IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND TRICYCLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY COOPER of 46 Long Street, Elton Street Lower Broughton Manchester
in the county of Lancaster, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND TRICYCLES to be as follows:-
My invention is applicable to any class of bicycles or tricycles and has for its
object to increase speed by less or about the same exertion of power onto the
crank shaft by the rider as has been the case heretofore.
To this end I employ between the spokes of the driving wheel or wheels a pair
of bevel wheels of suitable size and pitch, arranged to rotate at each end of a shank.
The latter is keyed or otherwise fastened to the crank shaft and caused to rotate
with the crank shaft when worked by the rider.
On each side of the said bevel wheels and next to the hub of the driving wheel
or wheels, two other bevel wheels of suitable size are arranged to gear into the
said wheels on the shank respectively; one bevel wheel being suitably fastened or
formed with the hub of the driving wheel and rotating lose on the crank shaft.
The other bevel wheel is fixed to the fork and forming the crank shaft bearing and
remaining stationary during the rotation of the driving wheel or wheels or crank
shaft.
When the latter is rotated the bevel wheels rotating on and with the said shank
roll on the bevel wheel fixed to the fork and transinit or impart motion at an
increased speed to the bevel wheel fixed to the hub of the driving wheel. The
bevel wheels rotating on the ends of the said shank being a suitable distance from
the centre of the same, give off centrifugal power, acting as a compound lever,
which greatly assists the rotation of the wheel or crank shaft, thus lessening the
exertion of the rider.
"

page_text: 1 HENRY COOPER of 46 Long Street Elton Street Lower Broughton in the
County of Lancaster Mechanic do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES AND TRICYOLES 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 applicable to any class of bicycles or tricycles and has for its
object to increase speed without greatly increasing the exertion of power applied
to the cranks or pedals of the machine.
The nature of my invention will be readily understood on reference to the
annexed drawing (which represents a section full size of the improved apparatus
which I propose to employ for that purpose) and to the following explanation
thereof.
I employ between the spokes a, a of the driving wheel or wheels two bevil
wheels b, band c, c of suitable and similar size and pitch arranged facing each other
and so as to be capable of rotating at each end of a shauk or stud d, d
The latter is keyed or otherwise fastened at right angles to the crank shaft o, 0
and is carried round with the crank shaft when the latter is caused to revolve by
the action of the feet of the rider upon the pedals attached to the cranks e*; e*.
Ou each side of the said bovil wheels and inside the hub ff of the driving wheel
or wheels two other bevil wheels g g and h, h of suitable size are arranged to gear
respectively into the said wheels b, b and c, c on the shank or stud d, d; one bevil
wheel g, g being suitably fastened to or formed with the hub ff of the driving
wheel which rotates loosely on the crank shaft 6, e. The other bovil wheel h, his
fixed on a busb or sleeve i, i which is stationary being attached to the fork. k, k
and forming the crankshaft bearing. The hub f,f revolves on ball bearings 1, l.
When the crank shaft e, e is rotated the bevil wheels b, b and c, c carried round
with the said slank or stud d, d roll on the bevil wheel h h fixed to the fork k, k
mid transmit or impart motion at an increased speed to the bevil wheel g, g fixed
to the hub ff of the driving wheel.
The bevil wheels b, b and c, c rotating on the ends of the said shank or stud d, d
being a suitable distance from the centre of the same, also give off a certain amount
of centrifugal power acting as a compound lever which greatly assists the rotation
of the crank shaft e, e thus lessening the exertion of the rider required to produco
the increased velocity.
I may here remark that one half of the stud, d, d and one of the wheels b, bor
c, o may be dispensed with but I prefer to have it as shown and above described, as
the driving is Diore equal and the gearing better balanced.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven⚫
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In a bicycle or tricycle, the use of differential bevil gearing constructed and
applied substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawing
annexed, for imparting an increased velocity to the hub of the driving wheel in
excess of that at which the cranks or pedals and crank shaft are driven by the
rider.