IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER SELF PROPELLING VEHICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Guy Wilson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 16th May 1879. A communication from
abroad by Max Felix Schmidt, of Görlitz, in the Empire of Germany, Merchant.
JOHN GUY WILSON, of 71, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES AND
OTHER SELF PROPELLING VEHICLES." A communication from abroad by Max
Felix Schmidt, of Görlitz, in the Empire of Germany, Merchant.
This Invention relates to an arrangement of mechanism mounted in a suitable
framework whereby the operator can by using his own bodily weight actuate such
mechanism and so propel himself along somewhat after the manner of riding upon
horse-back, the improvements being equally applicable to propelling wheeled
vehicles running upon roads, to what may be termed railway velocipedes running
upon rails, and to self propelling boats.
In performing the Invention a saddle is affixed at the extremity of a lever
mounted in a suitable framework and conveniently disposed for the rider to place
his feet upon a pair of brackets or stirrups affixed to the frame, the shorter arm
of this lever is connected by a connecting rod to another lever or arm, branching
from a toothed segment which gears in a pinion, forming one piece with a ratchet
wheel mounted upon a shaft.
This same shaft carries a spur wheel gearing through a train of spur gearing
with the main axle of the velocipede or other vehicle, and has mounted upon one
of its sides a pawl taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel herein before
mentioned; a strong volute spring is applied to the ratchet wheel to ensure its
returning to the first position, and so causing the saddle and lever arrangements
to rise as soon as the operator removes his pressure from the saddle by transferring
his weight to the stirrups.
The action of this mechanism may be described as follows:-
The bodily weight of the operator is utilised for propelling the vehicle, by his
being seated upon the saddle, and as his feet are constantly resting upon the
stirrups he can, as soon as the levers have descended the required distance, transfer
his weight momentarily to the stirrups after the manner of riding upon horse-back,
and thus by raising himself up and the mechanism following him (owing to the
action of the volute spring) the operator is placed in a position to take the next
stroke and so the vehicle is propelled along. A guiding bar rising from the front
wheel of the vehicle serves to steady the rider in position, and to enable him
to steer with his hands with the greatest nicety.

page_text: In another modification of my Invention I employ the weight of the rider when
resting in the stirrups or foot rests to impel the vehicle as well as the weight of
body when resting in the saddle, and thus I make the mechanism double-acting,
the weight of the body in the saddle giving what may be called a downward
impulse, and the weight of the body when standing in the stirrups in the act of
rising giving an upward impulse. This is effected by arranging a compound lever,
one end of which carries the stirrups or rests for the feet, and the other end carries
a pawl which takes into the ratchet teeth of the driving mechanism. A supple-
mentary link connects this last mentioned compound lever with the compound
lever carrying the seat in such a manner that as the seat descends the stirrups or
foot rests rise, and vice-versa.