IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF INSTRUMENTS FOR RECORDING THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS DUNN of No 48 Threadneedle St. in the City of London, Stockbroker
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF INSTRUMENTS FOR RECORDING THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY
VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES to be as follows:-
My instrument belongs to the positive class of indicators, ie, those which receive
their motion from some moving part of the machine, in contra distinction to those
which are set in motion by a balance weight or its equivalent.
I construct. my instrument as follows; I take a small rectangular box made
of light sheet brass, or other suitable metal, The size I find most convenient
measures 3" x'2″ × 1".
One end of this box has a glass face for a purpose that will presently be made
clear.
In this box as near one end, ie, the and opposite the glass end, as possible,
I mount a ratchet wheel which receives its motion from a sliding piece carrying
a pawl, which engages in its teeth, and moves it one tooth at each reciprocation
of the sliding piece. This sliding piece receives its motion from an eccentric ring
or its equivalent fixed on to the driving wheel or axle, so that at every revolution
of the wheel the sliding piece makes one reciprocation.
To avoid the very fine adjustment necessary for the eccentric ring or its
equivalent to produce the exact amount of motion to move the ratchet wheel
precisely one tooth, and which I find is not attainable in actual practice with any
degree of certainty, owing to the fact that the majority of riders of Velocipedes
have not the necessary mechanical aptitude; I employ a device by which I obtain
the movement of but one tooth, irrespective of the length of the travel of the
sliding piece carrying the pawl.
This device consists of making the idle pawl which I provide to prevent the
backward motion of the ratchet wheel, much longer than is usual, and mounting
it in such a position that the pawl attached to the sliding piece travels over it, and
engages with the same tooth with which the idle pawl is engaged, the point of
which is made thin so as to allow both pawls to catch the same tooth; then by
making the sliding piece adjustable in its length, the limit of its travel can be

page_text: adjusted as desired, and the length of stroke need not be just equal to the pitch
of the teeth on the ratchet wheel, as the over-travel expends itself on the back of
the idle pawl, and therefore does not take effect on the ratchet wheel.
On the same axle as the ratchet wheel I mount a drum; In each of the four
corners of the box I also provide small carrying drums. Round these drums an
endless band is passed, this band follows the outline of the box for three sides, but
from the carrying drums at the end of the box nearest to the driving drum it
passes round the driving drum, from which, as its name implies, it receives its
motion. The endless band makes one complete revolution for every mile travelled
and its exterior surface is graduated as desired, so that the distance travelled may
be read through the glass end of the box before described, a pointer being placed
in a convenient position for accurate readings. One of the carrying drums is
made adjustable with regard to its position so as to take up any slack in the
band, or to compensate for any inequalities in the recording of the instrument.
Conveniently placed between the above mentioned ratchet wheel which I will
call No 1, and the glass end of the box, is another ratchet wheel, which I will call
No 2 this wheel receives its motion from the endless band in the following manner-
At one side of the wheel is mounted a sliding piece provided with a pawl arranged
in precisely the same manner as the before mentioned sliding piece and paul.
Connected to this sliding piece is a small horizontal lever, lying close to the
periphery of the driving drum. Fixed to the inner surface of the endless band
is a small projecting piece, made of a piece of fine ribbon steel, in the shape of a
crescent, or portion of a circle, with a radius corresponding to the radius of the
carrying drums. This projecting piece is fastened to the band at the forward end
only, so that it passes on to, and partly round, the carrying drums without inter-
fering with the even motion of the band, and does not perceptably affect the
working of the instrument. When this projecting piece passes round the driving
drum it is on the exterior surface, and it lifts the horizontal lever before mentioned
in passing it, and so communicates motion to the ratchet wheel No 2 by means of
the sliding piece before mentioned. As this projecting piece lifts the horizontal
lever but once every revolution of the band, the ratchet wheel No 2 moves forward
once every mile travelled.
Central with the axle on which the ratchet wheel No 2, is mounted I provide a
dial in the side of the case fitted with a suitable glass cover so that it may be read.
This dial is divided first of all into ten divisions representing 10 miles, each of
these divisions is divided into ten parts each of which represents 10 miles, so that
the first division of the open reading is 100 miles.on the subdivided reading,
I therefore place small figures multiples of one hundred outside the figures of the
open reading. Thus we have a dial with ten divisions marked 1, to 10 and another
outside it marked 100 to 1000.
There are three hands working on this dial, one a short one recording on the:
open reading, i,e, from 1 to 10 miles, and the other two hands which are long ones,
and preferably of different colors, recording on the subdivided reading, as will
presently be made clear.
The shorthand is fixed frictionally to the axle carrying the ratchet wheel No 2,
each movement of this wheel registering one mile. The two long hands are fixed to
a loose sleeve on the axle carrying the short hand one of the hands is permanently
fixed to the sleeve and the other is only frictionally fixed. Motion is conveyed to
the sleeve from the axle by any convenient train of wheels, so that the sleeve
rotates once for every hundred revolutions of the axle.
.",
The object of the two long hands recording on the same dial is that two records
may be kept, a permanent one within the limit of the instrument or a temporary
one, to furnish a record at pleasure, either per journey or per day: As the one
long hand is fixed it registers continuously, but as the other is fixed frictionally
it may be set back to zero to record any special journey or distance. without
affecting the continuous record. The short hand being also fixed by friction can
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page_text: also be set back to zero. In order that both these hands may be set back by one
movement, which may be accomplished in any approved manner, I fix a little
tappet to the shorthand, which although it will travel freely over the frictionally
connected longhand when the instrument is registering, it will carry the long hand
with it when it is turned the reverse way, and so both may be set back to zero
by one movement. This instrument may be placed on any part of the machine
convenient for the sliding piece to receive its reciprocating motion from an eccentric
ring or its equivalent, fixed to any revolving part of the machine, whose revolutions
are in accord with driving wheel or wheels.
Dated this 6th day of Fahrn 1904
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS,
46, Southampton Buildings,
Holborn, W.C.

page_text: THOMAS DUNN of 48 Threadneedle Street in the City of London Stockbroker,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF INDICATORS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My Invention is adapted more particularly for recording the distance travelled
by Bicycles Tricycles and other carriages but is also applicable to other purposes
wherein movement or work done has to be ascertained and indicated.
It belongs to the positive class of Indicators,, that is those which receive their
motion by direct mechanical connection with some moving part of the machines to
which they are affixed, in contradistinction to those which are set in motion by a
balance weight or its equivalent, and which cannot therefore be absolutely relied
upon, particularly as it is generally impossible to fix them concentrically to the
revolving body to which they are attached, so that the force of gravity, upon which
their action depends, is liable to be overcome by centrifugal force. The object of
the first of the improvements which are the subject of the present patent, is to
eliminate every chance of the indicator ever failing to count correctly, so that its
records may be rendered absolutely certain. It is chiefly distinguished from all
others hitherto produced in being adjustable, first by calculation, and afterwards
by experiment, as a watch is regulated, but in a much simpler manner, so that the
most accurate readings may be obtained from it.
I construct it as follows:-I take a small rectangular box made of light brass
or other suitable metal. The size I find most convenient is one that measures
about 3" x 2" x 1½" or 3/4". One end of this box is of glass, and on one side,
close to the glass end, is a circular dial with a glass face, for purposes that will
presently be made clear. In this box, near to the end opposite to the glass end, I
mount a ratchet wheel, which receives its motion from a pawl, mounted on a slide,
which engages in its teeth, and moves it forward one tooth at each reciprocation
of the slide, that is at each revolution of the wheel or other revolving body with
which the instrument is connected. But to avoid the possibility of the instrument
ever failing to act correctly, through the slide not receiving the proper amount of
motion necessary to drive the ratchet wheel just one tooth at a time and no more,
either through any difficulty in originally arranging the mechanism for invariably
transmitting that exact amount of motion to it, which is often quite impracticable,
or any failure in the apparatus for transmitting the motion, either through accident
or wear, I employ a device by which I obtain the movement of but one tooth,
irrespective of the length of the travel of the slide carrying the pawl if only it
is sufficient, and I arrange to make the travel of the slide at least three times the
necessary amount, so that it can never fail to be sufficient. This device consists
of making an idle pawl, which prevents any backward motion of the ratchet wheel,
much longer than is usual, and mounting it in such a position that the moving
pawl attached to the slide may travel over it and engage with the same tooth. It
is also made as straight as possible that the moving pawl may slide over it freely,
and its point is made thin to allow both pawls to catch the same tooth. Then,
either the length or position of the pawls, or the upward limit of the movement
of the slide is adjusted, so that, when the slide is at its highest point, the point of
the moving pawl shall be a little less than the breadth of two teeth of the ratchet
wheel beyond the point of the fixed pawl; consequently each time it rises it can not
carry the ratchet wheel round more than one tooth under the fixed pawl, and the

page_text: extent of the movement of the slide downwards is immaterial, as the over travel of
the moving pawl in this direction expends itself on the back of the idle pawl, and
therefore does not take effect on the ratchet wheel.
On the same axle.as the ratchet wheel I fix a drum, which I call the driving
drum or simply the drum. The diameter of the drum is varied as may be required
as for instance to adapt the instrument to wheels of different sizes, and it is the
only part of the instrument which requires to be varied, except in extreme cases
or for dissimilar purposes. In each of the four corners of the box I provide small
carrying drums or rollers. Round these rollers an endless band is passed which
may be either ridgid or of different degrees of elasticity for different purposes.
This band follows the outline of the box for three sides, but, from the carrying
rollers at the end nearest to the driving drum, it passes backwards over the drum
which transmits its motion to it. In thus being carried round the rollers in the
four corners of the box, and the drum in the middle, the band is as long as the
entire outside circumference of the instrument, and consequently furnishes divisions
twice as large as can be obtained on the dial, which gives great facility in reading
the instrument with accuracy. On the exterior surface of the band are marked
certain divisions, and it is read through the glass end of the box by means of a
fixed index-in a convenient position for the purpose, with a scale to furnish exact
measurements which may be either a simple scale or a vernier.
One of the carrying or guiding rollers is made adjustable as regards its position,
by being mounted on a carriage which, if the band is ridgid, is depressed by a
spring to keep it tight, or, if the band is elastic, is operated by a screw by which
the carriage may be moved up and down, so that the length of the band may be
varied to adjust the instrument as may be desired. By this means the instrument
may be adjusted so as to suit any size of wheel within one inch larger or smaller
than its normal size, and, if upon trial it is found to furnish too large a record, it
may be corrected by turning the adjusting screw so as to lengthen the band, or, if
the record be too small, by turning it so as to shorten the band; and the amount
which a turn of the adjusting screw alters the band being known, the amount
which it will be necessary to turn the screw to correct any observed error in the
recording of the instrument, may be readily estimated, so that, after only one
experiment, the instrument may be adjusted so as to be perfectly accurate for the
future.
Conveniently placed between the ratchet wheel above mentioned (which for the
sake of distinction I will call the large ratchet wheel) and driving drum, and the
glass end of the box, is a clock work mechanism which gives motion to three hands
upon the dial already mentioned which is divided as may be required. This
clock work is actuated by a small ratchet wheel concentric with the dial, which
is driven by two pawls in a precisely similar way to that in which the large ratchet
wheel is driven as before described, the motion of the moving pawl being derived
from the endless band.
There are two methods which I find it convenient to adopt for this purpose.
When it is desired to move the hands upon the dial only upon each entire
revolution of the band, especially if the band is highly elastic, I fix to its under
surface a small piece of steel ribbon of the shape of a crescent or portion of a circle
corresponding in form to the form of the body of the carrying rollers. This steel
crescent is secured to the band at its forward end only, with the convex side next
the band, so that, being of the same form as the carrying rollers, it will pass on
to them without affecting the movement of the band, and will only cause a slight
and immaterial deflection of the band as it passes off the rollers. In passing over
the driving drum however this steel crescent on the outer side of the band and
has its convex side next the drum, so that it is projected prominently above the
drum and lifts a lever lying close over it. This lever is connected with a slide
bearing the moving pawl actuating the small ratchet wheel which is thus moved
forward one tooth, a slight spring depressing the slide and lever again when the
crescent has passed under the latter. "If it is desired to move the hands on the dial

page_text: oftener than on each complete revolution of the band, so that readings to within,
less than the amount of an entire revolution of the band may be obtained by
reference to the dial alone, especially if the band is ridgid or only slightly elastic:
since I find it would be objectionable to fix a series of crescent pieces to the band,
I prefer to obtain the movement necessary for actuating the moving pawl of the
small ratchet wheel, by punching a series of holes in the centre of the band into
which a tooth, on the end of a finger piece pivoted on the free end of a lever which
bears the moving pawl will enter in turn; the tooth being pressed against the band
by a slight spring, and being kept always in the line of the holes by a strip of
metal fastened to it with its two ends bent at right angles so as to embrace the
band between them & to slide against its two sides. When the tooth enters one
of the holes in the band it is carried along with it, and, through the finger piece,
the lever bearing the pawl is raised thus moving the ratchet wheel forward one
tooth, till, by the ends of the guides attached to the tooth (which are bevelled
conveniently for this purpose) coming into contact with the flanges of the driving
drum, the tooth is thrown out of gear with the band, and, by the action of a spring,
the apparatus is returned to its original position.
The arbour bearing the small ratchet wheel, bears on its other end one of the hands
upon the dial, the other two being bourne by a loose sleeve on it. Motion is conveyed
from the arbour to the sleeve by any convenient chain of wheels, so that the sleeve
rotates once for every hundred revolutions of the arbour. The hand on the arbour,
(which of course is outside of the others) and the hand next to it on the sleeve, are
fastened on frictionally, so that they may be set back to zero at will to furnish when
desired temporary records either per journey or per day or otherwise, while the other
hand on the sleeve, which is next the dial, is fixed securely to the sleeve, and gives a
continuous record which is the sum of the records made by the other two hands so
that no note need be kept of the temporary records to furnish the total record made
at any period. For the purpose of setting the two moveable hands to zero, the
fixed hand has a large boss on its centre, or a thin washer is placed over it, and a
spring catch is fixed underneath the outside hand turned backwards. This hand
has either a square hole in its centre, or a projecting square in its place, so that,
with a suitable key, or by any other approved method, it may be turned backwards,
and when this is done the spring catch underneath it carries the intermediate hand
back to zero with it, the point of the catch sliding on the surface of the boss or
washer on the 'centre of the lowermost hand, so that it can never affect that hand,
and, when the instrument is going forward in the usual way, the outside hand
travelling faster than the others, the spring catch passes over the intermediate hand
without moving it.
Such in general is the description of my invention, which admits of being varied
in various ways for different purposes. For instance a simple form of it may be
made for measuring short distances accurately, (suitable for instance for peram-
bulators) by omitting the clock work and dial; or, if the highest degree of
accuracy in the measurements is not required, and it is desired to give the
instrument a larger scope than in the last form, the drum may be mounted in the
place of the clock work, and the ratchet wheel mounted on a pinion which would
drive the drum by means of a cog wheel mounted frictionally beside the drum so
that the latter which should be fixed to the arbour might be operated by a key for
the purpose of setting the band to zero when desired. In this way the drum may
conveniently be made to make one recolution to ten of the ratchet wheel, and the
band thereby to register ten times the amount it registers in the usual form of the
instrument. Or again the gearing of the clock work might be omitted, leaving
only the ratchet wheel with its arbour bearing two hands on the dial, one fixed
and the other moveable; or on the other hand, mechanism might be added to the
clock work for counting above the usual limit of the instrument.
I will now describe more particularly a form of it which I have designed
specially for recording the distance travelled by bicycles tricycles and other
carriages. In this case the band registers up to one mile, and is divided into eight¸

page_text: furlongs, its normal length being about ten miles, with four holes equidistant in its
length. The best manner for making bands for instruments for cycling purposes,
which have to be made as cheaply as possible, I find to be to make them of
macintosh, double, each thickness being joined by means of the other, with the
ends edge to edge, so that the band is of an equal thickness throughout, and the
macintosh being cut on the bias, it admits of being stretched about one inch in ten.
The scale by which the band is read shows a furlong divided into ten parts, and
this enables the instrument to be read to within one turn of the wheel with which
it is connected. The dial is divided first of all into ten divisions representing
miles, corresponding to the hours on a watch dial; and these divisions are again
subdivided into ten parts, corresponding to the minutes on a watch dial, each of
which represents ten miles; so that the first division of the open reading, repre-
senting one mile, represents one hundred miles of the subdivided reading; and the
ten divisions of the open reading, representing ten miles, represents one thousand
miles of the subdivided reading. The unit hand, which jumps forward quarter of a
mile at a time, is short like' the hour hand of a watch, and the other two are long.
like minute hands, and move one space corresponding to a minute on each complete¹
revolution of the unit hand. The moveable hands are made of a dark colour so as
to be easily noticeable, while the fixed hand is of a light colour, approaching to the
colour of the dial, so as to avoid confusion in reading the instrument, by mistaking
the one of the long hands for the other.
The instrument may be fixed on any part of the machine which is most
convenient for reading it, and for setting the hands to zero when desired, or
otherwise, as its construction enables it to be actuated with the greatest facility
wherever it is placed.
The
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, I have appended
hereto a sheet of Drawings marked with letters of reference, corresponding letters
indicating the same parts in the various, figures. The said drawings are made
twice the actual size linear of the instrument. The central figure represents a
back view of it with the cover removed to show the internal mechanism.
figure to the right represents a side view, with the side similarly removed & without
the slide and the pawls to either ratchet wheel, the adjusting carriage and screw
and the band, and the figure on the left represents a front view showing the dial
with the hands upon it. The figure at the top represents a view of the clock work
from underneath without the pawls to the small ratchet wheel, & with the dial in
section while lastly the figure at the bottom represents a view of the top of the
instrument, showing one of the divisions on the band, and the scale by which the
band is read. Referring to the said drawings a is. the plunger for actuating
the slide which carries the moving pawl-b; the slide being held against the side of
the instrument by a set screw passing through a slot in it. c is the large check
spring or pawl, as long and straight as possible. d is the large ratchet wheel
having eighty teeth, and e the drum with a flange on its outerside, and a washer
under it of the same size, and alightly thicker than its flange. The diameter of the
drum varies, according to the size of the wheel to which the instrument is to be
attached, from three quarters of an inch to one and a half inches. f is the drum
spindle, with a square end in front for setting the band to zero by a key when
desired. g. g. g are the three fixed carrying rollers, running on pins going through
and through the case. h is the carriage bearing the moveable carrying roller, with
a slot and set screw like the slide to keep it against the side of the instrument.
The carriage has a movement of about three eighths on an inch corresponding to
the elasticity of the band. The moveable carrying roller in the carriage is the same
as the others, but without the projection on one side, and with flanges as thin as
possible, so as to leave room for the sides of the carriage also in the space occupied
by the flanges of the drum and of the other rollers which should be of the same
thickness. j, is the adjusting screw. k the band which is "/" broad, and the
cardboard scale for reading it. m is the finger with tooth and guide, and a spring
to press it against the band. The spring is fixed to the point of the lever, which is

page_text: bent downwards to bring it into the same plane as the lower end of the finger.
n is the lever carrying the small driving spring or pawl o, and with a spring to
depress it on its upper side. p is the small ratchet wheel having fourty teeth with
the small check spring or pawl q fastened on the underside of the cock, and bent
back over its upper side. r is the central pinion having six leaves which is 5
continued through the dial, and carries the small ratchet wheel and the unit hand
fixed frictionally to it. 8 is the sleeve carrying the central wheel t, having sixty
teeth, by which it is actuated, and the two long hands. u is the gearing wheel and
pinion, having the same number of teeth as the others, which communicate motion
from the central pinion to the wheel on the sleeve. vis the fixed long hand 1
(white) next to the dial, with a boss or washer on its centre. w the moveable long
hand (blue), like the last mounted on the sleeve, and the short hand (blue), also
moveable, outside of the others mounted on the central pinion, while y is the
reversing catch fixed underneath it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said 1
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The device for driving the ratchet wheel invariably only one tooth at a time,
irrespective of the amount of movement of the part actuating it, over and above
the necessary amount, so simplifying the means of actuating the instrument and 2
insuring its invariable action.
2. The method of actuating the clock work from the travelling band, by a steel
crescent fixed to the band lifting a lever in passing over the drum; or a lever and
finger piece with tooth which takes into a series of holes in the band, and is
thrown out of gear of the band by the guides of the tooth coming into contact 2
with the flanges of the drum as described.
3. The employment of an aditional fixed hand on the dial giving a continuous
record which is the sum of the temporary records made by the other moveable
hands as described.
4. The construction of the band of double layers of macintosh, the ends joined
edge to edge, and rendered slightly elastic by being cut on the bias as described.
Dated this fourth day of November 1884.
ATTAIN DIINNT