Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1897-Accepted, 19th Mar.,
1898
I, JOHN ALBERT ANDERSON, Machinist, of 3, Gould Street, Wakefield, in the
County of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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
tatement:-
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bicycles, and the
object is to improve the construction and increase the general efficiency of the
machine.
To these ends, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrange-
ment of the device, as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly
pointed out in the claim.
The accompanying drawings show my invention in the best form now known to
me, but many changes in the details might be made within the skill of a good
mechanic, without departing from the spirit of my invention, as set forth in the
claims at the end of this specification.
The reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same parts of the invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved bicycle.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the variable gearing.
Figure 3 is a similar view of the signal-bell and the means for operating the same.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the rear axle.
Figure 5 is an enlarged detail section of the brake mechanism.
Figure 6 is a side view of the pedal-lever.
Figure 7 is a detail view in section of the driving gear on the rear axle.
Fig. 8 is a detail view of the rack bar and locking device.
Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the cam and pinion.
1 represents the front wheel; 2 the steering-post tube; 3 the lower frame tubes ;
4 the back forks; 5 the back stays; 6 the down tube, and 7 the top-frame tube,
which, together with the back wheel 8, are of the usual form and construction.
This back wheel 8 is mounted in ball-bearings on the rear axle 9, which is adjust-
ably fixed in the lower ends of the back stays, and the hub 10 of said wheel is formed
with lateral circular flanges 12 and 13, projecting from the opposite sides of said hub.
A spring brake-strap 14 encompasses the flange 12 and its ends are fixed to lugs 15
and 16 which are pivoted to the shorter arms of a bell-crank lever 17 fulcrumed on
the stud bolt 18 fixed to the back fork.
This bell-crank lever is also provided with a third arm 19 which extends horizontally
forward and its free end terminates in an upright button 20 within convenient reach
of the toe or foot of the rider, when necessary to apply the brake. It may be here
mentioned that the brake mechanism, just described, as well as the driving
mechanism, about to be described, is duplicated on the opposite side of the frame,
the description being confined to one side to avoid needless prolixity.
21 represents the serrated foot-rest fixed to the back fork for convenience in
mounting the machine, and also as a rest for the foot when coasting.
22 represents a disk loosely mounted on the lateral studs 27¹ fixed in the hub 28
and in the same vertical plane with the flange 12.

page_text: 23, 23, represent a series of U-shaped pawls or gripper dogs, radially pivoted on
the studs 24, fixed in the disk 22, so that their projecting ends may be brought into
contact with the inner face of the flange 12 and propel the wheel when the proper
motion is imparted to the disk.
The
25 represents a pin fixed in the disk 22, to limit the forward movement of each
pawl; and 26 represents a spring to normally hold the pawl against said pin.
inner ends of said pawls are formed with a slot 27 which engages the stud 27¹ fixed
in the hub 28 which is loosely mounted on the axle 9, and this hub is formed with an
integral concentric and circumferentially grooved flange 29, having one end of a
flexible wire cord or rope 30 fixed thereto, while the opposite end of said rope extends
forwardly and is fixed to the grooved periphery of a spiral cam 31 mounted in the
depending arın 32 of the pedal-lever 33, which is fulcrumed on a stud-bolt 34 fixed
in the lower frame tube 3.
The hub 28, above-mentioned, may be mounted by any suitable anti-friction
bearing device on the axle 9, but in practice, I have found that an annular series of
cylindrical rods 35, 35, interposed between the hub and axle, furnish a broad, sub-
stantial bearing and give the best practical results.
36 represents a spur-gear wheel fixed on the side of the cam 31 and it meshes with
a mutilated gear loosely journaled on the stud-bolt 34. The gear 37 is provided with
a lateral pin 38, to which is pivoted the forward end of a curved bar 39, the rear end
of which is pivoted to the lower end of a segmental rack-bar 40, having its upper end
pivoted to the rear end of a curved bar 41, the forward end of which is pivoted to the
bolt 42 fixed in the pedal-lever 33.
The rack-bar 40 meshes with the pinion 43, which is pivoted on a stud 44 in the
back forks, and said pinion is provided with a radial arm 45, from which a connecting-
rod 46 extends to a crank-arm 47 formed integral with a hand-lever 48, fulcrumed in
the bracket 49 fixed to the top-frame tube 7.
50 represents a guard fixed to the rack-bar 40 and having a movable bearing
against the hub of the pinion 43, to hold the rack-bar in mesh with said pinion.
The rear or free end of the pedal-lever 33 is provided with the usual pedal 51, and
when this lever is depressed by the foot, the curved bar 41 is carried forward and
downward, drawing the upper end of the rack-bar 40 with it, and as this rack-bar 40
is now a simple lever, with its fulcrum on the pinion 43, while its upper end is being
drawn forward, its lower end is moving backward, carrying with it the bar 39 which
rotates the mutilated gear 37 on its pivot, thereby rotating the pinion 36 and the
cam 31, as indicated by the arrows. This cam, as above described, draws the cord 30,
which as it unwinds off of the flange 29 on the rear axle, propels the machine.
The hub 28 is also provided with a second grooved flange or collar 52, from which
a flexible cord 53 extends upwardly over a grooved pulley 54 journaled in a bracket 55,
and thence downwardly and around a corresponding grooved collar 52¹ formed integral
with the hub 28¹ on the opposite end of the rear axle, the operation of the cord 53
being such that as the pedal-lever on one side is depressed, it raises the lever on the
opposite side, and vice versa.
The bracket 55 is provided with horizontal parallel bars 56, 56, the outer ends of
which are recessed to receive the back-stays and permit a limited vertical movement
therein, the bracket being supported by a stout spiral spring 57, having its upper
end adjustably secured in the cross-bar 58 fixed between the back-stays, and by
pressing on both pedal-levers simultaneously when the wheel is in motion, the pedals
act as foot rests, as the pawls 23 are free, and the wheel revolves clear of the clutch
mechanism.
59 denotes a friction roller journaled loosely in vertical slots in the depending
parallel arms 60, 60, of the bracket 55, and when said bracket is depressed as
heretofore explained, the roller 59 will be brought into contact with the tire of the
back wheel to act as a brake and at the same time the lower bar 56 will also be
brought into contact with the top face of the roller 59, causing it to act as a drag on
the tire, the force of which may be regulated by the amount of pressure applied to
the said bracket through the medium of the pedal levers.

page_text: 61 represents a hammer-arm carried by the roller 59, and when the latter is rotating,
the hammer-arm will be thrown out by centrifugal action and strike the rim or edge
of a gong 62 mounted on the bracket 55.
63 represents a duplex lever fulcrumed in the upper end of the back-stays, and its
lower curved arins 64, 64 are arranged to extend under the upper arm 56 of the
bracket 55 to prevent the brake wheel 59 being applied to the back-wheel when it is
desired to rest the feet on a down grade without stopping the momentum.
This lever 63 is conveniently operated by a rod 65 connecting it with the hand-
lever 48. The upper end of the hand-lever 48 is provided with a rigid lateral arm 66,
to which is pivoted a spring-actuated grip-lever 67, the inner end of which is formed
with a locking pawl 68 adapted to engage one of a series of notches 69 in the rack-
bar 70, to lock the lever 48 in the position to which it may be adjusted; and when
said lever is adjusted to the forward limit of its movement, the pinion 43 has moved
the rack-bar 40 to its upward limit, which gives the greatest effective leverage on the
propelling mechanism through the foot-lever. In practice, I have found this to be
most effective when it corresponds to about 50 gear, whereas when the lever 48 has
been reversed, and the rack-bar 40 moved to its lowest point, and which corresponds
to about 150 gear, as the most effective for the opposite extreme. It will be understood
that by a proper adjustment of the hand-lever between its limits, any gear between
these extremes can be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A bicycle comprising a frame and suitable carrying wheels, in combination with
a variable driving gear, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with the frame and carrying wheels, of the pedal-lever 33
fulcrumed to said frame, the curved bars 41 and 39 and the rack-bar 40, the pinion 43
meshing with said rack-bar, the can 31 and the pinion 36 meshing with the
mutilated gear wheel 37, and means for imparting a rotary motion from said cam
to the rear axle, substantially as shown and described.
3. The combination with the rear axle, the hub mounted thereon and provided with
a lateral annular flange, a disk mounted on said axle and provided with a series of
pivoted pawls, of a pedal mechanism adapted to impart a rotary movement to said disk
and pawls, substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination with the back-stays 5, the driving wheel mounted therein, of
the bracket 55 mounted between said back-stays and provided with a friction brake
roller 59, the spring 57 and means for applying said brake roller, substantially as
shown and described.
5. The combination with the frame and carrying wheels, of the pedal-levers
operatively connected to said back-wheel, a brake roller journaled in a sliding bracket,
mounted in the back frame stays and adapted to be operated by said pedal levers, and
means, substantially as described, for locking said brake-roller out of contact with said
back wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The combination with the axle and hub of a series of cylindrical rods 35,
interposed between said hub and axle to form an anti-friction bearing, as and for
the purpose set forth.
7. The combination with the frame, the rear axle and its wheel 8 provided with the
lateral flange 12, of the bell-crank lever 17 fulcrumed in said frame, the brake strap
14 encompassing said flange 12, and means for operating said bell-crank lever through
the medium of the rider's foot, as and for the purpose set forth.
Deted this 23rd day of December 1897
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent.