Improvements in and applicable to Bicycles and other Wheeled Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 5th June. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and applicable to Bicycles and other Wheeled
Vehicles.
We GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND and JOSEPH CROWTHER both of 5 Derby
Street Moss Side Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Engineers do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is the construction of apparatus which shall enable
greater speed to be developed, with the same amount of power as hitherto, in the
propulsion of bicycles and other wheeled vehicles.
In carrying out our invention we mount upon any suitable shaft of the bicycle
or other wheeled vehicle a wheel or disc secured to the shaft in any suitable manner
and at the side or sides of this wheel we provide a plate or plates which plate or
plates, is or are designed to carry one or more gabs, which gab or gabs is or are
intended to butt into or against the wheel or dise, or we may employ a circular
rim round the wheel or disc for the purpose of engaging one end of the gab or gabs
the other end of such gab or gabs butting into or against the wheel or disc. The
plate or plates and or circular rim hereinbefore mentioned we further extend for
the purpose of forming a crank which crank we may terminate in a pedal or other
suitable device as required. On each side of the wheel or disc we further provide
grooves and on the plate or plates we form corresponding grooves, and these
grooves are designed to receive balls to allow of the wheel or disc being freely
revolved. We further provide a balance weight or springs or other device for the
purpose of returning the crank to a given position. The action of this apparatus
is as follows
If say a bicycle be fitted with two of these apparatus one at each end of the
driving shaft the crank will remain in a convenient position by reason of the
balance weight or other device and upon the rider depressing such crank the shaft
will be revolved by reason of the gab or gabs engaging with the wheel or disc and
the bicycle will be advanced and as soon as all useful effect is expended, the other
crank will be brought into action, when the revolving of the shaft will be continued
and it will be seen that by the employment of this apparatus there is no loss of
time and consequent power, as there is no dead centre to be overcome. It will be
obvious that we might employ other forms of feed motion for the same purpose but
we find the one hereinbefore described the most effective.
Dated this 6th day of July 1896.
G. H. RICHMOND.
J. CROWTHER.
COMPLETE SPE
GATION.
Improvements in and applicable to Bicycles and other Wheeled
Vehicles.
We, GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND and JOSEPH CROWTHER, both of 5 Derby
Street, Moss Side, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
Price 8d 1

page_text: performed, Lo
statement:-
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
The object of this invention is the construction of apparatus which shall enable
greater speed to be developed with the same amount of power as hitherto in the
propulsion of bicycles and other wheeled vehicles.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings-
Figs. 1 and 2 are two views showing the cranks and sume other parts-with a
portion of a cycle frame-made according to our invention.
Fig. 3 is an end view partly in section of the crank shaft and one crank ar.n and
pedal centre (on an enlarged scale), and
Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line A B, of Fig. 3.
In the drawings,-a is the crank shaft carried in the frame b; near each end of this
shaft is secured a dise e with a V groove or recess turned in its periphery according
to our invention and shown plainly in Figs. 3 and 4, and on the side faces of each dise
is turned an annular groove to receive antifriction balls d; the central portion e' of
each crank or arm e is recessed to fit over the disc c and is provided with a cover f
and each of those parts e¹ and is grooved or otherwise prepared to fit over the
antifriction balls d. The cover f is secured to the crank box e' by bolts g and a
number of friction gabs or catch pieces A are fitted round the grooved disc e and
pivoted, some on the bolts y and others on studs or pins i carried by the box part el
and its cover; between each pair of catches is a light plate spring; which exerts
its pressure to hold the catches in the recess of the disc c. There is mounted on
the frame a small spindle k with a small disc 7 secured at each end, in line with the.
box portion e¹ of the crank arms e and a flexible connection such as a steel band or
chain m is secured to each crank arm at one end and at the other end to one of the
discs as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.
The pedals in this arrangement of driving receive an up and down movement
only in place of the usual rotary motion and when the rider's feet are placed upon
the pedals, not shown, and pressure is exerted on the upper crank arm e, see Fig. 1,
and this crank is depressed the catch pieces A being held against the sides of the
groove in one of the discs c by the springs j force round the disc and the crank
shaft until the crank arm has been pressed down to the end of its stroke meanwhile
the other crank arm e will have been raised to its highest position by the connecting
bands m ready to be pressed down by the rider's foot and thus a continuous rotary
motion in one direction is imparted to the crank shaft. As each crank arm e is
raised its connected catches slip back along the groove in its dise noiselessly
and without perceptible friction. Motion is taken from the crank shaft by a chain
and pinions or in any other convenient manner to the wheels or one of the wheels
of the cycle.
Although we have described two dises with catches on a crank shaft for driving
a cycle yet for certain purposes, as for instance, for the use of a cripple, a single
dise and crank arm can be mounted upon a shaft placed near to a seat on a wheeled
carriage so that when the cripple is seated he can by the movement of his body
work the crank arm which can be brought back by a spring or its equivalent and
so impart a rotary motion to the shaft which can be transmitted by a chain or
otherwise to the wheels of the carriage.
It will be obvious that although we have only described this apparatus as
applicable to cycles, and carriages for cripples, it is equally applicable to other
wheeled vehicles and also that although only described as being driven by the foot
or body it may be driven by hand or steam or other power or all in coinbination
and as many of these apparatus as is necessary may be applied to one bicycle or
other wheeled vehicle.
One of the great advantages of this arrangement is that in hill climbing and on
rough roads a short stroke on the pedals enables the cycle to be propelled without
the fatigue of a full stroke which is necessary in rotary pedal levers, and it will be
understood that upon descending hills the feet may remain at rest upon the pedals

page_text: and that the pedals may at all times be kept out of the way of obstructions by
being allowed to remain at rest in their central positions.
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. In combination, the crank axle, the discs with V grooves fixed thereon, the crank
arms having boxes with spring catch pieces pivoted thereto and engaging the
V grooves in the discs and the flexible band connections for drawing up one crank
arm as the other arm is pressed down all substantially as herein set forth.
2. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts embodying
our improvements in driving gear for cycles aud the like substantially as herein.
set forth.
Dated this 6th day of April 1897.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17 St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicants.