IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN VEHICLES COMMONLY KNOWN AS VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd January 1868.-A communication from abroad by Joseph
Athénais Philippe Auguste de Cantillon de Ballyhigue, of Paris,
in the Empire of France.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN VEHICLES COMMONLY KNOWN AS
VELOCIPEDES," a communication from abroad by Joseph Athénais
Philippe Auguste de Cantillon de Ballyhigue, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
what are commonly known as "velocipedes" whereby the force neces-
sary for propelling the same is more advantageously applied, and consists
essentially in so arranging the propelling mechanism as that the height
of the driver may be rendered effective in addition to the muscular
power of his arms, whilst the disadvantage of "dead centres" is over-
come by dispensing with the use of driving cranks. The vehicle may

page_text: be mounted on two wheels only, but in practice it is preferred to mount
it upon three wheels, the front wheel serving as the steering wheel, and
the two hinder ones as driving wheels, above the axle of which the
driver's seat is fixed. The front and rear wheels are held together by a
curved central bar, the front end of which forms a socket for the
reception of the vertical forked spindle carrying the steering wheel,
whilst the hinder extremity is forked and connected freely with the main
axle upon which the two driving wheels are made fast. Near to the
upper end of the vertical forked spindle is jointed a horizontal propelling
lever provided at its rear end with swivel cross handles for imparting a
reciprocating motion thereto in a vertical direction, whilst a counter-
weight is attached to the front overhanging extremity of the propelling
lever to assist in lifting it after each depression or downward stroke.
The swivel cross handles are coupled by rods to corresponding cross arms
fast on the vertical spindle, so that by turning the handles more or less
the steering wheel will be also turned to a greater or less angle, thereby
altering the course of the vehicle and enabling it to be steered with
facility. A connecting rod descends from the propelling lever, and is
jointed to a pall lever working loose on a horizontal shaft, such shaft
having mounted loosely thereon two ratchet wheels, the teeth of which
are in reverse directions. To one of these ratchet wheels there is
secured a chain wheel which drives by means of a pitch chain or chain
pinion fast on the driving axle. To the other ratchet wheel is secured
a spur wheel which gears into a spur pinion on the same driving axle.
These ratchet wheels are driven by two palls both carried in the pall
lever before referred to. On imparting a down stroke to the propelling
lever by bringing the weight of the body to bear thereon one of the
ratchet wheels will he urged round and will transmit rotatory motion to
the main axle, whilst the other wheel is for the time being inert, but on
pulling up the the lever or making the up stroke then the second ratchet
wheel comes into action and the first is inert, by which means a
continuous rotatory motion is imparted to the main driving axle. Breaks
are provided worked by the feet or otherwise for checking or arresting
the motion of the vehicle, and a lamp is fitted to the head of the
vertical steering spindle to give a light when travelling by night.