Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1899
I, OSCAR RECKE, Engineer, of Rheydt, n/r Dusseldorf, Rhenish Prussia, 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: —
At present it is well known that tricycles when running round sharp curves,
over uneven roads, or when surmounting obstacles, are very liable to capsize
and this invention has for its object to minimize or entirely overcome this
tendency to capsize by carrying the saddle upon the frame in such a manner
that it can be moved from side to side, in accordance with the natural and involun-
tary balancing movements or swayings of the body of the rider, by the motion of
his posterior (ischium) bones resting on the saddle. According to the movements
of these bones so the saddle is moved into either a vertical or inclined position,
and, as the saddle is always properly supported, therefore the weight of the rider
is always thrown equally upon the back wheels.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended three explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a part side view and Fig. 2 is a rear view, partly sectioned, of one
form of the tricycle.
Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating the actions of the arrangement.
Fig. 5 is a part side view and Fig. 6 a rear view, partly sectioned, of another
construction of the tricycle.
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the action of another arrangement.
The
As will be seen from the drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the seat or saddle
frame a, b, l, is movably connected with the part n, c, d, r, of the fixed frame
by means the crossed links a, d, and c, b, or the rolling curves a, g, b,
and c, g, d, (see Fig. 3) or by both the aforesaid links and rolling curves.
crossed links a, d, and c, b, which are pin jointed at d and e to the fixed frame,
form, with their fixed connections a, b, and c, d, a crank anti-parallelogram
(see Figs. 1-6) or a crank square (see Fig. 7. If this crank anti-parallelogram
or crank square is put in motion so is the intersecting point g or g¹ of the
links a, d, and c, b, which constitutes the turning centre or pole of the system.
The paths which the intersecting point g¹ follow, with respect to a, b, and c, d,
are the pole orbits of the system, which, as is known, roll upon one another.
If, now, these pole-orbits are connected, as fixed curve-pieces a, g, b, and e, g, d,
with a, b, and c, d, then the saddle frame will roll on these curves, whilst the
links a, d, and c, b, (indicated by dotted lines Figs. 2 and 6) make the system
move in a constrained course, i.e., they prevent the curves separating or sliding
away from one another.
As the system is specialized by the links a, d, and c, b, alone as well as by
the rolling curves a, g, b, and c, g, d, alone, it can be carried out by using either

page_text: the links only or the rolling-curves only; or by using both the links and rolling
curves at the same time. It is not necessary that the links a, d, and c, b, should
be of equal length.
The system is so carried out that the resultant h¹, g', (Figs. 3 and 7) of the
forces due to centrifugal action and the weight of the rider passes, when the
vehicle is going round a curve, exactly or nearly exactly, through the inter-
section point g of the links or bars on the point of rolling contact of the curves
and also cuts, at i, the centre line of the vehicle. As the body of the rider is
stably supported and further, his weight is equally distributed over the back
wheels there is no danger of the vehicle capsizing.
By the rider throwing his weight more on one (the right), ischium bone,
(ath Figs. 3 and 7), the seat frame will be inclined sideways (.e., towards the
right) until the line of force h', g₁ passes through the point of intersection of
the links. Care is taken in the construction of the device that should the per-
pendicular line k¹, m, passing through the resting point of the other (the left)
ischium bone on the saddle be shifted to the outermost position it will still pass,
through m, to the left of the point g¹. The rider can also, by shifting his weight
on the other (left) Ischium bone, bring the saddle frame into any other desired
position.
'Should one of the back wheels of the tricycle pass over a high obstacle on the
road then the fixed part of the frame adopts an inclined position but the rider
runs no danger of falling off owing. to the fact that the movable part of the
frame assumes a vertical or nearly vertical position, and that, owing to the law
of inertia, his body continues its motion in the direction the vehicle is travelling.
When passing round a curve, for example, to the right, the rider, by pressing
upon his right ischium bone, throws his body as well as the saddle frame over
in the direction of the resultant of the forces produced by his own weight, and
the centrifugal action, and, in this manner, prevents the vehicle capsizing..
Owing to this invention the tricycle can be made so much reduced in width
that it can pass through any ordinary door.
Figs. 1 and 2 and 5 and 6 show different ways of constructing the tricycle.
Whilst in the construction shown at Figs. and 6, the seat frame a,b; 'l, f,
is movably secured, in the manner herein before described, to the wheel frame, in
the construction Figs. 1 and 2 the saddle frame is connected, in the manner
herein before described, with the whole front part a, b, l, x, y, f; above the
frame n, c, d, r, t, which latter connects the back wheels with the pedal crank
bearing. In both constructions, for the purpose of further connecting the
frames together, a cross link or ball joint f of any suitable construction may be
provided.
Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically a construction in which the crank parallelo-
gram is replaced by a crank-square a, b, c, d. In the arrangement shown in
this view the triangular frame a, b, l, is movably suspended by the links
c, b, d, a, from pins at c and d carried by the fixed frame w, c, d, r.
description previously given is sufficient to also explain the action of this
arrangement.
The
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is :-
.:
A tricycle in which that part of the frame which carries the saddle is movably
connected in such a manner with the remainder of the frame work carrying the
pedal crank bearing and connecting the back wheels (in Figs. 1 and 2 also for
the front wheel) by means only of links (a, d, and a, b) arranged in the form of
a crank-parallelogram (Figs. 1 to 6) or a crank square (Fig. 7) or by means of
these links in conjunction with rolling curves (a, g, b, and c, g, d) or by means
of the rolling-curves alone, that the movable frame can, by the relative move- 5
ments of the ischium bones of the rider; be put into a vertical or inclined position

page_text: according to circumstances, and so that the line of the outward force passes
exactly or nearly so through the intersecting point (9 or g¹) of the links (or
the point of rolling contact of the curves) and also through the centre line of
the machine where it cuts (at 2) the plane of the road, for the purpose of pre-
venting the machine capsizing when passing round curves, over obstacles, or
surmounting inequalities in the road, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of November 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.