Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, FRÉDÉRIC MALFAIT of 14, Rue de Paradis, Paris, France, Clockmaker,
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 :-
My improvements relate more particularly to a tricycle having two front steering
wheels and a rear driving wheel actuated through connecting rods and cranks so
disposed as to give ease of driving and avoid dead points.
The particular arrangement and combination of the various parts of the machine
are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein Figure 1 represents a side elevation and Figure a plan
of the tricycle. Figure 3 shews a diagram of the treadle motion. Figure 4 is a
detail.
a a are the steering wheels, the driving wheel, e the frame, and d d the driving
wheel fork. e is the driving wheel axle, ff the cranks, gg connecting rods!coupled
thereto and respectively coupled to the arms of rock levers i pivoted to the
frame at the other arms of said rock levers being coupled by rods & to the ends
of the corresponding treadle levers 1 pivoted at their front ends to a cross-head
carried by a forward extension m of the frame c.
In operation the depression of the treadle (represented by the full line in Figure 3)
rocks the lever i causing arm and connecting rod g to move backward, turning the
crank in the direction of the arrow until it arrives at the diametrically-opposite
point. The other treadle (represented by the dotted line) will then be at its
highest position and will act in its turn to complete the rotation of the driving
wheel band so on.
It will be seen that there is no dead point, as the treadle mechanism represented
in full lines is in its highest position, while the other set (represented in dotted
lines) is in its lowest position which corresponds to its dead point; but as at this
precise moment the first mentioned set has already passed its dead point it will
carry the other set over its dead point and conversely.
The steering wheels a are guided in parallel directions by the steering handle p
acting through the lever arm and coupling links jointed to qat s and at t to
arms on the axes of brackets u forwardly curved at their lower extremities to which
are jointed forwardly projecting arms v carried by the steering wheel axes which
are situated to the rear of the plane of the axes about which the brackets u pivot
so that as the steering wheels are guided to right or left the centre of gravity will
be thrown towards the centre of curvature of the track, thus preventing upsetting.
To prevent jolting, the joints between u and u are loose and strong springs a are
introduced between these parts, as shewn, so as to maintain their proper relative
position whilst permitting free vertical play of the wheel axles with regard to
brackets u.
2
Instead of simple footboards for pedals, I may use the ordinary pivoted pedals,
as shewn in Figure 4, mounted by a sliding or an oscillating adjustment on
the pedal levers so as to permit of the length of stroke of the pedals being
varied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a velocipede having a central rear driving wheel, the combination, with
said wheel, of the cranks ✓ connecting rods g rock levers i links k and treadle

page_text: 2. In the herein described driving gear for velocipedes, the rock levers i
mounted as specified and serving to transmit motion from the pedals to the cranks,
as specified.
"
3. In a velocipede, the herein described parallel motion steering gear consisting of
the parallel steering wheels having their axes mounted in brackets pivoting about
axes in a plane in advance of the wheel axes so that as the wheels are inclined the
centre of gravity is thrown towards the centre of curvature of the track and
upsetting prevented, as specified.
4. In the herein described parallel steering gear for velocipedes, the combination;
with the forwardly curved pivoted brackets u the arms a jointed thereto and fixed to
the wheel axles, of the springs a applied as described to maintain the proper relative
position of the parts and and afford an elastic support, substantially as
specified.
F. MALFAIT....
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
i