IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edwin Ambrose Brydges at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1882.. Com-
municated to him by Johann Ring of the City of Vienna in the Austrian
Empire.
EDWIN AMBROSE BRYDGES of the firm of Brydges & Co Engineers and Patent
Solicitors of 107 Königgrätzer Str in the City of Berlin and German Empire and
of 6 St Leonards Terrace Upton in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN VELOCIPEDES a communication to me by Johann Ring of the City of Vienna
in the Austrian Empire.
"
This invention relates to improvements in Velocipedes with rack and pinion
gear and automatic coupling for the wheels in turning during the journey and
differs from all the velocipede systems known up to the present time.
Instead of employing the old crank system a system of racks and pinions is so
arranged that the motion of the vehicle is obtained by means of two reciprocating
racks and the corresponding pinions or toothed wheels.
The wheels to the vehicle are fitted loosely on the axle; two pinions or toothed
wheels are also loosely attached to the axle between two flanges or collars one of
which said flanges or collars to each pinion or toothed wheel is provided with
teething so as to act as ratchet wheels whereas the other flanges or collars are
smooth and serve to prevent the pinions or toothed wheels from leaving their
position on the axle. The two. racks are so guided in suitable rails by means of
friction rollers that the said racks move in a straight line. The racks are moved
back wards and forwards by the person riding the vehicle pushing the said racks
alternately forward by means of his feet for which purpose suitable stirrups are
attached to the said racks.
The two racks are connected together by means of a strap, belt, cord or its
equivalent which said strap or belt runs over a suitable bobbin or drum fitted
loosely on the axle and is connected at one end to one of the aforementioned racks
and at the other end to the other rack.
A rear wheel serves as third supporting point for the vehicle and also as steering
wheel as this said wheel can be adjusted by means of suitable levers.

page_text: The person sitting on the seat to the vehicle moves the toothed racks alternately
backwards and forwards by means of his feet. The operation is as follows:-
The rack which stands at the highest point that is, with the stirrup or foot rest
nearest to the pinion or toothed wheel is pressed downwards by the one foot so
that the teeth of the rack which gear into the pinion or toothed wheel on the axle
of the vehicle causes the said pinion or toothed wheel to revolve. A suitable pawl
on the pinion or toothed wheel now gears with the ratchet teeth formed on the
inner surface of one of the flanges or collars on the axle and compels the said
ratchet wheel or collar and consequently the axle and the driving wheels, to rotate
with like speed with the said toothed wheel or pinion.
In thus forcing the one rack downwards the second rack will be raised in
consequence of its being connected to the first rack by means of the aforementioned
strap or band.
This rack in ascending causes the pinion to revolve but the pawl to the same
remaining out of gear the said wheel turns loosely on the axle..
As soon as the first rack has reached its lowest point the second rack has reached
its highest point when the saine operation is repeated one rack being alternately
forced down and the other raised.
The naves to the driving wheels are also arranged to act as ratchet wheels so
that the said driving wheels are coupled with the journal of the axle by means of
a pawl on the said journal.
These said wheels are geared to the axle (during the ordinary progress of the
vehicle but are easily and automatically put out of gear in turning corners and
such like but immediately comes automatically again into gear as soon as the
vehicle takes a direct or nearly direct course without exercising any dileterious
effect on the parts or diminishing the speed of the said vehicle.
Besides simplicity of construction this velocipede possesses the advantage that
there is no dead point in the mechanism, as is the case with velocipedes with crank
machanism, and therefore consumes, less power.
A slight movement applied to one of the racks suffices to set the driving wheels
in rotation although the said driving wheels are entirely independent of each other
as they sit loosely on the axle and can be automatically coupled by direct straight
course or placed out of gear with the axle in turning corners..
It must be further remarked that this velocipede can be driven with con-
siderably less power than other velocipedes as the round treading consequent with
crank motions fatigues considerably more than the direct straight inotion as
employed in this velocipede.