frame, a spring formed of two parts hinged one to
the other, the free end of said sping being adapted to be turned into the plane
cf the spokes of the band-roller arranged at said frame, and means for exchanging
the said riband roller for one of said friction rollers, essentially as described and
for the purpose specified.
3) In an automatic road-indicator for bicycles, the combination with a fixed
axle, a rotative hub mounted thereon and a handle-bar, of a band-roller secured to
said hub and adapted to turn with it, a frame fastened to said handle-bar, a band-
roller loosely mounted on an axle arranged on said frame, said band roller being
connected to the above named band-rollei by means of an endless band, a riband-
oller mounted in plates secured under said frame, a riband on said riband-roller
provided with graphical statements, friction-rollers and speed reducing gear pinions
arranged in said frame, a spring formed of two parts hinged one the other, the
free end of said spring being adapted to be turned into the plane of the spokes of
the band-roller arranged on said frame, the above named riband-roller being
arranged between a vertically downwards directed bent plate secured to said frame
or casing, and a spring plate adapted to be turned around a bolt in said bent-plate,
a spring-actuated bow arranged in the said frame or casing and holding the axle

page_text: of the one friction roller, the said casing being provided with a plate hinged to it,
all essentially as set forth and for the purpose specified.
4) In an automatic road-indicator for bicycles, the riband provided with
graphical statements concerning the direction on a road, the names of towns and
villages and the kilometer-numbers.
1
5011 JLN 1900
JOSEPH MOHLY,
Agent for Applicant, Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany.