Year: 1886

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by GEORGE DOLOR DAVIS, 194, Washington Street,
Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America,
Engineer.]
I JOHN FERGUSON HASKINS of 1144 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London,
Consulting and Mechanical Engineer do hereby the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
I construct the velocipede-say tricycle-much as is now done, in wheels, steering-
gear, etc., but essentially different in its framing and driving gear.
The framing drops down and forward from the main axle carrying at its forward
end the bearings and shaft of the steering wheel and at a proper distance from the
driven main wheel centres this frame carries suitable boxes to support and maintain in
position a cross shaft on which cross shaft are placed two pinions or gears. This cross
shaft is connected to hand or foot gear so that it may be wholly or partly rotated at
the will of rider.
The pinions or gears are made fast on the cross shaft, so that the rotation of the
cross shaft also causes rotation of the two pinions or gears.
The machine is to be driven by suitable means, preferably by pedals.
At one end of these pedals a foot rest is formed while at the opposite end a
connection is made to the wheels to be driven. On the under side of these pedals is
fastened a toothed rack of the proper length and having its teeth of a pitch corre‐
sponding with the teeth of the two pinions or gears on the cross shaft. These pedals
CD
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page_text: are so hung that these racks rest on the two pinions or gears and it will be seen that
the two pinions or gears form the fulcrums over which the pedals work. It will be
obvious that if the pedals are moved endways as from or toward the operator by the
rotation of the cross shaft with its pinions or gears the leverage brought into play by
the operator over the driven wheels will be increased or decreased and consequently
he will exert a greater or less power over the machine in like proportion.
I do not confine myself to this particular construction in carrying out my invention
in order to attain the desired shifting of the fulcrum of the pedals or like parts as
I can use equivalent means for effecting this shifting the fulcrum of the pedals.
Dated this 15th day of September 1886.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the said John Ferguson. Haskins.
Engineer.
I JOHN FERGUSON HASKINS of 114ª Queen Victoria Street in the City of London,
Consulting and Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the sume is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
I construct the velocipede-say tricycle-much as is now done, in wheels, steering-
gear, etc, but essentially different in its framing and driving gear.
The framing drops down and forward from the main axle carrying at its forward
end the bearings and shaft of the steering wheel and at a proper distance from the
driven main wheel centres this frame carries suitable boxes to support and maintain in
position a cross shaft on which cross shsft are placed two pinions or gears. This cross
shaft is connected to hand or foot gear so that it may be wholly or partly rotated at
the will of rider. The pinions or gears are made fast on the cross shaft, so that the
rotation of the cross shaft also causes rotation of the two pinions or gears.

page_text: that part where they rest on the rotatable fulcra w the bottom part of each pedal lever
at that end containing a rack s¹ having its pitch line flush with the flat bottom of the
lever (see Fig. 4). This rack s¹ meshes with the gear t and serves to prevent the
lever from moving endwise on its bearing which is the shaft A³. This levers is
prevented lifting off the shaft by a planed guide t³ which embraces the shaft A³ and
through which the lever moves endwise when the shaft is turned. The connecting
rods are attached to studs at the rear ends of the pedal levers s and their upper ends
engage the crank pins g within the case d. When pressure is applied to the pedals s
the levers turns over the round fulcrum and as the front end of the lever descends it
moves forward (towards the foot) thus shortening the front end and increasing the
length of the rear end of the lever, thus when the leg is bent and least capable of
exerting force the leverage over the machine is greatest and this leverage decreases as
the log straightens and becomes more powerful.
It will be seen that this variation of the length of leverage occurs at each stroke of
the foot i.e. at the commencement it starts at a certain length which is constantly and
uniformly decreasing to the bottom of the stroke.
When for hill climbing or otherwise it is desired to obtain a greater advantage or
to increase the power exerted on the machine the fulcrum is rolled so as to carry the
lover farther forward and it works as before except that the relative lengths of the two
ends of the lever will be changed at all points of the stroke. The flat bottom of the
lever rolls over the top of the shaft A³. The gear t and the rack s¹ prevent it.
slipping endwise and the guide t³ keeps it from raising up.
t3
The movements to the pinions or gears forming the fulcra upon which the two
pedals work are effected as follows.
The shaft A³ carries between the bearings A' a worm gear w above which is located
a worm a mounted on a shaft y¹ extending through the backbone A' and at its front
end has affixed a bevel gear y which meshes into another corresponding bevel gear y³
carried by the lower end of another shaft y which runs up inside the steering post
and this shaft y terminates in a small crank handle z for convenience of operation by
the rider to rotate these shafts and eventually the gears and w to shift the fulcra of
the pedal levers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a velocipede the combination or arrangement and use of the parts of the
mechanism as described for effecting the shifting of the fulcra of the pedal levers
or equivalent parts for varying the leverage employed in driving the machine as set
forth.
2. In a velocipede the combination or arrangement and use of pedal levers having
variable fulcra and devices for adjusting the variable fulcra as set forth with the
framework of the machine constructed and arranged as shewn and described.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts of a velocipede having pedal levers
with variable fulcra and devices for adjusting the variable fulcra, the framework
dropping downwards and extending forwards from the main axle and parts for
supporting guiding and actuating the wheels as set forth.
Dated the 15th day of June 1887
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.