IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWARD CHARLES FREDERICK OTTO of 7 York Grove, Peckham in the County
of Surrey, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES" to be as follows :-
My invention is chiefly applicable to such bicycles and other one track
velocipedes in which the wheels are placed one behind the other. In the so called
Otto bicycle the rider maintains his equilibrium upon a frame which has its
fulcrum in or near the centre line of the road wheel axle and which carries the
cranks and pedals, the equilibrium being maintained by a distribution of the rider's
weight on the seat and his pressure or pull (or both) on the pedals, which latter
through the band connections from the driving pulleys on the crank to the driven
pulleys on the road wheel axle afford the required amount of steadiness.
Now according to this invention and in order to secure the most advantageous
and comfortable position for the rider, especially when ascending or descending a
hill I apply a similar balance seat to a bicycle in which tho wheels by preference
do not greatly differ in size or in which the wheels may be of the same size or
nearly so. On the backbone and between the two wheels of the bicyclo I mount
a swing frame on which the seat is fixed. This swing frame has a downward
extension which at the bottom carries a crank with pedals which may have foot
straps as in the "Otto" bicycle. On this crank is fixed a pulley (suitable for
instance for my patent steel bands) or chain wheel, crank, lever or eccentric for
transmitting the rotary motion to a corresponding pulley, chain wheel, crauk, lever
or eccentric fixed on the fulcrum pin of the swinging frame. On this fulcrum pin
is also fixed another pulley, chain wheel, crank, lever or eccentric for transmitting
the motion to a corresponding appliance on the hind wheel spindle. When using
eccentrics I connect the straps or hoops of the driving and driven eccentric by rods
or equivalent means and by preference fit the straps or eccentric discs with rollers
or balls to reduce the friction. By these arrangements that is to say when one or
more driving chains are used either with or without the eccentrics, levera or cranks
I may use comparatively small road wheels and, gear up the speed as desired.
A spring or springs are fitted in order to somewhat steady or limit the swinging
action of the swing frame, and I may also provide a bolt or catch for fixing it in
any desired position relatively to the back bone. The seat is made to raise or
lower to suit the rider's height. The. steering handle is connected to the front

page_text: wheel fork and is also made to adjust as to height. I may mount a second seat
over the front wheel as in the ordinary bicycle (in which case the, fork has to
bo extended downward. as shown in the Specification of Otto & Wallis' expired
patent N° 2774 of 1878, and the wheel driven as therein described and as adopted
in the so called "Kangaroo" bicycle). I may also if desired extend the backbone
backwards for the purpose of carrying a third seat and if necessary a third wheel
which may be provided with crank and pedals. The aforesaid balance arrangement
may be applied to the front or back seat.
By the aforesaid springs on the swing frame and by the assistance afforded by
the steering handle bar in front of the rider the balance is obtained without the
special skill and practice required for learning the balance in the Otto bicycle.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
I, EDWARD CHARLES FREDERICK OTTO of 7 York Grove Peckham in the
County of Surrey Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention is chiefly applicable to such bicycles and other one track
velocipedes in which the wheels are placed one behind the other. In the so-called
Otto bicycle the rider maintains his equilibrium upon a frame which has its
fulcrum in or near the centre line of the road wheel axle and which carries the
cranks and pedals, tho equilibrium being maintained by a distribution of the
rider's weight on the seat and his pressure or pull (or both) on the pedals which
latter through the band connections from the driving pulleys on the crank to the
driven pulleys on the road wheel axle afford the required amount of steadiness.
Now according to this Invention and in order to secure the most advantageous
and comfortable position for the rider, especially when ascending or descending
a hill I apply a similar balance scat or swing frame seat to a bicyclo in which the
wheels by preference do not greatly differ in size or in which the wheels may be
of the same size or nearly so.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will describo it with
reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a part sectional side
view of a bicycle constructed according to my Invention and Figure 2 a plan view.
Figure 3 is an end view of crank and swing frame. Figure 4 is a side view of an
eccentric for transmitting the motion from the crank to the hind wheel Figure 5
a sectional side view and Figure 6 a vertical cross section.
Figures 7 and 8 are side views of two other forms of bicycle constructed.
according to this my invention.
:
I shall first describe the invention with reference to Figures 1 to 6.
On the backbone A and between the two wheels B and C of the bicycle I mount
a swing frame D on which the seat E is fixed This swing frame D is mounted.
on a fulcrum pin D₁ passing through the backbone A which at this part is'
forkshaped and the swing frame has a downward forked extension which at the.
bottom carries a crank F with podals which may have footstraps as in the Otto
bicycle. The two parts of the fork D are united by the rings D³. On the
crank F is fixed an eccentric for transmitting the rotary motion to a corresponding
eccentric fixed on the fulcrum pin D' of the swinging frame by means of the rod G
with eccentric hoop at each end. On this fulcrum pin D¹ is also fixed another
eccentric for transmitting the motion to a corresponding appliance on the hind
wheel spindle by means of a rod H with eccentric hoop at each end When using
eccentrics I connect the straps or hoops of the driving and driven eccentric by
rods such for instance as here shown or equivalent neaus and in order to roduce
the friction to a minimum the straps or eccentric discs should be fitted with rollers
or bulls or equivalent means. Such an arrangement is shown in the detail views
Figures 4, 5 and 6 where balls I held apart or in place by the ring K have their
bearing against the V shaped recess in the eccentric G' and against the rings L

page_text: and L' which are screwed into the eccentric hoop G and held in place by the
stop M in the well known manner. I do not claim this construction of ball
bearing per se. By these arrangements I may use comparatively small road
wheels. Instead of one eccentric for each transmission I may use two which may
be placed with their eccontricity at right angle. A spring or springs and stops
such as shown at A' D³ are fitted in order to somewhat steady or limit the
swinging action of the swing frame as described in the Specification of my Patent
N° 2164 of 1879. The seat E is made to raise or lower to suit the rider's height.
The steering handle O is connected to the front wheel fork P for instance by
rods N and the levers P¹ and the levers N' on a sleeve N and is also made to
adjust as to height in the boss A' on the backbone A.
In Figure 7 I have shown another bicycle in which the power is transmitted by
means of chain and pulley gear froin the crank at bottom of swing frame D and
in which a second seat El is mounted over the front wheel B as in the ordinary
bicycle in which case the fork P has to be extended downward below the centro
of the front wheel B as shown in the Specification of Otto and Wallis's expired
Patent N° 2774 of 1878 and the wheel driven as therein described and as adopted
in the so-called "Kangaroo" bicycle.
In-Figure 8 I have shown another form of my invention where the front.
wheel B is simply made larger so that the pedals can be placed directly on its
axle the construction being otherwise like Figure 7. R is a sector on the swing
frame D provided with holes, and the backbone has a hole to correspond with any
one of them, a bolt being insertod for fixing the swing frame in any desired
position relatively to the backbone.
Obviously I may vary the construction in many ways as, for instance, driving
partly by eccentrics and partly by chains or bands in one and the same machine
and by varying the proportions of the wheels which would alter the general form
of framing and other parts. I may also if desired extend the backbone backwards
for the purpose of carrying a third seat, and if necessary a third wheel which may
bo provided with crank and pedals. The aforesaid balance arrangement may be
applied to the front or back seat.
By providing springs between the swing frame and the backbone and by the
assistance afforded by the steering handle bar in front of the rider on the swing
frame seat the balance is obtained without the special skill and practice required
for learning the balance in the Otto bicycle.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declaro that what
I claim is
First. The application of the Otto swing frame to bicycles or tandem
velocipedes.
Second. The application of eccentrics for transmitting motion in velocipedes
substantially as described.
Third. The constructions of bicycles or tandem velocipedes with balance seat
or swing frame scat substantially as shown and described.
Dated this Seventh day of July 1885.