IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES OR OTHER VEHICLES PROPELLED BY MANUAL POWER
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Atcheson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th November 1877.
WILLIAM ATCHESON, of Montpelier Square, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN
VELOCIPEDES OR OTHER VEHICLES PROPELLED BY MANUAL POWER."
"
The object of this Invention is to provide a carriage which may be propelled
with speed, safety, ease, and precision, by the one or more passengers travelling
therein, without the necessity of more than ordinary care and skill. For this
purpose I provide the frame of the carriage with three wheels, namely, one of
considerable diameter at each side, and a smaller one in front in a line with the
centre of the frame; or this latter may be of any suitable dimensions. Each of the
side wheels is fixed to an independent axle, such axles extending from the wheel
inwards only a sufficient distance to allow of a grooved pulley being keyed on
each of them.
I make the back of the frame to curve upwards, and at the upper part I provide
a bearing on each side, in which revolves a spindle or shaft extending right across
the frame from one bearing to the other. On the spindle I fix two grooved pulleys,
in such manner as to be in a line and coincide with the grooved pulleys on each of
the axles... I connect each of the pulleys on the cross spindle with the corresponding
pulley on each axle of the side wheels by means of an endless band made of catgut,
india-rubber, or other suitable material; to the sides of each of the top pullies,
and at any suitable distance from their centres, I fit a pin which thus serves for
a crank pin; I place the two crank pins at an angle of 90°, or any other suitable
angle with each other; I connect each of the crank pins by means of a separate
connecting rod to a guide block, which is made to travel in a horizontal guide bar.
To each of the guide blocks I also attach handles.
When the handles are moved horizontally backwards and forwards, they carry
with them the guide blocks and the connecting rods, thereby causing the top
pullies to revolve, which in their turn by means of the band connection carry
round the pulleys on the axles of the side wheels, and with them the wheels
themselves, thus giving motion to the vehicle either in a forward or backward
direction.

page_text: The motion above described is similar to that of an ordinary horizontal steam
engine, or of a pair of such engines coupled together.
The wheel in front of the vehicle is fitted so as to work on a pivot or in any
other suitable manner, so that such wheel may be caused to diverge to the right or
left by the action of the feet of the driver, whilst the hands of this latter are
employed in working the handles fixed to the guide blocks; but such wheel may be
guided and controlled by hand or otherwise when there is a person available for
that purpose.
When it is requisite that one of the side wheels should revolve at a greater
velocity than the other one, as for instance, in turning a corner or describing a
circle, a mechanism is brought into action by which on pressing a lever, or by any
other suitable contrivance by which either of the endless bands may be slacked
or thrown off, so as to diminish the speed of or entirely stop the wheel correspond-
ing thereto.
The seat for the driver is so placed as to allow of the easy working of the
handles by hand, and of the guiding mechanism by the feet.