IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES AND IN THE MEANS OF PROPELLING THE SAME
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustav Liedman, Gentleman, and Carl Beeger, Mechanic,
both of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VELOCIPEDES AND IN THE MEANS OF PROPELLING THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustav Liedman and Carl
. Beeger at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st July 1880.
GUSTAV LIEDMAN, Gentleman, and CARL BEEGER, Mechanic, both of Berlin, in
the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES AND IN THE MEANS
OF PROPELLING THE SAME."
Our Invention has for its object the facilitating the application of the driving power
to velocipedes to suit the varied requirements of the road, and consists essentially
of a new mode of applying the power of the passengers in producing the rotation
of the driving wheels, the application of a coiled spring as an additional reserve of
power, and the application of a counter-shaft fitted with differential gearing to
actuate the main shaft or axle, the driving crank or cranks being attached to or
forming part of such counter shaft.
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The seat upon which the passenger or passengers sit is placed above the counter
shaft and the counter shaft is placed in front of the axle of the driving wheels.
The crank or cranks are actuated by means of the mechanism commonly known as
'lazy tongs." The upper ends of the lazy tongs are fitted with pins which slide
in a horizontal frame under the seat. The lower ends of the lazy tongs are fitted
to the crank of the counter shaft, and thus acts as the connecting rod to transmit
the power thereto. The passengers cause their seat or seats to vibrate, and such
vibration causes the upper ends of the lazy tongs to alternately approach to and
recede from each other. The result of this motion is such that the lazy tongs are
alternately elongated and shortened, and this reciprocating force causes the crank
or cranks to rotate as desired.
Cog wheels of various sizes are fitted to the counter shaft and to the main shaft,
those upon the one shaft being fixed and those upon the other being made to shift
longitudinally, in order to alter the ratio of turning of the two shafts to suit the
Dower required.

page_text: At one end of the counter shaft we fix a spiral spring in a circular box with a
cog wheel upon the box, which can be put in or out of gear with another cog-wheel
or pinion fitted to the main axle, the pinion being made to shift longitudinally
upon the main axle for that purpose. The spring may be wound up by any
suitable means before starting on a journey or when the vehicle is at rest, and the
spring is kept out of gear and at rest until the additional power stored up therein
is required; upon the spring cogwheel being placed in gear and started the power
so stored up therein is utilized as additional driving power.
Suitable appliances are fitted in handy positions for putting the several cog-
wheels into or out of gear.
The velocipedes made under this our improved plan may be steered by any of
the usual means with one or two wheels, and such velocipedes may be adapted for
children or adults.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Gustav Liedman and Carl Beeger in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st December 1880.
GUSTAV LIEDMAN, Gentleman, and CARL BEEGER, Mechanic, both of Berlin, in
the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES AND IN THE MEANS.
OF PROPELLING THE SAME."
The Invention relates to peculiar apparatus whereby motion is imparted to a
three or four wheeled carriage or velocipede by the oscillating or rocking motion of
a seat in or upon such carriage occupied by one or more persons, and consists of the
following arrangements :-
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a longitudinal section of a three wheeled.
carriage or velocipede with the apparatus applied thereto.
Fig. 2, a plan of same with the seat removed to shew more clearly the parts
beneath; and Figures 3, 4, and 5, diagrams of a part of the apparatus illustrating
its action. Upon the principal axle a are fixed, the two driving wheels of the
carriage. This axle is connected to a second axle b by a pair of toothed wheels,
whereby the motion of the second axle is transmitted to the first. In the middle
of the axle b is a crank and to which is connected the lower end of a system of
levers c jointed together as a series of parallelograms somewhat after the manner
and form of a series of scissors. The upper end of this system of levers is
connected to the seat in such manner that an oscillating or rocking motion of the
latter round its supporting axis produces an opening and shutting action of the
arms & and e by the alternate drawing and pushing action of the connecting rods,
or links
and h through the medium of the lever f which oscillates or rocks
with the seat, and to which the connecting rods or links g and are jointed,
as shewn. The special feature of this arrangement of levers is that the arms d
and e make only a slight movement to and from each other in order to cause
the other end to move through a much greater distance, the said system
of levers c being extended lengthwise when the arms d and e are moved towards
each other, and contracted lengthwise when they are separated. The transmission
of motion from the oscillating or rocking seat to the axle b is effected wholly
by the action of the said system of levers. The person occupying the seat
rocking his body forwards and backwards places his centre of gravity alternately
in front of and behind the rocking axle of the seat, and the system of levers
is thereby alternately extended and contracted with such force as to turn the
crank axle b. A fly wheel is placed on the said crank axle b to render its
movements uniform. For going up hill a second pair of toothed wheels l, m, are
provided whereby greater power can be exerted; these wheels are put in gear with
each other and the first named pair put out of gear by means of the button or
handle i, which acts upon the lever k to slide the wheels on the axle b into the
required positions.
For this purpose also a strong spring n may be brought into action by a lever
and allowed to exert its force through the toothed wheel o on the axle a. This
spring requires to be wound up by suitable means before each journey. The
carriage may be guided by one or two wheels turning on a vertical axis in the well
known manner.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 shew separated from the carriage the mechanism which
converts the oscillating or rocking motion of the seat into rotary motion of the
axle b, three positions being shewn. In the first position (Figure 3) the mechanism
is shewn completely contracted lengthwise and the crank consequently in its highest
position, the seat being in the forward inclined position, having just completed its
movement in that direction.
In this position the turning of the lever fon its centre has caused the two

page_text: connecting rods or links g and h to push the levers d and c apart, contracting the
system of levers and drawing the crank pin x into its highest position. In the
second position (Figure 4) the seat has assumed its lowest backward inclined
position, the lever f having turned so as to cause the connecting rods g and h
to draw the levers d and e together, extending the system of levers, and forcing the
crank pin x in the direction of the arrows to its lowest position. The centre of
gravity of the body being now thrown forward in the direction of the arrows the
revolution of the crank is continued, the levers d and e are again forced together
by the connecting rods or links g & h, the mechanism contracts again lengthwise
and the crank pin x is again drawn upwards (see Figure 5). In this manner a
complete revolution of the axle b is effected; when the seat arrives again at its lowest
point in the forward direction a fresh revolution begins, as in Figure 3. The
connecting points of the connecting rods or links g and h to the levers d'and e may
be placed at equal or unequal distances from the point where the latter are jointed
together and the proportionate lengths regulated accordingly. For greater clearness
the moveable rails with both the slides for carrying the levers d and e are omitted
in these Figures, as the manner of arranging such is clearly shewn in Figure 1.
Carriages adapted with the above described driving apparatus may be constructed
of various sizes and suitable for children or for adults and for one or more persons,
or as toys with a balancing figure fastened to the seat, and so arranged as to keep
such toy carriage in motion for a certain time.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to or may be performed, we would have it understood that what
we claim as our Invention is,-
First. The employment of the oscillating or rocking motion of the seat of a
carriage for the purpose of imparting motion to the axle thereof by means of a
system of levers arranged, adapted, and applied, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the Drawings.
Second. The arrangements of toothed wheels and a strong spring for the purpose
of enabling the carriage to be more easily driven up hill, as herein before described
and illustrated in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Gustav Liedman and Carl Beeger, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
GUSTAV LIEDMAN. (L.S.)
CARL BEEGER.
(L.S.)
Witness,
LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH, K.G.V.,
Proprietor of the Scandinavian Patent Office,
97, Finsbury Pavement,
London, E.C..