Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 21st June, 1887
We, CONRAD BACH of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Merchant, EDWARD KRAFT of Ulm,
Germany, Merchant, MARTIN NEUBURGER, of Ulm, Germany, Merchant, FRIEDRICH
JOSEPH MILLER of Dietenheim, Germany, Manufacturer, and CARL STIEFET, of
Dietenheim, Germany, Manufacturer 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 :-
The object of this invention is to give to velocipedes greater velocity, to facilitate
driving and especially to make the driving and guiding of bicycles and like vehicles
safer.
On the annexed drawings the new arrangements are represented applied to a
bicycle. Figure 1 shows the side elevation and Figure 2 the front elevation of the
bicycle.
The small steering wheel 6 as will be seen is arranged in front of the large wheel a
and connected to it by means of the arms d¹ of the main frame. Fixed to the
arms d¹ d is a tube e, in which the steering rod f swivels, said steering rod at its
lower end carrying the steering wheel 6 in a fork. At its upper end the steering
rod f carries the handle bar f¹ for steering, on which the brake lever appliance g and g
is loosely arranged. The latter acts upon the lever h and the under end A' is shaped
to form the brake. The lever h rests loosely in the front end of the seat spring i
which is supported from the arms d² d³ of the main frame and is held away from the
large wheel a by means of a spring h2, but pressure on the brake lever g in the
direction of the arrows, Figure 2, presses down the brake end on to the periphery
of the large wheel a and by this means said large wheel becomes checked.
The seat spring carries the seat, which is arranged adjustably thereon. The
wheels are driven by treading down the pedals ¹ which are fixed to the upper ends

page_text: of the elbow lever k. Each elbow lever k is always placed in an arm d' of the main
frame by and connected by means of ³ with a strap 1, the other end of which is
fixed to a disc or wheel m. The disc or wheel m rotates on the axle n, which is
carried by the arms d³, d³, of the main frame, and by means of said arms the whole
of the main frame is fixed to the axle of the large wheel. In addition to the disc m,
a second disc o is also arranged on the axle n which moves with the disc m and has
fixed to its periphery one end of a strap p, the other end of said strap being fixed to
a disc or wheel q, which is free to rotate on the axle r of the large wheel a. The disc
or wheel q has a broad crown and the part which is turned towards the large wheel a
is provided on its inner side with ratchet teeth q¹ Figures 3 and 4, and a disc or
wheels which is screwed to the projecting end of the nave a¹ of the wheel a, and
consequently said wheels moves with the wheel a.
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The wheels is provided with a deep groove, in which a number of pawls s'
(6 shown) Figure 4 and spindles are loosely arranged. When any pawl is above the
axler, it lies completely in the groove and nothing projects beyond the periphery of
the wheels,
but when a pawl is underneath the axle r, the free end falls by the
operation of gravitation and comes into gear with the ratchet teeth of the wheel q.
In this manner one pawl s¹ is always in gear with the ratchet teeth q¹. When the
wheel q is moved in the direction of the arrows Figure 4 by working the pedals k, it
follows that motion will be communicated from the wheel to the pawls s¹ of the
wheels, and from this to the nave a' and wheel a. The wheels receives its motion
by means of the strap p, while this becomes wound upon the disc o by the pressing
down of the pedals k¹, whereby motion is communicated to the wheels or discs m and o
by means of the strap l.
Under each of the parts of the crowns of the wheels q which face the arm d³ of the
main frame is a spring t, Figures 3 and 5, having one end fixed to the crown of the
wheel and the other end to a ring v, which fits loosely on the nave of the wheel q
and is attached to the arm d' of the main frame by means of a pin w, so that it
cannot move by itself or twist.
While now, through the downward motion of the pedals k¹, the wheel q moves in
the direction of the arrows Figures 4 and 5, and by this communicates motion to the
wheel a, the spring t is simultaneously extended, so that, as soon as the pressure on k¹
ceases, the wheel q will be moved in the opposite direction by the action of the
spring whereby the strap p will be caused to wind itself again on q and the strap 1
on m, and also the pedal k¹ will go back again upward into its normal position.
During the backward motion of the wheel 9, the large wheel a always continues to
move further forward by its own force or the impulse received..
t
The mechanism hereinbefore described for producing motion or impulse allows
more easy driving, as the action of pressing down the pedals in a vertical direction is
not so straining as the treading of cranks. The rider describes a shorter curve with
his feet and has no dead centre to overcome. When the vehicle is going, the rider
can use one or both feet at will, and also can rest without being obliged to remove
the feet from the pedals; as the run of the vehicle will not be influenced.
The propelling mechanism can also be applied with advantage to tricycles and other
velocipedes.
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 :-
1. In velocipedes, the arrangement of a propelling mechanism consisting of the
wheels provided with loose pawls s' and fixed to the nave of the large or running
wheel, the wheel a fitting loosely on the axle of the large wheel and provided with
ratchet teeth inside, the spring t connected to the said wheel 7 at one end and to a
ring (fixed on the arm (d) of the main frame of the velocipede) at the other end,
the pull strap, the strap wheels o, m, the pull strap 1, and the elbow lever k
carrying pedal ¹, said elbow lever being loosely fixed to the main frame of the
velocipede, so that on pressing down said pedal the wheel y will be moved round, and

page_text: will carry round the pawls and the large wheel with it, while when the elbow
lever is caused to rise again by the spring t the wheel q can move freely in the
opposite direction all as hereinbefore described and shown in the annexed Drawings.
2. In connection with the propelling mechanism protected by Claim 1, the main
frame consisting of the arms d', d³, d³, d, d³, in which the arms d¹ d³ carry the
steering rod f in the tube e, the arms d² d³ carry the seat ¹ placed above the large
wheel, and the arms d³, d³, carry the propelling mechanism described in Claim 1 and
the axle of large wheel as hereinbefore described and shown in the annexed
Drawings.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said C. Bach, E. Kraft,
M. Neuburger, Fr. J. Miller,
C. Stiefet.