An Invention for the Purpose of Increasing or Decreasing the Power Applied to any Cycle or Carriage when Connected therewith.
Year: 1885

page_text: An Invention for the Purpose of Increasing or Decreasing the
Power Applied to any Cycle or Carriage when Connected
therewith.
We ROBERT STANSELL of Timaru in the Provincial District of Canterbury,
New Zealand, Barbed Wire Manufacturer, JOHN RAINBOW STANSELL of Timaru
aforesaid, Barbed Wire Manufacturer and FRANK JOSEPH NOBLE of Timaru
aforesaid, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "AN
INVENTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING OR DECREASING THE POWER APPLIED
TO ANY CYCLE OR CARRIAGE WHEN CONNECTED THEREWITH to be as follows:-
"3
This invention relates to apparatus, applicable to bicycles, tricycles and such
like vehicles that are moved by the rider, for the purpose of varying at will the
driving power of the wheels, so that, while the stroke performed by the rider
remains the same, the distance moved over by the vehicle can be, made greater or
less according as the road is more or less favourable to speed.
For this purpose, the power of the rider is applied by a pair of levers like oars
worked by hand. Each of these oars is connected to a sliding or swinging frame
which moves to and fro along with the oar. On this frame is pivotted a bar
which can be more or less inclined to the line of travel of the frame, and set by a
catch at the desired inclination. Against the face of this bar bears a roller which
is mounted on a crank arm carrying a pawl that acts as a silent feed on the
periphery of a pawl-wheel which is free to revolve on the same axis as the crank.
This wheel is connected or geared to one of the driving wheels of the vehicle.
When the bar is set at a moderate inclination, it, by acting on the roller during its
stroke in the one direction, causes the crank to move through a moderate angle
and consequently the pawl moving with the crank turns the pawl wheel through a
small part of a revolution. When the bar is set at a considerable inclination its
stroke moves the crank through a considerable angle and consequently the paw!
wheel is turned through a large part of a revolution. Thus by setting the bar at
a less or greater inclination, the stroke of the oar is made to impart to the vehicle
a less or greater amount of movement.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: An Invention for the Purpose of Increasing or Decreasing the
Power Applied to any Cycle or Carriage when Connected
therewith.
We, ROBERT STANSELL, of Timaru in the Provincial district of Canterbury,
New Zealand, Barbed wire manufacturer, JOHN RAINBOW STANSELL of Timaru
aforesaid Barbed wire manufacturer and FRANK JOSEPH NOBLE of Timaru
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 apparatus, applicable to bicycles, tricycles and such
like vehicles that are moved by the rider, for the purpose of varying at will the
driving power of the wheels, so that, while the stroke performed by the rider,
remains the same, the distance moved over by the vehicle can be made greater or
less according as the road is more or less favourable to speed.
For this purpose, the power of the rider is applied by a pair of levers like oars
worked by hand. Each of these oars is connected to a sliding or swinging frame
On this frame is pivotted a bar which
which moves to and fro along with the oar.
can be more or less. inclined to the line of travel of the frame, and set by a catch
at the desired inclination. Against the face of this bar bears a roller which is
mounted on a crank arm carrying a pawl that acts as a silent feed on the periphery
of a pawl wheel which is free to revolve on the same axis as the crank. This
wheel is connected or geared to one of the driving wheels of the vehicle.. When
the bar is set at a moderate inclination, it, by acting on the roller during its stroke
in the one direction, causes the crank to move through a moderate angle and
consequently the pawl moving with the crank turns the pawl wheel through a
small part of a revolution. When the bar is set at a considerable inclination its
stroke moves the crank through a considerable angle and consequently the pawl
wheel is turned through a large part of a revolution. Thus by setting the bar at
a less or greater inclination, the stroke of the oar is made to impart to the vehicle
a less or greater amount of movement.
In order to illustrate our invention we shew it as applied to a Tricycle in the
accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 being a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan. In this
arrangement two levers L L which can be worked like oars by the hands of the
rider, rock upon centres C C and on their segmental ends receive chains or cords
which are linked to frames B that can swing each in a vertical plane upon the
counter shaft S as a centre. To the lower limb of each of the frames B is jointed a
curved bar D which, by means of a spring catch E taking into notches on the arc
of the frame B, can be set at greater or less inclination. On the shaft S at each
side of the machine is centred a crank arm F carrying at its end a roller which
bears against the edge of tho bar D. The arm F carries also at its end a spring
friction pawl which bears against the periphery of a grooved wheel G, this wheel
driving by friction a grooved pinion H on the main axle A. The frames B tending
to descend by their own weight, aided if necessary by springs, cause the oars L tu

page_text: make their forward stroke. The rider by pulling back the oars raises the frames B,
and the bars D, acting on the rollers of the crank arms F, cause these arms to make
a forward stroke, their pawls moving the wheels G through part of a revolution,
which, multiplied in the proportion of the gearing G, H is transmitted by the
pinions H to the axle A of the driving wheels. According as the bars D are set at
a greater or less inclination, the stroke given to the arms F, and consequently the
speed imparted to the driving wheels, is greater or less. Thus the propelling
power of the rider can be varied to suit the exigencies of the road. As the hands
of the rider are occupied; the steering is effected by the feet applied to the lever K,
and brakes N are worked by cords from handles M.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 4 a front view of an arrangement in
which the crank arms F are worked from cranks P caused to revolve by the feet
of the rider. In this case the stroke of the arms F is increased or diminished by
varying by means of a screw the leverage of the pins Q to which the cranks P are
linked. The forward stroke of F by means of a friction pawl turns the grooved
wheels G through part of a revolution, and these drive by friction through the
pinions H. the axle A of the driving wheels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
For the purpose of varying the power applied to vehicles of the cycle kind, the
means berein described of varying the stroke of a crank arm F which, by means of
a friction pawl, drives a wheel working by friction gearing the driving axle of the
vehicle.