Improvements in Gear for Driving Velocipedes, applicable also to other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1893-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear for Driving Velocipedes, applicable also to
other purposes.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HARRIS, of North End, Ipplepen, in the County of
Devon, Gentleman's Servant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention consists in an improved arrangement of gear designed, primiarily,
for driving velocipedes, but applicable also to other purposes, as, for instance, to
driving the screws or paddles of boats of the smaller class.
As applied to driving bicycles, each pedal is carried on a lever which is pivotted
on the axis of a spur wheel the teeth of which project inwards and gear with a
pinion the spindle of which is centred on the lever. A pawl engages with this pinion
and prevents it rotating during each down stroke of the lever, but permits it to rotate
on the up stroke. The pedal levers are so arranged that when one is up the other is
down and they are, with this object, connected by a wire or band carried across the
frame and over a pulley fixed thereon. On the axle of each of the large or road
wheels is keyed or otherwise rigidly fixed a pinion which gears with the spur wheel
aforesaid and transmits the motion from the latter to the road wheel.
Accordingly, the reciprocating or rocking motion of the pedal levers is, through
the spur wheel and pinions, converted into rotary motion of the driving wheel; and
dead centres for the pedal levers are thus obviated. A band brake is fitted on
the periphery of the spur wheel.
As applied to the propulsion of other kinds of velocipedes and of boats and other
vehicles, the arrangement is substantially the same as that herein before described;
the reciprocating or rocking motion of the pedal levers being converted into rotary
motion by means of spur wheels and pinions as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of March 1893.
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear for Driving Velocipedes, applicable also to
other purposes.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HARRIS, of North End, Ipplepen, in the County of
Devon, Gentleman's Servant, 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 consists in improved gear designed principally for driving
velocipedes, but applicable also to other purposes, as, for example, to driving the
screw or paddle shaft of a boat of the smaller class.
In the improved gear which constitutes this invention, rotary motion of the
driving shaft or spindle is obtained through the medium of a pair of reciprocating
levers which carry pinions gearing with spur wheels which latter gear also with
pinions keyed or otherwise secured on the driving shaft or spindle The levers
are connected by a wire, wire rope, band, strap, or the like. The pinions carried
by the levers are fitted with pawls so arranged as to prevent rotation of the said
pinions during each down stroke, and to leave them free to rotate during each up
stroke.

page_text: In the application of the gear to a bicycle, the pedals are secured to the recipro-
cating levers. The spur wheels are loosely centred on a spindle which is carried
in horizontal side bars constituting a part of the frame. The pinions centred on
the axle of the hind wheel of the machine are keyed or otherwise firmly fixed
thereon. The wire, wire rope, band or strap which couples the pedal levers is
passed over a pulley which may be carried on the diagonal tube to which the
saddle support is attached, or it may be suspended from the "back-bone.”
The
reciprocating motion of the pedal levers is, through the medium of the various
pinions and spur wheels, converted into rotary motion of the driving wheel. Dead
centres are obviated.
In the Provisional Specification left with my application for Letters Patent it is
stated, in describing the application of my invention to bicycles, that a pinion is
fixed on the axle of each of the large or road wheels. This statement is incorrect
so far as regards bicycles, but applies to the adaptation of the gearing to tricycles ;
there being in such machines a pinion on the axle of each of the two hind wheels,
as is hereinafter more particularly set forth.
66
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
the
Fig. 1 illustrates the application of my improved gear to a bicycle of the
safety" type. Keyed on the axle a of the hind or driving wheel are a pair of
pinions a' one of which only is seen as the other is behind it and is thereby hidden.
The pinions a' gear each with a separate spur wheels c (one only of which is seen
in the drawing) loosely centred on a spindle c¹ carried in slotted side bars d forming
part of the machine frame. Loosely centred on spindles e carried by the pedal
levers are pinions e'. The levers are pivotted and free to rock on the spindle c¹
of the spur wheels c and are coupled by
с
a wire, wire rope, band or strap g attached
to adjustable shackles g² and conducted over one of the pulleys h carried in a
bracket clamped to and adjustable on the diagonal tube i of the frame. The
pulley bracket may, however, be carried on the "back-bone." The stop block k
adjustable on the tube i fixes the limit of range of the pedal levers of one of
which is down when the other is up. During the down stroke of each lever
pinione which it carries is, by the action of a spring pawl 7 behind it locked and
is thus prevented from rotating. Consequently, the said pinion, acting upon the spur
wheel with which it engages, rotates it and the wheel bis rotated through the pinion a
at that side. When the end of the down stroke of the lever at that side is reached, the
said lever is returned upwards as the opposite lever descends, and the latter, in its
descent, cont.nues the rotation of the wheel b. The pawls do not lock the
pinions during the up stroke of the respective levers; and the said pinions e¹ are
carried up without imparting motion to the spur wheels c which rotate only on the
down stroke and thus impart between them continuous rotary motion to the driving
wheel b. The pinions a' are readily removed for substitution by others of different
diameter as may be desired for different speeds. The side bars d of the frame are,
as aforesaid, slotted, to permit alteration of the position of the spindle c¹ of the
spur wheels c. In descending an incline the driver's feet need not be removed from
the pedals of the levers which latter remain stationary during such descent.
Band brakes may be fitted to the spur wheels c.
C
At Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings is shown a side view, partly in section,
of a tricycle fitted with my improved driving gear.
Fig. 3 is a rear view. The spindle con which the spur wheels care loosely
centred is carried in hangers c² depending from the rear part c³ of the frame of the
machine. The spindle c may, however, be otherwise supported. The pulley hover
which the wire, wire rope, band or strap g, or the like, coupling the pedal levers f
is passed is hung from the back-bone. The stop block k which limits the upward
range of the levers fis adjustably carried on the arm k¹. The action is substan-
tially the same as herein before described with reference to bicycles, that is to say,
the reciprocating motion of the levers f is converted into rotary motion of the
driving wheels & through the pinions e¹ and a' and the spur wheels c.
A tricycle
thus fitted is prevented by the pawls from running backwards down a gradient

page_text: and is capable of being turned in a short space without liability to be overturned
and, as also above set forth with respect to a bicycle, the driver's feet need not be
removed from the pedals in descending an incline and are thus always in position
for re-commencing driving after such descent.
In the application of my improved gear to driving the screw or paddle shafts of
water velocipedes and like boats, the arrangement is substantially the same as
hereinabove described, with reference to bicycles and tricycles, it being understood
that reciprocating motion of levers such as f is, by means of pinions such as el
and a' acting through spur wheels such as c converted into rotary motion of the
driving wheels.
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 :-
Improved gear for driving bicycles, tricycles, and for other purposes;
said gear
consisting of a pair of pinions such as a' keyed on the shaft of the driving wheel or
wheels and gearing with a pair of spur wheels such as c centred in a suitable
frame, the said spur wheels c gearing with a pair of pinions such as e fitted with
pawls such as land centred on coupled reciprocating or rocking pedal levers
such as floosely pivotted on the spindle of the spur wheels and connected by a
wire, wire rope, strap or band passed over a suitable pulley such as h: the various
parts being so set and arranged that rotation of the spur wheels in one and the
same direction, that is in the proper direction for propulsion of the machine, is
effected through the pedal levers acting on each spur wheel alternately through
the pinions e' locked by the pawls on the down stroke to rotate the spur wheels c,
and free to turn without rotating the spur wheels on the up stroke, substantially
as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of June 1893.
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Chartered Patent Agent.