An Improved Apparatus for Assisting Cyclists to Ride at a Predetermined Speed.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 189
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1895-Accepted, 29th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Assisting Cyclists to Ride at a
Predetermined Speed.
I, CHARLES HENRY GUEST, of 11, Lime Grove, Longsight, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
My invention relates to an apparatus adapted to be secured to a bicycle or other
velocipede to assist the rider to travel at a predetermined speed.
The apparatus consists of a suitable clockwork adapted to oscillate a disc which
may, for example, be placed on the end of the escapement lever, and which can be
regulated so that the disc shall oscillate at any predetermined speed.
In conjunction with the said oscillating disc I employ a dial upon which a
pointer can be moved by the rider to indicate the speed at which the machine is
required to travel, the said pointer being connected to the oscillating disc in such a
manner that by altering its position on the dial the speed of oscillation of the disc
will be correspondingly varied. The regulation may be effected by checking the
movement of or altering the working length of the clockwork escapement spring if
such be used or in any other suitable manner.
The apparatus is adapted to be set to suit the gear of different machines.
With this construction the rider having fixed the pointer to indicate the speed
at which he desires to travel, it is only necessary for him to cause the movement
of his legs in working the pedals to synchronize with the oscillations of the disc.
Dated the 2nd day of August 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Apparatus for Assisting Cyclists to Ride at a
Predetermined Speed.
I, CHARLES HENRY GUEST, of 11, Lime Grove, Longsight, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, 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 :-
66
My invention relates to an apparatus (which may be termed a
pace maker")
adapted to be secured to a bicycle or other velocipede to assist the rider to travel
at a predetermined speed.
The apparatus consists of a suitable clockwork adapted to oscillate a dise which
may, for example, be placed on the end of the escapement lever, and which can be
regulated so that the disc shall oscillate at any predetermined speed.
In conjunction with the said oscillating disc 1 employ a dial upon which a
pointer can be moved by the rider to indicate the speed at which the machine is
required to travel, the said pointer being connected to the oscillating disc in such
a manner that by altering its position on the dial the speed of oscillation of the

page_text: disc will be correspondingly varied. The regulation may be effected by checking
the movement of or altering the working length of the clockwork escapement spring
if such be used or in any other suitable manner.
The apparatus can be adapted to suit the gear of different machines.
With this construction, the rider having fixed the pointer to indicate the speed
at which he desires to travel, it is only necessary for him to cause the movement
of his legs in working the pedals to synchronize with the oscillations of the disc.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
:-
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved pace-maker; and,
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3—3 Figure 2; and,
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 Figure 3.
a is the casing of the apparatus and is the main spring of the clock mechanisın
contained within the same, the motion of the said spring being communicated to the
first wheel c of the train of gearing through the medium of a ratchet wheel d and
pawl e, the said ratchet wheel being secured to the winding spindle of the spring
and the pawl e to the wheel c, this arrangement permitting of winding the spring
in a manner which will be readily understood.
0
is the escapement wheel of the clock train, the escapement lever,
the balance wheel and the hair spring the arbor k of the balance wheel being
carried in bearings in two partitions 1, 1.
m, m², m², m³, m², m³, m³, m², m³ are the wheels and pinions of the train through
which the motion of the wheel e is communicated to the escapement wheel 9. the
pinion m, which gears directly with the wheel c, being fixed to the arbor of the
wheel m which latter engages with the pinion m2 running loosely upon a spindle n
(which is free to be moved independently of the clock mechanism) and having
fixed to it the wheel m³ which engages with the pinion m' fixed to the arbor of the
wheel m which latter engages with the pinion me fixed to the arbor of the wheel m
gearing with the pinion upon the arbor of the escapement wheel g.
o is an arm fixed to or formed in one piece with the escapement lever hand
oscillating therewith, the said arm carrying at one end a pin o' projecting through
a slot of in the dial plate p of the apparatus the said pin having fixed to it a disc pl
which is visible from the outside of the apparatus and which enables the
oscillations of the said arm to be observed; whereby, a rider can by pedalling in
unison with the oscillations drive his machine at a number of miles per hour
corresponding with the gear of the machine, for instance, assuming the arm o to
make 60 oscillations per minute and the rider's machine to be geared up to
6 inches, then by pedalling 60 per minute he would propel his machine at a rate
of 10 miles per hour approximately. In order to drive the machine at a higher
rate of speed he would have to increase the speed of oscillation accordingly, and by
timing his pedalling with these oscillations he would be enabled to maintain the
desired speed.
On the drawing I have represented the apparatus as being constructed for
obtaining variations of speeds between 10 and 30 miles an hour; in order, however,
to obtain these variations it is necessary to provide for a very considerable
reduction in the length of the hair spring, in fact, the hair spring must be shortened
by several convolutions. As this shortening could not be obtained by the usual
regulator arm carrying the loop, owing to the fact that the said loop would at all
points of its revolution be equidistant from the centre of the hair spring, I provide
that the loop shall be capable of moving towards the arbor of the balance wheel as
the convolutions of the spring decrease in diameter. This is effected by fixing the
loop, which is indicated by the letter in the drawings, to a block q capable of
sliding in a radial slot q² in a wheel or disc q' by means of which the loop is moved
around the spring. In order that the loop shall not depend upon its pressure
against the spring for moving it along the slot q² 1 provide in conjunction with the
disc q a plater Figure 4 having a volute slot approximately corresponding with

page_text: the volute of the hair spring so that as the disc q is rotated in one or the other
direction the said volute slot will move the loop q to or away from the axis of
the balance wheel.
In order that the movements of the disc o corresponding with various speeds of
oscillation may be altered from the outside of the apparatus, the spindle n which
carries a pointer is connected to the said disc which is provided with gear teeth
on its periphery by the train of wheels t, t', t³, 13. The movement of the pointer s
say from "10," shewn in Figure 1, to "12" will produce the required alteration
in the position of the loop relatively with the hair spring to increase the speed
of oscillation of the balance wheel to correspond with the speed of 12 miles per
hour and so on.
り
It will be obvious that in order to adapt my apparatus for different machines the
markings of the dial must correspond with the gear of the machine, the zero point
indicating the number of miles per hour which the machine travels when pedalling
at say 60 revolutions per minute.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an apparatus for assisting cyclists to ride at a predetermined speed an
oscillating arm or pointer driven by clock mechanism and having arranged in
conjunction with it means whereby the oscillation of the said arm or pointer may
be varied, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved pace maker or apparatus for
assisting cyclists to ride at a predetermined speed hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 2nd day of May 1895
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.