Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1896-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, PIERRE TISSIER of 9 Avenue Beaucour, Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to bicycles and other velocipedes and it has for its object
to use an improved driving gear instead of the usual chain gear.
In carrying out my invention I fit on the axle of the driving wheel two pinions,
one at each side, whose teeth mesh with internal teeth on two larger gear
wheels mounted preferably on studs fitted at each side of the frame. Mounted on
a fixed pivot secured to each large wheel is a long pedal lever having the pedal
at its front end and a small roller at its back end. Each roller runs in horizontal
guides secured to the back of the frame.
The arrangement is such that the pedals, as they are operated by the feet of the
rider, move the levers up and down and thereby cause the large gear_wheels_to
revolve and turn the pinions and driving wheel at an increased speed. The pedal
levers at each stroke move horizontally as well as vertically, the rollers at their
rear ends which serve as fulcrums running in the guides, and, as a consequence, the
pedals traverse an elliptical path.
With this construction of gearing not only is the use of a chain with its many
drawbacks obviated, but, while the pedals move slower than usual a large increase
of speed is obtained with the machine.
The parts of the gearing can be made to any suitable or desired proportions.
The invention can be applied to any form of velocipede.
Dated this 1st day of October 1895.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
improvements in verocipedes.
1 PIERRE TISSIER, Engineer of 5 bis Rue Vallier à Levallois-Perret, in the
Republic of France 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 for improvements in velocipedes has for its object to provide an
improved driving mechanism for cycles consisting of two co-axial crown wheels
gearing into two internal pinions fixed on the opposite sides of the hub of the
driving wheel and operated by a crank pin on a pedal lever carrying the pedal
at one end and guided in a definite course at the other end.
In the annexed drawing:-
Fig. 1 shows a side view of a cycle according to our system.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the driving wheel and the parts controlling it.
Fig. 3. is a diagram of the elliptical movement of the pedals compared with
the circular movement for the same useful effect.

page_text: The crown wheels having, teeth or rollers, each receive their rotating movement
by means of a lever A, B, acting like a crank.
The extremity A carries the pedal; its other extremity B carries a roller
running in a groove D E formed by the tubes of the frame, the point C on the
lever is attached to the crank pin fixed on the crown wheel.
The curve described by each pedal at the point A results from the circular
movement of the crank pin C and the straight movement of the roller at the point B
in the groove D E.
The accompanying drawing shows a bicycle having a driving wheel 70 cm.
(28 inches) in diameter, and steering wheel 75 cm. (30 inches) in diameter; the
crown wheels are 16 cm. in diameter and the pinions 6 cm., a proportion which
gives a multiplication up to 6 m. 05 cm. or nearly 75 inches.
The levers A B are 52 cm. long, the crank pin fixed on each lever is at 17 cmn.
from the point B, that is about one third of its total length, the cranks are 55 mm.
and the groove D E double the length of the crank viz. 0.110 mm.
These proportions may be varied at will and the ellipse may be more or less
open without changing the result, retaining however 0.34 cm. or 13 inches for the
Jonger axis of the ellipse corresponding to the ordinary diameter of the chain
driven cycles.
The diagram shows the curve (ellipse) given by the above mentioned proportions
it amounts to 0.750 mm. whilst the circular length for the same useful effect
amounts to 1 m. 067 mm. being a difference of 0.317 mm. in favour of the elliptical
inovement.
The arrangement of the mechanism acts alternately on the right and left of
the driving wheel and gives thereto a normal propulsion.
The cycle the distance between the wheels of which is only 10 cm. gives a
decrease in total length of at least 0.30 cm. as compared with the chain cycle;
eight is from 10 to 12 kilogrammes.
This system of extreme simplicity enables a cycle to be produced having
0.30 cin. less length, it dispenses with the chain and its numerous inconveniences
and reduces the pedals in a proportion which varies between a third and a quarter
of the length travelled for the same useful effect an advantage which gives a
considerable increase in speed.
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.
1. Gearing for a cycle consisting of co-axial crown wheels, of pinions fixed on
the opposite sides of the driving wheel and gearing into the crown wheels, of pedal
levers each carrying at one end a pedal and guided in a definate course at the
other end and operating the crown wheel, substantially as described.
2. The improvements in velocipedes substantially as described with reference
to the drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, Loudon, W.C., Agents.