Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other similar Carriages
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th July, 1895-Accepted, 17th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other similar Carriages.
1, REUBEN CORSHAM of 69 Skinner Street, Bishopsgate in the City of
London Copying Machine Maker do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain arrangements of the driving gear for bicycles,
tricycles and other similar carriages in which the rotatory motion is imparted to
the driving shaft by means of the hands instead of by the feet.
For this purpose I mount the driving shaft on the upper part of the frame of
the machine or carriage in such a position that the rider seated on the saddle can
conveniently reach and operate crank handles by which the said driving shaft is
rotated. On the aforesaid driving shaft is mounted a chain-wheel over which
passes the usual endless driving chain which takes on to the chain wheel on the
driving road-wheel so that as the driving shaft is rotated by the hands of the rider
the motion is transmitted to the driving road-wheel or wheels in much the same
manner as it is at present communicated from the driving shaft by foot power
applied to treadles.
Instead of the power being transmitted from the driving shaft to the driving
road-wheel or wheels by means of a chain and chain wheels, it may be communi-
cated by any other suitable means, as for example by means of bevil or helical
gear and a side shaft; or by means of connecting rods taking on to cranks placed
at right angles to each other on the driving shaft and on the axle of the wheel to
be driven.
The above method of driving may be used alone or in combination with the
usual pedal driving-gear actuated by the feet, and the steering may be effected by
the bands, or by the feet, by any suitable mechanism adapted for that purpose.
Dated this 15th day of October 1894.
R. CORSHAM,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, Agent.
Improvements in or connected with the Driving Gear of Bicycles,
Tricycles, and other similar Carriages.
I, REUBEN CORSHAM, of 69 Skinner Street, Bishopsgate, in the City of
London, Copying Machine Maker, 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 relates to certain arrangements of the driving gear for bicycles,
tricycles, and other similar carriages, in which the rotatory motion is imparted to
the driving-shaft by means of the hands instead of by the feet.
For this purpose I mount the driving-shaft on the upper part of the machine or
carriage in such a position that the rider seated on the saddle can conveniently
reach and operate with his hands crank-handles by which the said driving-shaft is

page_text: rotated. On the aforesaid driving-shaft is mounted a chain-wheel over which
passes the usual endless driving-chain which takes on to the chain-wheel on the
shaft or axle of the driving road-wheel, so that as the driving-shaft is rotated by
the hands of the rider the motion is transmitted to the driving road-wheel or
wheels in much the same manner as it is at present communicated from the driving-
shaft by foot-power applied to pedals.
The accompanying drawing illustrates in a diagrammatic form various ways
in which my invention may be applied to a tricycle. A is the driving shaft
mounted in suitable bearings in the bracket B fitted to the frame C of the
machine. A is a hand-wheel capable of being rotated by the hands of the rider
by means of the handles A³. An endless chain D, or other similar driving
device, passes over the wheel A¹ and communicates motion to the driving road-
wheels E. Or, if preferred, a chain or other similar driving device D₁ may
communicate motion to the front wheel G, in which case the driving-shaft A and
hand-wheel A may be mounted in suitable bearings in the upper part of the
steering-fork F (as shown in dotted lines), so as to allow the parts to move
together when steering.
In the before-described arrangements the machine would be driven by hand-
power alone, but if it is required to use hand-power in combination with the
usual pedal driving-gear actuated by the feet, the driving-shaft A may be con-
nected with the axle of the driving road-wheels E by the chain D as herain before
described, and the pedal-shaft H may also be connected with the axle of the
driving road-wheels E in the usual manner by the chain J. Or the driving-shaft A
may be connected direct with the pedal-shaft H by the chain D3, the pedal-
shaft H being connected with the axle of the driving road-wheel E by the chain J
as before.
It will be obvious that instead of the power being transmitted from the driving
shaft A to the wheels E or G, or to the pedal-shaft H by means of chains D, D', D³,
and their corresponding chain-wheels, it may be communicated by means of bevil
or helical gear and side-shafts, or by means of connecting-rods taking on to
cranks placed at right angles to each other on the driving-shaft and on the axle of
the wheel to be driven, or by any other suitable means.
The steering of the machine or carriage may be effected by the hands or by
the feet by any suitable mechanism adapted for that purpose, and suitably arranged
according to the particular means employed as hereinbefore described for driving
the machine or carriage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In driving-gear for bicycles, tricycles, and other similar carriages, the
-employment of a driving-shaft with means for communicating motion therefrom to
the driving road-wheel or wheels by hand-power applied to the said driving-shaft,
substantially as described.
Second. In driving-gear for bicycles, tricycles, and other similar carriages, the
employment of a driving-shaft with means for communicating motion therefrom to
the driving road-wheel or wheels by hand in combination with means for communi-
cating motion to the driving road-wheel or wheels by the feet, substantially as
described.
Dated th
Dated DIS
R. CORSHAM,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.