IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES
Year: 1884

page_text: We JESSE WEBB and THOMAS WEBB both of Coventry in the County of
Warwick, Watch Makers, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRICYCLES," and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our Invention relates to an auxiliary motor for tricycles and other similar
machines for assisting in mounting hills.
The Invention consists in the combination and arrangement of mechanism
whereby the power of a spring barrel or barrels may be applied at required times
to the driving wheel or wheels and whereby the spring in the barrel may be
wound up by the treadle shaft either when going downhill or when standing by
means of a special band wheel if desired.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood we have illustrated
it in the accompanying Drawings and will proceed to describe it with reference
thereto.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine the nearest driving wheel being
removed to show the gearing.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the machine.
Figure 3 is an end view of the spring barrel and Figure 4 is a face view of the
adjacent gear wheel.
The machine here illustrated is a front steering machine and may be a single or
double driver and of any suitable construction and the Invention is equally
applicable to a hind steerer the arrangement of the parts being of course modified
if necessary to suit the kind of machine to which it is applied.
The auxiliary mechanism is arranged at one side of the machine so as to be out
of the drivers way, and it comprises a spring barrel b containing one or more
powerful springs and mounted on an arbor a fixed to a bracket carried by the
machine frame to which arbor the springs are attached by one end and by the
other end to the barrel. On the same arbor a and alongside the barrel is mounted
the intermediate gear wheel c which forms part of the ordinary gear for
transmitting the motion from the treadle shaft à to the driving wheel axle. This
wheel c gears with the wheel e on the treadle shaft and with the wheel fon the
driving shaft and it turns quite independently of the barrel in ordinary working.
but may be connected therewith at required moments in the following manner.

page_text: g is a detent or pawl which engages with the toothed rim b' of the barrel to
hold the power stored up in the barrel until required. On the end of the barrel
next the wheel c is fixed a ratchet wheel h (see Figure 3) which is engaged by a
pair of spring pawls i (see Figure 4) mounted on the adjacent face of the wheel c.
In ordinary working by the treadle only these pawls slip over the ratchet teeth
but when the barrel is released from the detent g the ratchet wheel engages with
the pawls and thus brings the power stored up in the barrel into operation to
assist the rider who continues to work the treadles in the ordinary way.
The winding up of the spring barrel may be effected when the machine is in
motion by taking advantage of the power gained in descending hills, or when the
machine is at rest, the winding up in the former case being effected through the
treadle shaft.
For winding by the treadle shaft a toothed wheel k is fixed on the treadle shaft
and an intermediate pinion which gears with the toothed rim h of the spring
barrel is arranged to be thrown into gear at will with this wheel k whereby the
motion of the treadle shaft is transmitted to the barrel and the spring is wound,
This pinion is carried by a short spindle m mounted to slide in a bracket on the
machine frame and which is moved to throw the pinion l. in or out of gear by
turning the handle of the vertical spindle 2 which is connected to the end of the
spindle m by means of a forked arm at its lower end which engages with a recessed
collar on spindle m.
For winding by hand we provide if desired a hand wheel o mounted on a
suitable bracket of the frame having a drum p to which is attached one end of a
chain whose other end is attached to the periphery of the barrel. By winding the
chain off the barrel on to the drum p the spring is wound up.
The wheel on the driving shaft is in one with the usual brake drum and
contains any suitable arrangement of automatic balance gear for double driving;
the construction and connection of these parts with the driving axle whether for
single or double driving being well known needs no description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
The particular combination and arrangement of auxiliary spring power
mechanism applied to tricycles and other similar machines, the auxiliary power
being obtained by winding from the treadle shaft and applied substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein shown and described.
CTI
1004
Dated
3rd day
1881.
JESSE WEBB.
THOMAS WEBB.
By their Agents,
.
A. M. & Wm Clark,
53, Chancery Lane.