AN IMPROVED VELOCIPEDE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bate, of Wandsworth Road, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED VELOCIPEDE."
HENRY BATE, of Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey. "AN IMPROVED
VELOCIPEDE."
The novelty of this Invention consists in constructing bicicles with an additional
or intervening fly wheel suitably mounted between the usual driving and small
running wheel, so as not to tuch the ground, around the circumference of which one
or two endless bands are employed to work within corresponding grooved wheels
of smaller dimensions on the sides of the ordinary driving wheel for giving greater
rapidity of revolution thereto, and enable the rider (by sitting immediately over the
fly wheel and working it round by the cranks and treadles attached to the same) to
travel at the usual or an increased speed and with less fatigue than by other
systeins in use; double fly wheels on the same spindle may be employed to admit a
portion of the front wheel between them or otherwise arranged for the rider to sit
with his face or back to the driving wheels as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Bate in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th March 1877.
HENRY BATE, of Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey. "AN IMPROVED
VELOCIPEDE."
The novelty of this Invention consists in constructing bicycles with an additional
or intervening fly wheel suitably mounted between the usual driving and small
running wheels so as not to touch the ground, around the circumference of which
one or two endless bands are employed to work within corresponding grooved
[Price 6d1

page_text: wheels of smaller dimensions on the sides of the ordinary driving wheel for giving
greater rapidity of revolution thereto and enabling the rider by sitting immediately
over the fly wheel and working it round by the cranks and treadles attached to the
same, to travel at the usual or an increased speed and with less fatigue than by
other systems in use. Double fly wheels on the same spindle may also be employed
to admit a portion of the front wheel between them, or otherwise arranged for the
rider to sit with his face or back to the driving wheel as required; and in order
that my said Invention may be properly understood I will now describe the same
with reference to and by aid of the annexed Drawings.
This Invention, as before stated, has for its object the constructing of bicycles so
as to give them increased speed and with a less rapid movement of the feet of the
rider by means of the addition of a fly wheel and one or more small grooved
wheels fixed to the side or sides of the running wheel on the peripheries of which
an endless band is made to work, thus causing the running wheel to revolve with
a velocity commensurate with the relative sizes in circumference of the fly wheel
or wheels and the small wheels alluded to.
Figure 1 in the annexed Drawing shows the principle as carried out in an
extended form; a, a, is the fly wheel operated on immediately by the feet of the rider
thro' the instrumentality of the treadles b, cranks c, and spindles d.
e, e, is the
endless band revolving round the peripheries of the wheels a and f, the latter of
which being fixed to the running wheel g, g, of course causes it to revolve with the
same speed as itself or wheel f, which being smaller than the fly wheel a rotates
with a speed proportioned to their relative sizes as stated. h, h, h, is the backbone ;
, i, a fixed connecting rod, there-being-one on each side to keep the wheels a and f
in a direct line, in order that the band e, e, may always be kept in a true and
straight direction to work in the grooves placed for that purpose in their peri-
pheries. is a portion of the steering apparatus, being the handles and connecting
rod to guide or steer the front wheel k. Here the handles act by the usual move-
ment on the upright 1, being fixed to a spindle working in a socket or otherwise to
give motion to the reins m, m, which again work the steering head n through the
projecting pieces o, o; p is the spring, and q the saddle; r is the step, which is here
placed in a more convenient position for mounting than can be obtained in the
ordinary bicycle. s is the front fork, and t the fork of fly wheel.
Figure 2. In this Figure all the parts contained in Fig. 1 exist except the fly
wheel fork, the connecting rods, and the reins, but they are differently arranged,
being so to speak transposed, and the machine is thereby rendered more compact
and in appearance more nearly resembling the ordinary bicycle now in use. I will
now proceed to describe Figure 2.
The fly wheel a, a, is fixed to the central spindle or axis d, which latter being forced
round by the treadles and cranks cause the fly wheel to revolve with it, and this
through the instrumentality of the endless band e, e, which is guided by the roller
y operates on the small wheelf, causing it also to revolve, receiving as it does in the
groove in its periphery the same endless band, which wheelf being firmly fixed to the
Jarge or running wheel g, g, carries it around with itself. In order to enable it to
do this it will be understood that while the dy wheel is fixed to the central spindle
pin or axis as described, the running wheel g, and of course the smaller wheel f
attached to it, merely revolve round the said axis, and have no attachment to it
whatever, but could be slipped off and on at pleasure were they not kept in situ by
the front fork and cranks. The endless band having traversed the periphery of the
small wheel fis directed back again through the means of the roller z on to the fly
wheel a, and thus a continued revolution of all the wheels in the same direction is
maintained, the large running or travelling wheel rotating with an increased
velocity beyond the fly wheel a commensurate with the difference in the circum-
ference of the several wheels a and f.
It will be seen that in Fig. 1 the back of the rider is towards the large travelling
or running wheel g, while in Figure 2 his face is towards it, as is the case with the
ordinary bicycle. It is not found desirable to employ double fly wheels, as alluded

page_text: to in my Provisional Specification, as one will work efficiently, and more would only
add to the weight.
It only remains to observe that the roller y, as seen in Fig. 3, is made to ascend
and descend by the brackets attaching it to the front fork having a moveable pin
motion. By being then supported by an india-rubber or spiral spring suspended
above it from a hook x, the endless band passing over it is always kept in a state
of uniform tension shewn in Fig. 3. These rollers y and z being attached to the
front fork follow its movements in steering, and so those of the three wheels
enclosed within its prongs, by which means the band is always preserved in a
uniform relation to the wheels round or over which it works.
Another point of moment in my Invention is that by a simple contrivance the
front wheels Fig. 2, which usually rotate independently of each other, may be locked
at pleasure, and the machine be thus converted into an ordinary bicycle, enabling
it to be ridden without the multiplying arrangement. This is of use if the band
should meet with any accident and be rendered of temporary inutility. This is
done simply by locking the two hubs together by passing two or more pins through
corresponding holes in the inner bosses of each bored for that purpose, as shown in
Figure 4, wherein a and b represent the inner bosses of the hubs of the fly and
running wheels with holes perforating them to receive the spikes of the slide c,
which spikes enter the holes by merely getting them exactly opposite each other
and pushing forward the ferrule or slide c which surrounds the spindle, and on
which the spikes are mounted, as shewn d, d. It is also here shown how the hub
of the running wheel revolves round the axis while that of the fly wheel is fixed
to it.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be worked and carried into effect, I would observe that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein given, as they may be modified to suit
certain circumstances, but that what I claim as my Invention and desire to be
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
The construction of a bicycle with a fly wheel or wheels and a smaller wheel or
wheels, the latter being firmly fixed to the travelling wheel, which fly and smaller
fixed wheels have grooves in or near their circumference which carry an endless
band for working them as in a lathe which increases the travelling speed for the
purposes and in the manner substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
and shewn on the Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bate, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
HENRY BATE. (L.S.)