Improvements in or relating to the Application of Motive Power to Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, Eth April, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Application of Motive Power
to Cycles.
I, EDWARD JOEL PENNINGTON, of the Hotel Metropole, in. the County of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the application of motive power to cycles, and I will
describe it as involving the application of an oil engine to a safety bicycle, though
other forms of engine may be employed if desired.
One of the primary objects of the invention is to enable motive power to be
applied to a cycle, in this case a safety bicycle of ordinary construction, without
necessarily altering the construction of the bicycle, although the frames may be
specially constructed if desired.
According to the present invention I provide a suitable motive power engine,
preferably one of the Pennington type of oil engines, with any desired number of
cylinders, by preference four, so as to reduce vibration. The engine is carried by or
upon a suitable platform or frame, which may or may not be of tubular construction,
and adapted to be clamped or otherwise firmly connected with the existing framing
of the bicycle by suitable clamps, brackets or the like. The actual fastening devices
may with advantage consist of bolts with wing nuts, which can be easily undone, but
ordinary nuts may be employed or other suitable joints, as, for example, split
couplings with nuts to join them, may be used. Or again, permanent connections
may be provided upon the frame of the bicycle, with which the engine frame may be
connected; for instance, tubular projections or sockets into which portions of the
engine frame may be fitted and secured by bayonet or other joints, or the sockets
may be split and secured by nuts as before described, or independent bolts and nuts
may be used. It is intended to apply the power of the engine to the front or steering
wheel of the bicycle, and for this purpose one of two plans may be adopted; either
the engine may be rigidly secured to the frame as above described, in which case
some accommodation must be provided to allow of the sideways movements of the
steering wheel, without disorganizing or putting out of alignment connections between
the engine and the wheel, or the engine connections may be made to the handle bar or
steering fork, so that the whole engine will move with the steering wheel, and thus
keep the connecting parts in proper alignment. Where the engine moves with the
steering fork, ordinary driving mechanism such as bands and pulleys or chain and
chain wheels, may be employed, but where the engine is fixed, special accommodation
is needed, perhaps the most convenient arrangement being to pivot an idle pulley at
each side of the fork, and employ a chain or band which would drive the road wheel
from both sides of the hub, the band being continuous from one side of the hub over
the idle pulley or pulleys at one side of the fork, from there to the engine, from the
engine to the other side of the fork and so down to the other side of the hub or road
wheel. By these means the movements of the steering fork would accommodate
themselves, as where the driving band was slackened by the movement upon one
side, it would be correspondingly tightened by the movement in the opposite
direction upon the other. Or other compensating devices may be employed. In all
cases the road wheel may be driven from both sides if preferred.
Instead of driving the road wheel by the intervention of bands, etc., the driving

page_text: may be from the engine shaft by means of preferably a rubber-covered pulley or
wheel in direct contact with the tyre of the road wheel, the gearing down of the
engine, if that be necessary, being conveniently provided by the relatively small
diameter of the driving pulley on the engine shaft. Another way of driving with the
engine upon the fixed portion of the framework of the bicycle is to employ upon the
engine shaft, or upon an intermediate shaft driven by the engine, a pulley of con-
siderable length, so that the road wheel would always bear upon its surface, even when
turned sideways for steering purposes, and the axle of this long pulley or the whole
engine could be pivotted so as to turn to the necessary extent, and always in harmony
with the steering fork, so as to keep the various parts in suitable alignment.
The oil reservoir and sparking battery may be connected with the frame or handle
bars or engine in any convenient manner, flexible or other accommodation devices
being provided if needed.
TL 1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Application of Motive Power
to Cycles.
I, EDWARD JOEL PENNINGTON, formerly of The Hotel Metropole, in the County of
London, now of The Motor Mills, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, 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 the application of motive power to cycles, and I will
describe it as involving the application of an oil engine to a safety bicycle, though
other forms of engine may be employed as desired.
One of the primary objects of the invention is to enable motive power to be applied
to a cycle, in this case a safety bicycle of ordinary construction, without necessarily
altering the construction of the bicycle, although the frames may be specially
constructed if desired.
According to the present invention I provide a suitable motive power engine,
preferably one of the Pennington type of oil engine, with any desired number of
.cylinders by preference four, so as to reduce vibration. The engine is carried by or
upon a suitable platform or frame, which may or may not be of tubular construction,
and adapted to be clamped or otherwise firmly connected with the existing framing
of the bicycle by suitable clamps, brackets or the like. The actual fastening devices
may with advantage consist of bolts with wing nuts, which can be easily undone but
ordinary nuts may be employed or other suitable joints as for example, split couplings
with nuts to join them, may be used. Or again, permanent connections may be
provided upon the frame of the bicycle, with which the engine frame may be
connected; for instance, tubular projections or sockets into which portions of the
engine frame may be fitted, and secured by bayonet or other joints, or the sockets may be
split and secured by nuts as before described, or independent bolts and nuts may be
used. It is intended to apply the power of the engine to the front or steering wheel
of the bicycle and for this purpose one of two plans may be adopted; either the
engine may be rigidly secured to the frame as above described in which case some
accommodation must be provided to allow of the sideways movements of the steering
wheel, without disorganizing or putting out of alignment connections between the
engine and the wheel, or the engine connections may be made to the handle bar or
steering fork, so that the whole engine will move with the steering wheel, and thus

page_text: keep the connecting parts in proper alignment. Where the engine moves with the
steering fork ordinary driving mechanism such as bands and pulleys or chain and
chain wheels, may be employed, but where the engine is fixed, special accommodation
is needed, perhaps the most convenient arrangement being that which is hereinafter
described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Instead of driving the road wheel by the intervention of bands etc., the driving
may be from the engine shaft by means of preferably a rubber-covered pulley or wheel
in direct contact with the tyre of the road wheel, the gearing down of the engine, if
that be necessary, being conveniently provided by the relatively small diameter of
the driving pulley on the engine shaft. Another way of driving with the engine upon
the fixed portion of the framework of the bicycle is to employ upon the engine shaft
or upon an intermediate shaft driven by the engine a pulley of considerable length so
that the road wheel would always bear upon its surface even when turned sideways for
steering purposes, and the axle of this long pulley or the whole engine could be
pivotted so as to turn to the necessary extent, and always in harmony with the
steering fork, so as to keep the various parts in suitable alignment.
The oil reservoir and sparking battery may be connected with the frame or
handle bars or engine in any convenient manner, flexible or other accommodation
devices being provided if needed.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 show arrangements in which the engine turns with the steering
wheel of the bicycle, while in Fig. 3 the engine is secured to the rigid frame, two
methods of driving being shown, one upon the steering wheel, and the other upon the
back driving wheel of the bicycle. Figure 4 shows an alternative construction of
driving gear, operated by an engine, secured as in Fig. 3 to the frame, and not turning
with the handle-bar.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
I will first describe Fig. 1. A represents the engine, which as already explained,
may be of any convenient description, but is preferably a four-cylinder Pennington
oil motor carried in or forming part of a framework A', the upper portion of which is
secured as at A2 to the steering handle bar of the bicycle, while the lower portion is
secured as at A³ to the crown of the steering fork. By this means it will be seen that
the motor turns with the steering wheel and no accommodation need be provided as
between the engine and the road wheel of the bicycle. B is the cistern or reservior
for the oil by which the engine is driven.
If an electric igniting device be employed-which I prefer-it may be carried in
a suitable case upon any desired part of the frame of the machine or engine and
connected up in the usual manner.
Upon the steering road wheel C of the bicycle is fixed a grooved ring C¹. around
which, and a correspondingly grooved pulley A upon the engine shaft, a preferably
round leather or similar driving belt D is passed.
In this and other applications clutches inay be provided when required, so as not
to interfere with the running of the bicycle should the engine not be at work. Also
means inay be provided for slackening or tightening the belt D.
In Fig. 2 the general arrangement is similar but the belt D is dispensed with, the
fly-wheel of the engine, if small enough, or preferably a special pulley E of suitable
diameter engaging the tyre of the road wheel C of the bicycle and thus driving it by
frictional contact. Where a special small diameter pulley is used I prefer to place
the fly-wheel of the engine at one side of the bicycle overlapping it so that I may
use a fly-wheel of a diameter suitable to the capacity of the engine. The arrows in
the drawing show which way the wheels revolve. In this case it is desirable that the
frame A should be so arranged as to allow of the engine being moved up or down so
as to place it in contact or out of contact. It is not necessary to describe any special
apparatus for effecting this as many suitable arrangements will readily present
themselves.
In this case also the engine is secured to the turning parts of the steering fork so
as to turn with the wheel as the machine is steered.

page_text: In Fig. 3 the engine A is shown fixed by the frame A' to the fixed frame of the
bicycle so that the engine does not turn from side to side as the machine is
steered.
As described in my Provisional Specification a driving belt may be employed
passing around pulleys on both sides of the bicycle wheel and around idle pulleys and
also the engine shaft, as hereinafter described, but reference will first be made to the
device illustrated in full lines in Fig. 3. This consists of an idle wheel F carried in a
fork or framing F1 which may be pivotted either concentrically or eccentrically to
the engine shaft upon the engine fraine, and controlled by a suitable lever G, by
which means it may be brought into contact with both the bicycle wheel C and the
engine fly-wheel, or a special wheel or pulley E upon the engine shaft, in which case
when the engine works it will drive the bicycle wheel as before.
In the drawing the idle wheel F is shown in contact with both wheels in full lines
and out of contact with both wheels in dotted lines; in this case the fork F1 would be
pivotted eccentrically to the engine shaft.
The pulley F may be cylindrical, but I prefer that it should be increased in
diameter towards its ends, so that it may still remain in working contact with the
wheel C even if the latter in the process of steering be turned considerably to either
side.
In Fig. 3 I have also shown a belt D driving on to a grooved pulley H' upon the
back road wheel H of the bicycle and a corresponding pulley upon the engine shaft.
This belt may be cased in where necessary, so as to keep it clear of the rider and out
of harm's way.
This arrangement may be employed either with or without the arrangement for
driving on to the steering wheel of the bicycle; the pulley H' will preferably be upon
the side of the wheel H opposite to that upon which the usual chain and pedal
driving gear is fitted.
In Figure 4 in which the motor A is fixed to the main framing of the cycle so
that it does not move with the handle bar or fork when these parts are turned in the
steering of the vehicle, D is an endless chain or band which passes in the course
indicated in the drawings around pulleys C¹ secured at opposite ends of the hub of
the steering wheel C, being led over a pulley A on the engine shaft and over an idle
pulley J or pulleys carried at the head of the fork and moving with it; the
distance between the pulley A' and the pulleys C¹ being considerable in proportion
to the diameter of the pulleys the slight angular movement imparted by the fork in
steering to the pulleys C¹, shifting them slightly out of the plane of the pulley A+,
will not interfere with the proper working of the band D or cause it to ride out of its
proper position on the pulleys.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with a bicycle of a motor driving the steering wheel.
2. The combination with a bicycle of a motor driving both the road wheels, one
of them the steering wheel of a bicycle.
3. The combination with a bicycle of a motor and attachments substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3 or Figure 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with a bicycle of a motor driving the steering wheel of the
bicycle and turning therewith in the operation of steering.
Dated this 2nd day of Anvil 1807
EDWARD JOEL PENNINGTON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.