IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Plaskitt, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County.
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VELOCIPEDES."-A communication from abroad by Charles Dopping
Irvine, of New Zealand.
Scaled the 12th July 1870, and dated the 14th April 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Plaskitt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his Petition, on the
14th April 1870.
I, JOSEPH PLASKITT, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES," a communication to me from abroad by
Charles, Dopping Irvine, of New Zealand, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a pecular construction and arrangement of
what are now generally known as bicycle velocipedes, which improved
velocipede the Inventor calls a "volantipede."
According to this Invention the motive power is applied by the fecţ
acting alternately on two sets of levers, each combined with a curved
.

page_text: blade spring and ratchet wheel, the two ratchet wheels being fast on
the axle of the front or main driving and steering wheel. Each set of
foot levers is composed of three plates, the upper and lower plates being
respectively binged to the middle or main foot plate, whilst the latter
vibrates freely on the main axle as a fulcrum. A curved blade spring
is rivetted to the under side of each main foot plate, and it is pressed
upon and thereby momentarily straightened by the rear end of the lower
plate, which is centred in the middle, the front end of such plate being
depressed by a pin projecting from the under side of the front end of
the upper plate, which is centred at its rear extremity. This pin works
through an opening in the main or middle foot plate and rests upon the
front end of the lower plate, consequently when depressed by the
pressure of the foot of the rider it produces through the lower plate a
compression and partial straightening of the spring; the result of this
is that the end of the spring is brought into gear with one of the teeth
of the small ratchet wheel fast on the axle, and the further or continued
pressure upon the middle or main foot plate causes the spring to describe
a small arc of a circle round the axle, and by acting as a pall upon the
ratchet wheel imparts a partial revolution thereto, which is transmitted
through the same axle to the large driving or propelling wheel, which
is also fast thereon. On the foot being released the end of the spring
withdraws from the teeth of the ratchet wheel as the spring regains its
former curved condition. By repeating these movements by both feet
alternately a continued rotatory propelling motion is imparted to the
driving wheel; the two sets of levers or foot plates are coupled at their
front ends by connecting rods to opposite ends of a vibrating beam or
lever carried transversely upon a horizontal bar, which is fitted to the
top of the upright swivelling forked bar which carries the driving wheel.
The rider is seated in an adjustable saddle which is hinged at its front
end to the main bar or frame of the bicycle, the angle or elevation of
the rear portion of the said saddle being adjustablo by means of an
adjusting screw, which carries a curved supporting spring on this upper
end. The steering handles are mounted on a vertical support made in
one piece with the horizontal bar which carries the vibrating beam or
lever, and are connected by cords or chains passing through guide eyes
in a stationary curved bar or horizontal segment to a pin or stud fast
on the rear end of a horizontal forked arm attached to the lower end of
the upright swivelling forked piece which carries the driving wheel,
the rear end of the said horizontal forked arm sliding along the surface

page_text: of the horizontal segment according as one or other of the guiding cords
or chains is acted upon by the turning of the steering handles. By this
combination the driving mechanism is caused to swivel along with the
main driving wheel, and is always in effective relationship therewith.
The tire of the main driving wheel, or of both wheels if desired, is
composed of vulcanised india-rubber contained within a hollow or trough-
shaped wrought metal tire, the india-rubber tire being secured by trans-
verse pins passing through it and through the sides of the wrought metal
‚tire, whilst the latter may be secured in the usual or other suitable
manner to the rim of the wheel itself.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Plaskitt in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 14th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
PLASKITT, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Plaskitt, Her special license that
I, the said Joseph Plaskitt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Joseph Plaskitt, my executors, administrators.
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES," a
communication to me from abroad by Charles Dopping Irvine, of New
Zealand, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph
Plaskitt, my exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: Office within six calendar monthis next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Plaskitt, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement
of what are now generally known as bicycle velocipedes, which improved
velocipede the Inventor calls a "volantipede."
According to this Invention the motive power is applied by the feet
acting alternately on two sets of levers each combined with a curved
blade spring and ratchet wheel, the two ratchet wheels being fast on
the axle of the front or main driving and steering wheel. Each set of
foot levers is composed of three plates, the upper and lower plates
being respectively hinged to the middle or main foot plate, whilst the
latter vibrates freely on the main axle as a fulcrum. A curved blade
spring is rivetted to the under side of each main foot plate, and it is
pressed upon and thereby momentarily straightened by the rear end of
the lower plate, which is centred in the middle, the front end of such
plate being depressed by a pin projecting from the under side of the
front end of the upper plate, which is centred at its rear extremity.
This pin works through an opening in the main or middle foot plate
and rests upon the front end of the lower plate, consequently when
depressed by the pressure of the foot of the rider it produces through
the lower plate a compression and partial straightening of the spring;
the result of this is that the cud of the spring is brought into gear with
one of the teeth of the small ratchet wheel lust on the axle, and the
further or continued pressure upon the middle or main foot plate causes
the spring to describe a small are of a circle round the axle, and by
acting as a pall upon the ratchet wheel imparts a partial revolution
thereto, which is transmitted through the same axle to the large driving
or propelling wheel, which is also fast thereon. On the foot pressure
being released the end of the spring withdraws from the teeth of tho
ratchet wheel as the spring regains its former curved condition. By
repeating these movements by both feet alternately a continued rotatory
propelling motion is imparted to the driving wheel. The two sets of
levers or foot plates are coupled at their front ends by connecting rods

page_text: to opposite ends of a vibrating beam or lever carried transversely upon
a horizontal bar which is fitted to the top of the upright swivelling
forked bar which carries the driving wheel. The rider is seated in an
adjustable saddle, which is hinged at its front end to the main bar or
frame of the bicycle, the angle or elevation of the rear portion of the
said saddle being adjustable by means of an adjusting screw which
carries a curved supporting spring on its upper end. The steering
handles are mounted on a vertical support made in one piece with the
horizontal bar which carries the vibrating beam or lever, and are con-
nected by cords or chains passing through guide eyes in a stationary
curved bar or horizontal segment to a pin or stud fast on the rear end
of a horizontal forked arm attached to the lower end of the upright
swivelling forked piece which carries the driving wheel, the rear end
of the said horizontal forked arm sliding along the surface of the
horizontal segment, according as onc or other of the guiding cords or
chains is acted upon by the turning of the steering handles. By this
combination the driving mechanism is caused to swivel along with tho
main driving wheel, and is always in effective relationship therewith.
The tire of the main driving wheel, or of both wheels if desired, is by
preference composed of vulcanized india-rubber contained within a
hollow or trough-shaped wrought metal tire, the india-rubber tire being
secured by transverse pins passing through it and through the sides
of the wrought metal tire, whilst the latter may be secured in the
usual or other suitable manner to the rim of the wheel itself.
'
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a side elevation of the said im-
proved bicycle velocipede; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the
same; Figures 3 and 4 are details of the treadle motion; and Figure 5
is a front view of the vibrating beam or lever which connects onc
treadle with the other.
A is the main frame of the bicycle, which is forked at its rear end,
and is there supported on a hind running wheel B mounted by pre-
ference on a hollow axle. The axle of the driving and steering wheel C
is also by preference made hollow for the sake of lightness. This axle

page_text: is carried on bearing in the lower ends of the two limbs of the forked
part D of the upright swivelling bar E, and is made square in the centre,
upon which the wheel C is fixed. The upper end of the vertical
swivelling bar E works in a collar, bearing, or socket F on the front end
of the frame A, and has fixed thereon a horizontal bar G by preference {
hollow, from which a short vertical bar Il rises for the purpose of
carrying the steering cross handles I, such handles pivotting round the
cylindrical top part of the vertical bar H, a uut serving to keep them
in their place. From each handlo a cord or chain K passes down
through a guide eye or pulley L situate one at each end of the curved
horizontal bar M, which is secured to bracket pieces N, N', attached to
the frame A. Upon the surface of the curved bar M rests and slides
laterally the rear end of a forked horizontal bar O, the front ends of
the limbs of which are rivetted to the two limbs D respectively of the
upright swivelling lar E before referred to. The curve of the bar M is 1
struck from the vertical centre line of the vertical bar E, or, say, from
the centre of the hub of the driving wheel, such curved bar serving as
a support for the end of the horizontal forked bar or lever arm O. The
cords or chains K before referred to both unite in a stud or pin a on
the rear end of the horizontal forked lever arm O, so that on turning?
the handles I one way or the other the said forked lever arm O will be
drawn over towards one or the other end of the horizontal curved bar M,
as shewn by the red centre lines in Figure 2. This has the effect of
turning or swivelling the vertical bar E and driving wheel C, and so
produces the desired steering effect. P and P represent tic bars and
brackets for effecting a rigid connection between the horizontal forked
lever arm O and the vertical swivelling bar E. Near the front end of
the hollow horizontal bar G there is formed a rounded journal, on which
is suspended, as shewn in Figure 5, the transverse vibrating beam or
lever Q, which is notched or recessed for that purpose. To the opposite
cuds of this lover are jointed two connecting rods R, R, the lower ends
of which are jointed to the compound treadles or foot levers S, S, which
work on the main axlo as the principal pivot or fulcrum. These com-
pound foot levers are each composed of three plates b, c, and d (Figures
3 and 4). The middle or main foot plate e vibrates freely at its rear end
(which is formed into a hollow boss) on the end of the main axle. The
upper plate 6 upon which the foot rests is hinged at its rear end &' to the
plate c, whilst the lower plate d is hinged near its centre at d' to the
under side of the middle or main foot plate. e is a curved blade spring
b

page_text: b
rivetted to the under side of the plate c, its free end when not distended
being just clear of the teeth of a ratchet wheelf fast on the axle. This
spring is interposed between the middle and lower foot plates, and is
pressed upon and thereby partially straightened and distended by tho
rear end of the lower plate d, which is elevated by the depression of the
front end of the same plate, such depression being effected by a pro-
jecting pin on the front end of the upper plate 6 passing through an
opening in the middle or main foot plate when the foot of the rider
exerts a downward pressure on the upper plate. The straightening or
extension of the spring e causes its rear or free end to engage into the
ratchet teeth, and the continued downward pressure of the foot causes
the main foot plate c to describe an arc of a circle round the axle,
thereby urging round the ratchet wheel ƒ and with it the axle and
driving wheel C. The treadle is then released from pressure and allowed
to rise again with its spring contracted and out of gear with the ratchet
wheel, as shewn in Figure 3, whilst pressure is being applied to the
opposite treadle in order to produce similar results; thus the rotatory
motion of the driving wheel is maintained, the depression of one treadle
cffecting the clevation of the other through the vibrating beam or
lever Q, the two being worked alternately. The saddle T is made ad-
justable in height, as shewn in Figure 1, a vertical opening being made
through the frame A for the passage of an adjusting bar h provided with
several pin holes for setting the same at different elevations. The back
of the saddle rests upon and is attached to a spring i carried on the end
of a vertical adjusting screw, which also regulates the height.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to bo novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The peculiar combination and arrangement of plates b, c, and d
in conjunction with the spring c and ratchet wheel for propelling a
velocipede, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings annexed.
Second. The connecting the two compound treadles or foot levers S
by means of rods and a transverse vibrating beam or lever Q, as hercin-
before described.

page_text: Third. The peculiar combination and arrangement of parts for effecting
the steering of bicycle velocipedes, as herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Plaskitt, have to this my
Specification set my hand and scal, this Fifteenth day of August
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.