Improvements in or relating to Driving Gear for Cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Driving Gear for Cycles.
I, EZRA LOFTS, Engineer, of 32, Station Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to driving gear for cycles, particularly bicycles, and I
will describe it as applied thereto.
I may or may not employ chain or other gear for connecting the driving gear
proper with the driven wheel, but I prefer to dispense with such adjuncts and
will so describe the apparatus.
Taking a bicycle of the usual present construction I place upon the hub of the
back wheel a toothed wheel of suitable construction gearing with an internally
toothed ring, plate or equivalent, upon the outside of which are ratchet teeth.
Engaging with the ratchet teeth are a suitable number of pawls placed so that
though only one (or if preferred more than one) is in gear at one time, a corre-
sponding number of the other pawls will be very nearly in gear, but each slightly
further out of gear than the preceding ones; by these means the actual distance
between the engagement of one pawl and the next following it will be exceedingly
small, so that for practical purposes at least one of the pawls will always be in
engagement with the ratchet teeth.
To the ring, plate, or equivalent which carries the pawls, is fixed in any suit-
able manner a foot-lever so that as the lever is reciprocated about its centre of
motion, which would correspond with the centre of motion of the pawl carrying
plate, the pawls are alternately brought forward or backward and motion is
imparted to the ratchet ring and by means of its internal teeth to the toothed
wheel or ring upon the hub of the road wheel.
The pawls may be carried upon a plate or equivalent which need not be a
complete circle so long as the necessary segment to carry the pawls is provided.
Upon the foot-levers at or near their free ends any suitable form of pedal
plate or support for the foot is provided, though I prefer to make this in the form
of an inflatable bag or equivalent, which may be faced with some rigid material
if preferred. This inflatable bag will serve to relieve the foot and leg of the
rider of the jars which otherwise might be imparted to them. The pneumatic
bag or foot-plate may be pivotted so as to accommodate itself to any position of
the rider's foot. I prefer to so arrange the levers that the heel may be brought
into play as well as other parts of the foot, and if desired a special recess or other
holding device may be provided for the heel.
In or upon the lever I provide a small wheel roller or equivalent which may
be a pneumatic wheel or provided with a pneumatic tyre or tread and adapted
to turn about its axis. There could be two complete sets of the apparatus which
I have been describing, one upon each side of the machine, and it will be appre-
ciated that when desired by standing upon the pedals or placing weight upon
both at once they can be depressed so that the wheels which they carry will come
into engagement with the ground, and thus means of supporting the bicycle in
a upright position will be immediately provided, and can be as promptly with-

page_text: drawn when the need for their presence is no longer felt. The bicycle being
thus supported, can remain stationary and if desired the rider can step off pre-
cisely the same as though he was standing upon the ground.
Other advantages of this arrangement are that the engagements of these wheels
with the ground would greatly minimise, if it did not entirely prevent, side-slip,
and that a learner can teach himself to ride, as he can stand with one foot on one
pedal while he learns to work the other, and can gradually learn to increase the
length of stroke so as to become accustomed to raising the pedals from the
ground.
A very convenient arrangement of brake can be adopted by pivotting a brake
shoe or lever to the foot-lever in such a manner that by applying the toe or foot
of the rider to this shoe, it is applied to the wheel in the end of the lever and
that being pressed by the whole weight of the rider upon the ground, a very
efficient braking device is provided-this mechanism may like the rest be dupli-
cated one on each side of the machine. Where the pneumatic pad is employed
that may be used either to apply the brake or to serve as the brake, the forcing
of the air by the foot serving to bring the brake shoe into engagement with the
roller; the pad may be divided into two or more sections if desired.
Any suitable means may be employed for causing the foot-levers to auto-
matically elevate themselves, as for example, a light spring to each, which could
thus be independent or a cord or equivalent could be connected to the two levers
and pass over a pulley upon the frame so that as one lever would be down the
other would be up. This latter arrangement however I do not prefer as it would
interfere with the possibility of placing both lever rollers upon the ground at
the same time.
<
Where it is necessary to gear up" the road wheel, the pawl carrying plate
may engage direct with a ratchet wheel or toothed ring upon the hub of the road
wheel; this arrangement would be useful for carrier cycles.
The invention, as will be seen, is applicable in whole or in part to various
types of bicycles, tricycles, and velocipedes generally.
Dated this 5th day of August 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, EZRA LOFTS, Engineer, of 32, Station Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight, 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:
This invention relates to driving gear for cycles, particularly bicycles, and I
will describe it as applied thereto.
I may or may not employ chain or other gear for connecting the driving gear
proper with the driven wheel, but I prefer to dispense with such adjuncts and
will so describe the apparatus.
Taking a bicycle of the usual present construction I place upon the hub of the
back wheel a toothed wheel of suitable construction gearing with an internally
toothed ring, plate or equivalent, upon the outside of which are ratchet teeth.
Engaging with the ratchet teeth are a suitable number of pawls placed so that
though only one (or if preferred more than one) is in gear at one time, a number
of the other pawls will be very nearly in gear, but each slightly further out of

page_text: gear than the preceding ones; by these means the actual distance between the
engagement of one pawl and the next following it will be exceedingly small, so
that for practical purposes at least one of the pawls will always be in engagement
with the ratchet teeth.
To the ring, plate, or equivalent which carries the pawls, is fixed in any suit-
able manner a foot-lever so that as the lever is reciprocated about its centre of
motion, which would correspond with the centre of motion of the pawl carrying
plate, the pawls are alternately brought forward or backward and motion is
imparted to the ratchet ring and by means of its internal teeth to the toothed
wheel or ring upon the hub of the road wheel.
The pawls may be carried upon a plate or equivalent which need not be a
complete circle so long as the necessary segment to carry the pawls is provided.
Upon the foot-levers at or near their free ends any suitable form of pedal
plate or support for the foot is provided, though I prefer to make this in the form
of an inflatable bag or equivalent, which may be faced with some rigid material
if preferred. This inflatable bag will serve to relieve the foot and leg of the
rider of the jars which otherwise might be imparted to them. The pneumatic
bag or foot-plate may be pivotted so as to accommodate itself to any position of
the rider's foot. I prefer to so arrange the levers that the heel may be brought
into play as well as other parts of the foot, and if desired a special recess or other
holding device may be provided for the heel.
In or upon the lever I provide a small wheel roller or equivalent which may
be a pneumatic wheel or provided with a pneumatic tyre or tread and adapted
to turn about its axis. There could be two complete sets of the apparatus which
I have been describing, one upon each side of the machine, and it will be appre-
ciated that when desired by standing upon the pedals or placing weight upon
both at once they can be depressed so that the wheels which they carry will come
into engagement with the ground, and thus means of supporting the bicycle in
an upright position will be immediately provided, and can be as promptly with-
drawn when the need for their presence is no longer felt. The bicycle being
thus supported, can remain stationary and if desired the rider can step off as
though he was standing on the ground.
Other advantages of this arrangement are that the engagements of these wheels
with the ground would greatly minimise, if it did not entirely prevent, side-slip,
and that a learner can teach himself to ride, as he can stand with one foot on one
pedal while he learns to work the other, and can gradually learn to increase the
length of stroke so as to become accustomed to raising the pedals from the
ground.
A very convenient arrangement of brake can be adopted by pivotting a brake
shoe or lever to the foot-lever in such a manner that by applying the toe or foot
of the rider to this shoe, it is applied to the wheel in the end of the lever and
that wheel being pressed by the whole weight of the rider upon the ground, a
very efficient braking device is provided-this mechanism may like the rest be
duplicated one on each side of the machine. Where the pneumatic pad is em-
ployed that may be used either to apply the brake or to serve as the brake, the
forcing of the air by the foot serving to bring the brake shoe into engagement
with the roller; the pad may be divided into two or more sections if desired.
Any suitable means may be employed for causing the foot-levers to auto-
matically elevate themselves, as for example, a light spring to each, which could
thus be independent or a cord or equivalent could be connected to the two levers
and pass over a pulley upon the frame so that as one lever would be down the
other would be up. This latter arrangement however I do not prefer as it would
interfere with the possibility of placing both lever rollers upon the ground at
the same time.
Where it is necessary to "gear down" the road wheel the pawl carrying plate
may engage direct with a ratchet wheel or toothed ring upon the hub of the road
wheel; this arrangement would be useful for carrier cycles.

page_text: The invention, as will be seen, is applicable in whole or in part to various
types of bicycles, tricycles, and velocipedes generally.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear part of a bicycle, to which this invention
is fitted, the frame being in section.
Figure 2 is a plan, partly in section, showing a modification.
Figure 3 is a section of the foot lever on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and viewed
from inside.
The back wheel A is provided with a pinion B on each side gearing with an
internally toothed annulus C which is mounted on ball bearings on a spindle D.
Each spindle D is fixed by means of a nut D¹ to an extension E¹ of the members
of the back fork E, these extensions E¹ being connected by a cross piece E³ at
the rear of the wheel A. Also mounted on each spindle D on ball bearings is
a driving lever F provided with a pedal plate F¹. This plate is preferably made
in the form of a tray with sides For is otherwise adapted to carry an inflatable
pneumatic chamber or pad 1 covered or faced with a strip F of leather, wood
or other suitable material.
Mounted on suitable bearings at or near the end of each lever F, is a roller
or wheel G provided with a pneumatic tyre G¹. A spoon brake H is carried on
a lever H pivotted on the lever F as shown in Figure 1, the brake being normally
held off the roller G by means of a spring H2. In Figures 2 and 3 the spoon
brake H is replaced by a pneumatic brake in the form of an expansible bag H³
mounted in a casing H firmly fixed to the lever F. In this case the pad F³ is
preferably divided into two portions FF or two separate pneumatic bags may
be employed (the facing F being also preferably divided). The brake bag I³
is connected to the pneumatic chamber F by means of a tube H, the brake being
operated by means of pressure applied to this portion by the foot.
An extension F at the rear end of each lever F is formed approximately at
right angles thereto and carries a curved plate F7 overhanging the annulus C.
A ratchet K is fixed or formed on the rim of the annulus C and a number of
pawls F8 are pivotted to the plate F. In the constructions illustrated six pawls
ure shown, so arranged that one at least of them will always be in engagement
with the ratchet wheel K.
The extension Fe is continued on the other side of the lever F as shown at F
and a tension spring L is attached at one end to F and at the other to some con-
venient part of the frame, such as the bottom bracket.
If desired additional support may be provided for the extension E', such as
a fork from the seat pillar to the spindle D or cross piece E². A support M is
pivotted to the bottom bracket or back fork E on each side of the machine, in
order to hold the levers in their lowered position when it is desired to support
the bicycle, the free end of the support resting upon a step M provided on the
lever . As a modification the free end of the support M may be forked so as to
embrace the lever.
The bicycle is propelled by depressing the levers F either alternately or simul-
taneously, thus causing the pawl carrying plate F7 to describe part of the arc of a
circle carrying round with it the internally toothed ring C which gearing with the
pinion B causes the rotation of the road wheel A; at the completion of each
stroke the levers are raised by means of the springs L. When it is desired to
apply the brake, one or both levers are depressed until the rollers G touch the
ground when the brake H is applied by pressing its lever H with the foot, or,
in the case of the pneumatic brake, by applying pressure to the portion F5 of
the pneumatic pad. In order to hold the bicycle in an upright position one or
both levers are depressed until the rollers G touch the ground, the levers being
held in this position by lowering the supports M into the position shown in
dotted lines in Figure 1. The supports M are normally held parallel to the back
fork E by means of a spring clip, catch or the like, in the drawings the support M

page_text: is provided with an enlargement M2 which is curved so that it can be sprung into
position against the frame tube E as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
J claim is:-
1. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever of a roller
such as G.
2. Braking a cycle by means of a roller carried on a driving lever.
3. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever of a roller
such as G and a brake attachment to operate upon the said roller.
4. The combination with a bicycle of two driving levers one upon each side
both provided with rollers such as G, the levers being so arranged that they can
separately or simultaneously be used by the rider to support the machine, sub-
stantially as described.
5. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever of a
support such as M for the purpose described.
6. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever such as F
of a pneumatic pad upon the pedal plate for the purpose described.
7. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever such as F
of a pneumatic chamber carried on the driving lever and adapted to operate a
brake when pressed upon by the foot substantially as described.
8. In a driving gear for cycles the combination with a driving lever such as F
of pneumatic pads or chambers such as F3 and F one of which when pressed
upon by the foot will operate a brake substantially as described.
9. The complete driving lever roller and brake mechanism substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 1 or in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1890