CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS APPLICABLE
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Starley and William Hillman, both of
Union Street, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, for the Inven-
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS APPLICABLE
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ADTORY
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MUT DRIVING GRAD PAD SHAH VOU"
CHIEFLY TO VELOCIPEDES, AND IN THE Driving Goad Pod Sugu VoUICIDS”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Starley and
William Hillman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th August 1870.
We, JAMES STARLEY and WIlliam Hillman, both of Union Street,
Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS
APPLICABLE CHIEFLY TO VELOCIPEDES, AND IN THE DRIVING GEAR FOR SUCH VEHICLES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved construction of wheel,"
and secondly, to a novel arrangement of driving geer for transmitting
the treadle motion of velocipedes to the driven wheel.

page_text: To construct a light wheel, I form the rim of wood or metal and
strain over it strips or narrow bands of sheet metal, the ends of which
I lead down to and connect with the end flanges of a central boss
or hub. To this hub I fit two arms or levers, which stand out radially
therefrom and these arms I connect at their outer ends by means of
screwed tension rods or their equivalent to the rim of the wheel. The
object of this arrangement is to pull round the central hub on its axis,
and thus to cause it to draw the strips of sheet metal to tension. A tyre
of india-rubber may then be applied in any approved manner to the rim.
By this means I obtain a light, strong, and cheap wheel particularly
suitable for velocipedes, and applicable also to perambulators and light
carriages generally. For transmitting the motion derived from the
treadle of a velocipede to the driven wheel, I fit to the opposite ends of its
hub (which is loose on the treadle or wheel axle) spur pinions which
geer into spur pinions carried by stud axles. The bosses of these
pinions carry other and smaller pinions which geer into pinions keyed
on to the treadle or wheel axle. As therefore this axle is rotated the
motion will be transmitted through the geering to the pinions on the
boss of the wheel, and thus the speed of the wheel will be greater than
the speed of the axle, but both will turn in the same direction, I avail
myself of this superior speed of the wheel to apply another contrivance
for driving the same directly from the treadle axle, when a slow speed is
required for the ascent for example of a steep incline. To the interior
of the hollow hub I fit a pawl, and opposite to it I apply a ratchet
wheel to the axle, I also mount the stud axles of the pinions in hinged
frames carried by the steering frame, and by means of a rod or otherwise
I lift the hinged frames to throw their pinions out of action. When the
pinions are thus lifted the teeth of the ratchet wheel will engage with
the pawl and drive the wheel round at the speed the axle is driven.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Starley and William Hillman in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th February 1871.
°
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
STARLEY and WILLIAM HILLMAN, both of Union Street, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Starley and William Hillman, Her
special licence that we, the said James Starley and William Hillman,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said James Starley and William Hillman, our executors, administrators,
and 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF
WHEELS APPLICABLE CHIEFLY TO VELOCIPEDES, AND IN THE DRIVING GEAR FOR
SUCH VEHICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Starley and William Hillman, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Starley and William
Hillman, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved construction of light
running wheel, especially suited for velocipedes.
And, secondly, to a novel arrangement of driving gear for trans-
mitting the treadle motion of velocipedes to the wheel to be driven.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation our
improved velocipede fitted with two wheels of the improved construction,
and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3, is a view partly in
section of a portion of the wheel enlarged the better to show its con-
struction; Fig. 3* is a cross section of the rim of the wheel; Fig. 4 is an

page_text: the line of the treadle shaft; and Fig. 5 is a cross section taken in the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 4.
. A, A, is the rim of the wheel made hollow in its outer periphery to
receive an elastic or india-rubber tyre B, which is sprung in its place
and made fast to the rim in the usual manner; C is the hub of the
wheel composed of two flanged cap pieces c, c, which embrace a disc-
shaped central enlargement d of a tension bar D. In the heads of the
caps c, c, a ring of cylindrical recesses is drilled near the periphery, and
these recesses are extended by an inclined slot to the periphery. These
recesses are made for the purpose of securing therein the ends of ribands
of steel which are intended to form or serve the purpose of spokes for
the wheel. Through the middle of the rim of the wheel slots are cut at
equal distances apart and corresponding in number with the recesses in
each cap head. These recesses are made just large enough to admit a
loop of the steel riband used for forming the spokes to be pushed through
them. E, E, show these ribands, which when doubled at mid-length
have their loop pushed through the rim of the wheel and secured thereto
by the insertion in the loop of a transverse pin e. The ends of this
riband are led up to the ends of the boss C, and loops being formed at
their extremities the loops are inserted laterally into the recesses at
opposite ends of the boss; a pin is then inserted in each loop, and being
driven in tight the riband is held fast. In this way the box and rim
are connected together by as many ribands as there are recesses in cach
end of the boss to receive these looped ends, and when the attachment
of the rim and boss by the ribands is completed it is necessary to draw
the riband to tension to give stiffness to the wheel. For this purpose
screwed tension rods F are secured to the rim of the wheel and pass
through holes made at the extremities of the tension bar D. By the
application of nuts to these rods F an axial motion is given to the
boss C, which thereby draws the ribands into a tangential direction and
brings them all simultaneously to tension. In making small wheels
after this manner one tension rod and arm will suffice, as represented
in the trailing wheel, Fig. 1, for drawing the ribands to tension, but for
the larger wheels the arrangement applied to the driven wheel, Fig. 1,
is preferred. By this mode of constructing wheels we are enabled to
obtain a light, strong, and cheap wheel, which is particularly suitable

page_text: for velocipedes, and is applicable also to perambulators and light
carriages generally. The leading wheel of the velocipede we mount
loosely on the treadle or crank shaft G, and connected with this shaft
is a steering frame H, the upper end of which passes through a hollow
pillar forming part of the main frame I of the vehicle. In the pendent
forked extremity of the frame I the trailing wheel has its bearings, and
upon the upper part of the frame the seat K for the rider is mounted.
For transmitting the motion derived from the treadle shaft G of the
velocipede to the leading wheel we fit to the opposite ends of the hub C
(which is loose on the treadle or wheel axle) spur pinions 1, 1, which gear
into spur pinions 2, 2, carried by stud axles projecting inwards from the
steering frame H. The bosses of these pinions carry other and smaller
pinions 3, 3, which gear into pinions 4, 4, keyed on to the treadle or crank
shaft. As therefore this shaft is rotated by the action of the feet
of the rider on the treadles the motion will be transmitted through
the gearing to the pinions on the boss of the leading wheel, and thus
the speed of the wheel will be greater than the speed of its shaft, but
both will turn in the same direction. We avail ourselves of this superior
speed of the wheel to apply another contrivance for driving the same
directly from the treadle shaft, when a slow speed is required for the
ascent, for example, of a steep incline. To the crank shaft G within
the hub C we fit pawls L, L, Fig. 5, which take into a ring of ratchet
teeth formed within the hub C. This arrangement of pawls and ratchet
teeth by reason of the superior speed of the leading wheel to that of its
shaft, as before noticed, will so long as those relative speeds are main-
tained offer no obstruction to the driving of the wheel at its superior
velocity, but when the spur gearing is thrown out of action by the means
to be presently described, the pawls bearing on the ratchet teeth will act
as drivers and rotate the wheel at the same speed as the treadle shaft.
To provide for the throwing out of action of the spur gearing the steering
frame is carried by excentrics / which are mounted looscly on the crank
shaft. The lower ends of this frame terminate in excentric straps,
which straps embracing the excentrics h will rise and fall therewith.
The excentrics h are furnished with arms h', to which are jointed lifting
rods M extending upwards near to the steering handles and connected
together at their upper extremities. The top of the steering frame H
terminates (above the hollow pillar) in arms N, which serve to carry a
horizontal axle O, to the ends of which the steering handles are fitted,

page_text: projecting forward from this axle O at near the middle of its length is
a short arm o which is jointed to a lug fitted to and adjustable on the
coupling piece of the rods M. It will now be understood that when
it is desired to throw the spur gearing out of action it will only be
necessary to give a slight axial motion to the steering handles, so as to
elevate the end of the arm o, the rising of this arm will cause the lifting
rods M to pull over the excentrics h, and thereby lift the frame H (in
which the pairs of pinions 2 and 3 are mounted) sufficiently high to
throw the pinions out of gear; the pawls L will then come into action
and drive the leading wheel at the speed of the crank shaft.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in the Construction of Wheels applicable chiefly to Velocipedes, and in
the Driving Gear for such Vehicles," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent .wc claim,―
First. The improved construction of wheels above described.
And, secondly. The improved arrangement above described for trans-
mitting motion from the treadle or crank shaft to the leading or driven
wheel of velocipedes.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Starley and William
Hillman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Eighth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-one.
JAMES STARLEY.
WILLIAM IIILLMAN.
(L.S.)
(L.S.) -