IMPROVEMENTS IN POLYCYCLE RINGS OR CIRCULAR VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Livesey at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th November
1869.
I, HENRY LIVESEY, of Greenbank, Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN POLYCYCLE RINGS OR CIRCULAR VELOCIPEDES," to be as
follows:-
These rings, as their name implies, are constructed with a many wheels,
and the object is amusement in riding; they can be made to accomodate
a greater or less number of persons, riding round in a circle according
to the number of wheels employed. They are constructed on somewhat
of the velocipede principle, and consist firstly of a number of wheels of
any diameter most convenient to the riders; these wheels are arranged
round in a circle, inside of which circle if preferred is another circle of
wheels, and if preferred another inside that one, and so on till sufficient.
wheels are added to make the machine accommodate as many persons as
thought fit; these wheels run on a platform or tramway, and are con-
nected together by a large frame in the form of a ring or rings. This

page_text: frame is made of iron or any other suitable material, and is properly
braced and stayed together. Each wheel is furnished with an axle, the
bearings of which are properly connected with the large frame aforesaid.
Each wheel axle is furnished with one or two cranks, and each crank
is worked by a foot of one of the riders. The seats for the riders aro
adjustable and placed a little above the periphery of each wheel causes the
whole ring to turn round pretty quickly. There is a cross handle above
each wheel wherewith to enable the rider more surely to keep his seat.
To provide for a case where there may not be a sufficient number of
riders to cause the machine to turn, I attach to the circular frame
before named a toothed endless rack, which rack itself forms a circle
and works in or against a number of guide pulleys supported from the
platform; these guide pulleys serve not only to keep the rack in position,
but as the rack is firmly attached to the circular frame the whole is
kept in position with regard to the platform; or the guide pulleys may
work in or against some part of the circular frame or be attached to
some portion of the circular frame and work against some part of the
tramway. A toothed pinion works into the before-named rack, which
pinion is connected with a shaft communicating any auxiliary power I
may think fit to apply; or I may have more pinions and shafts than the
one and communicate the power at different points. The aforesaid shaft
or shafts also communicates with a brake, by means of which I may
stop the machine. As another means of applying auxiliary. power I
may place a small locomotive engine in some part of the ring, and so
arrange it that it shall run on the platform or tramway. If necessary I
may place the endless rack on the tramway,and let the pinion working
into be turned by the engine or hand power, in which caso the guide
pulleys will be fixed to the circular ring. If I employ the engine I
should prefer to let the boiler stand in the centre of the ring, and the
steam pipe have a swivel joint. By having a double ring or frame I
can have one part turing round in an opposite direction to the other
to accommodate those persons who may not for some reason be able or
disposed to assist in the turning of the machine. I place at certain
points of the ring one or more carriages in which they may ride. In
order to make the wheels good and strong I prefer to make them with
iron centres in one or more parts which are so formed as to communicate
the turning motion equally to each spoke. The part of the wheel's axle
going through the iron centre I prefer to make square and keep it in
position by one or more steady pins, or I can make the axle with a

page_text: collar which shall go against one side of the wheel's nave and having a
screw nut to screw against the other. side. If the screw is formed with a
right hand thread I place the collared end of the axle to the right foot
of the rider, because then the more pressure he exerts upon the crank
the more he tends to tighten and make firm the whole; if on the contrary
the axle is screwed with a left hand thread then I reverse its position
for a similar reason. The cranks for the sake of safety I prefer to make
in the shape of a circular disc having a projecting pin to form the crank.
For the sake of safety I affix on each side of the wheel a guard to keep
the rider's feet from getting amongst the wheel spokes. In order to
make each wheel tend to run naturally in the circle I bevel the tyre a
little to the inside, and make the bearings of the axle or that carrying
them adjustable so that the wheels may be set to run truly in the circle
in the circle without slipping or dragging. To protect riders from the
weather I place a cover or awning over them, which cover does not run
to the centre of the ring, but forms a ring sufficiently broad to cover the
riders, and may or may not revolve with them. The platform I prefer to
make of wood or iron or a combination of the two, and to be set or
adjusted to the proper height and level by a number of screws, upon
which screws it will rest or stand; this platform need not run to the
centro but form a ring sufficiently broad for the accommodation of the
wheels.