Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1887
Specification Accepted, 18th Oct., 1887
A communication from abroad by BENJAMIN MARSHALL PEARNE and EDWIN
MURRAY TOWER, both of Oxford, Chenango County, in the State of New
York, United States of America.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents 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 tricycles and has for its object the production of a machine
adapted to be driven by hand cranks and through mechanism designed to communicate
the motion from the driving power to the axle to greater or less degree whereby the
machine is adapted to be propelled upon either level ground or up an incline.
The invention consists in the employment of hand cranks in combination with
driving mechanism between said cranks and the axle of the machine and in the novel
and peculiar form of said driving mechanism whereby the movement of the hand
crank may be imparted to the axle to its full extent if desired or in the case of uphill
work the same movement of the hand crank may effect only a partial rotation of the
driving mechanism and consequently propel the machine at a slower rate of speed the
decrease in motion being compensated for by the increase in leverage. The invention
consists further in the details of construction and the peculiar arrangement of the
parts all of which will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in
the claims.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine with the seat and other parts removed.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the near side wheel being removed.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the driving shaft showing the sprocket wheel and
the internal gear mechanism carried thereby.
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the sprocket wheel.
Fig. 5 is a view of the face plate of same.
In these drawings the main driving and supporting wheels are shown at A. A. and

page_text: the axle at B. C represents the supporting frame of the machine which may be
composed of tubular metal or wooden bars formed into the shape shown. The
arms g, g, of said frame are connected to the axle at their rear ends. In the forward
end of the frame a small guiding and supporting wheel m, is journaled, and mechanism
which will be hereinafter particularly described is also carried by this portion of the
frame for the purpose of operating and controlling said guiding wheel. The seat is
supported upon a spring which in turn is held by a suitable standard extending
vertically from the frame above the axle.
It is aimed to provide a machine which may be driven by hand and with this object
in view a driving shaft is supported directly in front of the seat, being so placed that
the crank arms carried thereby will be in convenient position to be grasped and
operated by hand. This shaft is shown at D, and is supported in proper position by
the braces 7, 7 and 8, the former extending from the standard upon the axle and the
latter being fixed to the forward end of the main frame. The crank arms are fixed to
the shaft outside the braces. Upon the main axle of the machine a sprocket wheel a, is
fixed and motion is imparted to this wheel through the chain and large sprocket
wheel E, carried by the driving shaft. The differential driving mechanism designed
to change the speed of the machine and the leverage of the driving shaft will now be
described.
The sprocket wheel E, is supported between collars p, p, in a fixed position laterally
relatively to the driving shaft but it is permitted rotary movement independently of
that of. said shaft. Clutches or clutch pins e e, ff, are provided upon either side
of the sprocket wheel and are adapted to engage separately with corresponding
clutches gg, hh, situated upon either side and inside of the supporting frame. The
driving axle is journaled so as to have longitudinal sliding movement in its bearings
for the purpose of throwing either the right or the left hand side of the sprocket
wheel into engagement with its corresponding clutch as desired. This sliding
movement of the axle D, is effected by means of a hand lever 12, pivoted upon the
supporting frame at 13, and engaging with the axle at a point outside the supporting
brace as shown. If desired however the crank arms may themselves be employed to
give the shaft the requred longitudinal movement. The clutch g g¹, upon the frame
to the left of the sprocket wheel is designed to give the said wheel a movement equal
to that of the shaft when said wheel and clutch are in engagement and for this purpose
the clutch is splined to the shaft so as to make the same number of revolutions
therewith. It is held against longitudinal movement by the arms and collar 14
secured to the frame engaging with a peripheral groove formed in the clutch so that
the longitudinal movement of the shaft will not affect its fixed relation to the frame.
It will be seen that when the clutch pins e e, upon the sprocket wheel are thrown
into the path of the clutch gg, referred to, one revolution of the shaft will through
said clutch impart a like motion to the sprocket wheel which through the chain &, and
wheel a, effects the propulsion of the machine. When it is desired to propel the
machine uphill the sprocket wheel is shifted to the right hand side of the frame
causing the clutch pins e e, to leave the clutch g' g¹, and the clutch pins ff, on the
face plate 11, to engage with the pins hh, on the right hand side of the frame thus
causing the parts to be actuated to a degree less than the imparting movement of the
hand crank, the sprocket being revolved once to about 3 revolutions of the hand
cranks. When the parts are in this position the leverage of the driving wheel is
also increased. The mechanism for effecting these desirable ends consists in the
following combination of parts :-
:-
The sprocket wheel is provided upon its interior periphery with gear teeth as at c
and it is through these that the motion of the shaft is communicated to the wheel
when the shaft is shifted to the right. A face plate 11, is carried upon the right side
of the sprocket wheel and upon the inner side of this plate are journaled pinions 15, 16,
the former engaging with the internal gear of the sprocket wheel and the latter with
the small driving gear d, fixed to the shaft D. The face plate is also provided with
the clutch pins, before referred to, which are adapted to engage with the clutch
pins, upon the right of the frame. The manner of supporting the face plate to

page_text: the sprocket wheel is such that when the parts are in the position referred to at the
extreme right hand limit of their movement, the face plate 11 will be held by the
clutch pins, and h h, against rotary movement while the revolution of the sprocket
wheel will not be interfered with. The motion of the shaft will thus be imparted to
the sprocket wheel at a decreased rate through the small gear d, and pinions 15, 16,
and one revolution of the shaft will effect only a partial rotation of the sprocket wheel.
The pinions act as separate levers and the power is multiplied by their employment.
When the sprocket wheel is in engagement with the left hand clutch g' g¹, by means
of the pins e e, the face plate and all the parts revolve in unison.
The forward supporting and guiding wheel is journaled in an upright arm 25, which
has its bearings in the frame of the machine and in an arm projecting from the
brace 8.
Rotary movement is permitted this standard and in order to operate and control the
wheel the pivoted frame 26 is provided, supported by the frame, and attached to the
upper portion of the arm 25. This frame is conveniently placed to be actuated by
the feet of the rider. Between the sides g, g, of the frame a strong wire netting or a
grating of any suitable material is placed which is designed to act as a floor to the
machine and may be employed for carrying bundles or parcels or may answer as a
foot rest.
By thus operating the driving mechanism by the hand cranks and supporting said
mechanism above the frame it enables the floor or body to be composed of the netting
or grating as described above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In combination the main driving shaft arranged to have a sliding movement, the
supporting frame for said shaft, the sprocket wheel carried by said shaft and adapted
to have rotary movement independent of the same, the clutches g', g', and h, h, held
to the supporting frame, the clutch pins e, e, and ff. arranged upon the sprocket
wheel, the gear mechanism substantially as described whereby the rotary movement
of the driving shaft is imparted to the sprocket wheel to a greater or less degree
according as the sprocket wheel be engaged with the left or right hand clutch all
substantially as described.
2. In combination the sliding shaft, the single sprocket wheel carried thereby, the
clutches upon either side for giving the sprocket wheel a differential movement and
the hand cranks whereby the shaft may be rotated and shifted from side to side,
substantially as described.
3. In combination the sliding shaft carrying loosely the sprocket wheel, the pinion
fixed to the shaft, the face plate supported by the sprocket wheel substantially as
described, the clutch pins and pinions carried by said face plate, the internal gear
upon the sprocket wheel, and the clutch pins h, hi, upon the main frame substantially
as described.
4. In combination a main driving shaft D, a sprocket wheel E, carried thereby, a
supporting frame for the shaft D, means for shifting the sprocket wheel E, from side
to side, means substantially as described carried by the shaft for engaging directly
with the sprocket wheel when in one position whereby the movement of the shaft will
be imparted fully and directly to the sprocket, a gear wheel and intermediate
mechanism for actuating said sprocket wheel when in the opposite position whereby
the movement of the shaft will be directly imparted to the sprocket and at a decreased
rate all substantially as described.
5. In combination the main driving shaft arranged to slide longitudinally in its
bearings, the supporting frame for said shaft, the sprocket wheel mounted upon said
shaft so as to have the same sliding movement as the shaft but rotary movement
independent thereof, a clutch splined to the shaft upon one side of the sprocket wheel
and held to the frame said clutch being adapted to engage directly with the sprocket
wheel when the shaft is in one position, a gear wheel fixed to the shaft, intermediate

page_text: mechanism between said gear and the sprocket wheel, clutch mechanism upon the
other side of the sprocket adapted to throw the said mechanism into action when the
shaft is shifted to its other position all substantially as described.
6. In combination the main driving and supporting wheels, the main supporting
frame extending approximately horizontally to the front and supporting the guiding
wheel at its forward end, the wire netting between the sides g, g, substantially as
described.
7. In combination the axle B, the side rods g, g, having axle bearings, said rods
extending downwardly from the axle and to the front, the driving shaft D, adapted to
be driven by hand, the sprocket E, the braces 7 extending from a point over the axle
to the driving shaft D, the brace 8 extending from the front of the frame C, to the
driving axle all substantially as described.