Improvements in Driving Gear for Velocipedes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1397-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
Improvements in Driving Gear for Velocipedes.
I, JOHN WHITTAKER c/o Mr. Tattersall of 23, Fairbarn Street, Horwich,
near Bolton Lancashire, Storekeeper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in driving gear for velocipedes and has
for its object to dispense with the ordinary chain gear and to substitute a treadle
for a crank action.
According to my invention I mount upon the rear or driving wheel axle two
small toothed pinions, one on each side of the wheel and pivot each of the treadle
levers to extensions of the frame at a short distance behind the axle of the said
wheel and on the same horizontal centre line. Each of the said levers is formed
with a double curved inside toothed rack gearing with the aforesaid pinions, the
said racks being in the form of a link the curve of which is struck from the centre
of the pivot of the lever and the teeth extending around the inner edge of such
link. Upon the frame a short distance in front of the pivot, I fix a curved
projection or cam and upon the lever I fit a small roller which bears against and
travels around the cam as the lever is worked up and down. The object of this
cam and roller is to cause the horizontal motion of the pin on which the lever is
pivoted in order to engage the teeth on one side of the rack with the pinion and
disengage those on the other side to permit of the up and down motion of the rack
whilst at the same time giving a continuous motion to the pinion, and consequently
to the driving wheel in the same direction. This description applies to each of the
treadle levers on either side of the wheel, a slot being formed in the frames to
permit of the sliding motion of the pivot pins.
In some cases I may form the racks at the rear ends of the treadle lovers and
pivot them at a point in front of the said racks. The front ends of the treadle
levers are supported in curved guides fixed to the framing.
And in order to fully understand my said invention reference is made to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a general view of a bicycle
with my improved driving gear applied thereto and Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of
the said gear contiguous to the driving wheel axle.
a is the ordinary framing of the bicycle and the axle of the rear driving wheel,
c is one of the small pinions mounted upon the axle on each sile of the wheel.
d, d' are the treadle levers each pivoted to the extended frames or brackets a¹ by
the pin d engaging with a slot a² formed in each of the brackets a¹. The said
levers are each formed with a double inside toothed curved rack e in the form of a
curved link whose radius is struck from the centre of the pivot d. These racks
gear with the pinions c during their up and down movements so as to drive the said
pinions continuously in the same direction, for which purpose the lever pivots are
caused to slide backwards and forwards along the slots a² in order to engage the
teeth on one side of the racks with the pinions and at the same time disengage
those on the other side of the racks. This sliding motion is produced by the curved
projections or cams f fixed to the brackets a' and the small rollers g mounted upon
the levers, the motion of the levers causing the rollers g to continually bear
against and travel around the cams J. The front ends of the treadle levers are
supported by the curved guides h fixed to the framing a.
1 DWI

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.) In driving gear for cycles operated by treadle levers providing the driving
wheel axle with a small pinion on each side of the wheel gleaning continuously with
toothed racks on the said levers by means of a small roller mounted on the levers
caused to engage with fixed cams on the framing of the machine substantially as
described and for the purposes specified.
(2.) In driving gear for cycles the combination of the treadle levers d, di
pivoted at d to the brackets a', the slots a³, toothed racks e, cams f, rollers g,
and curved guides h, substantially as described and for the purposes specifie.l.
(3.) The improved driving gear for cycles substantially as described and showa
in the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Dated this 8th day of Wahm 1007
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.