Improvements in Vehicles Propelled by Foot Power.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in Vehicles Propelled by Foot Power.
A communication from abroad by CASIMIR PAUTHONIER, residing at 111, N Street,
South Boston, County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of
America.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 & 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has for its object the production of a vehicle adapted to be
propelled by foot power applied by a number of occupants, the vehicle being of
sufficient size to carry a number of persons in addition to those furnishing the
motive power.
Means are provided for applying the power most advantageously and with the
least friction, the propelling mechanism actuated by the different operators being
connected so as to equalize and centralize the power applied at several different
points.
In accordance therewith my invention consists in a vehicle adapted to be
propelled by foot power as will be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly
pointed out in the claims.
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line x-x, Fig. 2, of a vehicle
embodying my invention, and partly broken out ;
Fig. 1 is a detail to be described.
Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, with the flooring removed to more clearly shew the
propelling mechanism;
Fig. 3 on a larger scale, taken on the line '-', Fig. 4 looking towards the left,
and partly broken away, shews the transmitting gears, and
Fig. 4 is a section thereof on the line -x;
Fig. 5 is a detail of a portion of the equalizing mechanism to be referred to.
I have herein shewn my invention as embodied in a vehicle supported upon frout
and rear wheels A and A', respectively, which may be of any suitable construction,
preferably of the well known bicycle type having pneumatic or cushion tyres, the
front wheels-A being rotatably mounted upon an axle A' having its frame A*
pivotally connected with the main floor fraine B of the vehicle, and adapted to
guide the vehicle by means of a steering head a mounted in a suitable bearing a¹
and provided with handles a³, the lower end of the head a having an arm a
secured thereto, see Figs. 1 and 2, connected with the axle frame A by a
link a'.
The floor frame B has a front platform B', front and rear steps or foot boards 6
and b¹ respectively, and preferably side rails B' erected upon the frame B, while a
transverse seat B is mounted upon springs s, at the front of the vehicle, capable of
seating several persons.
The rear or driving wheels are secured to and to rotate with a driving shaft c
mounted in suitable adjustable bearings I, see Fig. 4, at the lower ends of brackets 6³,
depending from the frame B, and as herein shewn, said shaft has fast thereon two
like gears c', and a brake wheel cx, each of the gears c' forming a part of two like
transmitting mechanisms to be described.
As shewn in Figs. 1 and 1ª, the floor frame is slotted at 6x above each gear c',
to receive there through a depending bracket 6 having bearings for the shaft of.

page_text: a large gear c², each of said gears engaging one of the smaller gears c¹ fast on the
driving shaft c, and the bearings 1, referred to.
The brackets 63 are bolted to angle irons secured to the floor, as clearly shewn
in Fig. 1A, the gears extending through the slots 6* and above the floor.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 the bodies of the gears care shewn as each
peripherally grooved at c³ to form two like series of teeth c, and a series of friction
rolls are supported in. the peripheral groove cupon pius c, extending through
the bases of opposite teeth c of the two series, the rolls turning freely upon
their pins.
Each gear is provided with a series of teeth c adapted to enter the groove
of the gear c¹ and engage the friction rolls c, and annular flanges care securely
bolted to opposite faces of the gear c³, the flanges being concaved or dished at their
inner sides, as at c, see Fig. 4, to prevent longitudinal movement of friction rolls co
loosely extended through openings at the bases of the teeth c', said rolls being
herein shewn as projecting beyond said series of teeth at each side thereof to engage
the two series of teeth of the gear, the ends of the pins being preferably made
conical as at cl, to reduce the friction upon the retaining flanges c³.
From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the teeth upon
one of the gears mesh with or engage the friction rolls of the other gear, and
vice versa, thus greatly reducing the friction between them and permitting the large
or driving gears to easily mesh with the very much smaller driven gears c¹.
The driving gears c³ are keyed to crank shafts d extended through the brackets 6,
each shaft d having secured thereto diametrically opposite crank arms d¹ and d³,
outside of the supporting bracket, each shaft and its arm forming a crank.
In the vehicle shewu herein, the propelling mechanism is arranged for four
operators, two at each side, one behind the other, cach pair operating one of the
driving gears c³.
In Fig. 1, the mechanism for actuating the gear c² at the right hand only is seen
viewing the vehicle from the rear, the mechanism for the left-hand gear being
directly behind or beyond it, with the exception of the crank arms of the said
latter gear, which with their connected parts are shewn separately in Fig. 5.
I have omitted said crank arms in Fig. 1, to avoid confusion, but, referring to
Fig. 5, it will be seen that the corresponding crank arms, letters d'* and ** for
the sake of clearness, are diametrically opposite each other upon their crank
shaft d and at right angles to the arms d' and d³, so that if the two crank shafts
were connected the four arms would be 90° apart, or set quartering.
As shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, a set of four elbow or pedal levers are arranged
in pairs e and e', pivoted ut 20 to suitable supports e* at the front and rear of the
transmitting gears respectively, the long arms of the levers having at their outer
sides usual pedals for the feet of the operator, the short arms of the pairs of
levers e and e¹ in front and rear of the gears respectively being connected by links e
and e¹ to crank pins h' on the arms d' and d' respectively, the foregoing arrangement
referring to the transmitting mechanisin at the right hand side of the vehicle,
viewed from the rear, while the exactly similar pairs of pedal levers e and e¹ in front
and rear of the other transmitting mechanism respectively, are connected by
links e** and ** to the crank pins on the arms d** and d₁* respectively, secured to
the crank shaft of the gear of that particular transmitting mechanism, as shewn
in Figs. 2 and 5.
Seats or saddles D and D' are arranged tandem at the right hand side of the
vehicle, and similarly arranged seats D and D'x at the other side of the vehicle,
the seats being vertically and laterally adjustable by usual means, as best shewn
in Fig. 1, each rider sitting on one of the seats in proper position to rest his
feet on the pedals fof the pair of elbow levers below his saddle, so that two riders
will operate the actuating mechanism at each side of the machine, it being
understood that the floor of the vehicle is cut out to permit free movement of
the riders' legs.

page_text: By the arrangement shewn, the pedals f for each rider will rise and fall
alternately and, inasmuch as the two sets of mechanism are movable in unison,
with their crank arms set quartering, it will be impossible for the mechanism to-
come on a dead centre.
Taking each set of cranks and pedals by itself, when one of the elbow or pedal.
levers of one pair is depressed, the lever of the other pair connected to the same
crank pin will be elevated, and vice versa.
Suitable handles, as H, are provided for the riders sitting upon the saddles D', Dx
and Dix, the rider upon the saddle D grasping the steering handle bars a³.
A brake strap g is herein shewn as secured at one end to the floor frame of
the vehicle, said strap passing around the brake wheel c* on the driving shaft c,.
and secured at its free end to a brake lever y pivoted to the floor, a suitable
segment being provided for the said brake lever, the upper end of which is.
within reach to be readily grasped by either one of the rearmost riders.
The elbow or pedal levers e and e', together with the links by which they are
connected to the crank pins of the gears c, constitute the actuating mechanism,.
and by the extended leverage which I am thus enabled to obtain, I increase very
largely the power applied to the transmitting mechanism, while the arcs through
which the pedals fmove are of comparatively slight curvature, so that there is
no inconvenience to the operator in actuating them.
While I have shewn two transmitting mechanisms, it is obvious that the
operation of the apparatus would be the same if only one of such mechanisins.
were used, but in that case there would be danger of the crank pins getting on
centre, all such liability being obviated in the construction shewn, with the crank
pins set quartering.
The vehicle is very lightly and strongly constructed and by providing for the-
co-operation of several persons, it may be rapidly and easily propelled, and over
ordinarily good roads passengers or goods may be carried.
The crank arms are slotted, as at h, see Fig. 4, and the crank pins h, and h³,.
are adjustably secured therein by the set screws *, the pins receiving the links-
connecting them with the elbow or pedal levers, the slots permitting the effective.
radius of the crank pins to be adjusted according to circumstances.
My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of
parts, not to any particular shape and size of vehicle, nor to the number of
transmitting mechanisms herein shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is :-
1. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a geared driving shaft, a crank geared to
the same, two pairs of pedal levers, and links joining them to pins of the crank, to
operate, substantially as described.
2. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a geared driving shaft, a crank having a
gear engaging the same, two pairs of pedal levers joined by links to pins of the said
crank, and adjusting devices for the pins, to operate, substantially as described.
3. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a driving shaft provided with a plurality
of gears, a plurality of cranks geared to the driving shaft, two pairs of pedal levers.
for and connected to the pins of each crank, the pins being located substantially
90° apart about the centre of rotation of the cranks, to operate, substantially as
described.
4. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a geared driving shaft, a crank having a
gear engaging the same, a supporting bracket for said crank and gear, crank pins,.
and two pairs of pedal levers for and located at the front and rear of said crank,
and joined by links to the crank pins, to operate, substantially as described.
5. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a driving shaft, transmitting mechanism
therefor, and rocking pedal levers, connected by links to the transmitting mechanism,
to rotate the latter, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. A shaft provided with a toothed gear having a series of friction rolls a
driving gear toothed to engage the friction rolls of the shaft gear, and a series of
friction rolls on the driving gear to engage the teeth of the shaft gear, substantially
as described.
7. The use in a foot power vehicle, of a driving shaft, and transmitting
mechanism consisting of a driving and a driven gear, each toothed and having
a series of friction rolls, the teeth of one gear engaging the friction rolls of
the other gear, and actuating mechanism for the driving gear, substantially as
described.
8. A shaft, provided with a gear slotted peripherally to form two series of teeth,
friction rolls supported in said slot, and a toothed driving gear having projecting
friction rolls at each side thereof, the driving gear teeth entering the slot and
engaging the rolls of the other gear, the teeth of the latter engaging the rolls of
the driving gear, substantially as described.
9. The use in a foot power vehicle, of guide wheels, a driving shaft and driving
wheels fast thereon, transmitting mechanism to rotate said shaft, two pairs of pedal
levers connected by links to crank pins on the transmitting mechanism, and saddles
above the pedal levers, substantially as described.
10. The use in a foot power vehicle, of transmitting mechanism consisting of
toothed gears having a series of friction rolls thereon, the rolls of one gear
engaging the teeth of the other gear, and pedal levers to rotate one of said gears,
substantially as described.
11. The construction and arrangement of parts of foot power propelling
apparatus embodied in a vehicle and co-operating together so as to enable said
vehicle to be propelled by its riders as set forth.
Dated the 10th day of Avril 1894.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.