Year: 1898

page_text: I, WILLIAM WELLENS, of Winwheel Cycle Works, of Birch, near Heywood,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cycle Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
-
My invention has for its object improvements in driving mechanism for cycles
and refers to the driving mechanism by which I obtain an almost vertical up
and down action of the pedals and at the same time obviate the dead centre
which occurs in the ordinary crank action. In effecting this in accordance with
my improvements I obtain greater rigidity with a reduction in the length of the
driving chain with an increase in the leverage of the crank in cases where such
chains are used. In cases where I use a quadrant gear the means for raising the
pedals after each stroke are improved. In carrying my invention into effect I
utilize a safety bicycle of the usual type of frame and I obtain my driving power
by means of two separate levers the rear ends of which are pivoted in ball bear-
ings upon the horizontal back stays of the frame at each side of the driving
wheel, while the front ends which bear the foot pedal have an almost vertical
movement. On the inside of the stay and mounted on the pivots of the cranks
I provide spur wheels which are connected by chain or band attachnients to
pinions provided upon the hub spindle. These pinions are connected with the
driving wheels by ratchets or friction clutches by which means the wheel is pro-
pelled without the foot pedals having any dead centre. The lever and spur wheel
spindles are so mounted in ball bearings that an adjustment of the bearings can
easily be made while the spur wheels are placed in a position where they are
least in the road. The pedals may be raised after depression by being connected
together by a band passing over a pully so that when one is depressed the other
is raised. Instead of being connected by a chain the spur and pinion may be
geared together and I may dispence with the spur wheel and pivot my lever in
ball bearings and continue the levers past the pivot so as, to carry a toothed
quadrant which actuates the aforementioned pinion in which case I connect the
ends of the two quadrants together by steel bands passing around a pulley near the
bottom bracket so that the raising of the one quadrant draws the other down thus
raising the pedals after each depression by the foot.
Data d
1900

page_text: Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Cycles.
I, WILLIAM WELLENS, of Winwheel Cycle Works, Birch, near Heywood, in
the County of Lancaster, Cycle Maker, 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 for its object improvements in driving mechanism for cycles
by which I obtain an almost vertical up and down action and at the same time
obviate the dead centre which occurs in the ordinary crank action. In effecting
this in accordance with my improvements I obtain greater rigidity with a reduc-
tion in the length of the driving chain and an increase in the leverage of the
crank in cases where such chains are used. In cases where I use a quadrant
gear the means for raising the pedal after each stroke is improved.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practise I have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings upon which I
have fully illustrated the nature of my said invention together with a modifica
tion of the same.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the driving portion of a safety bicycle shewing
my invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the ball bearing A.
Figure 3 is a similar elevation to Figure 1 but shewing a modification.
Figure 4 is an enlarged front and side elevation of the quadrant gear shewn
in Figure 2.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide two seperate levers A¹ one on
each side the driving wheel K the rear ends of which are fixed to the axle a²
and mounted in the ball bearings A formed in or upon the horizontal back
stays E of the frames and the front ends of which bear the pedals M which are
arranged so as to have an almost vertical movement.
Upon the inside of the stay and mounted upon the crank axle I provide spur
wheels B which are connected by the chain, band or other suitable gear to the
pinions C which are provided on each side of the wheel D. These pinions C are
connected with the driving wheels by any suitable ratchets or friction clutches
by which means the wheel may revolve independently of the cranks and is pro-
pelled without the foot pedals having any dead centre.
The crank Jever A¹ and spur wheel B are mounted on the back horizontal
stay E by the ball bearings A as shewn at Figure 2 which are attached to the
stay bar E by screwing the double cup into the flattened part of the frame
with the crank axle a in the required position, the cone a being screwed on to
the axle for adjustment of the balls after which it is secured by the lock nut a
Instead of chain gear as before illustrated the spur wheel B and pinions C
may be geared together with an intermediate wheel and I may dispense with
the spur wheel and while mounting my levers A¹ in similar. ball bearings A,
continue them past the bearing and provide the toothed quadrants which
actuate the pinions C in a similar manner to the chain the said quadrants being
formed of side plates 2 with intermediate blocks or twin or single rollers 4.
In this case instead of connecting the levers together by the band F1 as shewn
at Figure 1 I connect the ends of the quadrant together by a steel or other
band which passes around the pulley H provided upon the bottom bracket J
for the purpose, by which the rise of one quadrant draws down the other thus
raising the pedals after each depression of the foot which arrangement is parti-
cularly applicable to ladies cycles.

page_text: 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
1st. In driving mechanism for cycles the levers A¹ mounted upon the stay
bar Fin adjustable ball bearings A substantially as herein set forth and
illustrated.
2nd. In driving mechanism for cycles the levers A and spur wheel B mounted
in adjustable ball bearings A intermediately between the bottom bracket J and
centre of driving wheel K substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth
and illustrated.
3rd. In driving mechanism for cycles a quadrant with blocks or rollers b
substantially as herein set forth and illustrated.
4th. In driving mechanism for cycles the band F passing around the pulley H
on the bottom bracket and connected to the lever quadrants & substantially as
and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated.
1000
LEWIS WM. GOOLD,
Agent for the Applicant, 5, Corporation Street, Birmingham.