Improved Mechanism for Assisting in the Propulsion of Cycles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Mechanism for Assisting in the Propulsion of Cycles.
I, GEORGE BROUGHAM HUBERT AUSTIN, of No. 60, Armadale Road, Armadale,
in the Colony of Victoria, Architect, -do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of mechanism for which I applied for
British Letters Patent Number 13794 of 1898 and has been devised in order to
provide a neater and lighter yet more effective mechanism for utilising the cyclist's
weight in the propulsion of the machine.
In practice also it has been found that there are certain objections to the
These are
arrangement of mechanism described in said former application.
overcome by my present invention.
According to my present invention the seat or saddle is supported upon a
tube or rod extending down inside the saddle pillar or support, and constructed
at its lower end with teeth. These gear with a pinion secured upon a spindle
mounted in suitable bearings on the lower end of the frame of the machine.
The opposite end of this spindle carries a toothed quadrant which gears with
a loose pinion on the crank spindle, to which latter motion is imparted through
the medium of pawls or clutches on or projecting from a flange or disc secured
upon said spindle.
This toothed quadrant and the pinion with which it gears are so arranged
that the former passes out of gear with the latter at each end of its stroke.
One advantage in this is that when the machine is not in use the auxiliary
gear is entirely disconnected and therefore the machine can be wheeled back-
wards and forwards as freely as desired.
Dated this First day of March One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
Improved Mechanism for Assisting in the Propulsion of Cycles.
I, GEORGE BROUGHAM HUBERT AUSTIN, of No. 60, Armadale Road, Armadale,
near Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, 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 that class of mechanism for which I applied for

page_text: British Letters Patent No. 13794 of 1898 and has been devised in order to pro-
vide a neater and lighter yet more effective mechanism for utilising the cyclist's
weight in the propulsion of the machine.
In practice also it has been found that there are certain objections to the
arrangement of mechanism described in said former application. These are
overcome by my present invention as will be readily understood by reference to
the accompanying drawings wherein,―
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my improved mechanism for assisting
in the propulsion of cycles.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section thereof.
According to my present invention the seat or saddle is supported upon a
tube or rod B extending down inside the saddle pillar or support, and con-
structed at its lower end with teeth B. These gear with a pinion D secured
upon a spindle d mounted in suitable bearings d on the lower end of the frame
of the machine.
The opposite end of this spindle d carries a toothed quadrant d which gears
with a loose pinion E on the crank spindle E¹ to which latter motion is imparted
through the medium of pawls or clutches 12 on or projecting from a flange or
disc D³ secured upon said spindle E¹.
This toothed quadrant d2 and the pinion E with which it gears are so arranged
that the former passes out of gear with the latter at each end of its stroke.
One advantage in this is that when the machine is not in use the auxiliary
gear is entirely disconnected and therefore the machine can be wheeled back-
wards and forwards as freely as desired.
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 herein described mechanism for assisting in the propulsion of cycles
comprising a tube (as B) actuated by the weight of the rider and extending
down inside the saddle pillar or support and gearing at its lower end with a
pinion (as D) upon a spindle carrying a quadrant rack gearing with a loose
pinion upon the crank spindle with which it is connected through the medium
of pawls or their equivalents substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and explained and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of December One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
EDWARDS AND Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.