Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 30th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 19th June, 1888
I, JOHN ALFRED STEPHAN Artist and RICHARD SOUTHERTON Fitter both of
9 Chandos Road Highgate Park Birmingham in the County of Warwick do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
We cause the seat of the rider to swing on a support from side to side of the
machine thereby allowing the legs and seat to move in the same direction, which
will give a much greater momentum and longer stroke to the thrust of the legs
and will consequently give a much more powerful thrust on the pedals these
pedals would do either rotary or otherwise the form we prefer would be pedals
attached to the end of a looped lever and the lever to be pivoted on a seccond
axle connected to the main axle by means of a chain and wheels in the ordinary
way or by any other method which we may devise. On this seccond axle is also
fixed the driving mechanism which may now be made clear by the following descrip-
tion. The looped lever has revolving in the loop an arm or arms wheel or
segment of wheels which is or are secured to this seccond axle by being keyed or
squared on to it.
The pedals are also working on this looped lever at its end they have a hole
through there centre on which they can revolve or make a part revolution as
required so that which ever way the foot moves the pedals take the same inclination
the foot being bent forward allows the revolving arm to fall into a catch the
foot then inclines in the opposite way and pushes down at the lever and arm as
far as is convenient, it is then released but there is a duplicate arrangement of
these looped levers arms and pedals so that when one is released the other is
engaged.
To the one side of this looped lever the seat is connected so that when the

page_text: seat swings it pulls up the one lever and pushes down at the same time with
the leg at the other the seat being connected to both of the lever arrangements.
A rachet wheel and pawl may be worked inside the looped lever arrangement but
not by preference.
It will now be clear that a machine fitted with this arrangement can have the
arms and levers as long as the machine will allow and in consequence of this
can be geared very much higher for speed without any extra labour in the
working and the movement being longer and slower will not be so fatiguing.
Dated this Sixteenth day of April 1887.
JOHN ALFRED STEPHAN.
RICHARD SOUTHERTON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Propelling Velocipedes and all similar
Vehicles.
We, JOHN ALFRED STEPHAN, Artist, and RICHARD SOUTHERTON, Fitter, both of 1
9, Chandos Road, Highgate Park, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, 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:
Our invention relates to an improved velocipede in which the seat for the rider is 2
adapted to oscillate on a longitudinal axis so as to allow the rider to make longer and
more powerful strokes with his legs than with a fixed seat; and it comprises the
improvements hereinafter described.
and
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tricycle constructed according to our invention, 2
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of parts of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of the driving
mechanism detached.
and
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the parts in a different position, 3
Figure 5 is a plan of the same.
Figure 6 is a view of a detail, and
Figure 7 is a view illustrating a modification of our invention.
D

page_text: a is the frame of the machine, b, b are the driving wheels mounted on the axle
and d is the steering wheel.
e is the pedal-axle, from which motion is communicated to the main axle c through
the chain, the said axle e being carried by a hanging bracket g attached to the
frame a.
-h is the rider's seat which is adapted to oscillate from side to side on the longitudinally
arranged pivot or axis i and j, j are the steering handles.
k, k¹ are two wheels keyed or otherwise secured upon the pedal-shaft e and each of
which has upon its periphery a series of arms or projections 1, and m, m¹ are two
looped levers which embrace the wheels k, k¹ respectively and are free to oscillate
upon the shaft e.
n, n¹ are two rods which are respectively connected to the looped levers m, m² and to
the seat as shown in Figure 2.
o, o are the treadles which are mounted on the levers m, m³, as shown in
Figure 5, and adapted to oscillate on their pivots p, p.
Each treadle has an outward
projection against which the top side of the foot presses during the operation of
the machine.
are two pawls or catches which are adapted to engage with the teeth l
of the wheels k, k¹, the said pawls being slotted at s as shewn in figure 6, so that
they can slide over the pivots p and having at the front ends the extensions t, t which
project through the cross bars of the slotted levers and, with the pivots p, p, form guides
for the said catches.
u, u are rods which connect the extensions t, t with projection arms v, v on
the under sides of the treadles o, o so that the movement of the treadles upon
their axes will move the catches r, into and out of engagement with their respective
wheels k, k¹.
The operation of the machine hereinbefore described is as follows, that is
to say :-
Suppose the lever m¹ to be raised and the treadle o¹ to be in such a position that
the catch is in engagement with one of the teeth 1 of the wheel k', and the lever m
to be depressed and its catch out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel k. If now
the treadle o¹ is pressed downwards motion will be imparted to the shaft e and thence
to the driving axle and the wheels. During the downward motion of the treadle the
rider naturally throws his weight onto the corresponding side of the seat, and this
weight acting through the connecting rod n¹ assists the. downward motion of the
treadle. Also at the same time that he is depressing the treadle o¹ he pulls up the
treadle the top of his foot bearing against the projection 9, this upward pull being
communicated through the rod n and the seat to the rod n' and thence to the lever m².
It will thus be seen that the motion of both legs as well as the weight of the rider are
simultaneously utilized for depressing the lever m'. When the lever m' has reached the
downward limit of its stroke and the lever m its upward limit, the rider oscillates the
treadle o, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, so as to cause the catch to engage
with its wheel k the treadle of being simultaneously oscillated to cause to disengage its
catch from the wheel k¹, the lever m is then depressed and the lever m² drawn
upwards. At the termination of the down stroke of the lever m the catch r is again
disengaged from its wheel and the movements hereinbefore described are repeated.
In riding the machine it will be found that after a little practice the feet of the
rider will make the required movements to engage and disengage the catches without
any thought on his part.
We wish it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the construction herein-
before described as it is obvious that it may be modified without departing from the
nature of our invention; for instance, instead of arranging the catches to slide
relatively to the treadles, the latter may be arranged to slide with the treadles in which
case the form of the said catches is modified as shown in Figure 7, lugs w, w being
provided which engage with the cross bars of the looped levers for guiding the catches.
In this case also the pivots p, p slide in slots in the looped levers. Also in lieu of
each of the wheels k, k¹ we could use two or more arms secured on the shaft at equal
:

page_text: distances from each other, or we could substitute ratchet and pawl mechanism for the
treadle mechanism herein before described. Ratchet and pawl mechanism, however,
has the disadvantage that it does not enable the machine to be driven backwards as
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A tricycle or other velocipede the seat of which is adapted to oscillate from
side to side and connected with the driving mechanism thereof, for the purposes
specified.
2. In a tricycle or other velocipede, the combination with a seat oscillating on a
longitudinal axis, of treadles adapted to be pulled upwards, substantially in the manner
described.
3. In a tricycle or other velocipede, the employment of driving mechanism con-
structed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.