IMPROVEMENTS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Beeston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th February 1882.
JAMES BEESTON of Lymington in the County of Hants.
TRICYCLES."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My Invention relates to improvements in tricycles and it has for its object to
render these vehicles self propelling or nearly so, and to enable them to be driven
long distances at high speed with great case; and the Invention consists in the
combination with a cranked driving shaft worked by treadles in the ordinary way
of auxiliary spring power mechanism for supplementing the ordinary foot power in
ascending hills or travelling over rough roads.
In carrying out the Invention, I provide by preference two spring barrels gearing
with a centre pinion and driving it in the same direction, the pinion being on tho
same axis with a large toothed wheel in gear with another pinion on the axis of a
wheel which gears with and actuates a tangent screw or worm on the crank shaft,
these gear wheels and pinions all turning on vertical axes and the whole of the
mechanism being enclosed in a suitable casing. A lever handle and suitable gear
is provided in connection with each barrel for enabling the springs to be wound up
whilst the vehicle is in motion.
The rider's seat is of the easy chair style with a flat foot board requiring only a
few inches rise which is an important advantage as it enables the driver to ride
with ease and comfort.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Beeston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th August
1882.
JAMES BEESTON of Lymington in the County of Hants. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRICYCLES."
My Invention relates to improvements in tricycles and has for its object to
render these vehicles self propelling or nearly so, and to enable them to be driven
long distances at high speed with great ease and the Invention consists in the com-
bination with a cranked driving shaft worked by treadles in the ordinary way of
auxiliary spring-power mechanism for supplementing the ordinary foot power in
ascending hills or travelling over rough roads.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing a perspective view of a tricycle provided with my
improvements the near side wheel being supposed to be removed in order to onable
the arrangement of the mechanism to be more clearly seen.
A is a barrel about 9 inches in diameter and 6 inches in height containing a
powerful coiled spring upon a vertical arbor turning in suitable supports on the
frame of the tricycle beneath the seat. B is a spur wheel about 18 inches in
diameter fast on the axis of the barrel and in gear with a pinion C upon a vertical
shaft Dupon which is keyed an escapement wheel E whose teeth aro engaged in
the thread of a tangent screw F fast on the crank or driving shaft G of the vehicle.
The power of the spring when wound up is applied through the above described
mechanism to the crank shaft G to supplement the foot power of the rider when
necessary. Upon level roads the vehicle may be propelled by the pedal action
alone but in ascending hills and travelling on rough roads the auxiliary power of
_the_spring is of great assistance. H are the treadles connected by rods I with the
cranks of the driving shaft G.-The-treadles.arc_preferably flat foot boards hinged
at their forward ends to the frame of the vehicle and jointed to the-connecting.
rods 1 at the rear ends and the cranks of the driving shaft are preferably about
3 inches in radius so that the treadles have only a few inches rise which is a great
advantage as it enables the driver to ride with ease and comfort. The seat which
is not represented in the Drawing is carried upon a standard K.
The spring barrel is wound up by turning a hand wheel L which turns on a
stud fixed to a support at the right hand side of the vehicle and in one with a
spur wheel M that can be made to gear with another spur wheel N which turns on
another stud and gears with another wheel O fast on a horizontal shaft having a
worm Pupon it which is engaged with a worm wheel R. This wheel is on the
same axis with a ratchet toothed wheel S which gears with a correspondingly
toothed wheel T fast on the upper end of the barrel arbor. V is a pawl engaging
with wheel T to retain the spring when wound up.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is -
The combination with the crank or driving shaft of a tricycle worked by pedal
action in the ordinary way, of auxiliary spring power mechanism combined
arranged and applied substantially as herein described and represented in the
Drawings, for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof I the said James Beeston have to this iny Specification
set my hand and seal this Fifth day of August. A.D. 1882.