Improvements in Motors Operated by the Hands and Feet.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1893—Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motors Operated by the Hands and Feet.
We, THEODORE ALEXANDER STARK, Farmer, of B 1790, and JOHN
CHARLES ORTLEPP, Machinist, of 1333 Ottawa Avenue, both in Ottawa, La
Salle County, State of Illinois, United States of America 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:-
The object of our invention is to provide a motor of very simple character,
suitable for driving flying machines bicycles boats, and other machines not requiring
a great amount of power and which as it is operated by the hands and feet consti-
tutes an exercising machine adapted to bring all the muscles of the body into play.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
forming a part of this Specification, in which similar numerals indicate corresponding
parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the motor embodying our invention, shewing it as
applied to a flying machine.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the motor proper.
Figure 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4 in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a broken enlarged plan of the main bar, the driving cable, and one of
the slides which operates the cable, and
Figure 6 is a plan view of the machine with the aeroplane removed.
10 is the frame of the motor consisting of a straight bar which is preferably
bollow for the sake of lightness and having a central opening 11 which extends
sidewise through it. In this opening there is a preferably grooved driving pulley 12
which is mounted on a driving shaft 13 which is journaled in the bar 10 and extends
above and below the same and is provided on its ends with flanged pulleys 14
which are driven by an endless belt 15, said belt being wound once or twice around
the pulleys to prevent it from slipping. The belt also runs over anti-friction or
guide pulleys 16 which are also grooved and which are mounted at the ends of the
bar 10 and journaled in forks 17 having shanks 17" which extend into the ends of
the bar. The forks are held in position by set screws 18 which are held to turn in
the bar and impinge upon the fork shanks, so that the forks and pulleys may be
adjusted to give the requisite tension to the belt. On the bar 10 near the ends are
slides 19 which move easily on the bar, one being adapted to be operated by the
hands and the other by the feet. Each slide is provided on its upper and lower
sides with projecting abutments 20 which have square shoulders at right angles to
the belt 15 and which abutments are oppositely arranged, that is the shoulder of
one faces in one direction and the shoulder of the other in the opposite direction.
The abutments are grooved as shewn at 20" so that the belt 15 may be held within
the groove and each slide has adjacent to the shoulder of the abutment a swinging
leaf or link 21 through which the belt 15 extends. It will thus be seen that when
the slide is pulled in one direction the leaf on one side will swing up against the
abutment and the slide will move freely along the belt and rod without actuating
the belt but when moved in the other direction the leaf or link will bind the belt
between the leaf and the abutment and consequently the movement of the slide
will be imparted to the belt. One slide has laterally-extending handles 22 which
are adapted to be clasped by the hands of the operator and the other slide has
pedals 23 in which the feet of the operator may be inserted, the feet being secured
to the pedals by means of suitable straps.
In Figures 1 and 2 we have shewn the application of the motor to a flying
machine, but it will be understood that it may be used for other purposes.
As

page_text: here shewn the motor is suspended in a light open frame 23ª which extends
transversely to the bar 10 and is tapered at the ends this frame having an open
central space large enough to receive the body of the operator and being
suspended from an aeroplane 24 which may or may not be inflated as desired.
At the ends of the frame 23 are revoluble propelling wheels 25 formed of a
series of radially-extending blades, said wheels being mounted on a shaft on
which are keyed grooved pulleys 25ª around which passes a belt 26 extending
from the driving pulley 12 so that the movements of the pulley may be trans-
mitted to the propellers and the flying machine operated. The blades of the
propellers are arranged at such an angle that they will lift upward on the machine
and at the same time move it forward. The motor may, however, be attached to
any kind of a flying machine.
The operation is as follows:-The operator places himself within the frame 23"
and above the bar 10, his body being extended in a nearly parallel position to the
bar and suspended by means of a suitable belt attachment around his waist, any
suitable harness being employed for this purpose. He then grasps the handles 22
of one slide with his hands while his feet are secured to the slide on the other side
of the driving pulley 12, and performs much the same movements as in swimming,
that is to say the slides are first pulled toward each other by the drawing up of the
hands and feet and they are then pushed in the opposite direction by the reverse
movement. The arrangement of the slides 20 and leaves 21 with their oppositely
arranged abutments is such that when the slides are pulled toward the centre of the
bar the upper leaf 21 on the foot slide will pull forward on the belt 15 moving it
in the direction indicated by the arrows and the lower leaf 21 of the hand slide will
pull in the opposite direction on the lower strand of the belt, thus moving the belt
in the same direction and when the slides are pushed apart the reverse action takes
place so as to keep the belt moving in the same direction, that is to say the lower
leaf 21 of the foot slide will pull upon the lower strand of the belt and the upper
leaf of the hand slide will pull upon the upper strand of the belt, as shewn clearly
in Figure 3.
In constructing the motor it should be made of as light material as possible and
the movable parts should all be provided with some form of ball bearings so that
they may move with as little friction as possible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is -
1. A. motor comprising a frame having pulleys at the ends, a driving belt held to
run on the pulleys and reciprocating slides mounted on the bar, each slide having
on opposite sides abutments through which the belt passes, and hinged leaves or
grippers adapted to frictionally engage the belt and close against the abutments,
substantially as shewn and described.
2. A. motor comprising a bar or frame having pulleys at its ends and a driving
pulley in the centre, an endless belt held to run over the end pulleys and to drive
the centre pulley, and movable slides mounted on the bar on opposite sides of the
driving pulley, the slides having friction devices to engage the belt, substantially
as described.
3. A motor comprising a bar or frame having a driving pulley arranged centrally
therein and flanged pulleys secured to opposite ends of the driving pulley shaft,
anti-friction pulleys journaled at the ends of the machine, an endless belt held to
run over the anti-friction pulleys and arranged to drive the flanged pulleys, and
slides mounted on the opposite end portions of the bar or frame, the slides having
friction devices adapted to engage the belt, substantially as described.
4. A motor comprising a bar or frame having anti-friction pulleys at its ends, a
central driving pulley, an endless belt held to run over the anti-friction pulleys and
to drive the driving pulley, and slides held to move on opposite end portions of the
bar or frame, the slides having friction devices to engage the belt, these being

page_text: arranged so that the two slides shall simultaneously engage opposite strands of the
belt, substantially as described.
5. In a motor, the combination of the bar having pulleys at its ends and a driving
pulley at the centre, a belt held to move over the end pulleys and to drive the
centre pulley, slides held to move on opposite end portions of the bar, grooved
abutments extending from the slides and adapted to receive the belt, and swinging
leaves secured to the slides and having perforations to receive the belt, the leaves
being held to swing against the abutments, substantially as described.
6. The combination of the main bar having pulleys at its ends, a driving pulley
journaled near the centre of the bar, an endless belt held to run over the end pulleys
and to drive the driving pulley movable slides mounted on the bar on opposite
sides of the driving pulley, the slides having friction devices to engage the belt,
handles secured to one of the slides and pedals secured to the opposite slide,
substantially as described.
1000
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
T. A. STARK,
J. C. ORTLEPP,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents