Improved Propelling Mechanism for Cycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Propelling Mechanism for Cycles.
I, WILLIAM KENNEDY of Lewes, Sussex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to improved propelling mechanism for bicycles and the
like, the objects of the invention being to avoid the loss of power inherent to crank-
driven or crank containing propelling mechanism as hitherto applied to such
vehicles, and to utilize the power exerted by the rider to the best advantage.
To this end, the invention consists in propelling mechanism so arranged that
the power is applied by the rider to and throughout the propelling mechanism
tangentially to the part on which it acts, substantially as hereinafter described.
In carrying the invention into effect, to the axle of the driving wheel or to au
axle connected with the driving wheel by a chain or otherwise are applied two.
separate driving drums, one on each side of the driving wheel, in such a manner as
to act alternately in rotating the latter.
Each drum is actuated by the foot of the rider on the same side of the driving
wheel, and may be so actuated in any of the several following ways:-in some of
which the foot will operate through a stirrup-like connection, and in others of
which the foot will operate through a treadle or lever connection.
When the foot operates in a stirrup, I can apply the driving drum to the driving
wheel axle and pass the driving band over a pulley sufficiently anterior to the
driving wheel axle to get the cyclist's centre of gravity forward of the latter; and
in such arrangement, I can reverse the connection operated by the one foot by the
following depression of the other foot, either directly from the anterior pulley of
the operating foot to the driving drum of the operated foot, or from the operating
driving drum to the other driving drum by means of an intermediate drum exterior
to the circumference of the driving wheel.
When the foot operates on a treadle or lever, the lever of each foot may be
either fixed to its driving drum so as to reciprocate therewith to the same angular
extent, or it may be supported independently of its driving drum so as to reciprocate
to a less angular extent than the drum and be connected thereto by a band.
When the lever is fixed to its driving drum applied to the axle of the driving wheel,
the motion of the drum is communicated to the wheel by intermediate speed
gearing, and the reversing of. the connection operated by the one foot may be
effected by the following depression of the other foot by a suitably supported
flexible connection directly connecting the two levers.
When the lever is not fixed to its driving drum, the latter may be applied either
at the driving wheel axle, or may be supported independently of such axle and
connected to a wheel thereon by a chain or otherwise. When the driving drum is
applied to the axle of the driving wheel; the aforesaid connecting band may
connect directly from the lever to the drum; in which event, the reversing of the
connection operated by the one foot may be effected by the following depression of
the other foot by a connection from the lever of such foot to the other driving
drum, or by a connection from the operating driving drum to the other by means
of an intermediate drum exterior to the circumference of the driving wheel; or,
the connecting band may pass from the lever to the drum over an intermediate
pulley anterior to the driving wheel axle so as to impart an increased augular.

page_text: extent of motion to the driving drum in consequence of the increased fall of the
lever at the point of connection of the said band; in which event, the reversing
operation may be effected as in the lastly preceding modification, or by a connection
from the operating anterior pulley to the other or operated driving drum.
When
the driving drum is supported independently of the driving wheel and is connected
to a wheel thereon by a chain or the like, the reversing operation may be effecte.l
as in the lastly preceding modification.
To take up the momentum of the foot and avoid shock to the machine at the
end of each depression of the foot and to utilize the stored energy in aiding in
effecting the next stroke, springs are applied to a convenient part of the framing
and respectively adapted to act on the stirrup or pedal being raised, and by which
means all the intermediate bands connecting the said drums and wheels will be kept
taut, and the tension of each spring will be utilized in aiding in depressing the
stirrup or pedal to which it is applied.
The two driving drums, alternately operated as aforesaid, alternately act so as
to be jointly operative in causing the continuous rotation of the driving wheel, each
driving drum being adapted to connect with a wheel on the axle of and connected
to or forming part of the driving wheel, or with a wheel supported on an independent
axle and adapted to rotate the driving wheel, when operated by its stirrup or
treadle, and to be disconnected therefrom and reversed (ready for operation
by its own foot) when the other driving drum is operated by its stirrup or
treadle.
.
The connection and disconnection of each driving drum and the wheel or part
on which it operates may be effected by a toothed wheel and a spring pawl, or by
a toothed wheel and springless gravity pawls, or by a comparatively smooth
surfaced wheel with a springless pawl or pawls acting on the convex surface or on
the concave surface of the rim of the wheel attached to the driving wheel, or by a
double set of pawls acting on the inner concave surfaces of the driving drum and
of the wheel fixed to the driving wheel.
Dated this 27th day of September 1895.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
improved Propelling Mechanism for Cycles.
I, WILLIAM KENNEDY, of Lewes, Sussex, Gentleman, 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 improved propelling mechanism for bicycles and the
like vehicles, the object of the invention being to avoid the loss of power inherent
to crank-driven or crank-containing mechanism as hitherto applied to such vehicles,
and to utilize the power exerted by the rider to the best advantage.
To this end, the invention consists in propelling mechanism so arranged that the
power is applied by the rider thereto and is also applied throughout the same,
tangentially to the part on which it acts, substantially as hereinafter described
with reference to the accompanying diagrams.
In carrying the invention into effect, I mount on the axle of the driving wheel,
or on a separate axle connected with that of the driving wheel by a chain or
equivalent means of communicating motion thereto, two separate reciprocating
driving drume, one on each side of the driving wheel, in such a manner as to act
alternately in rotating the latter, and as each to be reversed, (ready for its next
operative movement) by the operative movement of the other, so as to cause their

page_text: intermittent and respectively alternate operating movements to impart continuous
motion to the driving wheel.
Each drum is actuated by the foot of the rider on the same side of the driving
wheel, and may be so actuated in any of the following several ways exemplified
by the accompanying several diagrams, in some of which the foot will operate
through a stirrup-like connection a, a*, ride Fig. 1, and in others of which the
foot will operate through a treadle-lever connection b, b*, vide Figs. 2 to 5.
When the foot operates in a stirrup, (vide Fig. 1) the driving drums c, c, are
independently mounted on the axle or bub of the driving wheel d, and are
respectively driven by bands e, e*, which are fastened to and coiled around them
and to and around pulleys f,f", independently mounted on a common axle 9,
sufficiently forward of the wheel d, to get the cyclist's centre of gravity forward
of the wheel. axle; the stirrup bands a a*, being fastened to, coiled around and
depending from the pulleys ff. In this arrangement, the pulleys f, f*, may,
respectively, be connected to the drums c*, c, by bands i, i*, guided by suitably
supported pulleys j, j*, Fig. 14; or, the drums c, c*, may be connected by a band k,
guided by a suitably supported pulley 1, Fig. 1, so connecting the connections of
both feet that the operation of each foot will actuate its own connection and will
also reverse the connection of the other foot, returning it to position to be actuated
by the next depression of its foot.
When the foot operates on a treadle-lever, (vide Figs. 2 to 5) the lever of each
foot may be either fixed to its driving drum (Fig. 2) so as to reciprocate therewith
to the same angular extent, or it may be supported independently thereof, (Figs. 3
to 5) so as to reciprocate to a less angular extent than the drum, and be connected
thereto by a band e, e*.
When the lever is fixed to its driving drum mounted on the axle of the wheel d,
(Fig. 2) the motion of the drum is communicated to the wheel by intermediate.
speed-gearing n, n*, and the reversing of the connections is effected by a band k,
connecting the levers b, b*, and guided by a suitably supported pulley l.
When the lever is not fixed to its driving drum, the latter may be mounted on
the axle of the driving wheel (Figs. 3 and 4), or on an independent axle r, (Fig. 5)
and connected to the driving wheel by a chain q, q*, or equivalent means of
communicating the motion. When the driving drum is mounted on the axle of
the wheel d, the band e, e*, may connect directly from a sector 6**, applied to the
lever to the drum (Fig. 3) or it may pass from the lever to its drum over a.
pulley,, forward of the axle of the wheel d, (Fig. 4) so as to impart an
increased angular extent of motion to the driving drum in consequence of the
increased fall of the lever at the point of connection of the band; and the
reversing of the connections may be effected by suitably guided connections (not
shown) connecting the lever or forward pulley of each foot with the driving drum
of the other foot, as herein before described with reference to Fig. 1A; or by directly.
connecting the drums or levers as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1
and 2. When the driving drum is mounted on a separate axle r, to that of the
driving wheel, and is connected to the latter by a chain or band q, q*, Fig. 5 ;
the reversing of the connections may be effected as in the lastly preceding
modification.
Of the preceding several ways of actuating the drums, I prefer that of which
Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic representation, and the same is further represented in.
Fig. 6, as applied to a bicycle, only one of the treadle levers being shown.
To gradually take up the momentum of the foot towards the end of each
depression thereof, so as to avoid shock to the machine as the one foot ceases its
action and the other comes into action, and to keep all the band or equivalent
connections throughout the system continuously taut, while in operation, and to
aid in starting the next following depression of the other foot by utilizing the
energy stored up in taking up the momentum of the lastly operating foot, I apply
to any convenient parts of the cycle framing and of the connection or system of
each foot, suitable springs respectively adapted to be extended or compressed by

page_text: the stirrup or treadle-lever being raised by the depression of the other foot, and,
at the end of the stroke thereof, to re-act on such stirrup or treadle lever in
starting its operative movement. In Fig. 6, s, represents a spring so applied and
operating.
The two driving drums alternately operated as aforesaid, alternately act, so as
to be jointly operative in causing the continuous rotation of the cycle driving
wheel; each driving drum being adapted, when operated by its stirrup or treadle
lever to act on the driving wheel, either directly, Fige. 1, 3 and 4, or though
gearing of which Figs. 2 and 5, are examples, and to be disconnected therefrom
and reversed (ready for operation by its own foot) when the other driving drum is
operated by its stirrup or treadle lever.
The connection and disconnection of each driving drum and the wheel or the
part upon which it operates, may be effected by spring pawls applied to the drum,
engaging with a toothed wheel applied to the driving wheel axle or to the driving
wheel hub, or to the other part operated on, cr by springless gravity pawls applied
to the drum and engaging with a toothed wheel applied to the part operated on, or
by springless gravity pawls or so-called "silent" pawls so applied and acting on
the convexed surface or on the concaved or grooved or on the plain or rough cast
surface of the part operated on; or by a double set of such pawls respectively
applied to the drum and to the part operated on in such a manner, that those
applied to the drum act on the inner concave surface of the part operated on, while
those applied to the part operated on are acted on by the inner concave surface of
the drum, as will be seen on reference to Fig. 7, where t, represents such a series
of pawls carried by the drum c, and acting ou the part d, and u, represents such a
series carried by the part d, and acted on by the inner surface of the drum.
e*,
Fig. 8, represents a sectional elevation of one way of mounting the drum on and
connecting it with the hub of a cycle wheel mounted on ball bearings. d 1, represents
the wheel axle, and d 2, the wheel hub, to which is rigidly connected a toothed
wheel d 3, engaged by springless gravity pawls t, carried by the drum c, which is
represented as mounted on ball bearings c1, c2, supported by the wheel hub and by
a cone d 4, secured to the wheel axle. c3, represents the races for the bands e, e
for the stirrup or treadle-levers b, b*, and c 4, represents the races for the reversing
band k. Fig. 9, represents another way of mounting the drum on and connecting
it with the hub of a cycle wheel, in which a V-wheel d 3, is rigidly connected to the
wheel hub, and is engaged by "silent" pawls t, carried by the drum. These
illustrations are merely given by way of example and I do not limit myself
thereto.
A perspective view of two such drums applied to a cycle driving wheel is shown
in Fig. 10, in which the wheel is represented by its hub. This fig., also represents
the bands e, e, by which the foot power is applied in accordance with the invention,
and also the reversing bands k, by which the drums are connected so as to mutually
reverse each other as aforesaid.
It will be seen that by the described combinations of tangentially operating
devices, I avoid the loss of power inherent to crank-driven or crank-containing
mechanism as hitherto applied to such vehicles, and obtain a crankless propelling
gear, and apply the power at a tangent to the first wheel of the gear and through-
out the gear, and store up the momentum of each depression of the foot and utilize
it at the commencement of the next succeeding stroke.
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. Propelling mechanism for cycles and the. like vehicles, consisting, essentially,
of two separate reciprocating driving drums applied to the cycle driving wheel
either directly, or through gearing, in such a manner as to tangentially convey
thereto the power received, and as alternately to operate thereon and conjointly t.)
impart continuous motion thereto; said drums being respectively actuated by a

page_text: stirrup-like connection in which the foot thrust is practically in a right line, or by
a treadle-lever in which the foot thrust is confined to a small and the most effective
part of a comparatively large arc, and from which the power is conveyed to the
drum at a tangent, and in which the momentum of each depression of the foot is.
stored by a spring and is utilized in starting the next following depressing stroke :-
and said drums being respectively connected either directly or with the means.
manner as to tangentially convey the power
operating the other in such a
transmitted; the whole, (to wit: the cycle wheel, the driving drums, their actuating
means and their reversing means) being so combined that the operation of each
foot causes its drum to act on the driving wheel, and causes the other drum to be
reversed ready for its next actuation; and that the conjoint operation of the two-
feet and of their respective drums causes the continuous rotation of the cycle
driving wheel, with the least loss of power.
2. The several ways of tangentially conveying motion to and reversing such.
drums, as herein before described.
3. The several ways of tangentially conveying motion from such drums. to the
cycle driving wheel, as hereinbefore described.
11
oul
f June 1896.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.