Improved Driving Gear for Tricycles, Bicyclettes, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1801
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Driving Gear for Tricycles, Bicyclettes, and other
Velocipedes.
We, EUGENE WORMS, Mechanic, and ALEXANDRE SIGISMOND ZWIERZ-
CHOWSKI, Engineer, both of 32 Rue Etienne Marcel, Paris, France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved mechanism for enabling tricycles,
bicyclettes, tandems, and other forms of velocipedes with two or more wheels, to be
driven at increased speed from the treadles without the use of endless chain gear.
With this construction the driving crank-treadles usually employed are done away
with, the feet being made to act upon lever-treadles, which describe a long ovoidal
curve that approximates to the movement of the foot in walking.
For this purpose the axle of the driving wheel or wheels carries a toothed pinion
with which gears a spur wheel the axis of which is carried by the framing at a
point beyond the said axle and is actuated by treadle mechanism consisting of two
sets, cach composed of two levers, one of which is a treadle lever, having its end
connected to a crank pin on the said spur wheel, or on a crank on its axis.
second lever or sway beam is pivotted at its middle to a pin on the framing some
distance vertically above the axle of the driving wheels and each end is connected
by a pivotted rod or link to two intermediate points of the treadle lever.
The
By this combination, the treadle levers while rotating the spur wheel, describe
with their treadle-ends a long ovoidal curve that approximates to the motion of the
foot in walking, while the effort exercised on the treadles is always transmitted more
or less tangentially to the crank pins of the spur wheel, thus avoiding dead centres,
whereby the useful effect obtained amounts to about 90 per cent. of the force
exerted, whereas in existing crank treadle motions it only amounts to about
45 per cent.
Dated this 12th day of August. 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Driving Gear for Tricycles, Bicyclettes, and other
Velocipedes.
We, EUGENE WORMS, Mechanic, and ALEXANDRE SIGISMOND ZWIERZ-
CHOWSKI, Engineer, both of 32, Rue Etienne Marcel, Paris, France, 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:-
This invention relates to mechanism whereby the driving wheels of tricycles,
bicyclettes, tandems and other kinds of velocipedes having two or more wheels, are
driven from the treadles without the use of chain gear. The crank pedals usually
employed are suppressed, the feet of the driver acting on lever treadles describing
a long ovoidal curve which approximates to the movement of the foot in walking.
We shall describe mechanism according to our invention referring to the accom-
panying drawings. Fig. I is a side view and Fig. 2 a plan of a tricycle shewn as an
example of a velocipede with our mechanism applied to it. On the driving axle O,
which revolves in ball bearings P P, is fixed a toothed pinion A gearing with a
wheel on a countershaft X carried by the framing.
On the shaft X are fixed two opposite cranks a and (a being on the wheel B)

page_text: to which are jointed pedal levers C C. These levers are also connected by links E
and F to opposite ends of sway beams D pivotted at c on the framing. Owing to
the manner in which the levers C are jointed to the cranks a and band linked to the
sway beans D, the pedals on then, to which the feet are applied, move in an
irregular ovoidal curve such as is indicated by the dotted line. As this path
approximates to that of the foot in walking, the driving of the velocipede is effected
with great case, and, owing to the direct action of the pedals, almost tangential to
the path of the crank and without the intervention of chain gear, there is great
economy of driving power.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
The driving mechanism for velocipedes, substantially as herein described and
represented by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of Mov 1801
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.