Improvements in Auto-cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Auto-cycles.
I JAMES WILLIAMS, of 81, The Woodlands, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to auto-cycles, more particularly auto-bicycles,
that is to say, bicycles propelled by mechanical power, or by a combination of
mechanical power and manual power, or by both, and it has for its object to
provide a cycle of this type, which can be mechanically propelled for very
considerable distances, and, at the same time, is light, while the general form
of the modern cycle is retained.
According to this invention, the cycle propelled by compressed air, or other
gases, contained within a container on the cycle, such air being employed in
a cylinder which operates on the crank axle preferably placed in about the
same position as that of an ordinary cycle, and from this crank shaft the motion
is transmitted to the road driven wheel, say the rear wheel, by sprocket and
chain gear, belt gear, tooth gear, or the like.
The reservoir, or air or gas container, extends between the front steering tube,
and the rear members of the frame, which, say, are similar to those now employed;
and this container forms part of the frame itself, to which these rear members
are attached, and the front steering tube also. The latter steering tube passes
through the front of this chamber, and is fastened at the top and bottom in any
suitable way.
The saddle support may also fit in a socket in the upper rear corner of this
container, and be fastened in any suitable way therein.
The motor cylinder is suitably of any oscillating kind, mounted and oscillated
in trunnions, which are carried in a frame extending between the engine and
the crank shaft bearing, this frame being supported under the air container by
suitable supports, bolted, or otherwise fastened, thereto.
In one construction, there may be supports provided at the back of the cylinder
frame, whilst at the front, it may be carried by the same supports from the
container, and these supports, according to one construction, may be in the
form of an X or V bracket, with bearings at the centre, for supporting the crank
shaft. These brackets will be in duplicate, one on either side, and the crank
arranged between them, and when of the X or similar type, their lower ends or
extensions may be coupled together by tubes which stay the whole frame work.
To get the crank into place in the bearings, one of the lower parts or members
of the brackets is gapped out to admit of the crank passing through, and these
parts may be clamped together by a bolt, or other means, to hold the bearings
in position. The bearings may be of the ball, roller, or cone type, and fitted
into bosses of the brackets, similarly to those of the lower bracket of a bicycle.
The piston rod of the motor cycle may be directly connected to the crank pin.
The air to the cylinder is admitted by a suitable valve on an air supply, and

page_text: may be reduced to the required pressure, and the supply of this air may be
regulated to the supply of the cylinder, say by an actuating device on the
handle bar, which is connected with the regulating valve through a tube passing
down such handle bar and steering tube, in some cases. The operation may be
effected pneumatically by a bellows or the like, formed mechanically by cross
rods, or other mechanical connections.
The air distribution valve to the cylinder is on one of the trunnions, say
between one trunnion and the cylinder; and the case is on the cylinder, and
oscillates round the valve. Air is admitted to the interior of the valve, and as
the cylinder oscillates it opens and closes the supply and exhaust ports to the
cylinder ends, or cylinders.
The valve may be slightly tapered, and lined with soft material, in some cases,
as leather, and it may be adjusted axially by a set screw introduced through
the trunnion end; a spring at the back of the valve being employed to keep
it up to the adjusting screw, and prevent it binding or jambing. The cylinde
ports will run or extend longitudinally from either side of the valve.
According to one construction, the back forks will extend between the crank
brackets, above described, and the rear wheel axle.
The air or gas reservoir or container sides will be parallel, and corrugated,
and will be stayed, in one construction, by through stays, and these stays may
be of wire or rod soldered and pressed at their heads to the container plate, or
otherwise suitably made airtight therein. The container itself may be made
of aluminium, or aluminium alloy, and the stays, in some cases, may be made
of aluminium.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.
Improvements in Auto-cycles.
I JAMES WILLIAMS, of 81, The Woodlands, Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to auto-cycles, more particularly auto-bicycles,
that is to say, bicycles propelled by mechanical power, or by a combination of
mechanical power and manual power, or by both, and it has for its object to
provide a cycle of this type, which can be mechanically propelled for very
considerable distances, and, at the same time, is light, while the general form
of the modern cycle is retained.
According to this invention, the cycle is propelled by compressed air, or other
gases, contained within a container on the cycle, such air being employed in
a cylinder which operates on the crank axle preferably placed in about the
same position as that of an ordinary cycle, and from this crank shaft the motion
is transmitted to the road driven wheel, say the rear wheel, by sprocket and
chain gear, belt gear, tooth gear, or the like.
The reservoir, or air or gas container, extends between the front steering tube.
and the rear members of the frame, which, say, are similar to those now employed;
and this container forms part of the frame itself, to which these rear members
are attached, and the front steering tube also. The latter steering tube passes

page_text: through the front of this chamber, and is fastened at the top and bottom in any
suitable way.
The saddle support may also fit in a socket in the upper rear corner of this
container, and be fastened in any suitable way therein.
The motor cylinder is suitably of any oscillating kind, mounted and oscillated
in trunnions, which are carried in a trame extending between the engine and
the crank shaft bearing, this frame being supported under the air container by
suitable supports, bolted or otherwise fastened thereto.
In one construction, there may be supports provided at the back of the cylinder
frame, whilst at the front, it may be carried by the same supports from the
container, and these supports, according to one construction, may be in the
form of an X or V bracket, with bearings at the centre, for supporting the crank
shaft. These brackets will be in duplicate, one on either side, and the crank
arranged between them, and when of the X or similar type, their lower ends or
extensions may be coupled together by tubes, which stay the whole frame work.
To get the crank into place in the bearings, one of the lower parts or members
of the brackets is gapped out to admit of the crank passing through, and these
parts may be clamped together by a bolt or other means to hold the bearings
in position. The bearings may be of the ball roller, or cone type, and fitted
into bosses of the brackets, similarly to those of the lower bracket of a bicycle.
The piston rod of the motor cycle may be directly connected to the crank pin.
The air to the cylinder is admitted by a suitable valve on an air supply, and
may be reduced to the required pressure, and the supply of this air may be
regulated to the supply of the cylinder, say by an actuating device on the
handle bar, which is connected with the regulating valve through a tube passing
down such handle bar and steering tube, in some cases. The operation may be
effected pneumatically by a bellows or the like, formed mechanically by cross
rods, or other mechanical connections.
The air distribution valve to the cylinder is on one of the trunnions, say
between one trunnion and the cylinder; and the case is on the cylinder, and
oscillates round the valve. Air is admitted to the interior of the valve, and as
the cylinder oscillates it opens and closes the supply and exhaust ports to the
cylinder ends, or cylinders.
The valve may be slightly tapered, and lined with soft material, in some cases,
as leather, and it may be adjusted axially by a set screw introduced through.
the trunnion end; a spring at the back of the valve being employed to keep
it up to the adjusting screw, and prevent it binding or jambing. The cylinder
ports will run or extend longitudinally from either side of the valve.
According to one construction, the back forks will extend between the crank
brackets, above described, and the rear wheel axle.
The air or gas reservoir or container sides will be parallel, and corrugated,
and will be stayed, in one construction, by through stays, and these stays may
be of wire or rod soldered and pressed at their heads to the container plate, or
otherwise suitably made air-tight therein. The container itself may be made
of aluminium, or aluminium alloy, and the stays, in some cases, may be made
of aluminium.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, which shew a bicycle provided with my improvements. In these
drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the bicycle; and
Figures 2 and 3 are side elevation partly in section, and plan of the motor
cylinder and gear, and Figure 4 is a cross section taken at the line A A
Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings, a is the compressed air or gas container or reser-
voir, extending between the front steering tube b, and the rear part of the
machine, namely, to the upper end of the back forks above, to near the
periphery of the back, road wheel near the lower forks d. The front steering
tube b, as will be seen, passes through the front portion of the reservoir, the

page_text: shell of which is suitably secured and made fast to this tube at the top and
bottom, so that the required air or gas tight joint is made. The stem e of the
front fork f, of the front road wheel, passes through the tube in the usual
way, and is supported at the top and bottom by ball races in any known suitable
way. This front steering arrangement is similar to an ordinary cycle.
The container a supports from its lower part the brackets h, which carries the
crank shaft ; and also directly, or indirectly, the front end of the lower fork
tubes d; whilst the upper ends of the back fork care secured to the upper
portion of the container a.
The container a thus forms an integral part of the frame of the machine
between the front fork steering tube and the back wheel supports, besides con-
stituting itself a reservoir. The saddle support may also fit in a socket in the
upper rear corner of the container a, as indicated in dotted lines at a, and be
fastened in any suitable way therein.
The motor cylinder-designated j-of the driving engine shewn, is of the
oscillating type, and is carried from the container a in a frame, the back end
of which has vertical carrying pieces 2 connected to lugs k on the outside of
the container a through a pin or bolt ; while the front end is carried forward
and secured to the webs of the bracket h, one of which exists on either side.
The trunnions of the cylinder are marked 1, and they are tapered, and work
in correspondingly internally tapered bushes m, which are closed on their outside
ends and provided with a thread externally, which screws into an internal
thread formed in the main bearing rings on the frame j. By these coned
bush bearings and trunnions, an easy and good adjustment of the bearings with
the cylinder trunnions is afforded.
¹ is the crank of the crank shaft i; and is the piston rod head bearing, on
the end of the piston rod n of the cylinder j.
.
The brackets each consist of four members, as shewn; the two upper ones
of which are connected to lugs on the bottom of the container a, which fit in
between the ends of the bracket arms; while the lower arms h are double in
the form of plates, the lower ends of the four plates of each set being connected
together by a tube ¹, which passes through their ends, and brazed to them.
The centre of these X shaped brackets h is in the form of a hub or boss h²
in which the crank shaft i is carried, say, by roller bearings in any known suit-
able way. One of the lower bracket arms h (namely, the right hand lower arm
shewn in the drawings) is slotted out or provided with a gap h. By this means,
the crank can be passed into and out of place through this gap.
The motor fluid distribution valve is designated o. It is connected with one
of the trunnions 7; that is, one of these trunnions is flanged out at 1 as shewn,
and supports the casing o¹ on the cylinder j in which the valve fits, the valve
being stationary. The motor fluid is admitted to the interior of the valve,
which is provided with supply ports o², and exhaust ports o3, which are separated
by the diaphragm are cylinder ports leading from the casing o¹ to the
ends of the cylinders. The exhaust air passes away from the motor through a
port of in the valve o, and a port 7 in the valve casing o¹.
The motor fluid is conveyed from the reservoir or container a to the interior
of the distribution valve o through the connecting conduit p; and on this conduit
there is a valve, say, a piston valve or a plug valve which is adapted to be
operated so as to reduce the pressure of the motor fluid, control the amount of
fluid supplied to the motor, and to regulate it generally, as well as the consump
tion; and also closes it, and cuts it off altogether when required. This valve
may be suitably worked by an actuating lever or device at the handle bar,
mechanically, pneumatically, or in any other suitable way.
The container or reservoir a may be made of aluminium or any other suitable
metal or alloy, and of the form shewn; and it may be stayed by transverse stay
rivets or bolts extended from side to side, and suitably pitched apart, and

page_text: rendered air or gas tight in any suitable way; or, it may be stayed in any other
suitable way.
Motion from the crank shaft to the driven wheel, say the rear wheel, may be
transmitted by chain gearing, toothed gearing, or any other suitable mode of
transmitting the power; and pedal levers may also be provided on the axles.
so that the bicycle can be propelled by either manual or artificial power, or both.
The invention, it is to be understood, is not restricted to the employment of
the several improvements herein specified and claimed in combination, as the
several improvements may be employed separately as well as two or more of
them conjointly, in connection with auto-cycles to which they may be applicable,
and which may differ largely from that shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
1. The herein described improvement in auto-cycles, namely, an auto-cycle
comprising a motor fluid container extending between the front and back portion
of the cycle, and constituting a portion of the frame of the machine; and adapted
to carry the rider.
2. An auto-bicycle comprising a container or reservoir for compressed motor
fluid extending between the front portion, and back portion of the cycle, and
constituting a portion of the frame; and supporting and carrying below the
motor mechanism; substantially as set forth.
3. An auto-bicycle comprising a container or reservoir for compressed motor
fluid, extending between the front and rear portions of the bicycle, and con-
stituting a portion of the frame; a motor cylinder and crank axle operated
thereby, secured on the lower part below the said container; substantially as
shewn and set forth.
4. In an auto-bicycle, having a compressed motor fluid container, combined
with and having secured therein, the front wheel support; substantially in the
manner set forth.
5. In an auto-bicycle comprising a compressed motor fluid container between
the front and rear portions of the bicycle; a crank axle supported from the
machine; and an oscillating cylinder, also supported on the machine and operat-
ing the said crank and disposed between the front and back wheels, and in or
about the position specified; substantially as set forth.
6. In an auto-bicycle having an oscillating cylinder operating as described;
the mode of mounting and operating the said cylinder; substantially as set forth.
7. The container a constructed and combined with the other parts of the
bicycle, as herein set forth and shewn."
8. The auto-bicycle having its parts arranged, constructed and adapted to
operate particularly as set forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of April 1899.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.