Improvements in Driving Gear for -Bicycles, Tricycles and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Gear for -Bicycles, Tricycles and the like.
I, DOWNES ELLAND NORTON, of "Laurel Dene," Hampton Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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:-
My invention has reference to means for assisting the driving and increasing
the speed of bicycles, tricycles and the like by using one or both hands for this
purpose, in addition to the ordinary driving by the feet of the rider.
The way in which I carry out my invention is as follows:-
I provide on the outside of the ordinary crank and loosely connected at one end
to the spindle of the pedal another crank or link, the other end of said special.
crank being bent inwards towards the machine and having a pliable connection
attached thereto, said connection passing over a pulley, preferably running on ball
bearings, supported in a bracket clipped or otherwise conveniently attached to the
front pillar of the machine, said bracket being provided with a socket on its upper
side for the purpose hereinafter set forth. This pliable connection is attached to
a spring drum or pulley supported in a forked extension of the operating handle
and passes under a guide pulley at the end of said forked extension. The above
mentioned socket on the bracket carrying the pulley on the front pillar of the
machine is provided for the reception of the operating handle when out of use,
that is to say, when it is not desired to assist the driving of the machine by hand,
the forked extension of said operating handle resting in the socket.
As a modification in lieu of attaching the above mentioned special crank or link
direct to the spindle of the pedal I attach it to a small forked connection or link
mounted on the pedal spindle and working on a ball bearing of special construc-
tion as follows:-
The end of this short forked connection which is centered on the pedal spindle
is provided with an internally grooved ball path or race, a passage being provided
between said path and the exterior of the forked connection or link, so that the
balls may be inserted from the outside after said forked connection has been placed
in position on the pedal spindle, a screw plug or the like being then inserted in
the passage or hole, said plug forming part of the bearing surface for the balls and
retaining them in position. A similar special crank or stiff connection to that
herein before described is detachably connected to this forked link, a pliable con-
nection being attached thereto and arranged in a similar manner to that above
described; or the crank as first described may be attached to an extension of the
pedal bearing, thus making use of the usual ball bearing on which the pedal
works.
In order that my invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:

page_text: Figure 1 is a part side elevation of a bicycle provided with my improved
auxiliary driving gear, Figure 2 being a front view of the same, a portion of the
left hand fork of the front wheel being romoved in order to more clearly show the
connection from the driving handle to the pedal spindle. Figure 3 is an enlarged
view of the operating handle and its spring pulley or drum showing the pliable
connection attached thereto, Figure 4 being a plan of same. Figures 5 and 6 are
respectively enlarged side and front views of the guide pulley on the front pillar
of the machine and the socket for receiving and holding the operating handle when
not in use. Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged views of the special crank or stiff
connection of the pedal spindle showing the method of attaching the pliable con-
nection thereto. Figure 9 is a side view of my modified form of jointed connection
to the pedal spindle showing the special form of ball bearing, Figure 10 being a
plan of same partly in section showing clearly the internal ball race or path.
The same letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of the drawings:-
a is the loosely-working, detachable stiff connecting piece or special crank
attached to the pedal spindle at one end the other end c being connected in any
convenient manner to the pliable coniection which latter as shown passes over
a guide pulley e carried in bracket f, clipped or otherwise suitably fixed on the
front pillar of the machine; g is the socket on the bracket f. for receiving, the
forked end or extension h of the operating handle j. is a spring drum mounted
to revolve in said forked extension hand is the friction guide pulley in the lower
end of said extension. Figure 3 is the spring in the pulley jone end of which
is connected to the pin on which said pulley revolves, the other end of the
spring being connected at the pin on the side of the pulley. Both the spring
drum and guide pulley may be mounted on ball bearings.
'-
Referring to Figures 9, and 10 which illustrate my modified form of connection
with the pedal spindle, m is the fork piece or link adapted to be permanently
attached to and carried by the pedal spindle, m¹ being the internal ball path or
race; the balls are placed in position after the part m has been threaded on to the
spindle or the pedal by dropping them in through the passage or hole at n, the
screw plug or its equivalent n¹ being removed for that purpose, and re-inserted
when the balls are all in place. in these figures corresponds with the stiff
connection a, which however in the previous figures was connected direct to the
pedal spindle.
0
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
When it is desired to give assistance to the propulsion of the machine by
hand power, the handle is removed from the position shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1 this action paying out as much of the pliable connection & as is wound
on the spring drum or pulley to which it is attached, said pliable connection
working on the pulleys f and ; when all the slack has been paid out the full
power of the pull is communicated through connections and a to the pedal and
crank which are thereby assisted in their forward and upward movement to get
beyond the upright vertical position of the crank in its forward rotation. As the
hand of the rider is again moved towards the pulley f on the front pillar of the
machine the slack of the pliable connection d is again wound on the spring
pulley so that it will be seen that the connection to the pedal and crank is
always kept taut. When it is desired to discontinue the auxiliary driving by
hand the forked extension on the handle j is inserted in the socket g, being
allowed to remain there, and as movement is given to the pedal and crank by the
ordinary action of pedalling a to and fro movement is communicated to the con-
nections and a, the amount of slack of the former being alternately taken up and
paid out by the spring pulley j¹ as the crank and pedal approach and recede from
the front fork of the machine. The action is the same when my modified form of
connection as shown in Figures 9 and 10 is employed on the pedal spindle, but
this form of connection has the advantage of working on a ball bearing.
It will be obvious that if it is. desired to utilise both hands for driving the
.machine a similar connection might be made with the other pedal and crank.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that, what I
claim is:-
1. In a bicycle, tricycle or the like, the combination with the ordinary driving
crank or its equivalent, of a stiff connection a, a flexible connection d, working
over a pulley e, supported on the front pillar of the machine in a bracket having
a socket 9 and connected to a spring drum or pulley such as carried by an
operating handle j, and a friction pulley k, all arranged and operating substantially
as herein set forth, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and for the
purposes specified.
2. In a bicycle, tricycle or the like, an operating handle spring pulley and
guide pulleys and f, a flexible connection d and a stiff connection a as claimed
in Claim 1, and a short forked piece or link m, (Figs. 9 and 10), adapted to be
permanently carried by the pedal spindle and provided with a ball bearing so
arranged that the balls can be inserted in position after said piece m has been
arranged on the pedal spindle, or its equivalent in combination with ordinary
driving crank all substantially as herein described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings and for the purposes specified.
Dated thin 4th day of Doomlan 1807
JOHN P. O'DONNELL, Fel. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
Agent for the said Applicant,
70 and 71, Palace Chambers, Westminster, S.W.