Year: 1886

page_text: I, GABRIEL PURDY BETTS HOYT of Jamaica Queen's County, State of New York
United States of America, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows:-
The cyclometers now in use on bicycles, and similar vehicles are constructed to
be suspended from the axle of the vehicle, or from the spokes of the wheel, and
they depend upon the force of gravity for operation; and owing to unsteadiness,
both of the cyclometer and the vehicle wheel, they are inaccurate; and are liable,.
in consequence of friction especially when attached to the axle and the vehicle
rapidly propelled, to revolve with and around the axle, thus interrupting the
operation of the registering mechanism. Besides, when the cyclometer is attached
as mentioned to the spokes or the axle it is unsightly, and occupies the space
available for carrying a hub lantern on the bicycle.
The object of my Invention is to overcome these objections and difficulties, and
my Invention consists principally of a cyclometer combined with the crank pin or
pedal of a bicycle, or similar vehicle.
The Invention also consists of a cyclometer constructed to receive positive inter-
mittent or stop motion, from a point, projection, or cog wheel arranged to revolve
with the crank or other part of the bicycle.
The Invention finally consists of the special registering mechanism employed in
the cyclometer; and of the employment of a jointed pendulum or counter weight,
all as hereinafter fully described.
The cyclometer is hung from the crank-pin of a pedal and receives motion
therefrom preferably by means of a single toothed driving wheel formed by the
shoulder of the crank pin engaging with a wheel having a notched and concaved
periphery (like that of the ordinary Geneva Stop ;) or by means of a cog or cam-
wheel, or other mechanical equivalent. The shaft of the driven wheel gears by:
worm and wheel with a shaft at right angles to it which gears by spur wheels
with a hollow worm shaft that carries the pointer which indicates the miles and
parts of miles on an inner circle of graduations on the dial. The hollow worm
shaft gears with a worm wheel on another worm shaft whose worm gears with
a worm wheel on another shaft which gears by toothed wheels with a central
shaft passing through the hollow worm shaft and carrying the pointer that indicates
miles and hundreds of miles on the outer circle of graduations, the relative motion
r."

page_text: of the two pointers being as 100 to 1. While this end may be attained by various
means, the means described are preferred, since they are cheap, reliable, and
accurate, and not liable to get out of repair.
When the foot of the rider of the bicycle is upon the pedal there is no danger
of the cyclometer revolving with, or around the crank pin, but in coasting there
is this danger, and to overcome it I attach to the cyclometer a counter weight.
This is not rigidly attached to the cyclometer but is hinged, so that it has a
pendulum action which effectually breaks the swinging tendency of the cyclometer,
and prevents it from revolving with, or around its point of support.
The attachment of the cyclometer to the pedal or crank pin enables a positive
motion to be imparted to the registering mechanism so that the registration will
be accurate; and it does not occupy an unsightly position, nor is it dependent upon
gravity to keep it in proper position.
I, GABRIEL PURDY BETTS HOYT, 'of Jamaica, Queens County, State of New York,
United States of America, Merchant 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 :-
The cyclometers now in use on, bicycles, and similar vehicles, are constructed
to be suspended from the axle of the vehicle or from the spokes of the wheel and
they depend upon the force of gravity for operation; and owing to unsteadiness
both of the cyclometer and the vehicle wheel they are inaccurate and are liable,
in consequence of friction especially when attached to the axle and the vehicle
rapidly propelled, to revolve with and around the axle thus interrupting the
operation of the registering mechanism; besides when the cyclometer is attached
as mentioned to the spokes or the axle it is unsightly, and occupies the space
available for carrying a hub lantern on the bicycle.
The object of my Invention is to overcome these objections and difficulties, and
my Invention consists principally of a cyclometer combined with the crank pin or
pedal of a bicycle or similar vehicle.
The Invention also consists of a cyclometer constructed to receive positive inter-
mittent, or stop motion, from a point, projection, or cog-wheel arranged to revolve
with the crank or other part of the bicycle.

page_text: The Invention finally consists of the special registering mechanism employed in
the cyclometer and of the employment of a pivoted pendulum or counter weight
all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which figure 1 shows a bicycle with a cyclometer applied to the
pedal; figure 2 is an enlarged end elevation of the cyclometer; figure 3 is a broken
side view of the cyclometer, figure 4 is a sectional elevation taken on the line xx
of figure 3; and figure 5 is a broken side elevation showing a modified application
of the cyclometer to the pedal, and without a counterweight. Similar, letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A represents the crank pin fixed to a crank B of the bicycle for revolving the
wheel thereof. To the crank pin A is attached by the clip p the cyclometer C.
The pedals D D are applied in the usual manner. Fixed to the crank pin A is
the device E for operating the registering mechanism of the cyclometer so that
it will indicate the revolutions of the wheel W and the distance travelled. The
device E may be a cog or cam wheel, or an arm may be used in its stead, but its
preferred form is that of a circular disc formed or provided with a tooth g to turn
positively and intermittently the notched wheel F secured upon the shaft a of the
cyclometer. The wheel F is formed with several notches b to receive the tooth g
as it revolves with the crank pin A and between the notches b the wheel F is
formed with curves c each forming an arc of a circle having about the same
radius as the circle described by the circular portion of the plate E. The plate E
fits in the curves c and acts as a stop to the wheel F and other mechanism of
the cyclometer (described below) and prevents them from revolving in either
direction except while the point g is in contact with the wheel F or while it is
passing the notches. To form clearances for the points of the wheel F formed by
the notches b and curves c the plate E is cut away upon each side of the tooth g
as shown at g¹ g¹ figure 2.
The cyclometer proper consists of a suitable casing or box with a graduated dial,
and formed with a bearing for the above mentioned shaft a. The box is suitably
formed with plates or extensions p¹¹ to receive the screws p² of the clip p for
attaching the cyclometer to the crank pin A or to the usual loose shell thereon.
The shaft a is a worm shaft gearing into the worm wheel i on the shaft j. At or
near the outer end of the shaft j is secured the small gear wheel k which meshes
with the larger gear wheel Z. This latter wheel is secured upon the hollow worm
shaft m which carries at its outer end the hand or pointer n that indicates the
miles and parts of miles marked upon the inner dial or graduation o. The hollow
worm shaft m meshes with the small worm wheel q on the transverse shaft r
which is itself a worm shaft and the worm thereof meshes with the worm wheel s
on the shaft t so that very slow motion is communicated to the shaft t which
is communicated to the shaft u in the hollow worm shaft m by the cog-wheels v vl
secured respectively upon the shafts t and u. To the outer end of the shaft u is
secured the hand or pointer w that indicates miles and hundreds of miles on
the outer dial or graduation o¹. By this arrangement the motion of the hand n
is one hundred times as rapid as that of the hand w. While this end may be
attained by various means, the means described are preferred since they are cheap,
reliable, and accurate, and not liable to get out of order.
When the foot of the rider of the bicycle is upon the pedal there is no danger
of the cyclometer revolving with, or around the crank pin, but in coasting there
is this danger and to overcome it I attach to the cyclometer the counter-weight G.
This is not rigidly attached to the cyclometer but is hinged at g2 so that it bas a
pendulum action which effectually breaks the swinging tendency of the cyclometer
and prevents it from revolving with or around its point of support.
In Figure 5. I have shown the cyclometer without the counter weight, and in
this instance the cyclometer is placed in horizontal position face downward and
attached by the plate M to the sleeve A on which the pedal revolves. In this

page_text: position the cyclometer is less cumbersome than when placed in vertical position as
in the other figures of the drawing and is nearly as accurate and reliable.
The attachment of the cyclometer to the pedal or crank pin enables a positive
motion to be imparted to the registering mechanism so that the registration will be
accurate, and it does not occupy an unsightly position, nor is it dependent upon
gravity to keep it in proper position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is;
1. The combination with the crank pin of a bicycle or other similar device, of
a cyclometer arranged to be operated by the revolution of the crank and crank
pin as set forth..
2. The crank pin having a device E, secured thereto in combination with a
cyclometer suspended from the pin or pedal and the intermediate device F arranged
to be operated by the device E and to operate the registering mechanism.
3. The circular disc E having tooth g and secured to the crank pin in combi-
nation with the wheel F having notches b and curves c and attached to the shaft a
of the registering mechanism.
4. The registering mechanism comprising the three worm shafts and correlative
worm wheel, the wheels k, l, and v v¹, and the shafts all arranged to operate
substantially as described.
5. The cyclometer, having a swinging or pendulum counter-weight applied
thereto, substantially as described.
6. The cyclometer attached in horizontal position face downward to the under
side of the pedal substantially as described.