Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, AUGUST EMIL FRIEDRICH VONHAUSEN of 56 Rheinstrasse, Wiesbaden in
the German Empire 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 relates to those kinds of velocipedes in which the driving is
effected by foot and arm power and more particularly to safety velocipedes with
small wheels of equal or nearly equal diameter, and consists in improved arrange-
ments of mechanism for effecting the propulsion of the velocipede by driving the
front or steering wheel, the object of my invention being to produce a perfectly
stable, easily steered and quickly and safely operated velocipede and to utilize the
arm and leg power of the rider to the best advantage.
On the drawings appended hereunto my improvements in velocipedes are shewn
applied to bicycles and tricycles in several modifications for transmitting the arm
and leg power separately or conjointly to the axle of the steering wheel.
Figs. 1 to 3 represent a velocipede driven by arm and leg power acting each.
upon a separate shaft whence the motion is transmitted to the axle of the steering
wheel, in side view, front view and plan.
The front driving safety bicycles hitherto known have been driven by foot power
only while according to my improved arrangement the axle of the front or steering
wheel is driven by both arm and leg power. In order to render this feasible,
according to Figs. 1 to 3, the steering fork a does not as hitherto embrace the
axle 6 of the steering wheel c but rests in or is fixed to the ends of uprights d,.
which are carried by the axle band rigidly connected by strut ee with the steering
fork a and serve for supporting at the top end the stationary axle f of the hand
levers g, and at their middle the chain wheels h transmitting the arm power, while
the axles of the chain wheels k transmitting the leg power revolve in separate.
bearings fixed to the steering fork a.
The hand levers, which are preferably in disengageable connection with their
axle f, are guided between slide bars which are supported on the cross or handle
bar m attached to the steering spindle by a tee bracket m². The oscillatory
motion produced by alternately depressing and raising the hand levers g is trans-
ferred by means of a double bush N arranged on the axle f and hereinafter more
particularly described, and of the levers n' and connecting rods n² to cranks on the
chain wheels h, so as to rotate them, the rotation of the chain wheels being
transmitted by chain h¹ to the chain wheels 2 fixed on to the steering wheel
axle b.
The leg power is transmitted from the chain wheels & fixed upon separate pedal
axles through chains to other chain wheels fixed upon the steering wheel
axle b.
As can be seen on Fig. 3, the driving arrangement hereinbefore described may
be applied to bicycles (as shewn in full lines) or to tricycles (shewn in dotted lines),
aud in order to better preserve the equilibrium in the former, the double sleeve Ñ
hereinafter described is used to transfer the power exerted by the right arm to the
chain wheel on the left side and that of the left arm to the chain wheel on the
right, while in the case of tricycles each hand lever may be directly connected to
the lever n on the same side.

page_text: The arrangement shewn by Figs. 4 and 5 is simplified in comparison with that
shewn by Figs. 1 to 3, in so far that the slide bars are omitted and the power
exerted through the hand levers g, is transferred by means of the double sleeve N
with levers n and the connecting rods n³ directly to cranks on the chain wheel k
fixed upon the pedal axles.
The cross bar m fixed to the steering spindle in that case is provided with rests o,
for the hand levers when disengaged and for the purpose of steering by means of
the same and a hand lever when depressed. The haud levers g are disengaged in
starting, riding down hill or any other case when the velocipede is to be propelled
by foot power only, and the manner of disengaging the levers will be hereinafter
described amongst other details.
While in the arrangements herein before described the hand levers are moved in
the direction of the riding or parallel to the front wheel, they are in the arrange-
ments represented by Figs. 6 to 9 mounted crosswise to the steering wheel c, so that
they move in planes at right angles to the wheel. With this way of mounting the
handlevers it is feasible to fulcrum them upon the steering spindle itself and omit
the supports d and double sleeve N, and to mount the chain wheels upon the
fork itself.
In the arrangements Figs. 6 to 7 the arm and leg power is, analogous to
Figs. 1 to 3, transmitted to separate chain wheels and thence to the front wheel
axle, while in the arrangement Figs. 8 and 9, the power is jointly transferred to one
chain wheel on each side analogous to Figs. 4 and 5.
In these arrangements the motion of the hand levers 9 is transmitted through
connecting rods g¹ to sliding rods 92 and from these through connecting rods 9³,
to the cranks on the chain pulleys, the driving arrangements being otherwise
similar to those described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, and 4 and 5 and will be
clear from the drawings without further description.
It is not absolutely necessary with these arrangements that the hand levers 99
should be disengageable but they may as indicated by Fig. 74, remain in permanent
connection with the driving mechanism without altering the essential feature of my
invention, which consists in the arrangement of mechanism for utilising the
combined arm and leg power for driving the front steering wheel.
When the connecting rods g¹ of the hand levers 9 are crossed, as shewn on Fig. 9
the same effect is obtained as with the double sleeve hereinbefore referred to, the
pressure of right hand lever being transmitted to the chain wheel on the left side
and that of the left hand lever to the chain wheel on the right.
The arrangement of the double sleeve and disengagement of the handlevers is
shewn by Figs. 10 to 12. As shewn by the horizontal section of the same, Fig. 10,
the double sleeve N, consists of two sleeves r and s, pushed over each other with
ball bearings between them, the sleeves being formed in one with pulleys p and g
respectively. The sleever of the pulley p on the right extends to the left
and has fixed to it the bush t to which the lever n' transmitting the motion of the
right hand lever to the left hand chain wheel is fixed by screws, the bush t being
fixed to the sleeve by long bolts or their equivalents as shewn. The outer sleeve s
on pulley g extends to the right side of the front wheel c and has fixed on it
another lever n¹ transmitting the motion of the left hand lever g to the right chain
wheel. The sleeve r with pulley p oscillates on the axle ƒ supported by the
supports d, while the sleeves with pulley 9 oscillates on the enlarged parts of
sleeve r.
The pulleys p and q are surrounded on their faces by straps y and provided each
with a recess pg into which a bolt u sliding in a tubular extension of the straps y
engages when the hand power is to be applied. For the purpose of engaging or
disengaging the hand levers fitted upon the tubular extensions of the straps y, a
latch Figs. 11 and 12, is arranged on the tubular handlever, with a catch v³ which,
when the latch is depressed in the direction of the arrow Fig. 12, releases a pro-
jection won the bell crank w. The latter is connected by a cord with the

page_text: spindle of bolt u, as shewn, and when the bell crank w is released, the spring u¹
placed between the bolt u and the cap y¹ screwed upon the tubular extension of the
strap y, pushes the bolt against the face of the pulley pq till by the movement of
the handlever it comes to the recess p² 2¹ and engages therein, when the levers g
can be used for transmitting the arm power. For disconnecting the hand levers
from the sleeves, the bell crank w is pushed into the position shewn in dotted lines
and held therein by the projection to bearing against the outside of catch o' the
bolt being held thereby in the position shewn on Fig. 10.
The straps y are held upon the pulleys by angular flanges screwed to them or
equivalent means.
Figs. 13 and 14 show a modification of the disengaging mechanism. The handles
of the hand levers g are in this case fixed to the tube sliding in the handle tube g
and the bolt u is connected to the sliding tube as shewn. In the latter a screw z¹
is fixed working in a slot of the tube g of U shape. By turning the handle
slightly the screw is brought into the longitudinal part of slot 2 when the handle
can be pulled out or pushed in to disengage or engage the bolt u with the pulley,
the handle being then turned back, when the spring u¹ will hold the screw =¹ in the
top of the cross slots.
The transfer of the driving by combined hand and foot power to the front
steering wheel, while using the hand levers simultaneously as steering handle bar,
whether the same are moved in a plane parallel to or vertical to the steering
wheels, renders feasible the construction of low wheel or safety bicycles or tricycles
which are very stable and possess through the combination of the hand and foot
power for driving a greater efficiency, while being convenient to handle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
ture and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of mechanism for driving low wheel or safety cycles by
both hand and foot power, in such a manner that the hand and foot power is
transferred either separately (Figs. 1 and 6) or jointly (Figs. 4 and 8) to the axle
of the front or steering wheel, and that the hand levers serve at the same time for
steering the front wheel in the usual manner, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described.
2. In front driving cycles driven by hand and foot power and having hand levers
moving in planes parallel to the wheel, the arrangement of a double sleeve, levers
and rods for transmitting the power exerted with the hand lever on one side of the
machine to a chain wheel or its equivalent on the opposite side of the same,
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1 to 5 and 10 and 11
of the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
3. In front driving cycles driven by hand and foot power with hand levers
moving in a plane vertical to that of the wheel, the arrangement of crossing the
connecting rods transmitting the motion of the band levers to the chain wheels or
their equivalents, substantially as herein before described with reference to Fig. 9
of the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
4. In front driving cycles driven by band and foot power the arrangements of
mechanism for engaging and disengaging the hand levers for the purpose of using
both hand and foot power or foot power only without interfering with the steering
of the driving wheel, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
Figs. 10 and 11 and Figs. 13 and 14 of the drawings.
5. The arrangement of driving and steering mechanism for cycles substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings.
6. The arrangement of driving and steering mechanism for cycles substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
7. The arrangement of driving and steering mechanism for cycles substantially
as herein before described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings.

page_text: 8. The arrangement of driving and steering mechanism for cycles substantially
as herein before described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1895.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.