Improvements in or relating to Motors, especially suitable for the Propulsion of Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1898-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1898
Improvements in or relating to Motors, especially suitable for the
Propulsion of Motor Road Vehicles.
HARRY JOHN LAWSON, 40, Holborn Viaduct, London, E.C., Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The motor is suspended and swings upon a pivot so as to bring the pulley,
which is preferably made to expand under pressure, into contact with the outside
of the driving wheel which may be a wheel of a bicycle of other machine. The
driving pulley is made with springs so that by putting on more pressure it
divides asunder and a smaller circumference is obtained. Thus the rider may by
means of suitable levers put on whatever amount of pressure and change the
speed as he pleases, either by adjustable screws or levers. Two of these motor
frames with their respective steering and driving wheels may be coupled together
so as to form what I term a motor pony. The frame is specially constructed to
curl backwards and higher so so to attach itself to the shafts of carriage which
may be strapped in the usual way. In some cases I use a separate movable
lever or shaft working on its own axis to attach the motor to.
Dated this 10th day of August 1897.
HARRY JOHN LAWSON.
Improvements in or relating to Motors, especially suitable for the
Propulsion of Motor Road Vehicles.
I, HARRY JOHN LAWSON, of 40, Holborn Viaduct, in the County of London,
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 road vehicles and
more particularly to means for propelling a bicycle by direct frictional contact
between the driving pulley of the motor and the back wheel of the vehicle.
In applying this invention to a bicycle the motor is secured on a frame
pivotally connected to a lug fixed to the back stays which are extended for the
purpose; the bottom stays may be curved, and provided with a guide to steady
the free end of the frame, which is provided with mechanism to control its move-
ments so as to bring the driving pulley of the motor into or out of gear with the
back wheel of the bicycle.

page_text: of the vehicle.
univing puney Derng conveniently geared with the driving wheel
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side view of a bicycle showing one method of attaching the motor
carrying frame.
Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section of the frame with motor and counter-
weight.
Fig. 3 is a detail on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4 illustrates a modified form of driving pulley.
Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative method of applying this invention to a bicycle.
Fig. 6 shows one method of attaching the motor bicycle to the shafts of an
existing form of road vehicle.
Fig. 7 illustrates a quadricycle formed by connecting two bicycles constructed
according to this invention.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A indicates the motor-frame which may be made of any metal, aluminium
being preferred for its lightness, and in the form shown comprises two discs A¹A³
(Fig. 2) which may be perforated to lighten them, connected together by a webbed
neck or extension A³ furnished at its end with a sleeve or socket A to take a
bolt from which the frame is suspended.
The discs are each provided with a projecting finger A which may be either
integral with or bolted to the discs their object being to engage in a guide here-
inafter described. For convenience the frame may be cast in two pieces and
bolted together as at A6, to further strengthen it the projections A5 may be bolted
together with a distance piece A between them.
In applying the invention to a bicycle the frame is suspended from the back
stays B (Fig. 1) of the bicycle frame by a fixed lug B carrying a bolt B2 which
passes through the sleeve or socket A of the frame A.
the bicycle frame may be curved or depressed in the middle to allow room for the
The bottom stays D) of
frame to which the motor is secured to swing from its pivot or bolt 132 and are
provided with a guide comprising a plate D₁ with longitudinal slots 12 in which
the projections A5 of the frame A slide.
In a modified arrangement, Fig. 5, the lug B' is turned in the reverse position
and the motor secured to its frame is arranged to be lowered upon or raised from
the top of the back wheel of a bicycle; or the wheel may be brought further in
and the motor suspended behind it driving against the back of it. In either of
these cases the bottom stays may be of the usual construction and the guide or
slide dispensed with.
The motor E is secured to the frame A and in the arrangement shown is of
the De Dion type having a cylinder E¹ and crank chamber E. The sole object
of mounting the motor upon this swing frame is to provide a convenient means
by which the motor driving pulley may be brought into or out of gear with the
driving wheel of the vehicle. The motor may be secured to the disc A¹ by bolts
passing through the crank chamber E2 as shown in Figure
secured by an arm A8 to which the cylinder head may be bolted. A counter-
and may be further
balance weight or oil reservoir F may be similarly secured to the disc A³ or in
the case of greater power being required a second motor may be secured to this
disc.
The motor driving shaft is extended and carries a pulley E³ keyed upon it
between the discs A¹ A² of the frame A.
The motor frame is provided with any suitable mechanism GGG2 by which
its movements may be controlled.
The method of operating is as follows:-
The bicycle having been started by means of the usual pedal cranks and chain
gear the motor frame is swung towards the wheel to be driven by operating the

page_text: lever mechanism GG G2 until the pulley E³, which has preferably a convex
surface, is brought into contact with and forced against the tyre of the wheel.
The motor is thus started and becoming the motive power drives the wheel
with which it is in frictional contact when the foot gear may be thrown out of
action.
If preferred the motor may be started by hand in the known manner before
being brought into contact with the wheel of the bicycle or vehicle to be driven.
To provide means for varying the speed the pulley E³ may be replaced by a
compound pulley comprising two cone shaped halves H, H (Fig. 4) normally
held in contact by springs I, I. The tyre of the driven wheel normally bears
upon the larger part of the cone shaped parts H, H but by increasing the pres-
sure of the pulley upon the wheel the parts H H are separated, being forced back
against the springs II causing the tyre of the driving wheel to bear upon their
smaller ends thus decreasing the driving speed.
The pulley E3 may if preferred drive by a belt onto a second pulley mounted on
the wheel to be driven, the belt being tightened or slackened at will by swinging
the motor frame A and thus throwing the motor driving pulley in or out of gear.
Figs. 6 and 7 show means by which one or more bicycles, provided with motors
according to this invention, may be adapted to the shafts of existing road vehicles.
To effect this the slot ends of the bicycle frame may be provided with exten-
sions J to which may be bolted curved arms J1 J1 (Fig. 6) extending up to the
shafts of the vehicle to be drawn and to which they may be strapped.
The bicycle head may also be steadied by stays such as J2 J2 strapped to the fore
part of the shafts and the shafts in the splash-board to which they are attached
may if preferred be mounted upon a vertical pivot to allow the back wheel of the
motor-bicycle to turn in relation to the cab or other vehicle.
Two bicycles with their respective motors may be fastened together by detach-
able struts K K K² K³ K+ K³ˆ (Fig. 7) and provided with curved extending
arms JJ (Fig. 6) for attachment one on either side of the "pole" of a vehicle,
or the curved extending arms may be removed and the two bicycles thus fastened
together used as a quadricycle as shown in Figure 7.
It is of course obvious that the pivotted frame carrying the motor may be used
in driving any form of vehicle.
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. In a self-propelled vehicle a pivotted frame carrying a motor substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2. In a self-propelled vehicle a pivotted frame carrying a motor and counter-
balance weight substantially as described.
3. In a self-propelled vehicle the arrangement of a motor with its driving pulley
mounted upon a pivotted frame forming an engaging and disengaging mechanism
substantially as described.
4. In combination with a motor carried upon a pivotted frame a variable speed
pulley for driving direct upon the tyre of a wheel of a road vehicle comprising
two cones H, H, sliding upon a feather on the driving shaft and pressed together
by spiral springs I, I, substantially as described and illustrated in Figure of the
accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with a bicycle of a pivotted frame A carrying a motor E and
counter-balance weight F the frame A being provided with a slide or guide D' and
engaging pieces A5, substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2
of the accompanying drawings.
6. The combination with a bicycle of a pivotted frame such as A carrying a
motor E and counter-balance weight F substantially as described and illustrated
in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 7. In a motor bicycle frame the combination of an extension J of the slot end
and detachable arm J' substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. The combination of a motor bicycle with a road vehicle substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
9. The combination with two bicycles of an intermediate framework forming
in conjunction with the bicycles a quadricycle substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
10. The combination of two motor bicycles forming a quadricycle and
provided with means for attachment to road vehicles substantially as described
and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
1030.
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H. J. LAWSON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.
H. J. LAWSON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.