Improvements in Pedals for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pedals for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT MICHAEL ADAMS, of 64, Upper Villiers Street,
Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Continental Commercial Traveller, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to pedals for bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes
and the said improvements are chiefly designed firstly to enable the bicycle or
other velocipede with which my improved pedals are used to occupy less space
when packed for transport or at other times when not in use, and secondly to
enable the pedals or one of them to be locked in such a position that the bicycle
or other velocipede could not be ridden or only ridden with great difficulty, thus
preventing the velocipede being stolen or ridden surreptitiously. My invention
also embraces further improvements in the said pedals as herein set forth.
In a pedal constructed according to this invention the crank pin on which the
pedal revolves does not extend through both pedal plates as is usual but only
through that plate which is nearer to the crank. This plate is made thicker
than usual so as to form a double ball bearing on the crank pin, or a single
row or more than two rows of balls may be used, or the bearing may be made
plain. A frame, forming the rat-trap or other pedal proper on which the foot
bears when the pedal is in use, is hinged or jointed to the said plate which revolves
on the crank pin so that the said frame can either be turned up parallel with the
crank or the frame can be turned to a position at right angles to the crank which
is the position occupied by the pedal when in use. Suitable stops prevent the said
frame or pedal proper being turned too far in either direction. The said pedal
plate is or may be formed as a lock, that is to say it may contain a bolt (to be
operated by a key) and suitable mechanism for retaining the bolt in either its
locked or unlocked positions the said bolt being adapted to engage with the said
frame or pedal proper and retain it in either position. The said revolving pedal
plate is by preference counterbalanced so that it will always hang on the crank pin
with the proper side of the pedal presented to the rider's foot.
The said frame or pedal proper can very conveniently be made of two arms con-
nected together by one or more cross bars and hinged or jointed to the ends of the
said revolving plate, each of the said arms having a quadrant slot in which pins on
the said plate engage and thus form stops to prevent the said frame or pedal proper
being turned too far in either direction.
When the pedals are turned up parallel with the cranks as above described
the bicycle or other velocipede occupies less room than when the cranks are
extended ready for use and by locking the pedals in their said former position
the machine is safe as it would then be impossible or very difficult to ride it.
Dated this 12th day of January 1891.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pedals for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT MICHAEL ADAMS, of 64, Upper Villiers Street,
Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Continental Commercial Traveller, 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 has reference to pedals for bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes
and the said improvements are chiefly designed firstly to enable the bicycle or
other velocipede with which my improved pedals are used to occupy less space
when packed for transport or at other times when not in use, and secondly to
enable the pedals or one of them to be locked in such a position that the bicycle
or other velocipede could not be ridden or only ridden with great difficulty, thus
preventing the velocipede being stolen or ridden surreptitiously. My invention also
embraces further improvements in the said pedals as herein set forth.
In a pedal constructed according to this invention the crank pin on which the
pedal revolves does not extend through both pedal plates as is usual but only
through that plate which is nearer to the crank. This plate is made thicker than
usual so as to form a double ball bearing on the crank pin, or a single row or more
than two rows of balls may be used, or the bearing may be made plain. A frame
forming the rat-trap or other pedal proper on which the foot bears when the pedal
is in use, is hinged or jointed to the said plate which revolves on the crank pin so
that the said frame can either be turned up parallel with the crank or the frame
can be turned to a position at right angles to the crank which is the position
occupied by the pedal when in use. Suitable stops prevent the said frame or pedal
proper being turned too far in either direction. The said revolving pedal plate is
by preference counterbalanced so that it will always hang on the crank pin with
the proper side of the pedal presented to the rider's foot.
The said frame or pedal proper can very conveniently be made of two arms con-
nected together by one or more cross bars and hinged or jointed to the ends of the
said revolving plate, each of the said arms having a quadrant slot in which pins on
the said plate engage and thus forms stops to prevent the said frame or pedal proper
being turned too far in either direction.
The accompanying drawings illustrate what I consider to be the best way for
carrying my invention into practice but it is to be understood that my said invention
is not limited to the precise details shewn.
Fig. 1 represents in side elevation a rat-trap pedal constructed according to this
invention, Fig. 2 is an end view and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same; Fig. 4 is a
sectional plan of the same and Fig. 5 shews the same pedal turned up against the
crank when not in use; Fig. 6 represents in side elevation a rubber pedal con-
structed according to this invention; Fig. 7 is a plan and Fig. 8 an end view of the
same; Figs. 9 and 10 shew how a pedal which is made to turn up against the crank
can when in that position be locked to the crank so as to secure the velocipede as
hereinafter described.
A is one of the usual cranks of the velocipede and B is the crank pin fixed
thereto and, on which the pedal turns, this crank pin extending only through the
pedal plate C which it will be seen is made thicker and with a longer bearing than
usual so as to prevent the pedal shaking on the crank pin. This bearing is by
preference made with two rows of balls d' d' which run in corresponding recesses
in each side of the pedal plate C (see Fig. 4) between the fixed collar band the
adjustable locking nute of the crank pin B. I make no claim in respect of this
ball bearing as it is of a kind commonly used in other revolving parts of velocipedes,
nor do I restrict myself to this particular form of bearing as any other kind of

page_text: bearing may be used. F¹ F' is the frame forming the rat-trap or other pedal
proper on which the foot bears when the pedal is in use and which according
to this invention is hinged or jointed to the pedal plate C so that the frame F¹ F
can either be turned up against the crank A (see Figs. 5, 9 and 10) or, as
shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 the frame F1 F* can be turned to a position
at right angles to the crank A which is the position occupied by the pedal when
in use.
The frame or pedal proper F1 F' is by preference made of two sheet steel
arms FF connected together by the cross bars 9 and h and jointed by the
screws to the ends of the revolving plate C these screws constituting the
centre about which the. pedal can be turned as above described. The pins
fixed in the ends of the plates C and engaging in the quadrant slots k in the
arms F F form stops to prevent the pedal proper turning about the pins 11 1
too far in either direction. The lower part of the pedal plate C which when
the pedal is in use hangs below the centre of the crank pin B is by preference as
shewn made heavy enough to counterbalance the portion of the pedal plate and
the frame F F which are above the centre of the crank pin B, so that the pedal
plate C will always hang on the crank pin with the proper side of the pedal pre-
sented to the rider's foot as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8.
In the pedal shewn by Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the india rubber treads n' n³ are secured
in dovetailed grooved plates o' which are rivetted or otherwise fixed to the upper
edges of the arms F1 F; or the rubber treads can be fixed to the pedal proper in
any other convenient manner, the fixing of these rubber treads forming no part of
this invention.
When the pedals are turned up parallel with the cranks as above described and
shewn in Figs. 5, 9 and 10 the bicycle or other velocipede occupies less room than
when the pedals are extended ready for use, and by locking the pedals in their said
former position the machine is safe as it would then be impossible or very difficult
to ride it.
This locking of the pedal to the crank when turned up against the same can
easily be done by an ordinary padlock the shackle of which engages with the pedal
and with the crank, for instance as shewn in Figs. 9 and 10 where a hasp / is
jointed to the upright projecting piece ¹ of the crossbar h, this hasp embracing
the crank as shewn in Figs 9 and 10 and being secured to the other projecting
piece of the cross bar by the shackle of a padlock in which passes through both
and thus locks the pedal to the crank.
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 :-
The herein described improved construction of velocipede pedal in which the
crank pin extends through only one of the pedal plates and the pedal frame or
tread is hinged or jointed to that pedal plate so as to be capable of being either
turned up against the crank or in a position at about right angles thereto ready for
use, the said pedal plate being either counterbalanced so as to always present the
proper side of the pedal to the rider's foot or not so counterbalanced, substantially
as herein before set forth.
Dated this 12th day of October 1
1001
•
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEI,
Agent for the Applicant.