IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Samuel Orton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th July 1882.
JOSEPH SAMUEL ORTON of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Mechanical
draughtsman "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES "
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in bicycles and the object
is that the saddle or seat shall always be in line with the track made and described
by the driving wheel. This effect is obtained by attaching the saddle or seat
either directly or by means of a spring to that part of the head of the bicycle
which is rigid with the fork supported by the driving wheel or for the same
purpose the saddle or seat may be attached to the fork itself. The handles may
either be fixed to or rigid with the backbone of the bicycle or they may be made
movable by means of gearing but in any case the purchase support or steadying
power of the rider proceeds from their rigid or partially rigid connection with the
backbone of the machine and the direction or course of the machine is determined
and governed by the steering motion or movement communicated to the saddle or
seat by the body of the rider.
The second part of my invention relates to improvements in velocipedes
generally. The object of these improvements is to convey or transmit motion from
pedals to cranks or cranks to cranks placed at a distance from each other. This is
effected by means of an arrangement of levers and links similar in purpose and
effect to the action of the instrument known as the pantograph:-The pedal or a
crank being at one extremity of this arrangement of parts and a crank being driven
by the other extremity. The simplest arrangement is as follows:-Two rods, bars,
or levers are jointed or pivoted together at one end.
ends of these levers the ends of two links equal in
the two joints on each lever are jointed or pivoted.
jointed or pivoted together at their other ends.
together a true parallelogram in any position then by causing the stud or pivot
where the links are jointed together to be fixed and connecting the extremity of
one lever to a crank the extremity of the other lever describes a true circle and
may be used either as a pedal or to turn another crank. By altering the
proportions of the arms of the levers beyond the joints and relatively to each other
Midway between each of the
length to the distance between
The links themselves are also
If the levers and links form

page_text: circles or ellipses of enlarged or reduced diameters may be described by the free
extremity of this arrangement. Slight modifications of this motion enables me to
adapt various sized machines to the requirements of various riders such for instance
as enabling a little person to ride a bicycle with a large diameter driving wheel
and by moving the position of the fixed pin in a slot the height of the pedals may
be varied so as to be moved out of the way of a ladies dress.
The third part of my invention relates to improvements in velocipedes driven by
what is generally known as an automatic differential or balance motion by means
of which if the speed of one driving wheel be diminished or retarded the speed of
the other driving wheel is correspondingly increased in proportion. The object of
the improvements in this part of my invention is to so arrange the cranks that they
may revolve upon the same axis as the two driving wheels and at the same time to
allow of automatic differential balance motion being transmitted from either wheel
to the other wheel. This purpose is effected as follows:-The cranks are separate
and are placed near each other midway between the driving wheels leaving a space
between them for the purpose of allowing free action to two spur wheels in gear as
bereafter described. Each crank-arm is attached to a rod or spindle projecting in
contrary directions and working in hollow spindles or sleeves on the ends of which
farthest from the cranks the driving wheels are respectively attached. The parts
corresponding to crank-pins or studs are hollow or tubular and a short spindle runs
through each crank piu. Two spur wheels of the same diameter on the pitch line
as the diameter of the circle described by the rotation of the crank pin are fitted to
and fixed on the ends of the last named spindles midway between the driving
wheels, and the teeth of the one engage with the teeth of the other. At the other
end of these spindles and at the the back of the crank-arın two spur wheels half the
size of the spur wheels afore mentioned are fitted and fixed. The teeth of these
spur wheels engage with the teeth of other similar wheels fixed on the
ends of the hollow spindle or sleeves nearest the cranks. The action of this
arrangement of parts is as follows:-A retardment or check being opposed to the
speed of either driving wheel a retardment or check is communicated by the hollow
spindle or sleeve to the spur wheel on the other end of it. This spur wheel being
thus retarded the motion of the cranks forces the next spur wheel in gear with it
to rotate and run on and so causes the other wheels in the same train to revolve
and to transmit the speed lost by one driving wheel to the other driving wheel and
so augment its motion.
The fourth part of my invention has reference to the mode by which two equal
sized wheels may be made fast or loose on the shaft or axle on or with which they
may revolve. The object of these improvements is to steer, guide, or direct the
course of the machine by retarding checking or stopping the rotary action of
either driving wheel I obtain this result as follows:-Each wheel is fitted to run
or revolve freely on the ends of the shaft or axle and the shaft or axle also revolves
in bearings. On the inner side of the hub of each wheel and leaving a space
between it and the body of the hub a disc notched or serrated on its periphery like
the teeth of a double acting saw is connected or attached. The faces of the teeth
meeting at the root of each tooth, form falling and rising double-incline depressions
or spaces. Firmly fixed on the transverse shaft or axle connecting the two wheels
are two shallow cylindrical boxes the recess or cavity of which envelopes and
encircles the serrated discs leaving some space between the inner periphery of the
cylindrical boxes and teeth of the discs." Between each double-incline space and
the inner periphery of the cylindrical boxes small rollers, spheres, or wedge pieces
are loosely inserted. Fitting lossely on a boss on the notched or serrated disc is a
washer or disc the circumference or periphery of which may be formed as a pulley.
On the side of this washer or disc next to the notched or serrated disc pins,
projections, or fingers are arranged in a circle and project within the recess in the
circular boxes. These pins, projections, or fingers are equal in number to the
serrated teeth before mentioned and when not in use they and the disc carrying
them are held by springs in such a manner that they remain over and near the top

page_text: of each serrated tooth without touching and may be moved in either direction to
the middle of each serrated space by causing the springs to yield. The action
of these parts as arranged is as follows:-Whichever way the shaft or axle is
caused to turn or revolve the small rollers, spheres, or wedge pieces fall by their own
gravity and become wedged between the inclines of the serrated teeth and the
circular recess in the cylindrical box the wheel is thus gripped or locked to the
shaft or axle. When it is required to release and retard the motion of a wheel or
the shaft or axle sufficient friction is applied to the periphery of the washer disc or
pulley to overcome the resistance of the springs and bring the pins projections or
fingers in contact with the small rollers spheres or wedge pieces which are held
from falling and prevented from wedging and gripping or fastening the wheel to
the shaft or axle.
The fifth part of my invention relates to the mode of throwing in and out of
action a clutch similar to what is known as a continuous rotating silent clutch
when used as a semi-rotary reciprocating clutch receiving motion from pedals and
levers by means of straps, chains or the equivalents for the purpose of imparting
continuous rotary motion to a shaft or axle. For this purpose a disc notched or
serrated on a part of its periphery and forming teeth similar to the teeth of a
thick circular saw is fastened to a pulley which oscillates freely and receives
reciprocating circular motion by straps chains or equivalents. Fastened to the
shaft or axle is a circular box which envelopes and encircles the afore mentioned
disc without touching its internal periphery and rollers or spheres are loosely
inserted in the wedge like spaces formed by the depressions between the teeth and
the inner surface of the circular box. When this clutch arrangement is required to
be in action the partially serrated disc is so placed that the weight or gravitation
of the rollers or spheres causes them to fall between the inclines and the inner
circumference of the circular box which in consequence becomes locked while a
forward stroke is being made and released by the return backward movement.
throw the clutch out of action it is turned half round so that the inclines are
reversed and the rollers or spheres cannot become wedged.
To