Improvements in Cycles and Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Cycles and Vehicles.
I, CARL WILLIAM YOUNG, of Suite 1410 Marquette Building, City of Chicago,
County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention of Improvements in Cycles and
Vehicles, 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 the like and more particularly to
power transmitting and power storing devices for the same. The object of my
invention is to provide among other features certain new and improved power
transmitting devices which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a side view of a tricycle provided with one form of my improved
power transmitting device;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same with the seat box and handle bars
removed;
Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a side view of the braking ring when in position;
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing a modification of the brake;
Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7, Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a side view of a bicycle provided with one form of my power
transmitting and power storing device;
Figure 9 is a vertical section through the upper end of the power storing
device;
Figure 10 is a detail view of the pulley by which the power storing device is
operated;
Figure 11 is a section through the lower end of the power storing device showing
the connection with the crank shaft;
Figure 12 is an enlarged side view of the end of the power storing device;
Figure 13 is a detail view with parts omitted of the clutch by which the power
storing device is connected with the crank shaft;
Figure 14 is a side view of a bicycle provided with a modified form of my power
storing and power transmitting device;
Figure 15 is an enlarged plan view showing the power storing device and the
manner of connecting it to the bicycle;
Figure 16 is a cross section through the clutch by which the power storing
device is connected to the crank shaft of the bicycle;
Figure 17 is a vertical section through the same;
Figure 18 is a side view of said clutch with parts omitted, showing the
mechanism by which the clutch is controlled;
Figure 19 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the periphery of the clutch
with the case removed;
Figure 20 is a section on line 20-20, Figure 18;
Figure 21 is a section through. the power storing devices;
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.
In Figure 1 I have illustrated a tricycle which consists of the wheels A, a
frame B, carrying the power transmitting mechanism and the box or receptacle C.
This tricycle is operated by moving the pedals up and down as distinguished from
moving them in a circle. A cover or canopy D is fastened to the box C and is
adapted to be folded at the sides by moving the sleeve D¹ along the rod D', or may

page_text: be laid back over the box by doubling or bending the arm D³. In Figures 3 and 4
I have shown a power transmitting mechanism provided with beveled gears, the
pedal levers not being directly connected with the gears, but separated therefrom
by intervening spring rings. In Figures 6 and 7 I have shown a modified forin in
which the pedal levers are connected directly to the beveled gears so as to be a
part thereof, there being no spring rings used. This construction may be used
without a brake if desired and the pedal levers may be connected with the beveled
gears in any desired manner or may be integral therewith, the only condition being
that the parts shall be so constructed as to allow the clutch mechanism to he placed
within the gears.
The pedal shaft E is provided with a sprocket wheel E', which is connected by a
chain with a sprocket wheel on a shaft E, said shaft having one end of a coil
spring E connected therewith, the other end of said coil spring being connected
to the barrel E. A sprocket wheel E is connected with said barrel so as to
rotate therewith and is connected by a chain with a sprocket wheel E on the rear
axle. Said rear axle is divided into two parts, each provided with a beveled
gear E. The sprocket wheel E has connected therewith two beveled pinions E"
adapted to engage the beveled gears E', said pinious being connected with a sleeve
on the axle. This forms a balance gear which insures the rotation of the shaft
when the machine is being moved forward, and it allows the wheels to be revolved
in opposite directions when turning short corners. The crank shaft E has keyed
thereto the two disks F F. Said disks are provided with projecting arms F, (see
Figure 4) the material between the arms being cut away so as to form grooves which
vary in depth from one arm toward the other as shown in said figure. A roller F
is placed in each of said grooves and is provided with a spring F tending to force
it toward the shallow part of the groove. Each of said disks F and F is provided
with the brake disk or wheel F, which is preferably integral therewith and is
provided with a grooved periphery as shown in Figure 3. A spring ring G surrounds
each of said brake wheels and is grooved on its inner surface so as to conform
to the grooved periphery of said wheel. These spring rings are not continuous
but are separated at their ends by the spaces Gland are normally in such a position
that their diameter may be decreased by moving the two ends nearer together.
Associated with the disks F and F are the cases H and H' which are journaled on
the shaft or on the projecting hubs of the disks, the pedal cranks H'H' being
rigidly connected with said cases. Two beveled gears H and H are mounted
upon the pedal shaft as shown and are provided with edges which project over the
disks F F (see Figure 3). Said beveled gears may be provided with teeth which
extend completely around their periphery, but I prefer to have the teeth extend
only part way there around as shown in Figure 5. Each of said spring rings G is
fastened at one end to one of said beveled gears and at the other end to the case
connected with the pedal crank. This connection may be made in any desirable
manner. As shown said spring ring is provided with the projecting lugs G
and G³, the lug G' engaging a groove in the case H and the lug G projecting
into a groove in the beveled gear as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4. It will
therefore be seen that if said cases and gears are moved with relation to each other,
the ends of the spring ring will be moved together and its diameter decreased. The
several parts are so constructed that when the rider bears down upon both pedal
shafts this result is produced and the spring rings are brought into contact with
the brake wheels so as to retard the motion of the tricycle. A beveled
pinion I is connected with the frame 1' and engages the teeth on the gears H H.
Said pinion is rotatably mounted upon a shaft as shown. If now, the rider
bears down upon one of the pedals, the case connected with that pedal, for example
case H, being in contact with the rollers F³ moves said rollers to the shallow part
of the slots in which they rest, thus producing a pressure between the rollers and
case and disk F which binds them all together and causes the disk and crank shaft
to rotate with the pedal. The beveled gear H' being connected with the case H
by the spring ring is also rotated and by means of the pinion I and beveled
$:

page_text: gear H, the other pedal crank is moved upwardly to an operative position. The
rider then hears upon this second pedal crank and the result above described is
produced. As the first crank arni moves upwardly, its engagement with the
rollers FS causes said rollers to move back against the pressure of the springs F
to the deep parts of the slots and hence the engagement between the crank arm
and the disk F is broken. When it is desired to stop the tricycle the rider bears
down upon both pedal cranks and since the pinion I under these conditions holds.
the beveled gears stationary, the beveled gears and the cases H and H' are moved
with relation to each other and the ends of the spring rings are brought closer
together causing the spring rings to engage their opposed brake wheels. I also
provide a separate foot brake A".
In Figures 6 and 7! have shown a modified form of brake and instead of having
the brake wheels F, I provide a single brake wheel J which is rigidly connected
with the crank shaft between the disks F and F. This brake wheel is provided
with a grooved periphery and has opposed thereto a brake shoe J. (See Figure 7.)
This brake shoe is connected with a spring arm J, said arm being connected at one
end to the fraine.1' and at the other end to the shaft of the pinion I. This pinion
shaft instead of being connected rigilly to the frame I is provided with a head I'
which projects into a slot 1 in the frame I', thus allowing said pinion a small
amount of motion. A coil spring 1 normally tends to hold said pinion and the
the arm J2 in such a position that the brake shoe is out of engagement with the
brake wheel. When in the normal position of the bicycle, that is when the rider
hears upon one pedal crank at a time, this spring is sufficiently strong to hold
the parts in the position shown in Figure 7. When the rider presses upon both
pedals at once, this pinion is moved and the brake shoe is brought into contact with
the brake wheel. As the crank shaft rotates, motion is communicated to the
shaft E and the spring E is wound, said spring in turn driving the sprocket
wheel E which is connected to the driving axle of the bicycle.
Referring now to Figure 8, and the accompanying figures, I have here illustrate.1
a modified form of my power transmitting and power storing device. In this
form of bicycle, which is operated by the rotary motion of the pedals, I provide
a motor, said motor being contained within the hollow tube or rod K, which forms
part of the frame of the bicycle. This tube is provided at its upper end with
the case K, which is connected to the steering head K of the bicycle. A coil
spring K is concealed within the tube K and is rigidly connected at its upper end
to the head K. This head projects up within the case K. A ring K is journaled
on said head and is brazed to the case K¹. A pulley K is journaled upon the
head K and is provided with a pawl K' which engages a ratchet wheel K³ rigidly
connected with the head K. Said ratchet wheel is provided with a locking
pawl K which is connected with the case K' in any convenient manner. A rod
or tube L passes up through a hole in the head K, and has rigidly connected to
its outer end a ring or washer L'. A chain L2 or other suitable power transmitting
device is rigidly connected at one end to the pulley K in any convenient manner
and passes upwardly over the pulley L journaled in the case K. The upper cad
of this chain passes over the pulley L and is rigidly fastened thereto. An arm L
is rigidly connected with the pulley L so that the arm and pulley move together,
said pulley being journaled in supports L. The chain is fastened to the pulley
in such a manner that when the arm L' is moved to the position indicated in dotted
lines, the return movement of said arm will rotate the pulley K on account of the
winding up of the chain on the pulley L. A coil spring L is connected with the
pulley K (see Figure 10) and is also connected with some part of the frame.
This coil spring tends to rotate the pulley K in a direction opposite to the rotation
preduced by the aran L, when moved from the position shown in dotted liaes
to the position shown in full lines. It will therefore be seen that if the lower end of
the coil spring K is held stationary the coil spring may be wound by means of
the handle and power stored therein. The rod or tube L passes within the
coil spring and is provided at its lower end with an enlarged head L" adapted

page_text: to fit in a hollow in the beveled gear L' and thus the gear and rod are connected
together so as to be free to move relatively. This rod prevents longitudinal
motion or vibration of the spring. The coil spring K³ is rigidly connected at its
lower end to the gear L'. A pinion M which engages the gear L' is loosely
mounted upon the crank shaft E, and is provided with forwardly projecting
teeth M'adapted to engage the spring actuated pawls M'of the clutch M. These
pawls are loosely placed within openings in the clutch and are forwardly pressed
by means of the springs M. This clutch is keyed to the crank shaft E. The
teeth M are provided with beveled edges as are also the teeth on the pawls M³.
(See Figure 13.) By this construction the pinion will not be engaged by the
clutch when said clutch has a relative movement with the pinion in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Figure 6. An opposite rotation of the parts, however,
will cause the engagement and thereby connect the pinion with the shaft. A rod M
works in bearings in the seat post aud is so positioned that its lower end may be
inserted in one of the slots M in the pinion M so as to lock the pinion and hence
the lower end of the coil spring against rotation. By this construction the hands
and feet of the rider may be utilized in driving the bicycle. By moving the
handle L' the coil spring K may be wound and power stored therein. If, when
said spring is wound, the rod M is moved out of engagement with the pinion M,
the torsional effect of said spring may be communicated to the shaft E.
Referring now to Figure 14, and the accompanying figures, I have here
illustrated a modified form of power storing device, the bicycle being operated by
a rotary movement of the pedals. In this construction I use a coil spring N
contained in a case N', said coil spring being connected to the handle L' by means
of the chain L. The case N is provided with teeth which act as a sprocket
wheel and said case is connected by a chain N with a sprocket wheel N³.
The sprocket N is adapted to be connected with the crank shaft E by means
of an automatic clutch device. This clutch allows the spring to be operatively
connected with the crank shaft so as to rotate the same, but is so constructed
that when in a position to operatively connect the spring and crank shaft together,
it still allows the crank shaft to be rotated when the spring is locked, and
thereby disconnect it from the crank shaft. This clutch is also constructed in
such a manuer that by a movement of the parts, it may be reversed and thus
allow the spring to be wound from the crank shaft. As illustrated in Figure 16,
a collar is keyed to the crank shaft, said collar being surrounded by a ring O',
the whole being contained within the case or sprocket wheel N, said sprocket
wheel in fact consisting of a case having teeth on its periphery. The ring O' is
provided with a series of openings 0, (see Figure 19) each opening being provided
with eccentric rollers O, said rollers adapted to engage the collar O hut do not
normally come in contact with the case N³. The ring O' is provided on its
periphery with a groove O (see Figures 19 and 201), said groove containing the
coil springs which normally bear against the rollers as shown. Connected with
these coil springs in any convenient manner is an arm O. (See Figure 18.) The
case N is provided with a slot O' which allows said arm to be moved laterally.
A spring holding device 08 is connected with the case and is provided with notches
which hold said arm in certain predetermined positions. As shown in said figure,
the arm is in its central position. If said arm is moved to one side of its central
position, the pressure on the springs O cause said rollers to be rocked or tipped so
that the parts at the end of the line x-y, for example, (Figure 16) will come in
contact respectively with the collar O and case N³. If now, the case N³ be moved
in the direction of the arrow, these eccentric rollers being in contact with said
case, and the collar O will be moved so as to increase the distance between the
points on their periphery that make contact with the case and collar. This
movement it will be seen will bind or connect the case and collar together so that
they will rotate as one piece, the binding tendency being increased by an increase
of power applied to the case N. 1f now, the crank shaft be rotated in the
direction of the arrow at a speed greater than the speed of the case N³, said rollers

page_text: will be rocked so as to decrease the distance between the points on their
peripheries which make contact with the case and collar and hence the two will be
disengaged and the crank shaft may rotate free from connection with the case..
If now, it is desired to rotate the sprocket wheel or .case by means of the crank
shaft the arm O is moved to the other side of its central position, thus rocking the
rollers so that this movement of the crank shaft will cause them to bind the collar-
and case together. The spring N is connected at one end to the case N¹ and at
the other end to the shaft N. A clutch N similar in construction to the clutch
shown in Figure 16 is associated with the shaft N to which the spring motor is.
connected. The chain L is connected to the periphery of the case of this clutch.
A coil spring N is connected at one end of the periphery of the clutch N³, the
other end being connected to the bicycle frame, said spring acting in opposition to
the chain L. The clutch N is set so that the shaft N may be rotated when the
arm L' is moved in one direction but will remain stationary when the arm is moved
in the opposite direction, said shaft being held from rotation by the pressure of the
spring by the pawl N connected with case N', said pawl engaging a ratchet
wheel N on the shaft. The case N' of the spring is held stationary while the
spring is being wound by means of the arm N° (see Figure 15). Said arm is.
pivotally connected to the frame and is adapted to engage the teeth on the
case N, its position being controlled by the cord N. Said arm is disengaged
from the clutch by means of the spring N when the cord is loosened.
operating this bicycle the spring may be wound by means of the arm L' and
then may be connected with the crank shaft so as to operate the bicycle by
manipulating the automatic clutch or the spring may be wound by means of the
pedal shaft when the roads are good, the power being stored up so that it may be
applied to aid the rider in climbing hills.
In.
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 bicycle, tricycle or the like, the pedals of which make only a partial
rotation, and having a connection between the pedals by which one is raised when
the other is lowered, said pedals being connected with a pedal shaft, having the
automatic clutch device and the braking device so constructed as to act directly on
said pedal shaft when both pedals are operated simultaneously, as herein shown.
and described.
2. A bicycle tricycle or the like, the pedals of which make only a partial
rotation, and having a connection between the pedals by which one is raised when
the other is lowered, said pedals being connected with a pedal shaft, having the
automatic clutch device and the braking device so constructed as to act directly on
said pedal shaft when both pedals are operated simultaneously, a spring being
connected between said crank shaft and the driving axle as herein shown and
described.
3. A bicycle, tricycle or the like having a power storing device and mechanism.
by which said power storing device may be connected with the pedal shaft when
desired so as to rotate the same as set forth in the foregoing specification.
4. A power storing device for bicycles, tricycles and the like consisting of a
spiral spring provided with a winding device to be operated by the hand of the
rider, and an automatic clutching device associated with the pedal shaft, said
clutching device adapted to be arranged so that the spring may be used in driving
the shaft or the shaft may be used in driving the spring, the whole arranged as.
described in the foregoing specification.
5. The automatic clutching device herein shown and described in Figures 16.
and 17.
6. The improved power transmitting mechanism having pedal levers directly
connected with beveled gears mounted upon a shaft and provided with clutch
mechanism shown in Figures 6 and 7.

page_text: 7. The improved power storing device for bicycles herein shown and described.
8. The improved power transmitting mechanism for bicycles herein shown and
described.
Dated this 14th day of September 1896
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.