Improvements in Velocipedes and other Vehicles Driven by Muscular Effort.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION...
Improvements in Velocipedes and other Vehicles Driven by
Muscular Effort.
I, BENJAMIN Joseph Barnard MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from Louis Bidauld of Fontaines-sur-Saône, Rhône, in
the Republic of France, Engineer, to be as follows :-
The improved velocipede consists of two wheels, the rear one being the driving
wheel.
The invention consists in improved means for operating this wheel.
The invention is represented in the accompanying drawing which shows at Fig. 1
the complete bicycle. Fig. 2 shows a face view and Fig. 3 a cross section of the
driving gear drawn to a larger scale.
The driving wheel is operated by two levers A and A' jointed at one end B to
the framework of the velocipede which allows the other extremity C to describe
part of a circle C, C¹.
Each lever is furnished with a movable pedal D capable of sliding along the
lever in order to change the length of the arms B E, B D.
At the point E of each lever is fixed a strap or band F which coils around
the pulley G, Figs. 2 & 3.
This pulley is loose on the axis of the wheel, and it is provided with ratchet
teeth operating against the pawl H fixed on the driving wheel.
When the lever descends through the action of the foot, it causes the strap or
band to unwind and thereby impels the driving wheel by means of the pawl which
connects it with the ratchet wheel.
When this revolution or partial revolution has been accomplished, the pulley
turns in the reverse direction by means of the spring I and winds up the strap
which raises and replaces the lever A or A¹, which has just operated, whilst the
other lever operates in its turn on a similar apparatus.
The levers are united at the points C, C¹, by a strap or band J which passes
over the pulley K and serves to cause them to rise and fall alternately.
This pulley operates at the same time the break L, on which it is fixed.
This break is held away from the wheel by means of the spring M which is
sufficiently powerful to resist the efforts necessitated by the alternate movement of
the levers but which will nevertheless give way under the united action of the two.
legs and allow the break to put drag on the wheel.
The saddle N is movable and slides on the top tube O, to enable it to be placed
in the most comfortable position.
This system of driving has as its principal advantage to replace the crank
generally employed and which gives a very bad result.
When it is operated by a muscular motor such as a leg which can work almost
only in one direction, this bad result is due to this physiological phenomenum by
which the muscles can work and spend by consequence force without exterior
movement and without travelling, which prevents this work from being utilized,
whilst a mechanical motor can neither spend nor work without making some kind
of movement which in order to secure the equivalent of work done by the muscular
motor, it is not necessary as in the mechanical motor to multiply the effort by the
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page_text: distance travelled, but by the time which this effort lasts. This amount of work
does not necessarily correspond, as in the mechanical motor to any effective work
for with the muscular motor this effective work may be nil.
Thus the rider who presses on the crank at the dead point, expends as much as
though he turned it and this loss of work: continues with more or less intensity
around nearly the entire circumference described by the crank.
Fig. 4 enables the work obtained to be estimated when a wheel is operated by a
circular pedal when the foot presses, in the direction, of the arrow upon the
point C, all the effort is lost upon the axle.
When the foot arrives at D the effort is divided into two parts, the first, is wasted
upon the axis and the second commences to operate the wheel and this latter will
consequently increase in proportion as the other will diminish until F is reached,
where, the whole effort will be employed to operate the wheel; with, the new
apparatus the effort.is, produced, always-at. F..
With this invention the following advantages are obtained.
1. Almost entire suppression of muscular, work without forward motion..
2. Considerable, reduction of, friction of the driving wheel, the weight of the
body being largely carried by the strap or band J.
3. Power of giving to the levers at each stroke of the pedal the most convenient
stroke.
4. Power of changing the proportion of the levers without descending from the
velocipede, the pedals being capable of sliding along the lever, thereby enabling
bills to be climbed, or, bad, roads to be traversed, if desired, without changing
the movement of the legs and without, developing, a greater, force, than that
required.
This invention is applicable to all kinds of vehicles operated by a muscular
motor.
.Dated April, 1st 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,.
23:Southampton Buildings, London, WC., Agents.
'
Improvements in Velocipedes and other Vehicles Driven by
Muscular Effort.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS; of 231 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
(a communication to me from Louis Bidauld, of Fontaines-sur-Saône, Rhône, in
the Republic of 'France, Engineer,) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This improved velocipede comprises two wheels, the rear, one being the driving.
wheel. The invention consists in improved means for operating this wheel.
The invention is represented in the drawing accompanying my Provisional
Specification, which shows at 'Fig. 1 the complete bicycle. Fig. 2 shows a face
view and Fig. 3 a cross,section of the driving gear drawn to a larger-scale..
The driving wheel is operated by two' levers A and A' jointed at one end,'B' to
the framework of the velocipede, which allows the other extremity, C, to describe
part of a circle C'C'. Each lever is furnished with a movable pedal' D capable of
sliding along the lever in order to change the length of the arms BE, BD. At.
the point of each lever is fixed.a strap or band F, which. coils around the
pulley G, Figs. 2 and 3. This pulley is loose on the axis of the wheel and it is
provided with ratchet teeth operating against the pawl'H'fixed on the driving

page_text: 1
wheel. When the lever descends through the action of the foot; it causes the strap
or band to unwind and thereby impels the driving wheel by means of the pawl
which connects it with the ratchet wheel. When this revolution or partial
revolution has been accomplished, the pulley turns in the reverse-direction by
means of the spring I and winds up the strap, which raises and replaces the lever A
or A' which has just operated; whilst the other lever operates in its turn on a
similar apparatus. The levers are united. at the points C.G₁tbyna strap or
band J, which passes. over the pulley, K.and serves to cause them to rise and fall
alternately.
This pulley is also capable of operating the break L on which it is fixed. This.
break is held away from the wheel by means of the spring_M, which is sufficiently
powerfulsbo resist the efforts necessitated by the alternate movement of the levers.
but which will nevertheless give way under the united action of the two legs and
allow the break to put drag on the wheel.
The saddle N is movable and slides on the top tube O to enable it to be placed
in the most comfortable position.
This system of driving has as its principal advantage to replace the crank
generally employed and which gives a very bad result. When it is operated by a
muscular motor such as a leg, which can work almost only in one direction, this bad
result is due to this physiological phenomenum by which the muscles can work and
consequently spend force without exterior movement and without travelling, which
prevents this work from being utilized, whilst a mechanical motor can neither
spend nor work without making some kind of movement, which, in order to secure
the equivalent of work done by the muscular motor, it is not necessary, as in the
mechanical motor, to multiply the effort by the distance travelled, but by the time.
which this effort lasts. This expenditure of work does not necessarily correspond,
as in the mechanical motor, to any effective work, for with the muscular motor this
effective work may be nil. Thus the rider who presses on the crank at the dead
point expends as much as though he turned it, and this loss of work continues with
more or less intensity around nearly the entire circumference described by the
crank.
Fig. 4 enables the work obtained to be estimated when a wheel is operated by a
circular pedal; when the foot presses in the direction of the arrow B upon the
point C, all the effort is lost upon the axle. When the foot arrives at D the effort
is divided into two parts; the first is wasted upon the axis and the second
commences to operate the wheel, and this latter will consequently increase in
proportion as the other will diminish until F is reached, where the whole effort
will be employed to operate the wheel; with the new apparatus the effort is
produced always at F.
With this invention the following advantages are obtained :-
1. Almost entire suppression of muscular work without forward motion.
2. Considerable reduction of friction of the driving wheel, the weight of the
body being largely carried by the strap or band J.
3. Power of giving to the levers at each stroke of the pedal the most suitable
stroke.
4. Power of changing the proportion of the levers without descending from the
velocipede, the pedals being capable of sliding along the levers, thereby enabling
hills to be climbed or bad roads to be traversed, if desired, without changing
the movement of the legs and without developing a greater force than that
required.
This invention is applicable to all kinds of vehicles operated by a muscular
motor.
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. In a velocipede or vehicle worked by muscular force two nodul loraz

page_text: connected together by a strap or band in such manner as to act alternately on any
suitable ratchet gear applied to the driving wheel, substantially as herein shown
and described.
2. In a velocipede or vehicle worked by muscular force, a break operated by the
strap or band which connects the pedal levers when both of these pedal levers are
simultaneously depressed, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 19th day of December 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.