IMPROVE- MENTS IN VEHICLES PROPELLED BY MANUAL POWER
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Fraser, of 121, Adelaide Road, Haverstock
Hill, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VEHICLES PROPELLED BY MANUAL POWER."
Sealed the 30th April 1880, and dated the 1st November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John. Fraser at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st November 1879.
4
WILLIAM JOHN FRASER, of 121, Adelaide Road, Haverstock Hill, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN VEHICLES PROPELLED BY MANUAL
POWER."
The object of my Invention is to construct a vehicle to be propelled by manual
power, and of which all the wheels may be driven or not at option either by the
legs or arms of the driver. For this purpose, for convenience and security, the
vehicle is mounted on three wheels (but it may be on either two or four), say, two
driving wheels worked by treadles, swinging backwards and forwards as in working,
supported by pendulous rods hanging from the framework of the vehicle or carriage,'
and actuating the crank or driving shaft by means of connecting rods, and one
wheel driven by hand levers working backwards and forwards alternately, con-
nected by rods to the crank of the other driving wheel, and working on movable
fulcrums regulated by hand, allowing this driving wheel to be moved on its centre
for steering while the levers are in action; or any equivalent mechanical appliance
to produce the result above indicated, viz., driving all the wheels at option, and
steering while being driven.

page_text: '
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a tricycle constructed according to my Inven-
tion; and Figure 2 is a plan or horizontal view of the same. In these two Figures
the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
a, a, are the treadles which are suspended from the framework of the vehicle or
carriage at a point as high as convenient by means of two light swinging frames
A, A, and in front on the side of two suspended hollow levers B, B, from the centre
of which the connecting rods C, C, are jointed to the cranks of the hind wheels,
and to the hand levers D, D, at the upper part of the vehicle or carriage.
By this arrangement, or an equivalent swinging or a parallel motion, the ordinary
action of the feet and hands as in walking will become the means of communicating
directly to the wheels the combined power of the legs and arms of the driver.
F
The treadles a, a, have spiral springs b, b, fitted to their underside at toe and
heel in order to allow of the easy action of the feet and ancles. The treadles are
also hung on centres, as shewn at c, c, in order to reduce the friction to a
minimum.
•
Either of the wheels can be driven or thrown out of gear at the option of the
rider, the hind wheels being provided with friction cones or clutches on the axle,
whereby the inside wheel on turning a corner can be thrown out of gear as required
by means of a small handle E, so as to enable the vehicle or carriage to turn with
greater facility to the right or left.
The front or steering wheel is driven by means of the following or other equiva-
lent mechanical motion :-A flat bar F is moved up and down by an arrangement
of right and left hand levers G, G, and connecting rods H, H, fitted to the common
centre of motion of the treadles a, a, and the hand levers D, D. The said flat bar F

page_text: is guided on the framework at I, I, and curved to an are described from the centre
of the steering wheel, so as to enable it to act upon the lever L, as required, at any
angle assumed by the steering wheel. The lever J is carried on an arm which is
hung on the axle of the steering wheel, and is also carried on a fixed guide bar N
below the flat bar F, and is caused to drive the wheel through a connecting rod L
leading to the chain or toothed wheels M, M, which are in the same relative pro-
portion to each other as the smaller front or steering wheel is to the hinder wheels
(or all the wheels may be of the same diameter). In order to obtain stability in
front, and to steady the steering wheel, I lengthen its axle, as shewn, and rest the
trunnions e, e, of the carriage on grooved wheels or sliding carriages f, f, placed on
the ends of the axle. These wheels or carriages move in curved guides g, g, so as to
enable the wheel to turn on its central point, and thereby steer the vehicle or carriage
as required, and the driving gear of this wheel is thrown out of action by means of
a ratchet and pawl or a clutch and lever.
The steering of the vehicle or carriage is effected by means of cords or chains
attached to pulleys h, h, on the centres of motion of the driving levers D, D, and
carried to an eye at N on the end of the fork fixed to the axle of the steering
wheel, or carried direct to the ends of the axle, thereby enabling the rider to steer
and use both driving levers at the same time, a special advantage over the usual
supplementary means employed for driving by manual power, and which could be
adapted to ordinary vehicles of the kind.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that all the wheels can be driven
by the combined power of the legs and arms, but in some cases the hind wheels
only may be so driven, the vehicle or carriage being so constructed as to allow the
front driving gear to be omitted without altering the general plan or efficiency of
the mechanisın.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as of my Invention
is,
-
First. The construction of a vehicle or carriage in such a manner as to admit of
all or any of the wheels being driven by the combined power of the legs and arms
exerted as in the action of walking, with the means of steering at the same time, as
hereinbefore described.
And, Secondly. The construction of a vehicle or carriage in such a manner as to
apply the combined power of the legs and arms exerted as in the action of walking
to the driving of the hind wheels only, with the means of steering at the same time,
as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Fraser, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Lane.
W. J. FRASER. (LS.)