Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I JAMES M HARDY of 108 Liverpool Road London Scientific Expert do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention which has for its object the improvement of velocipedes is carried
out somewhat in the following manner.
The wheel shall consist of the usual parts, such as rims spokes and hubs, but it shall
be so contrived as to be put together much more rapidly than usual.
•
The spokes shall be made with rivet-heads on both ends (the rivet-head on one end
being larger than that on the other, if necessary). The rim being bored at given
points, the small ends of the spokes shall be passed through the holes so bored.
The large ends of the spokes shall be retained by the holes aforesaid. It is pre-
ferable to make balls or similar thickened ends to the spokes, as these will be strongest,
but any kind of thickening of the ends may suit the purpose. The hubs may be
prepared in any suitable manner to receive the smaller balls or rivet-beads of the
spokes. For example the hub may be concave with punched or milled slot-holes, into
which the heads may be entered, may slide a little and be retained as in a ball-socket;
or, the hub may be made in more than one piece, so that a ring may be used to retain
the rivet or ball heads. The hubs and the rim having been connected, in a manner,
by the aforesaid process, when stationary, in or about the same plane, the whole of the
spokes will be tightened by causing the hubs to retire, one from another. For this
purpose a right and left screw, a common screw with jam-nuts or any suitable means
may be employed. As a matter of course the wheel may be constructed either on the
radial or the tangent principle. For a two wheeled machine, the wheel may be built
with only one hub and jam-nuts for tightening on the one side, while the axle may
be a tube, and have such slots as shall be capable of receiving the spoke rivets
without any hub on the outside. In this case it may be expedient to support the
slotted metal of the pipe by a suitable cap to screw or fix on the end of the axle. It
will readily be seen that by this construction numerous threads will be avoided and
the spokes may be lighter as they will have no bend or knee upon them. The parts
will all be made of proportionate sizes, so that the wheel will be self-adjusting.
Where driving belts or chains are required I prefer to use a gear constructed as
follows. Instead of an ordinary sprocket-chain, a steel belt will be used, and the said
steel belt will be made effective and durable by having eyelets rivetted into it at
periodic distances so as to prevent the tearing of the said steel belt or ribbon.
These eyelets may be made of any shape, to suit any kind of stud or cog. If they
be round it may be necessary to use several plies of steel ribbon, all held together by
the said eyelets.
If they be oblong they may be made with such parts as may be capable of being
rivetted, in several places, to the steel belt in one or several plies; or, the process
may be inverted and the studs or cogs may be fixed upon the belt so as to take
suitable interstices in the wheels upon which they run. If expedient I may cause the
crank-action of the feet to drive the sprocket or chain-wheel, or the axle and any
wheel used as a substitute for the chain-wheel, by means of geared cogs and pinions
on the same principle as a compound crane. In this way a gearing handle inay be
used to throw off speed and put on power, or vice versa. In such circumstances, I

page_text: may use common cranks with a connecting-rod for actuating the wheel of a bicycle
or tricycle. I purpose making the frame of the bicycle in such a manner that the
strain shall be taken up on the principle of the girder, and all brazing and trouble-
some fitting will be discarded. For this purpose the frame will be made in double
parts joined at suitable points, by means of stampings, castings, or rivetted connexions,
before it is bent; moreover it will have only one point of joining in the case of the
bicycle, and only two or three points of joining in the case of the tricycle, and these
points may be welded, so as to leave, practically no joining. This is achieved in the
bicycle-frame by fixing two pieces of sufficient length (which may be spring steel or
tube of any suitable kind) at any suitable points, by forcing on to them, while straight,
such holdfasts as may he required. The duplicate frame is then formed by bending
the said straight pieces into the desired shape, so that the neck of the machine is part
of the continuous frame, and the joinings are at the axle of the back wheel. Any
number of suitable stays may be introduced by fixing their ends in the holdfasts, so
that the frame becomes practically a girder, whose extreme edges are constructed of
continuous metal. Moreover 1 do not confine myself to metal, as, for cheap juvenile
machines, I may use bent wood.
In metal wheels and frames I may combine the process of tinning, with that of
soldering all the parts. This will be done by immersion in a solution and subsequent
plunging in molten white metal. It is proposed to produce a complete framo
in this manner by means of two lengths of material and only three patterns of hold-
fasts. The front fork may be made together with the handles and axle in one piece,
but I do not confine myself to this construction, as it would only be suitable in cheap
machines. The holdfasts proposed to be forced upon the frame and fork-rods will
have (if necessary) four holes in each. This will especially be the case on the fork of
the front wheel so as to provide for the neck-joint and the brake-rod. These will
correspond to holdfasts with three holes on the neck part of the frame. The ordinary
hold fasts that have not a compound function require but two holes. Those which
are required to take the ends of stays will have a third bevelled hole for the
purpose.
By using rivets it may be possible to fix the parts together after they have been
shaped, and suitably bent. By these means may be constructed, a frame of spring
steel or of any suitable material.
The crank gear shall be capable of very easy adjustment, as I propose to fix it on
the double frame by means of a hold fast like a duplicate split bearing. If thought
expedient I may use only one instead of two pieces or I may use any number of pieces
and holdfasts with any number of holes in the construction of the aforesaid frame
and front fork.
Dated this 20th day of November 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
I, JAMES MOHARDY formerly of 108 Liverpool Road London now of Fairfax
House Chiswick Scientific Expert 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 :-
This invention, having for its object, improvements in velocipedes, is carried out as
follows.
The wheel shall be so contrived as to be rapidly built. The spokes shall be provided
with thickened ends, preferably pear shaped, one end being sinaller than the other,
and without any bend in them. The hubs and rims shall be prepared to receive such
spokes. The rim being bored so as to admit the smaller end of the spoke but to retain
the larger end. The hubs being slotted, as well as hored so as to admit the smaller
end of the spoke which shall be retained as if in a ball-socket, or the hub may be

page_text: made in several pieces, one of which shall be a ring to retain the said thickened ends
The hubs and the rim having been connected by the insertion of the spokes any means
may be used to force the hubs apart, and thus, tighten all the spokes at once.
The wheel may be constructed either on the radial or the tangent principle. For
an outside wheel, only one hub is necessary, as the smaller thickened ends of the
outside spokes may be retained by slotted ball-sockets in the hollow axle. The end of
the tubular axle in this case especially may be supported by a cap to screw on and
retain the tube, which may be weakened by the necessary slots.
Wherever expedient, I substitute for the driving chain, a belt constructed as follows.
A suitably tempered steel belt is provided with eyelets, so arranged as to take corre-
sponding cogs.
The said eyelets may be rivetted into several plies of the belt, several rivets
retaining each eyelet, or the eyelets may be made so as to act as their own rivets,
after the manner of a boot eyelet ; or, I may invert the process, and, having
fixed the required cogs or teeth upon the belt, provide wheels so constructed as to
receive them: i.e. having hollow parts to correspond with the said teeth or cogs :
moreover, in special cases I dispense with the usual driving gear and substitute cog
and pinion action with an intermediate wheel in the vicinity of the crank bracket, con-
necting the action of the said gear with the wheel of the machine, by means of a
connecting-rod, on each side, on the principle of the ordinary locomotive engine.
The frame will be constructed of continuous solid material in one or several plies,
but preferably in two continuous pieces, bent into the required shape of the body and
terminating (at the point of least strain) at the extreme back end, where, if necessary
they may be welded so as to leave no joining whatever.
By the insertion of suitable stays, the frame is practically a girder constructed of
continuous metal, or other solid material.
The front fork and handles are likewise constructed of continuous solid material, two
pieces only, being required, with suitable fixing parts.
The fixing parts are made in several patterns to suit requirements according to the
pattern of the body and handles.
It is to be understood that the frame herein described is, of what is known as the
diamond or compound pattern.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. I. represents, in section, one half of a wheel.
A-Large end of spoke.
B-Small end of spoke.
C-The spoke, having heads at both ends.
(N.B. The outer semi circle represents the rim, the inner semi circle the hub.)
Fig. II. Transverse section of the wheel before the hubs are forced asunder.
The head B is capable of passing through the hole in the rim, but the head A,
being larger, is retained. The bub is provided with holes capable of retaining the
head B. A slot is cut from the edge of the hub in to the said holes.
D is a
This admits of the introduction of the wire C, when the hubs are close.
As soon as all the
centre piece on which the flanges of the hubs may be moved.
spokes are placed in position, the said flanges are forced apart on D, as represented in
Fig. III. but the said part D may be inserted in any suitable manner.
Fig. III. The same section of the wheel Fig. II. after the hub has been forced into
the wider position by which process the entire wheel is tightened. The lettering in
this figure corresponds in every respect with that of Fig. II.
Fig. IV-The hereinbefore described method of applying the thickened spokes to a
wheel which is one of a pair, upon an axle.
A-Thicker head of the spoke.
B-The thinner head of

page_text: 2. A straight spoke with a rivet-head at both ends, one rivet-head being smaller
than the other as applied herein.
3. The improved steel band, in several plies provided with pins or eyelets, as a
substitute for the chains used on velocipedes.
4. The application of connecting rods in conjunction with geared pinions, to a
velocipede particularly as herein set forth.
Dated this 18th day of September 1890.
JAMES MCHARDY.