Improvements in and relating to Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th June, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES LOCK of 5 Peckham Terrace, Prestbury Road, Upton Park, in the
county of Essex, Pianoforte maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes and has for its
object to utilise the weight of the rider more effectually than heretofore for assisting
the propulsion.
According to my said invention the pedal cranks are both arranged on the same
side of the axle and the seat is pivoted to its standard and provided with an arm or
extension, the free end of which is united to a crank on the pedal shaft, so that as
the pedal shaft rotates the seat will oscillate upon its pivot.
In connection with the pedals are arranged springs which when the pedals are
depressed under the weight of the rider are compressed. As the said springs react
they cause the further rotation of the pedal shaft.
A spring is also arranged beneath the seat which in expanding assists in the
propulsion.
In operating the machine the weight of the rider is first thrown upon the pedals
and taken off the seat so that the pedal springs are compressed. While, however,
the said springs are reacting the weight of the rider is thrown upon the seat so that
his weight assists, through the medium of the seat-arm and the connecting rod, in
rotating the pedal shaft.
During the time that the weight is upon the seat the spring beneath the same is
compressed, and in reacting assists the propulsion through the said arm and con-
necting rod.
5th day of September 188ð.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES LOCK, of 5, Peckham Terrace, Prestbury Road, Upton Park, in the
county of Essex, Pianoforte maker, 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:-
My invention relates to bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes, and has for its
object to provide means for facilitating the propulsion thereof, and to this end it
comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of what is known as a safety bicycle, provided with
my improvements.
Figure 2 is a section of part of the same on the line, drawn to an enlarged
scale.
a is the frame of the machine; b, 6 are the travelling wheels; c is the pedal-shaft
carrying the cranks, the pedals d, d₁ and the chain-wheel e; and fis the chain which
passes around the wheel e and a wheel g on the axle of the rear travelling wheel b.
All these parts are of well known construction and therefore require no description.
h, are rods which are connected with the pins of the treadles d, d', respectively,
and which slide in guides i, i oscillating in brackets, depending from the frame a.
1, are spiral springs which are carried on the rods h, h, as shown, each spring
I Prine fd 1

page_text: being at one end connected to its rod, or to a collar thereon and at the other end to
its guide-block. These springs must be of equal tension so that normally they tend
to maintain the cranks at right angles to a line extending from the centre of the
pedal-shaft to the centres of the guides; through which the rods h, h' pass, that is to
say, as indicated by the dotted lines in fig. 1.
The operation of my improvements is as follows:-Assume the pedal d to be in its
highest position, if now the rider depresses the said pedal through an-angle of
90 degrees the spring is extended and the spring j compressed, in the manner
indicated in fig. 1, until the rods' h, are in the same plane and the cranks of the
pedal shaft cupon their dead centres relatively to the springs. When during the
continued rotation of the pedal shaft the cranks have passed their dead centres
the springs commence to operate, that is to say, the spring and contract and
expand, respectively, under their tendency to return to their normal condition, and
thus rotate the pedal-shaft. through another 90 degrees. The next quarter of a
revolution is effected by the rider who depresses the pedal d, so that the spring jis
extended and the spring compressed in the manner hereinbefore described, the
re-action of the springs.completing the revolution.
It will be seen that with this arrangement the springs serve to store energy which
the rider expands at the time when the cranks are in the most favourable position for
operation, and that such energy is utilized for working the cranks during the time
that they are in an unfavourable position to be operated upon by the rider.
1 can, if desired, employ springs, the normal length of which corresponds with the
greatest distance of the pedals from the guide blocks, in which case no extension of
the springs beyond their normal limit takes place.
it
In applying my improvements to bicycles having front wheels of large diameter,
may be advisable to arrange the springs and their rods in a substantially vertical
position instead of in a substantially horizontal position, as shown.
It is obvious that my improvements can also be applied to tricycles and other
velocipedes.
Having now. particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The combination with the pedal or crank shaft of a bicycle, tricycle or other
velocipede, of springs arranged in such a.manner that they will be alternately com-
pressed to store energy, which is expended by the rider at the time that the cranks
are in the most favourable position for operation, such stored energy being
subsequently utilized for operating the cranks, when the latter are in a position
unfavourable for operation by the rider, substantially as set forth.
(2) A bicycle, tricycle or other velocipede provided with mechanism arranged
substantially in the manner herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, for the purpose specified.
Dated the 24th day of June 1880.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.