IMPROVE- MENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bayliss, and John Thomas, and John Slaughter,
Trading as Bayliss, Thomas, and Company, of Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Bicycle and Tricycle Manufacturers, for the Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bayliss, John Thomas,
and John Slaughter, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
26th November 1879.
THOMAS BAYLISS, and JOHN THOMAS, and JOHN SLAUGHTER, Trading as Bayliss,
Thomas, and Company, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Bicycle and
Tricycle Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
Our improvements have reference principally to tricycles, but may also be applied
to velocipedes having more than three wheels; and our said improvements consists
of the arrangements of gearing berein after described for transmitting to the driving
wheel the motion given to the cranks by the feet of the rider.
We will describe our Invention as applied to a tricycle consisting of a large
driving wheel on the left of the rider, a smaller wheel on his right parallel to the
driving wheel, and a third or guide wheel of less diameter than either of the two
referred to, situated behind the rider.
In tricycles as ordinarily constructed, the motion of the cranks is transmitted to
the driving wheel by means of an endless cbain passing over two pulley's situated
respectively on the axes of the left hand crank and the driving wheel. In practice
this gearing is sometimes found to fail in consequence of the stretching of the chain
which during the action of the tricycle is in a state of great tension, or by the
yielding of some part of the framing of the tricycle.
In order to remedy the defect referred to, we construct the gearing for
transmitting the motion of the cranks to the driving wheel in the following
manner: On the axis of the left hand crank we fix a toothed wheel, and on the
axis of the driving wheel we fix a similar toothed wheel. We gear the said wheels
together by means of a third or intermediate toothed wheel constructed in the
following manner :-We make the rim of the said third wheel hollow or trough shape,
and across the said trough shaped rim we fix a series of pins or short rods. These pins

page_text: are situated at a distance apart equal to the distance between the teeth of the
toothed wheels. Upon each of these pins an anti-friction roller is placed. The
third or intermediate wheel thus formed consists virtually of a toothed wheel the
teeth of which are capable of rotating, and when geared with the other two toothed
wheels of the tricycle transmits the motion from one to the other of the two wheels
with great smoothness, without noise, and with much less friction than a toothed
wheel of the ordinary construction. The wear of the teeth of the two ordinary
toothed wheels is much less than when the intermediate wheel is of the ordinary
kind.
The said intermediate wheel may be of the same diameter as the two toothed
wheels with which it gears, or of a different diameter.
In cases where it may be desirable to gear directly together the toothed wheel
on the axis of the crank and that on the axis of the driving wheel so as to dispense
with the intermediate wheel, we make one of the said toothed wheels as herein
described with respect to the intermediate wheel, that is, we make one of the said
toothed wheels in the ordinary way, but make the other with roller teeth instead
of ordinary teeth.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Bayliss, John Thomas, and John Slaughter, in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th May 1880.
THOMAS BAYLISS, and JOHN THOMAS, and JOHN SLAUGHTER, Trading as Bayliss,
Thomas, and Company, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Bicycle and Tricycle
Manufacturers. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES."
Our improvements have reference principally to tricyles, but may also be applied to
velocipedes having more than three wheels; and our said improvements consist of
the arrangements of gearing herein after described for transmitting to the driving
wheel the motion given to the cranks by the feet of the rider.
We will describe our Invention as applied to a tricycle consisting of a large
driving wheel on the left of the rider, a smaller wheel on his right parallel to the
driving wheel, and a third or guide wheel of less diameter than either of the two
referred to, situated behind the rider.
In tricycles as ordinarily constructed, the motion of the cranks is transmitted to
the driving wheel by means of an endless chain passing over two pulleys situated.
respectively on the axes of the left hand crank and the driving wheel. In practice
this gearing is sometimes found to fail in consequence of the stretching of the chain
which during the action of the tricycle is in a state of great tension, or by the
yielding of some part of the framing of the tricycle.
In order to remedy the defect referred to, we construct the gearing for transmitting
the motion of the cranks to the driving wheel in the following manner:-On the
axis of the left hand crank we fix a toothed wheel, and on the axis of the driving
wheel we fix a similar toothed wheel. We gear the said wheels together by means
of a third or intermediate toothed wheel constructed in the following manner:- -We
make the rim of the said third wheel hollow or trough shape, and across the said
trough shaped rim we fix a series of pins or short rods. These pins are situated at
a distance apart equal to the distance between the teeth of the toothed wheels.
Upon each of these pins an auti-friction roller is placed. The third or intermediate
wheel thus formed consists virtually of a toothed wheel the teeth of which are
capable of rotating, and when geared with the other two toothed wheels of the
tricycle transmits the motion from one to the other of the two wheels with great
smoothness, without noise, and with much less friction than a toothed wheel of the
ordinary construction. The wear of the teeth of the two ordinary toothed wheels
is much less than when the intermediate wheel is of the ordinary kind.
The said intermediate wheel may be of the same diameter as the two toothed
wheels with which it gears, or of a different diameter.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which our Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in front elevation, a portion
of a tricycle provided with gearing constructed according to our Invention; Figure 3
represents in front elevation (partly in section) portions of one of the lower gearing
wheels, and the intermediate wheel drawn to a larger scale.
The
The saine letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
a is the large driving wheel, and b is the smaller parallel wheel, the axes of the
said wheels turning in bearings in the frame c as usual. The third or guide wheel
behind the rider is of the ordinary kind, and is not shown in the Drawings.
d, e, are the two cranks of the tricycle, and f, f, are the pedals of the same.
cranked shaft turns in bearings at the bottom of the frame c. On the axis of the
left hand crank e is a toothed wheel h, and on the axis a² of the large driving
wheel a is a similar toothed wheel i. The two toothed wheels and i are geared
together by the toothed or roller wheel k. The construction of the intermediate or
roller wheel will be best understood by referring to the enlarged view of a portion

page_text: of the said wheel in Figure 3. The rim of the said wheel k is either made trough
shaped or hollow. When made hollow the rim is composed of two parallel rings
connected together by the arms h, k, of the wheel. Across the trough shaped or
hollow rim pins or short rods 1, l, are fixed at distances apart equal to the distance
เ
between the teeth of the toothed wheels h and i. Upon each of the pins an anti-
friction roller m is placed. The third or intermediate wheel k is thus furnished
with teeth capable of rotating. The way in which the roller toothed wheel k gears
with the other wheels will be understood by an examination of the sectional part
of the said wheel k in Figure 3.
When the cranks d, e, are worked in the ordinary way by the rider of the tricycle
the motion of the cranked shaft is transmitted to the axis a² of the large driving
wheel a through the gearing h, k, i, the motion of the wheel on the cranked shaft
being transmitted through the roller wheel k to the wheel i on the axis of the
driving wheel a with great smoothness, without noise, and with little friction.
Instead of making the intermediate wheel in the way described and represented,
the said intermediate wheel may be an ordinary toothed wheel, in which case we
make either the toothed wheel or the toothed wheel i, or both the toothed
wheels h and i with roller teeth similar to those described with respect to the
intermediate wheel k. We prefer, however, to carry our Invention into effect in
the manner before described and illustrated in the Drawings.
Although we have represented in the Drawings the gearing wheels of the tricycle
of the same diameter, yet the intermediate roller wheel k may be made of a different
diameter from that of the other wheels, and our improved gearing may be applied
to velocipedes having more than three supporting wheels.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention
of "Improvements in Tricycles and other Velocipedes,―
Constructing the gearing by which the motion of the cranked shaft of the tricycle
or other velocipede is transmitted to the driving wheel in the manner herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, connecting
the toothed wheels of the crank shaft and the driving wheel shaft by means of an
intermediate wheel having a hollow or trough shaped rim provided with cross
pins or rods upon which anti-friction rollers work, the said anti-friction rollers
constituting rolling or moveable teeth which gear with the teeth of the other
toothed wheels, substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated; also
the modifications described in which the intermediate wheel of the gearing is an
ordinary toothed wheel, and either one or both of the other gearing wheels is or are
provided with roller teeth as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomas, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
night hundred and sighty
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN THOMAS. (LS.)