IN- PROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martial Doirier, of Périgueux, Dordogne, in the
Empire of France, Coach Builder, for the Invention of "IN-
PROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
Sealed the 15th March 1870, and dated the 20th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martial Doirier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th September 1869.
I, MARTIAL DOIRIER, of Périgueux, Dordogne, in the Empire of
France, Coach Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES," to be as follows:-
The idea of utilizing manual power by combining it with well known
mechanical principles to cover a given distance much more rapidly and
with much less fatigue than by the means of locomotion natural to
mankind is not new, as is proved by the various and numerous systems
of velocipedes which have already appeared. Nevertheless and despite
their number these various processes but very imperfectly accomplish
the object with which they have been conceived, and none completely
fulfil all the conditions requisite to the simple and regular action that

page_text: should form the basis of their construction.
I believe that I have
solved this problem by the production of the locomobile apparatus, to
which in view of its special construction I have given the name of
"velocimane." This novel aid to locomotion or locomotive engine has
three wheels, two in front, the other behind. This number is not however
invariable, and some may be constructed with four wheels, which would
materially increase the original stability further, and in this latter
case, it would be easy to fit a small seat with two places back to back
without in any way affecting the combination or the details of the other
arrangements. The impulsion is given mainly by the action of the feet
of the rider upon two pedals with cranks, these giving a rotary motion
to an axle, which in its turn transmits it to the two front wheels.
The said axle is an entirely novel application; it has a double action,
that is to say, its particular arrangement permits it in the first place to
turn on itself, and further to diverge obliquely to the right or left and
thus to give the direction. Two other cranks of less size than those first
mentioned tie these latter. to the axle; their main purpose is to receive
the heads of two connecting rods, which at the opposite end couple on
to a horizontal shaft D. The axle revolves between two bearings fitted
on two forked pieces acting as supports; it is governed by the pole pin
or working bolt, which being of one piece with the part in question
thereby permits the desired direction to be given to the axle. The entire
arrangement rests as it were upon the two forked pieces. The fore carriage
has a moveable plate composed of two superposed parts, through which
passes the working bolt, and which receives at its upper part a lantern
bearer, and the support of the beam which upholds the hind wheel.
Resting or guide pedals are fitted and fixed to the forked pieces.
The following pieces meet on the working bolt :--
1°. The main support of the seat, which receives the saddle intended
for the rider.
2°. The arched support of the beam intended to receive and uphold the
henm of the hind wheel.

page_text: 5°, and lastly. The upper curved part for carrying the lantern.
The two first and the last of these pieces do not however completely
adhere to the pole pin or working bolt, but are united to it by the aid of a
wrought-iron perforated piece on which they abut, and which traversed by
the said pin facilitates its rotary motion, the other pieces mentioned in the
same paragraph find their actual fulcrum upon the working bolt.
Independently of the preceding pieces I use a shifting click arrangement
fitted to the fore wheels with the object of making them drive together
or separately, but leaving them play enough to prevent any hindrance to
their evolution. The result of this novel arrangement is a much greater
active power when mounting an incline, paved or unpaved, a require-
ment which no vehicle of this nature has hitherto met.
This new method of locomotion presents the following advantages :-
A firm and graceful position to the rider; instantaneous stoppage or start
without fear of sudden shock or loss of equilibrium; suspension of the
labour of working the lower extremities momentarily replaced by the
action of the horizontal shaft obeying the pressure of the rider's hands,
or again simultaneous action of both extremities and consequent increase
of speed; rapid and easy change of direction given to the apparatus on
the instant; the difficulty of ascending elevations overcome, inasmuch as
the "velocimane" alone rises with case and facility very rapid inclines;
finally, as a last consideration, the novel capacity of moving backwards
as readily as forwards instantaneously even while in motion and without
shock or concussion.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Martial Doirier in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTIAL
DOIRIER, of Périgeux, Dordogne, in the Empire of France, Coach
0 Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Martial Doirier, Her special licence
that I, the said Martial Doirier, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Martial Doirier, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IжPROVEMENTS IN
VELOCIPEDES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Martial Doirier, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Martial Doirier, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The idea of utilizing manual power by combining it with well known
mechanical principles to cover a given distance much more rapidly and
with much less fatigue than by the means of locomotion natural to man-
kind is not new, as is proved by the various and numerous systems of
velocipedes which have already appeared. Nevertheless and despite their
number these various processes but very imperfectly accomplish the
object with which they have been conceived, and none completely fulfil
all the conditions requisite to the simple and regular action that should
form the basis of their construction. I believe that I have solved this
problem by the production of the locomobile apparatus illustrated by
the two diagrams on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, and to
which in view of its special construction I have given the name of
"velocimane."
Figure 1 of the Drawing presents a front elevation of said vehicle.
The entirety of its construction is calculated and based upon the general
principles of the mechanical laws serving habitually as basis to every
mode of transmitting motive power. This novel aid to locomotion or
locomotive engine has three wheels, two in front the other behind. This
number is not however invariable, and some may be constructed with

page_text: four wheels, which would materially increase the original stability further,
and in this case it would be easy to fit a small seat with two places back
to back without in any way affecting the combination or the details of
the other arrangements. The impulsion is given mainly by the aid of
the lower extremities of the person directing it; it is then transmitted
to two pedals with cranks A. and A', these giving a rotary motion to the
axle J, which in its turn transmits it to the two front wheels. The said
axle is an entirely novel application; it has a double action, that is to
say, its particular arrangement permits it in the first place to turn on
itself and further to diverge obliquely to the right or left and thus to
give the direction Two other cranks B and B much less in size than
those first-mentioned tie these latter to the axle; their main purpose
is to receive the heads C and O' of two connecting rods which at the
opposite end couple at C, C¹, to the horizontal shaft D. The axle
revolves between two bearings Q and Q fitted on two forked picces X
and X acting as supports; it is governed by the pole pin or working
bolt, which being of one piece with the part in question thereby permits
the desired direction to be given to the axle. The pole pin N can only be
seen at Figure 2. The entire arrangement rests as it were upon the two
forked pieces. There will firstly be observed the moveable plate of the
fore carriage I composed of two superposed parts, through which passes
the working bolt, and which receives at its upper part the lantern bearer F
and the support G of the beam L which sustains the hind wheel. There
is also distinctly shown the resting or guide pedals H, H', fitted and
fixed to the forked pieces. All the parts arc set, fitted, or bolted with
the greatest care.
The following pieces meet on the working bolt (sec Fig. 2, which
shows this apparatus drawn to the same scale as at Fig. 1, but in side
clevation) :-
1°. The main support O of the scat, which receives the saddle intended
for the rider.
2°. The curved support M of the beam intended to receive and uphold
the beam of the hind wheel.,
3°. The support of the directing or guiding arm E, which serves to give
to the axle the oblique movements required during the journey, and
in the second place to work the break K placed in front of the third
wliccl.

page_text: 4°. The support D' of the horizontal shaft D; by the aid of two crank
handles it communicates to the above described connecting rods an
alternate come-and-go motion, which produces the rotary propulsion.
5°, and lastly. The upper curved part for carrying the lantern F.
The two first and the last of these pieces do not however completely
adhere to the pole pin or working bolt, but are united to it by the aid of a
wrought-iron perforated piece Y on which they abut, and which traversed
by the said pin facilitate its rotary motion. The other pieces mentioned in
the same paragraph find their actual fulcrum upon the working bolt.
Independently of the preceding pieces I would also draw attention to a
shifting click arrangement Z fitted to the fore wheels with the object of
making them drive together or separately, but leaving them play enough
to prevent any hindrance to their evolution. The result of this arrange-
ment, which is of my Invention, is a much greater power when mounting
an incline, paved or unpaved, a requirement which no vehicle of this
nature has hitherto met. I will not dwell on the cranks which work the
connecting rods and consequently communicate impulsion to the cranked
pieces which transmit it to the axle and thence to the wheels; neither
will I further dwell upon the brake K which acts on the hind wheel,
transmitting to it the pressure communicated by the band, worked by
the direction or guide bar.
This new method of locomotion presents the following advantages:-
A firm and graceful position to the rider; instantaneous stoppage or
start without fear of sudden shock or loss of equilibrium; suspension of
the labour of working the lower extremities momentarily replaced by
the action of the horizontal shaft obeying the pressure of the rider's
hands; or again simultaneous action of both extremities and consequent
increase of speed; rapid and easy change of direction given to the
apparatus on the instant; the difficulty of ascending elevations over-
come, inasmuch as the "velocimane" alone rises with ease and facility
very rapid inclines; finally, as a last consideration, the novel capacity
of moving backwards as readily as forwards instantaneously even while
in motion and without shock or concussion.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the use
of any particular metal or material in the construction of the various
parts of my "velocimane," nor to any precise dimensions, and that
I claim,--

page_text: MARTIAL DOIRIER. (L.S.)