IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO TRACK TRICYCLES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I THOMAS SHAKESPEAR of the Royal Machine Manufacturing Company Limited
of Herbert Road Small Heath Biriningham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO
TRACK TRICYCLES " to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to tricycles of the kind called two track tricycles
having a front steering wheel that is tricycles consisting of two large travelling or
driving wheels and a smaller steering wheel in frout of and in a line with the right
band travelling or driving wheel and my said invention consists in constructing and
adapting to the said tricycles the parts and gearing herein after described whereby
a central gear two track tricycle is produced and the travelling of the tricycle in a
curved path is facilitated. An adjustable or variable throw can be applied to the
cranks and the tricycle can be readily divided for passing through narrow door-
ways or openings. I divide the driving shaft of the travelling wheels at its middle
each half of the divided shaft having keyed on its outer end a travelling wheel.
Around the divided shaft of the left hand travelling wheel and carried by the
frame is a tube or sleeve having a bearing lug at its outer end for supporting the
handle rest and at its inner end a bearing for supporting the inner end of the said
shaft of the left hand travelling wheel. A similar tube or sleeve with bearings at
its ends is situated around the divided shaft of the right hand travelling wheel and
is fixed to the framing of the tricycle.
The inner ends of the two shafts of the travelling wheels aro geared together by
differential or balance gear so that when the tricycle travels in a curved path as in
turning corners one of the travelling wheels may rotate at a different speed from
the other travelling wheel as is well understood.
The differential or balance gear which I prefer to use consists of bevil wheels
of different diameters geared together and fixed respectively on the inner ends of
the two shafts a chain wheel actuated from the crank shaft being situated between
the bevil wheels of the differential gear.
The bearings at the inner ends of the tubes or sleevos are hollow and when bolted
together constitute a box or frame for containing the differential and driving gear.
By unbolting the two hollow-bearings on the sleeves one half of the tricycle can
be detached from the other half for permitting the tricycle to pass through narrow
doorways.
A two track tricycle constructed according to my invention is of less weight than
a two track tricycle of the ordinary construction.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I THOMAS SHAKESPEAR' of the Royal Machine Manufacturing Company, Limited,
of Herbert Road Small Heath Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TWO TRACK TRICYCLES" 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 tricycles of the kind called two track tricycles
having a front steering wheel, that is, tricycles consisting of two large travelling
or driving wheels and a smaller steering wheel in front of and in a line with the
right hand travelling or driving wheel and my said invention consists in con-
structing and adapting to the said tricycles the parts and gearing herein after
described whereby a central gear two track tricycle is produced and the travelling
of the tricycle in a curved path is facilitated. An adjustable or variable throw can
be applied to the cranks and the tricycle can be readily divided for passing through
narrow doorways or openings. I divide the driving shaft of the travelling wheels
at its middle, each half of the divided shaft having keyed on its outer end a
travelling wheel. Around the divided shaft of the left hand travelling wheel and
carried by the frame is a tube or sleeve having a bearing lug at its outer end for
supporting the handle rest and at its inner end a bearing for supporting the inner
end of the said shaft of the left hand travelling wheel. A similar tube or sleeve
with bearings at its ends is situated around the divided shaft of the right hand
travelling wheel and is fixed to the framing of the tricycle.
The inner ends of the two shafts of the travelling wheels are geared together by
differential or balance gear so that when the tricycle travels in a curved path as in
turning corners one of the travelling wheels may rotate at a different speed from
the other travelling wheel as is well understood.
The differential or balance gear which I prefer to use consists of bevil wheels of
different diameters geared together and fixed respectively on the inner ends of the
two shafts a chain wheel actuated from the crank shaft being situated between the
bevil wheels of the differential gear.
The bearings at the inner ends of the tubes or sleeves are hollow and when
bolted together constitute a box or frame for containing the differential and driving
gear.
By unbolting the two hollow bearings on the sleeves one half of the tricycle can
be detached from the other half for permitting the tricycle to pass through narrow
doorways.
A two track tricycle constructed according to my invention is of less weight than
a two track tricycle of the ordinary construction.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in plan, a two track central
gear tricycle containing my improvements; Figure 2 represents in plan the driving
gear and the divided shaft of the tricycle and other parts separated drawn to a
larger scale and Figure 3 represents in side elevation a portion of Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

page_text: a, bare the two travelling or driving wheels and c is the front steering wheel of
smaller diameter; a, b is the divided shaft of the tricycle, the half shaft a³ having
keyed on its outer end the travelling wheel a and the other half shaft b² having
keyed on its outer end the travelling wheel b.
The inner end of the half shaft is enlarged and made hollow or tubular for
receiving and supporting the inner end of the half shaft a² (see Figure 2). Around
the half shaft a³ is a sleeve a³ connected to the framing and around the other half
shaft b² is a similar sleeve 63. The sleeve 63 has a bearing lug at its outer end
for supporting the handle rest o̟ and brake lever and the sleeve a³ has a bearing y
for supporting the steering mechanism. The inner ends of the two half shafts a², b
are geared together by the bevil wheels h, i and bevil pinion m between them, the
said pinion m being situated in the interior of the chain wheel & turning loosely
on the enlarged end of the half shaft b; is the brake wheel forming part of tho
chain wheel. Besides gearing together the two travelling wheels a, b the differential
or balance gearing h, i, m permits of the independent motion of the said wheels a, b
so that when the tricycle travels in a curved path as in turning corners one of the
travelling wheels a or b may rotate at a different speed from the other travelling
wheel as is well understood.
The differential or balance gear h, i, m is contained in a box or case t, u formed
between the inner or bearing ends of the sleeves a³, 63. That is, at the end of the
sleeve is a case t within which are the bevil wheel h, chain wheel k carrying the
bevil pinion m, and the brake wheel and at the end of the sleove a³ is a plate u.
The case t is furnished with lugs and screw pins at and the plate u with lugs
and holes at u³. By screwing the case t to the plate u by means of tho said lugs
and screw pins, the halves of the tricycle are connected together. The case t on
the sleeve bª carries the forked arm which supports the chain wheel t' on the
crank shaft and the said case also carries the bearing to for supporting the seat
rod and brake connecting rod.
By unbolting the two parts tu of the case and drawing the two halves of the
tricycle asunder as represented in Figure 2, tho said halves can be passed through
narrow doorways.
The central position of the driving gear permits an adjustable or variable throw
to be applied to the cranks.
The driving and differential or balance gear of the central driven two track
tricycle may consist of spur gearing instead of bevil gearing.
This arrangement of the gearing is represented partly in horizontal section and
partly in plan in Figure 4 and elevations taken at opposite sides in Figures 5
and 6.
In this arrangement the half shaft a² has fixed upon it a spur wheel as and the
half shaft 6 a spur wheel 6 of larger diameter. The two spur wheels a, b are
geared together by the spur wheels a, a7 on one side of the looso chain wheel k
and the spur wheel 60 on the other sido of the said chain wheel. The spur
wheels a, a are of the same diameter as the fixed spur wheel a³ and the spur
wheel is of the saine diameter as the fixed spur wheel 6º. The two spur
wheels a, 66 turn loosely on the ends of the stud or short shaft x fixed to and
carried by the chain wheel k. The action of the spur gearing shown in Figures 4,
5 and 6 is the same as that of the bevil gearing herein first described.
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
First The combination with two track tricycles of the kind described and -
represented, of central double driving and differential gear for driving both
travelling wheels and for facilitating the movement of the tricycle in a curved
path substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Secondly-In a central gear two track tricycle of the kind described, the divided
shaft, sleeves and bearings for enabling the tricycle to be divided for passing through
narrow doorways or openings substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.