Improvements in Driving and Controlling Mechanism for Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving and Controlling Mechanism for
Velocipedes.
I, HENRY SYMES, of Alexandra South, Dunedin, in the Colony of New Zealand,
Auctioneer, 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 mechanism designed for driving and controlling velocipedes,
and has for its objects to provide means whereby a rider may keep his feet at rest
whilst the machine pursues its course, thus obviating any material checking of
speed when the momentum of the machine is so great as to cause it to outstrip the
speed at which the pedals are revolving. The pedals may be used as footrests whilst
the machine is moving, and ordinary footrests dispensed with. The danger arising
from a lady's dress catching upon a revolving pedal is overcome, since such an accident
would merely hold the pedals at rest without perceptibly retarding the progress of the
machine.
Combined with the aforesaid objects is the further object of applying a brake
to one of the wheels, so that the speed of the machine may be controlled or the
same may be brought to a standstill on a descending grade or elsewhere by the
backward movement of the machine or by means of the feet, and the hands left free
for steering the machine.
These objects of the invention are carried into effect by making the pedals in the
ordinary form, but the driving sprocket wheel is fitted revolubly upon the pedal shaft
or on a bearing concentric therewith instead of being fixed to the shaft. The hub
of this sprocket wheel carries a pawl or pawls which may engage with a ratchet wheel
fixed upon or made solid with the shaft, so that when the shaft is revolved in one
direction by the pedals the sprocket wheel will be driven and revolved, but when the
shaft is held at rest the pawls will merely glide over and up the inclined faces of
the ratchet wheel teeth with little or no check to the speed of the machine. In a
modification the ratchet wheel upon the shaft is dispensed with and an eccentric pawl
attached to the crank engages with a wheel or pulley fixed to the driving sprocket
wheel or to the hub of the same, when the machine is being driven, and will disengage
immediately the pedals are held from revolving.
With driving mechanism constructed as just described, it is obvious that a brake
will be necessary to check the speed of or stop the machine. A brake made to
co-operate with the before-mentioned driving mechanism, and applied in a novel
manner, is constructed as follows:-
Another sprocket wheel, and preferably one of small diameter is fitted revolubly
upon the shaft, or on a convenient part of the machine so that it is concentric with
the shaft, and is fitted with a pawl or pawls to engage with a ratchet wheel fixed upon
or made solid with the shaft in a similar manner to the driving sprocket wheel, with
the exception that the pawls and teeth of the ratchet wheel operate in a reverse
direction. A chain passes around such small sprocket wheel and has one end
attached to the end of a lever fulcrumed upon the frame of the machine. The
other end of the lever is formed into any ordinary spoon or other shaped brake
block and which normally is held free of the wheel by a check spring. Thus a

page_text: rider by slightly revolving the pedals in a direction reverse to that at which the
machine is. moving may apply the brake and control the speed of or stop the machine,
or the backward movement of the machine will apply the brake.
In order that the invention may be most easily understood by one skilled in the art
to which it appertains a description will now follow in detail, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings whereon,-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the pedal shaft bearing bracket and
sprocket wheels.
Figure 2 is a cross section through line (z) Figure 1 and looking towards the
driving sprocket wheel.
Figure 3 is a cross section through the line (xx) Figure 1 and looking towards the
small sprocket wheel.
Figure 4 is a side view of the small sprocket wheel, chain, brake lever and
attachments as applied to an ordinary safety bicycle.
Figure 5 is a plan of the same, but with the pedals set horizontally.
Figure 6 is a side view of alternative mechanism, where toothed quadrants replace
the sprocket wheel and chain on Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 7 is a plan of the same, but with the pedals set horizontally.
Figure 8 is a side view of the small sprocket wheel showing another manner of
arranging the pawls.
Figure 9 is a side view of the driving sprocket wheel showing another arrangement
of springs for the pawls.
Figure 10 is a side view showing an eccentric pawl attached to the pedal crank and
a wheel attached to the hub of the driving sprocket wheel.
Figure 11 is a front view of the same.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts.
Referring to the drawings, (a 3) are the usual pedals, and (a 2) the cranks attached
in any ordinary manner to the shaft (B), which revolves in a bracket (A) upon the
main ball bearings (S), adjustment for wear being obtained by means of screw
collars (D). The driving sprocket wheel (G) is provided with balls (L) so that it
may revolve freely around shaft (B) upon its bearings (C) and (J 1). Pawls (M)
Figure 2 are pivotted within the hub of sprocket wheel (G) and held in position
with their brackets (M. 1) by screws (M2), and the engagement of these said pawls
with the teeth of ratchet wheel (E), which is fixed to or made solid with shaft (B),
is ensured by the pressure of springs (t). These springs (t) are passed through
the hub and lodge in a hole therein, where they are retained by screws (t 2).
Thus, when the shaft (B) is revolved in the direction shown by the arrow (Figure 2)
the teeth of the ratchet wheel will engage with the pawls so long as the speed of
the sprocket wheel does not exceed that at which the shaft is revolving, but the
sprocket wheel may revolve quicker than the shaft, and the pawls merely glide over
the inclined faces of the ratchet wheel teeth, or the shaft (E) with its pedals (a 3) may
be held at rest whilst the sprocket wheel revolves; that is whilst the machine
continues its progress.
A second sprocket wheel (H) is fitted upon the shaft (B) in a manner similar to
that described in the case of wheel G, being provided with balls (P) and bearings (D)
and (J). Its pawls (R) are pivoted within its hub, are held in position, as are also
their brackets (R 1), by screws (R2), and operated by springs (t1). The teeth of
the ratchet wheel (F) are cut in a direction the reverse of those upon ratchet
wheel (E), and the pawls (R) engage with these teeth in a reverse direction. Thus
when the pedals are revolved in a forward direction they will drive sprocket
wheel (G) only to operate the machine by means of the ordinary chain and driven
sprocket wheel, but when the pedals are revolved in a backward direction, sprocket
wheel (H) only will be revolved.
Referring now to Figure 4, a chain (d 2) is shown pissing around the sprocket
wheel (H) and having one end attached to the end of a lever (d 1) fulcrumed in any
suitable position upon the frame of the machine and in bearings (61). The other end
of the chain may be attached to any convenient part of the machine and in such a

page_text: manner that it will keep its position to pass on to the sprocket wheel. The other end
of the lever has any suitable shape or is formed into a brake block (d 3) for pressing
upon the periphery of the wheel (d 4), but in normal conditions the brake is held free-
of the wheel by the tension of spring (1).
When the pedals are revolved in a backward direction, the teeth of ratchet
wheel (F) Figures 1 and 3 will engage with pawls (R), revolve sprocket wheel (H)
in the direction shown by the arrow on Figures 3 and 4 and cause the brake to be
applied to wheel (d 4) to control the speed of or stop the machine.
I am aware that the details of the invention may be modified and mechanical:
equivalents substituted for the various parts by a skilled person without departing
from the spirit of the invention and some such modifications are illustrated by
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, but I do not wish it to be understood that I have
exhausted the various ways of carrying the invention into effect, but that such
forms only are shown as are preferred and considered sufficient to exemplify the
principle of the invention.
Referring then to Figures 6 and 7, (m 1) is a toothed quadrant replacing the
sprocket wheel shown on Figure 4, and this said quadrant gears with another toothed
quadrant (1) fulcrumed in bearings (61) upon the frame of the machine. When
the pedals are revolved in a backward direction the quadrant (m 1) will be revolved
in the direction shown by the arrow to operate quadrant (11) and lever (k 1), and.
apply brake (d3, to the wheel.
Figure 8 illustrates a method of dispensing with spring upon the pawls for the
sprocket wheel and for working the brake. As this wheel makes a portion of a
revolution only the pawls may be pivotted near the top as shown, and they will then.
fall by gravity.
Figure 9 shows an arrangement whereby the leaf or flat form of spring (t) may be
employed instead of the spiral spring hereinbefore described with reference to.
Figures 2 and 3.
66
Figure 10 shows an eccentric pawl (t 4) attached by pivot (t 5) to pedal crank (a 2)
and held to its work by spring (t 6). Wheel (t 7) is fixed to or made solid with tho
hub of sprocket wheel (G), and is grooved on its periphery to engage with the
V" shaped edge of the pawl. It will be seen that when the sprocket wheel is being
driven by the pawl in the direction shown by the larger arrow that as the pressure is
more and more applied by the rider so the eccentricity of the pawl will cause it
to grip more and more tightly upon wheel (t 6), but that when the pedals are held
the pawl will be instantly released to allow the machine to proceed.
From this description it will be seen that the invention may be readily applied to
existing machines, when the ordinary brake may be dispensed with and replaced by a
brake operating by means of the feet as hereinbefore described. It will be further
seen that a rider may dismount with safety when facing up an incline as a slight
movement backwards of the machine will apply the brake automatically and keeps the
machine from running down hill, and that when dismounted a rider may wheel the
machine without the pedals revolving.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is.-
1. In a driving and controlling mechanism for velocipedes, in combination, a driving
sprocket wheel provided with ball bearings and spring pawls to operate with a ratchet
wheel fixed to or made solid with the pedal shaft a second sprocket wheel similarly
provided with ball bearings and spring pawls to operate with a ratchet wheel
fixed to or made solid with the pedal shaft a chain taking upon the sprockets of
the sprocket wheel and a brake lever fulcrumed upon the frame of the machine and a
brake block, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
2. In driving and controlling mechanism for velocipedes in combination, a driving
sprocket wheel provided with ball bearings and spring pawls to operate with a ratchet
wheel fixed to or made solid with the pedal shaft a toothed quadrant wheel similarly

page_text: provided with ball bearings and spring pawls to operate with a ratchet wheel fixed to
or made solid with the pedal shaft a second quadrant fulcrumed upon the frame
of the machine a brake lever and block, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.
3. In controlling mechanism for velocipedes, the combination and arrangement of
parts consisting of ratchet wheels, pawls, sprocket wheels, and chains, or toothed
quadrants whereby the brake is applied by means of the rider's feet when the pedals
are revolved in a backward direction, or by the backward movement of the machine,
substantially as set forth.
4. In driving mechanism for velocipedes in combination, a driving sprocket wheel
provided with ball bearings, a grooved friction wheel attached to the sprocket wheel,
and an eccentric pawl pivoted to the pedal crank and operating with the grooved
wheel, substantially as set forth.
5. In driving mechanism for velocipedes in combination, a driving sprocket wheel
provided with ball bearings and a pawl or pawls and a ratchet wheel fixed to or made
solid with the pedal shaft as set forth.
6. The improvements in driving and controlling mechanism for velocipedes
consisting of parts constructed arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purposes set forth herein and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 20th day of March 1897
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.