Improvements in Bicycles
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1895--Accepted. 3rd Aug., 1895
I, ELBERT DASCOMB WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at Colorado, in the County of Mitchell and State of Texas, U.S.A.,
Architect, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for Improvements in
Bicycles and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Fig. I is a side elevation of a bicycle according to my invention and
Fig. II is a front view of the same.
Fig. III is a top view partly in horizontal section at the line & and
Fig. IV is a horizontal section at the line y of Fig. I.
5 represents the frame of the machine mounted in any usual manner upon a rear
wheel 6 and a forward wheel 7. 8 represents the forward fork in which the wheel 7
is journalled and which may be connected with the frame 5 to turn therein in any
usual manner, such for example as by a spindle 9 of the fork passing through
a sleeve 10 of the frame. 11 represents the handles, each journalled independently
of the other in the head of the spindle 9, and each bent backward at its outer end,
forming a lever to rock in the said bearing. 12 represents the ratchet wheels
secured rigidly upon the ends of the hub of the forward wheel 7. 13 represents two
chains each permanently connected at one end with one of the handles 11, by means
of a cord 14, and a band 15, and connected at the other end with the handle bars by
means of a spring or elastic 16. Each of these springs I have here shown as
encased in a tube 17 which is supported at its lower end on a bracket 18 that is
fixed to the forward fork 8. 19 represents guideways made as a portion or fixed to the
respective sides of the fork 8, and adapted to direct the chain 13 to slide freely
therein over the forward part of the ratchet wheel. There is sufficient slack in the
chain to permit its lower portion to hang free of the ratchet wheel when a knob 20
on the chain rests against the underside of the guideway 19. 21 is an outside guide
for each chain and made as a part of and fixed to each side of the fork 8.
22 represents two bolts adapted to slide end wise into or through holes in the bars
of the handles il, and these bolts are provided with a sleeve 23 which is fitted to
slide upon the spindle 9. 24 is a spring acting against the sleeve to push the
bolts 22 into engagement with the handle bars. 25 is a thumb latch pivoted in the
sleeve 23 and adapted to swing into a notch 26 in the spindle to hold the sleeve
down against the action of the spring 24 to keep the bolts 22 out of engagement
whenever it is desired to work the handles 11 as propelling levers. The ends of
the cords or chains 14 are permanently fastened at 15, but in service the cords are
to be caught inidway upon hooks on the handles either at 27 as shown in dotted
lines in Fig. 1, or at 28 according as power or speed is desired. When the
handles 11 are to be used as a guide bar only, the cords will be left hanging direct
from the bands 15. By pressing upon the latch 25 to disengage it from the spindle 9
the sleeve 23 will be set free, with its bolts 22 to be impelled by the spring 24 into
engagement with the handle bars 11, when they are turned into their normal
position as steering handles. The operation of my propelling mechanism is as
follows:
First, the sleeve 23 should be pushed down until the latch 25 locks it with the
bolts 22 out of engagement, leaving the levers all free; now the cords 14 may be
connected with the levers either at 27 or 28, then by pulling and pushing
levers either alternately or together as may suit the operator best, the result will
on the
TTT

page_text: be that at each pull the lower slack portion of the chain will be drawn up into
engagement with the ratchet wheel and the wheel will thereby be revolved, then
when the lever is pushed forward the slanting forward sides of the ratchet teeth
will throw the chain out of engagement and it will be drawn forward and upward
by the spring or elastic 16, the guideway 19 keeping that portion of the chain
which would naturally be pulled into engagement with the ratchet wheel, free
therefrom. The guard 21 keeps the chain at its rear end from being swung out of
line of the ratchet wheel. The operation is a reciprocating motion which may be
repeated rapidly or at intervals to suit the operator, and in case of deep sand or a
steep hill to be. ascended the operator may use both hands at once with short
kedging movements to force. the machine past.the obstacle. If both handles be
pulled upon to operate the chains. at a slower rate of speed than the ratchet is
travelling the chain will operate as a brake upon the wheel, but the instant the
handles are pushed forward the chain.is disengaged from the ratchet and the wheel
is left unimpeded for coasting. The kind of chain used, and the connections 14,
whether they be rods, chains, wires or cords do.not affect my invention; and the
locking bolts 22 might in some instances be left out without interfering with the
principal characteristic of my invention.
Some of the advantages of the invention are as follows. First, while it does not
in any respect interfere with the usual foot propelling mechanism 30, it may at any
time be operated in connection therewith both for the better exercise of the arms
and the upper portion of the operator's body in general service and for more
advantageously utilizing the operator's full strength in surmounting obstacles.
The full advantage of this propelling device may be obtained while the operator
sits in the normal healthy upright position. It does not materially increase the
weight or cost of the bicycles, and it adds greatly to the power applied and speed to
be obtained. It is evident that each chain, ratchet wheel and lever makes a
complete driving device independent of the other and as whatever is claimed of one
covers more than one so for simplicity of expression the claim for both will be made
as for one.
Having now particularly ascertained the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed I declare. that what I claim as my
invention.is:
1. The combination in. a bicycle of a drive wheel; a ratchet wheel rigidly fixed
to the drive wheel; a chain hung in a loop around the ratchet wheel; means for
reciprocating the chain, and a guideway between the chain and ratchet wheel and
partly above the said wheel, whereby the chain is prevented from gravitating into
engagement with the wheel.
2. The combination of a bicycle drive wheel; a ratchet wheel fixed thereto; a
chain lung in a loop. around the ratchet wheel; a guideway between the chain and
ratchet wheel and partly above the latter; means for reciprocating the chain, and
a knob upon the chain adapted to engage the guideway substantially as described
whereby the chain in its return movement will be stopped and be permitted to
fall free of the ratchet when strain upon the forward end of the chain is relaxed.
3. The combination of a bicycle drive wheel; a ratchet wheel rigidly secured
thereto; a chain hung to engage the ratchet in its forward movement and to be
disengaged therefrom in its return movement; a spring for retracting the chain, a
lever for advancing the chain, a cord or similarly flexible connection between the
chain and the lever, and one or more attaching hooks on the lever at different
distances from its axis, over which the said cord may be looped substantially as
described whereby the chain when connected to the nearest point of the lever will
be left loose to gravitate away from the ratchet but when the cord is looped up the
chain will be held in contact with the ratchet to engage the teeth in the forward
movement and to slide over the teeth in its return movement.
4. The combination of a bicycle drive wheel hung in a steering fork; a pair of
ratchets upon the said wheel; a pair of chains hung to engage the ratchets and a

page_text: pair of levers connected with the chains; the said levers being journalled
independently of each other in the steering fork, the two journals crossing the head
of the steering fork in different planes substantially as described, whereby each
lever is firmly connected with the steering fork and yet the structure is made
light.
Dated this 20th day of February 1895
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents.