Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 12th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 20th Nov., 1897
ERNEST WILLIAM BEECH 11 The Pavement Wanstead, London, E. Builder do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The gear consists of a side connecting rod for transmitting the power applied at
the pedal to the driving wheel, but in order that there may be no dead centres, the
said rod, (or it may be rods) is pivotted at about an equal distance from the ends to a
link, fixed to an iminovable part of the cycle frame. One end of the beforementioned
rod is connected to a crank or cranks on the driving wheel, the other end being
attached to a supplementary crank geared by suitable gearing to the ordinary pedal
spindle. Or, the said gearing and supplementary spindle may be fitted to the hind
forks. These forks are pivotted to crank bracket or to the supplementary crank
spindle, and the struts connecting same to centre post are curved to enter the frame,
a spring being inserted against which it presses to absorb vibration and yet prevent
side play.
Dated this 24th day of November 1896.
ERNEST WILLIAM BEECH.
I ERNEST WILLIAM BEECH of 11 The Pavement Wanstead in the County of London,
Builder 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 gear consists of a side connecting rod for transmitting the power applied at
the pedal to the driving wheel, but in order that there may be no dead centres the
said rod, (or it may be rods) is pivotted at about an equal distance from the ends to a
link fixed to an immovable part of the cycle frame. One end of the before mentioned
rod is connected to a crank or cranks on the driving wheel, the other end being
attached to a supplementary crank geared by suitable gearing to the ordinary pedal
spindle. Or, the said gearing and supplementary spindle may be fitted to the hind
forks. These forks are pivotted to crank bracket, or to the supplementary crank
spindle, and the struts connecting same to centre post are curved to enter the frame,
a spring being inserted against which it presses to absorb vibration and yet prevent
side play. My invention will be understood upon reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the connecting rod
and its principle of action, Figs. 2 and 3, are side view and plan respectively of one
method of arranging the gear, while Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, are views and details of

page_text: other arrangements, all having the same characteristic, Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views
of a sliding crank pin, and Figs. 11 and 12 are aide views of bicycles with the gear
fitted to them. The connecting rod A Fig. 1 is attached preferably by ball bearing
to the crank or its equivalent B to which motion may be applied to the pedals, of the
arms of which it may form a part as in Fig. 4 or it may he geared to the pedals by
spur wheels CD, as in Fig. 2 & 3. The opposite end of the rod A is either attached
directly to another crank E or its equivalent, which is either attached directly to
the drive wheel F as in Fig. 2 & 3 or geared thereto by wheels C, D, as in Fig. 4. The
connecting rod A at the middle G thereof is pivotted to a link I suspended by the
point I preferably situated at the apex of the triangle J, K, L formed by the bicycle
fraine see Fig. 11 whereby sufficient length is obtained for its are of movement at
the point G to be practically a straight line a to a. When the rod A is crossing the
points that represent the dead centres in an ordinary connecting rod; by my
invention the pivot point G becomes a fulcrum and causes the rod A to act as a lever
overcoming said dead centres; said rod acts as a lever in increasing and decreasing
ratio, in proportion as it approaches and recedes from a central line M M drawn
through the crank axles N, N, and moreover in proportion as the leverage action is
decreasing, the pulling or pushing action of an ordinary connecting rod is increasing
and vice versa, resulting therefore in a perfect rotary motion if cranks be used at one
or both ends which are at their maximum efficiency at every part of the circle P
through which the cranks move, or in other words one end of the rod exactly
reproduces whatever motion may be applied to the other end. The direction of
rotation of the cranks B and E is in opposite phase; to correct this, and to gear up
the speed (or down if desired) I apply any of the various forms of gear shewn, or
others if desired, either at the pedal end of lever A or at the drive wheel end.
I may use either a sliding or rolling felerum as at Fig. 6 or a swinging fulcrum as
before described. If a sliding fulcrum I prefer the method shewn at Fig. 6 in which
a large wheel Q and two smaller wheels R, R, on each side thereof are adapted to roll
between the guides S and T, T, the large wheel bearing against the top guide S, and
the smaller wheel upon the guides T, T, with the large wheel between, so that each
wheel is free to revolve in its own direction.
In practice I prefer to use excentrics at one end (or both) as at Fig. 5, said
excentric being fixed to the pedal spindle N and set at approximately right angles to
that of the pedal cranks U, so that the leverage action of the rod A occurs at the
point at which the least power can be exerted by a rider. I may use a crank or its
equivalent at one end only of the rod A and cause the rotary motion produced at the
opposite end, to gear with and propel the machine by means of the annular gear as
shewn at Fig. 6, or the crank may be at the end next to said annular gear as at
Fig. 8, in which latter case, the link H may be situate at any point intermediate of
the ends of said lever A, as to give the necessary stroke to the free end thereof to
which the pedals may be directly attached, and vary or modify the shape of the
annular ring C to suit the various conditions under which it may be arranged. Also
it is to be noted that when annular gearing of the kind just described is used it is not
necessary that the arc of movement of the fulcrum be a straight line as it may be a
decided curve the annular gear under these conditions being made of such shape as
will accomodate said curve and remain in constant gear with the pinion D. Thus the
link H may be much shorter.
The gear is also applicable to machines having spring frames in which case a
sliding or rolling fulcrum is used as at Fig. 12. in order that the said gear may move
with the back forks and not alter its relation with regard to the cranks to which the
rod A is connected. A suitable spring frame is that shewn at Fig. 12 in which it will
be seen the upper end of the back stays is curved from a radius struck from the
centre of oscillation N and enters the top tube also curved to abut against a spring to
effectually absorb vibration and jolting and prevent side play. If desired one of the
eranks in a double crank system may have a sliding pin V as at Figs. 9 & 10 in order
that it may yield or slide to prevent any binding or jar when the rod is crossing the
centres.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A connecting rod pivotted intermediate of its ends to a suspended link, for
transmitting motion and power from one crank to another crank or their equivalents
by a combined leverage and push & pull action as described.
2. As a means for propelling a bicycle and the like, the employment of a centrally
fulcrumed connecting rod, whose fulcrum noves with the rod for transmitting motion
and power from one crank to another crank or their equivalents, and the combination
therewith of spur gearing, either at the drive wheel end or at the crank bracket end
all arranged for the purpose and acting in the manner described.
3. The combination of propelling gear consisting of a connecting rod having a
crosswise leverage action when passing the central line of the crank to which either
end of said connecting rod suitably attached, and with or without extra spur gearing;
of a spring frame, constructed and arranged, as and for the purpose described and
shewn with reference to Fig. 12.
Dated this 19th day of Auril 1897
ERNEST WILLIAM BEECH.