IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Loa Bricknell, of Water Lane, Brixton, in
the County of Surroy, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VELOCIPEDES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Lea Bricknoll
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th June 1881.
AUGUSTUS LEA BRICKNELL, of Water Lane, Brixton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention relates to improvements in velocipedes.
Some parts of my Invention may be used in a bicyclo constructed (as regards
steering) in the well known manner, but in a bicycle specially arranged according
to my Invention, and in the manner I prefer, the front wheel is carried in a
horizontal frame or fork extending backward, and hinged or pivotted at that
extremity to the vertical fork of the hind wheel. To this fork a rod is hinged
by its rear end. Its other end (passing forward and upward) is hinged to a
short lever fixed to the horizontal handle bar, by a partial revolution of which
on its own axis the hind wheel is thus made to steer the machine.
The said horizontal frame I form of solid or hollow metal rods arranged as an
open girder, the rods being widest apart vertically near the centro, and converging
to a junction at their ends. The front end is double so as to form a fork for
the admission of the driving wheel, and the front ends of two of these rods are
carried forward and project past the points of junction with the other two, for
the purpose of carrying at their outer ends tho bearings for the treadles. This
form of girder frame or open double fork I find gives the maximum of rigidity
with the minimum of weight.
To those parts of the girder vertically most divergent is bolted an upright doublo
support (one part being on each side of the girder) shaped so as to carry the saddle
and its spring, and also the handle bar. Towards its lower ends this double
upright support is perforated with several additional bolt-holes, so as to admit
of its being raised or lowered on the girder to suit riders of various heights.
When so raised or lowered the saddle & handle bar move with it, while the
Prins C21

page_text: steering rod hinged to the latter has its other end raised or lowered on the hind
wheel fork to a corresponding degree, thus maintaining its relative position at all
heights.
Upon the axle of the driving wheel are two small drums or pulleys, one being
near each end of the axle. Each drum has rachet teeth formed around one of its
ends. Fixed to the axle near each end is a short radial arm carrying a pawl,
which by a spring is made to engage in the teeth of the ratchet whenever the drum
is pulled round in one direction only, but permitting its free return.
The treadles which are placed below the drums are levers, the forward ends of
which work on centres or in bearings carried by the projecting ends of the front
wheel fork, as described, or which may be added to the fork of an ordinary bicycle.
The inner ends of the treadles are provided with suitable pedals upon which the
rider presses downward with his feet.
Each treadle may be connected with its drum by a flexible strap, cord, or chain,
fastened at one end to the trendle, and at the other to the drum above it, so that a
downward pressure on the treadle causes the drum to engage with the pawl, and
thus the wheel (which is fast upon the axle) is revolved to the extent of the
stroke.
The drums and treadles may be brought back into position for their strokes
by means of a spring or springs specially provided for the purpose as is well
known.
I prefer however to drive the drums and to return them and raise the treadles
by the use of two steel spring bands, one of which is attached to each treadle by
its lower end, and by its upper end to the drum above. This strip of flat steel
takes the place of the straps, cords, or chains, and also of the extra spring for
returning the drums and treadles, for if coiled before tempering to a little less than
the size of the drum upon which it is afterwards wound, it performs the double
office of lifting up the treadle and rolling back the drum simultaneously.
Silent pawls or friction clutches of well known construction may be used instead
of ratchet teeth and pawls, provided the friction in returning them be not too
great for the novel spring I have described to overcome.
It will be obvious also that the treadles need not always be used at their full
strokes, and in going down hill they may remain still and be used as foot rests.
For this latter purposo I arrango a small, short, stiff buffer spring attached to the
end of each projecting fork, and under each treadle in such a manner that they
will only arrest the descent of the treadles at the end of the stroke, and will thus
cause them to act as convenient foot rests. In the case of a bicycle built (as I
prefer) with a low driving wheel for safety, the latter may be made to turn to a
greater extent (so as to provide higher speed) by proportioning the size of the drum
to the length of stroke, and in such cases I place short stiff springs furnished
with easily renewable pieces of metal under the pedals, so that they can be used by
the rider as breaks by pressing them down upon the road with his feet, they being
so near the ground that the buffer springs will yield to that extent. Or an
ordinary break can be used.
A velociped having more than two wheels (such as a tricycle), may be con-
structed as regards its framework, steering and break, or either of them in any
well known manner to which the other parts of my Invention may be applied.
'

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Augustus Lea Bricknell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th December 1881.
AUGUSTUS LEA BRICKNELL, of Water Lane, Brixton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention relates to improvements in velocipedos.
In the accompanying Drawings (which are to be taken as part of this
Specification), Figure 1 is a side elevation (partly in section) of a bicycle con-
structed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a sectional plan at a, b, Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a front view of part of the frame work; Figures 4 and 5 are views of
detail (more fully hereinafter alluded to); Figure 6 is a side elevation of a tricycle
with my improvements attached; and Figure 7 is a plan thereof.
Some parts of my Invention may be used in a bicycle constructed (as regards
steering) in the well known manner, but in a bicycle specially constructed according
to my Invention and in the manner I prefer, the front wheel A (Figures 1 and 2) is
carried in a horizontal frame or fork B, extending also backwards, and hinged or
pivotted at that extremity to the vertical fork C, shewn partly in section, to
allow the method of attaching bars B to be seen. To this fork C a rod E
is hinged by its rear end. Its other end (passing forward and upward) is
hinged to a short lever E' fixed to the horizontal handle bar G, by a partial
revolution of which around its vertical axis the hind wheel is thus actuated
to steer the machine. The said horizontal frame B I form (as seen in the
Drawings) of solid or hollow metal rods arranged as an open girder, the rods being
widest apart vertically near the centre and converging to a junction at their ends.
The front end is double, so as to form a fork for the admission of the driving
wheel A and to take the bearings thereof, and the front ends of two of these rods
are carried forward, as at b, and project past the points of junction with the other
two for the purpose of carrying at their outer ends the bearings for the treadles H.
This form of girder frame or open double fork I find gives the maximum of
rigidity with the minimum of weight.
To those parts of girder B vertically most divergent is bolted an upright double
support I (one part being on each side of girder B) shaped so as to carry the
saddle J and its spring, and also the handle bar G. Towards this lower end this
support I is perforated with several bolt holes so as to admit of its being raised or
lowered on the girder to suit riders of different heights. When so raised or
lowered the saddle J and handle bar G move with it, while the steering rod E
hinged to the latter has its other end raised or lowered on the hind wheel fork to
a corresponding degree, thus maintaining its relative position at all heights.
Upon the axle of the driving wheel A are two small drums or pulleys K. These
are seen clearly in enlarged view at Figs. 4 and 5. Each drum is provided with a
ratchet wheel. Fixed to the axle L near each end is a short radial arm M
carrying a pawl N, which by any suitable spring is made to engage in the teeth of
the ratchet wheel K whenever the drum K is pulled round in one direction only,
but allowing its free return. The action of this ratchet and pawl is rendered quite
silent by the following means:-A collar is formed on the drum so as to leave
an annular groove between it and the ratchet wheel, and the pawl N is made
with a projecting collar or boss so as to overhang this annular groove. In this
groove, and between it and the pawl, a small spring 0 of wire or other material is
fixed, as shewn in the Drawing, i.e., its folded end is supported on a small stud,
whilst one end turned out enters a small hole in the pawl, and the other end presses

page_text: lightly on the bottom face of the annular groove. This ond has fastened on to it,
by screwing or otherwise, a small piece of leather o or other suitable material,
which is consequently always pressed into contact with the bottom surface of the
groove. This spring is placed behind the vertical centre line of the drum, and in
consequence the forward motion of the drum drags the leather by friction through
the small space necessary to engage the pawl with the ratchet, whilst the reverse
motion of the drum, acting also by friction on this leather, forces it back and so
raises the pawl just out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet, and so allows of
the pawl to pass round quite quietly and without the noise heretofore inseparable
from a ratchet and pawl action. A suitably placed stop prevents the pawl being
raised beyond the desired position. The continuous revolution of the axle through
the drum (as with the machine going down hill) is of course equivalent in its
relative action to the return of the drum after each stroke, so that both the return
strokes and the continuous motion of the machine down hill are absolutely
noiseless.
Sometimes (as to run a machine backwards out of a house) it is necessary that
the machine may bo wheeled backwards, and in order to do this the pawl must be
disengaged from the ratchet and kept disengaged. For this purpose I attach to
the radial arm M a small spring catch P which may be turned on to the pawl N at
pleasure to lock same as follows:-A slight forward motion of the machine raises
the pawl out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet, and at this moment a small
hole is brought under the action of the said spring catch P, which springing into
same holds the pawl in that position until disengaged by hand.
The treadles H, which are placed below the drums K, are levers, the forward
ends of which work on centres or in bearings b, and the inner ends are provided
with suitable pedals g, on which the rider presses downwards with his feet. Each
treadle is connected with its drum by a flexible strap, cord, or chain (I prefer
leather) fastened at one end to the treadle, and at the other to the drum above it
in such way that a downward pressure on the treadle causes the drum to revolve,
and so (by the means described) causes the revolution of the driving wheel. Tho
speed of the driving wheel will of course depend on the relation between the
length of stroke of the treadles and the diameter of the drums K. The drums K
are brought back into position after each stroke by a spring, preferably coiled, as
shewn at R in the Drawings.
Suitable rests S are provided to arrest the pedals at the extremity of the desired
stroke.
T is the brake and brake rod. The brako is fastened at its lower end to the
frameworks, as shewn, and the brake rod is attached to its upper end. The brako
is put on by pressing the toe or ball of the foot against a projection on the forward
end of the brake rod.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a tricycle constructed according to my improvements:-
Friction or other clutches may be used instead of the pawl and ratchet
arrangement as described by me, but I prefer the latter.
It will be obvious that the action of the two drums is entirely independent, and
that therefore the treadles may be each depressed at pleasure without any reference
to the other, or they may be if desired depressed together, by which a great
advantage may be obtained where special hard work is required, as in going
up hill.
I claim as my Invention to be secured by the herein before in part recited
Letters Patent,―
1. The construction of the framework of the bicycle.
2. The construction allowing of the raising and lowering of the seat of the
bicycle.
3. The construction of the silent pawl and ratchet mechanism.
4. The combination of the silent pawl mechanism with disconnected treadles.
5. The combination of clutches with velocipedes constructed according to my
Invention.

page_text: 6. The mechanism described for catching and holding the pawl out of gear with
the ratchet to enable the machine to be wheeled backwards.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Len Bricknell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
A. L. BRICKNELL. (L.S.)