IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Turner, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Manager for the Coventry Machinists' Company, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES.”
Sealed the 2nd April 1880, and dated the 4th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Turner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th October 1879.
JOSIAH TURNER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Manager for the
Coventry Machinists' Company. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The chief object of this Invention is to facilitate the steering and turning of
velocipedes provided with a pair of driving wheels, the act of steering serving to
convert one or other of these wheels into a pivot wheel.
According to this Invention the driving wheels are mounted loosely on a cranked
axle, and furnished with clutch teeth (or their equivalent) on their bosses, which
teeth engage with sliding clutches on the crank axle. When the steering wheel is
mounted in front it is set preferably in a line with one of the driving wheels. From
the stem of the forked bearing of the steering wheel stands out a short arm, to
which a link rod is pivotted. This link rod extends rearwards, and terminates in a
slotted head having rack teeth on the inner edge of one side of the slot. Standing
up through this slotted head, and having its bearings in the main framing of the
carriage, is the stem of the steering handle. Keyed to this stem is a pinion which
gears into the rack teeth of the slotted head, and on the same stem is also secured
a cam for acting upon one or other of a pair of horizontal rock levers having their
fulcrums upon the carriage framing. These horizontal levers embrace the sliding
clutches, and serve to draw them out of gear with the clutch teeth on the driving
wheels. The locking of the clutches is maintained by means of pressure springs,
which yield to the action of the clutch levers.
The cam on the steering handle stem is so formed as to act only when the
vehicle is required to be turned a considerable distance out of its course, at which
time it is necessary that one or other of the driving wheels shall become the pivot
wheel.

page_text: The steering wheel handle is conveniently set a little to one side, say the off side,
and the cam on its stem will thus be in a position to act directly on to the off side
clutch lever. In order to bring the clutch lever on the near side under the action
of the cam an intermediate cross lever is provided, which lying in the path of the
cam will when acted upon cause its clutch lever to withdraw the clutch from the
near driving wheel, and thus make it for a time a pivot wheel.
By means of the above described arrangement it will be understood that any
excess of motion given to the steering wheel to the right or left will cause the dis-
engagement of one or other of the driving wheels from the crank axle, and the
conversion of the same into a pivot wheel.
To enable the rider to act with energy upon the treadles in connection with the
crank axle a pair of "pull up" handles is provided as usual. In this case the
steering handle will serve for one of these, and a handle for actuating the brake
may serve for the other.
The clutches, instead of being furnished with teeth, may be friction clutches of
any approved construction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Josiah Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd April
1880.
JOSIAH TURNER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Manager for the
Coventry Machinists' Company. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the steering and turning of velocipedes
provided with a pair of driving wheels, the act of steering serving to convert one or
other of these wheels into a pivot wheel.
According to this Invention the driving wheels are mounted loosely on a cranked
axle, and furnished with clutch teeth (or their equivalent) on their bossos, which
teeth engage with sliding clutches on the crank axle.
These clutches are held in gear by the pressure of coiled springs, and they are so
connected with the steering wheel fork that in the act of steering this wheel one or
other of the clutches will be thrown out of gear, and the corresponding driving
wheel will consequently become for the moment a pivot wheel on which the carriage
is turned.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in plan view a tricycle arranged
according to this Invention, the driver's seat being removed the better to exhibit
the parts of the mechanism situate below it; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the
same, one of the driving wheels being removed to exhibit the more clearly the parts
situate behind the wheel.
In these Figures A, A, are the driving wheels mounted loosely on the crank
shaft B, and C is a front steering wheel set preferably in a line with one of the
driving wheels. D is the forked bearing of the steering wheel, and from its stem
stands out a short arm D', to which a link rod D³ is pivotted; this link rod extends
rearwards, and terminates in a slotted head having rack teeth D³ on the inner edge
of one side of the slot. Standing up through this slotted head, and having its
bearings in the main framing of the carriage, is the stem E of the steering handle E¹.
Keyed to this stem is a pinion E2, which gears into the rack teeth D³ of the slotted
head, and on the same stem is also secured a cam E³ for acting upon one or other
of a pair of horizontal rock levers F, F', having their fulcrums upon the carriage
framing G. Against the tail of the lever F the cam ES bears directly, for the pur-
pose to be presently explained, and it acts indirectly on the lever F' through a
rocking bar pivotted to the carriage frame, and for the like purpose. The hori-
zontal levers F, F¹, terminate at their opposite ends in forks which embrace
respectively the clutches H, H¹, that slide on feathers formed on the crank axle B.
These rock levers F, F', serve to draw the clutches out of gear with the clutch
teeth of their respective driving wheels. The locking of the clutches is main-
tained by means of the pressure springs I, which yield to the action of the clutch
levers.
The cam on the steering handle stem is so formed as to act only when the
vehicle is required to be turned a considerable distance out of its course, at which
time it is necessary that one or other of the driving wheels shall become the pivot
wheel.
By means of the above described arrangement it will be understood that any
excess of motion given to the steering wheel to the right or left will cause, through
the rotation of the pinion E, the cam E³ to act upon one or other of the rock levers
F, F, and thereby to throw out of action the clutch connected therewith, dis-
engage its driving wheel from the crank axle, and convert that wheel into a pivot
wheel,
To enable the rider to act with energy upon the treadles in connection with the
crank axles a pair of "pull up" handles is provided as usual. In this case the
steering handle El will serve for one of these, and a handle connected to a stem K

page_text: carrying a second cam K¹ for acting upon the clutch lever Findependently of the
steering mechanism just described may serve for the other.
I have found it desirable to provide for the throwing out of both clutches inde-
pendently of the steering apparatus. Thus besides the cam K¹, which serves to
operate the clutch lever F and disengage its clutch, as explained, I mount loosely
on the stem E a cam L fitted with an armi L' which carries a handle L³.
This cam lies immediately over the cam E³ in a position to bear against the tail
end of the clutch lever F.
When therefore it is desired to act on the clutch lever independently of the
steering mechanism it will only be necessary by means of the handle L* to bring
round the largest radius of the cam L into contact with the clutch lever, and the
driving wheel of that clutch will then run free on its axle.
When both the clutches are thrown out of gear the pedals being no longer opera-
tive will be converted into stationary leg rests, while the steering mechanism will
not be interfered with.
The clutches it will be understood may, instead of being furnished with teeth as
shewn in the Drawing, be friction clutches of any approved construction.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Veloci-
pedes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Lettors Patent I claim the applica-
tion to velocipedes provided with a pair of driving wheels of the mechanism above
described, whereby in the act of steering one or other of the driving wheels is auto-
matically converted into a pivot wheel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Turner, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the Thirty first day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.