Improvements in and connected with the Pedals of Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Pedals of Cycles.
I, MIKAEL PEDERSEN, of Kingsley House, Dursley, in the County of Gloucester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: —
My invention relates to the pedals of cycles and comprises the novel construc-
tion of the parts hereinafter described whereby I provide a pedal which is lighter
and less liable to injury than pedals as heretofore constructed.
My improved pedal has the bearing surface for the feet formed of a thin steel
plate bent at its centre, the two ends of the said plate being united to a cross bar
so that the pedal is of a somewhat triangular form in plan, the base of the
triangle being the said cross bar and the sides of the triangle the two bent sides
of the plate. At a point between the base of the triangle and the apex is another
cross bar parallel with the base bar, which serves to brace the two sides of the
pedal together.
These cross bars have in them circular races for anti-friction balls. The race
in what I term the base har is adapted to co-operate with the race on the pedal
or crank pin in such a manner that the weight is carried by the balls vertically.
In the cross bar or strut are preferably two races which are in the form of grooves
which co-operate with other grooves formed around the outer end of the crank
pin whereby the balls are also held above and below or vertically instead of
more or less at the sides as is the case when cups and cones are used.
In applying the pedal to the crank pin the balls are first placed in the bearing
in the base plate whilst the crank pin projects through the said bearing and after
the pedal has been pushed into position on the crank pin so as to confine these
balls, balls are introduced into the two sets of grooves of the bearing at the outer
end of the crank pin through holes provided for the purpose, the said balls by
engaging with both sets of grooves serving to prevent the pedal from becoming
detached.
Plugs or screws are provided for preventing the halls from falling out of the
said holes after they have been placed in position. The bent plate may be pro-
vided with teeth or rubber for affording a grip for the feet.
In order to prevent pedal or crank pins from becoming loose in the crank arms
I advantageously construct them in the following manner, that is to say, I form
a portion of the shank of the crank pin which enters the crank arm conical to
fit a corresponding hole in the crank arm and I make a screw-thread between the
conical portion and the end, this thread being made so that one side is inclined
more than the other and therefore longer from the root to the apex of the thread,
the inclination of this long side being opposite to that of the conical plain portion
of the crank pin.

page_text: I, MIKAEL PEDERSEN, formerly of Kingsley House, now of Raglan House,
Dursley, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the pedals of cycles and comprises the novel construc-
tion of the parts hereinafter described whereby I provide a pedal which is lighter
and less liable to injury than pedals as hereto constructed.
In the accompanying drawing:-
:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of a pedal constructed according to my invention.
and
Figure 2, is an elevation of the same:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-8 Figure 2:
Figure 4 is a sectional view of a detail drawn to an exaggerated scale.
A pedal constructed according to my invention has the bearing surface for the
feet formed of a thin steel plate a bent at the centre and united at the two ends
by rivetting or otherwise to a cross bar so that the pedal is of a somewhat
triangular form in plan, the base of the triangle being the cross bar and the
sides of the triangle the two sides of the bent plate a. At a point between the base
of the triangle and the apex is another cross bar e which serves to brace the
two sides of the pedal together the ends of the said cross bar being rivetted in
suitable apertures in the sides of the plate a.
The cross bars and have in them sockets or bosses d, e respectively bored
out to form ball races f, the said races being preferably shaped substantially
as shewn in Figure 3 so that the weight applied to the pedal is carried by the
balls vertically instead of more or less at the sides as is the case when cups and
cones are used.
As shewn the boss of the cross hare has in it two races g. 9 which co-operate
with corresponding grooves h, h in the crank pin i; if desired, however, one
race could be used.
In applying the pedal to the crank pin the pedal is held with the point or
apex downwards and then the outer end of the crank pin is inserted into the
boss d and whilst in this position the balls which run in the race f are inserted
between the said crank pin and the sides of the aperture in the said socket. The
balls having been thus placed in position the crank pin is pushed home so that
the end thereof with the two grooves, enters the socket c, balls are then intro-
duced into the two sets of grooves g. 7. h. h through holes provided in the
boss e, the said balls by engaging with the two sets of grooves serving to pre-
vent the pedal from becoming detached from the crank pin.
Plugs are provided for preventing the balls from falling out of the said
holes after they have been placed in position, the said plugs being fixed to the
cross bar by screws k, k. The edges of the plate upon which the feet of the
rider press are preferably provided with teeth for affording a grip for the feet
or if desired the plate a or the edges thereof may be covered with india-rubber.
In order to prevent the pedal or crank pin i from becoming loose in the crank
arm (which in the drawing is indicated by the letter !) I advantageously con-
struct them in the following manner, that is to say, I form a portion m of the
shank of the crank pin which enters the arm 7 conical to fit a corresponding
conical portion in the hole of the crank arm and I provide the portion of the
said shank between the conical portion m and the end of the pin with a screw

page_text: thread n.
The thread n is preferably of the section clearly shewn in Figure 4,
that is to say, the threads are preferably vertical on one side and inclined on
the other as I find that this arrangement affords a firmer hold than when the
usual V-shaped thread is employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to he performed I declare that what
I claim is: -
1. In a cycle pedal the combination of a bent steel plate, a cross bar uniting
the ends of the said plate, a second cross bar forming a strut between the sides
of the plate and sockets or bosses formed in the said cross bars and provided with
ball races, substantially as described.
2. In a cycle pedal the combination with a pedal formed of a bent plate united
at the ends by a cross bar and having a second cross bar forming a strut the said
cross bars being provided with sockets having ball races, of a crank pin intro-
duced through the said sockets, and balls which enter grooves partly in the crank
pin and partly in the sockets for preventing the pedal and crank pin from
becoming separated, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a treadle formed of a bent steel plate united at the
ends to a cross bar and having an intermediate cross bar forming a strut, and
sockets in the said cross bars having ball races formed in them, of a crank pin
held in engagement with the pedal by anti-friction balls, a conical portion on
the end of the said crank pin, a screw-thread vertical on one side and inclined
on the other and a crank arm provided with a hole having a tapering portion
and a thread adapted to receive the said end of the crank pin, substantially as
described.
4. The combination of a cycle pedal, sockets or bearings carried by the said
pedal and provided with ball races, a crank pin projecting into the said bearings
and having in it grooves corresponding with the ball race or races in one or both
of the said bearings, antifriction balls for locking the crank pin and pedal
together, a hole or holes formed in one or both of the bearings for allowing of
introducing the balls one at a time into the races, and means for closing the
said holes to confine the balls. substantially as described.
5. A pedal crank pin having the end which is fixed into the crank arm formed
with a taper portion and a screw-threaded portion, designed to enter an aperture
in the crank arm having corresponding taper and screw-threaded portions, sub-
stantially as described.
6. The manufacture and use of bicycle pedals, substantially in the manner
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.