Improvements in the Driving Mechanism of Pedal Propelled Velocipedes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1898-Accepted, 10th Sept., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Driving Mechanism of Pedal Propelled
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency of Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which
has been communicated to me by Max Jaspersen, Merchant, of 10 and 11,
Sandthorquai, Hamburg, in the Empire of Germany, to be as follows:-
:-
This invention consists in certain improvements in the driving mechanism of
pedal driven velocipedes which enables the pedals, or cranks carrying them, to
be connected to or disconnected from the driving axis at the will of the rider by
the setting up or ceasing of the pedalling action, and which also can be brought
into action or utilized by the rider as a brake mechanism, or can be transformed
at the will of the rider into a rigid crank driving mechanism both quickly and
easily.
According to the said improvements when applied to a well known chain driven
Humber pattern safety cycle, a friction disc is rigidly attached to each end of
the driving axis or spindle of the bottom bracket upon each side of the latter, and
so that the said discs rotate with the said axis. Loosely mounted upon the said
axis, or upon bosses of the discs, and on both sides thereof, are short arms, the
ends of which bifurcate so as to leave a space between them, with the periphery
of the disc disposed in the centre thereof. The bifurcating ends are coupled by a
bolt and a cross piece, which latter bridges their terminations and which carries
within it an adjusting screw pin or its equivalent. Connected to each of the
cross bolts and fulcrummed thereon is a pedal attachment lever having a long and
short arm, the former being upon the pedal end and the latter upon the driving
axis end. The said lever is so arranged as to work within the bifurcating portions
of the loosely mounted arms before described, and its short end, which is pre-
ferably of a circular or cam formation, operates a saddle piece or a grooved cap
which sits upon the periphery of each of the discs carried by the driving axis.
The double armed lever is jointed to the loosely mounted arms, aforesaid, so that
its short arm exerts a forcing down action of the saddle piece or grooved cap
upon the disc when a forward pedalling action is set up by a rider, but so that the
same can be freed when the pedalling action, or a portion of it, is being sus-
pended. This lever operation of the saddle piece or grooves cap effects a gripping
action upon the disc through frictional contact, and the whole practically con-
stitutes a clutch.
The end of the adjusting screw, before described, abuts against the long arm
of the double armed lever, and enables the moment of grip of the saddle piece
upon the disc, in relation to the pedalling operation, to be finely adjusted or the

page_text: double armed lever to be forced into a position which will permanently attach it
through the saddle piece to the disc and the loosely mounted arms; the driving
at this latter time being the ordinary rigid crank driving.
A spring is disposed between the double armed pedal lever and the loosely
mounted arms which carry it, whose tendency is to continually free the saddle
piece or friction cap from the disc, and this spring is utilized somewhat to avoid
a dead point in the pedalling action.
The saddle piece and various parts thereof are covered up by a cap or sheath
which is preferably attached to an extension of the loosely mounted arms, and
which can be opened or closed with ease.
It is to be understood that a disc and clutch mechanism is provided upon both
sides of the pedal crank or driving axis, and that the clutch mechanism can be
made to act as a friction brake upon the said discs by the action of a rider upon
the pedals.
This invention is applicable to all chain or toothed geared velocipedes, and
can be applied in an extremely neat and practical manner.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Driving Mechanism of Pedal Propelled
Velocipedes.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency of Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which
has been communicated to me by Max Jaspersen, Merchant, of Hamburg, in the
Empire of Germany, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention consists in certain improvements in the driving mechanism
of pedal driven velocipedes, which enables the pedals or the cranks carrying them
to be easily and quickly connected to or disconnected from the driving axis at
the will of the rider; the said connecting or disconnecting being brought about
by the setting up or ceasing of the pedalling action; the said improvements
being also such that the driving mechanism according thereto can be brought
into action or utilized by the rider as a brake mechanism, or can be transformed
into an ordinary rigid crank driving mechanism.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings the primary parts of the improve-
ments constituting this invention are shown in side elevation and in transverse
vertical section, the same being designed to be fitted and applied to the well
known chain driven "Humber" patent safety cycle. The said figs. only repre-
sent the application of the invention to the one end of the bottom bracket or
driving axis spindle; but the mechanism in practice would be arranged in dupli-
cate, namely, on each side of the bottom bracket, or on each end of the driving
spindle.
The invention is characterised by the following parts: -A friction disc A is
Y

page_text: rigidly attached to the end of the driving axis or spindle C, which latter is anti-
frictionally mounted within the bottom bracket, and is so arranged that it
rotates with the said axis. Loosely mounted upon concentric bosses D of the
said disc are short arms B, the one ends 132 of which bifurcate or are distanced
so as to leave a space between them, in order to enclose the disc A and allow it
to work freely between them. The bifurcating ends B² are coupled by a bolt F
and a cross piece G, the latter bridging their terminations and forming a carrier
for an adjustable screw pin H whose purpose will be hereinafter set forth. Dis
posed between the terminations of the bifurcating ends 132 of the short arm B;
and connected to the cross bolt F as a fulcrum, is a pedal attachment lever E
having a long and a short arm, the said long armı, marked B¹, being upon the
pedal and outer end of the said lever, and the short arm upon the inner or driving
axis end. The said double armed lever is so arranged as to work freely within
the bifurcating portions B of the loosely mounted arms B before described, the
parts thereof adjacent to the fulcrum pin being recessed into the bifurcating
portions, as aforesaid, as an extra security to the lever's true working and yet
allowing the same a free rocking movement.
The short arm or inner end of the lever E, which is preferably of a circular or
cam formation as shown in the drawings, engages with a saddle piece or grooved
cap, E, which sits upon or engages with the periphery of the disc A, before
described as being carried by the axis C, the said short arm operating the said
saddle piece or grooved cap when the lever E is rocked upon the fulcrum pin F
independent of any movement of the arms B. The said double armed lever E is
jointed to the arms B so that its short arm exerts a forcing down action of the
saddle piece or grooved cap E' upon the disc A when a forward pedalling action
is set up by a rider, but also so that the said short arm can free or relieve the
saddle piece or grooved cap from the disc when the pedalling action, or a portion
of it, is suspended; the said saddle piece and the double armed lever acting as
a clutch upon the disc to either grip it by frictional contact or release it. The
faces a abounding the periphery of the disc A are preferably chamfered as shown
in the drawings, to obtain a gradual grip between the said disc and the clutch.
The acting end of the adjusting screw H before described abuts against the
long arm B of the doubled armed lever E, and enables the moment of grip of
the saddle piece E' upon the disc A, in relation to the pedalling action, to be
finally adjusted, or the double armed lever to be forced in a position which will
permanently attach it, through the medium of the saddle piece, to the disc and
the loosely mounted arms B; the driving mechanism at this latter time being the
equivalent of the ordinary rigid crank.
A spring L is disposed between the pedal lever E (which carries it) and the
loosely mounted arms B, (through the cross piece G) whose tendency is to con-
tinually force the saddle piece E¹ into gripping action with the disc, the back
pedalling action compressing the spring and freeing the disc. By means of this
à dead point in the pedalling action can always be avoided, as the combination of
arms and lever can be always brought into a position for exerting power.
The saddle piece E', the disc A, and adjacent parts are covered by a two-part
cap or sheath S, which is preferably attached, as shown, to an extension of the
loosely mounted arms B.
It will be obvious that this invention can be applied to all chain or toothed
geared velocipedes, and that the disc and clutch mechanism would be provided
upon both sides of the pedal crank or driving axis. Further, it will be evident
that the clutch mechanism can be made to act upon the discs as a friction brake
by a stop pedalling action being set up by a rider. This stop pedalling action
brings the cranks practically to a state of rest, but into such a position as to keep
the saddle pieces in frictional contact with the discs which are still rotating upon,
or with, the axis; consequently the movement of the said discs is gradually
checked.

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 :-
First. A pedal driving mechanism for velocipedes distinguished by a friction
disc attached to the axis or part to be driven, carrier arms, such as B¹, adapted
to rotate at one time with the said disc and at another time to swing free there-
from around its point of rotation, a saddle piece or grooved cap adapted to
frictionally engage the said disc, and a double armed lever which is mounted and
carried so as to be connected or disconnected to the said disc through the inter-
vention of the saddle piece, as aforesaid, and which is the means for operating the
said saddle piece from the pedalling action, substantially as set forth.
Second. In combination in pedal driving mechanism for velocipedes, a friction
disc A attached to the axis or part to be driven, a pair of arms B mounted to
swing around the disc's axis of rotation, a double armed lever E connected to the
arms as aforesaid and whose one end carries a pedal and whose other end operates
a saddle piece or the like, a saddle piece engaging with the said disc and being
operated by the short arm of the lever E, and an adjustment- means H, substan-
tially as set forth.
Third. In combination in pedal driving mechanism for velocipedes, a bottom
bracket and axis rotating therein, a friction disc A attached to the said axis and
having bossed portions D), a pair of arms B mounted to swing upon the said
bossed portions and which are connected at their outer bifurcating extremities
by a cross bolt F, a double, armed lever E connected to the pair of arms as afore-
said and whose one end carries a pedal and whose other end is rounded, a saddle
piece engaging with the periphery of the disc and whose top part has a groove
to fit the rounded part of the double armed lever, and the adjusting means G, H
and L, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The particular construction, arrangement, and combination of parts
forming the improved driving mechanism, as set forth in Figs. 1 and 2.
Doted this Oth do zat Luna 180Q
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11. Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant