A New or Improved Driving Gear for Velocipedes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Driving Gear for Velocipedes.
FERDINAND MÜLLER of No. 1 Vienna Strasse Berlin N. in the German
Empire do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to a new or improved driving gear for velocipedes and has
for its object to dispense with the rotary pedal motion and to enable highly loaded
machines to be readily treadled whereby the velocity is greatly increased.
The accompanying drawing shows a side view of the gear applied to a bicycle.
The gear consists chiefly of two levers a fulcrumed at b at their rear end and
detachably connected to the frame of the machine above the rear axle by the strap
or guide c. Upon the axle d of the chain wheelfare keyed two cranks / slotted
at g wherein are secured the guide rollers i which turn within the guides k of the
lever a and convert the rotary motion of the cranks h into an up and down motion
of the lever a and move up and down therewith, in consequence whereof the
rollers i of the cranks h slide within the guides & and set the axle d and with it the
chain wheelf in rotation, this motion being transmitted, by a chain, to the rear
wheel as in former gears.
The slots g of the cranks serve to adjust the rollers i in order to be able to
regulate, according to requirements, the travel of the lever a, or to adjust the
length of the crank according to the diameter of the chain wheel.
By making use of the lever a, of the rollers and of the adjustable cranks h
connected with the latter, a very effective transmission can be readily and promptly
obtained in consequence whereof a greater speed will be produced, the treadle
motion being now an up and down motion and the feet moving only one third of
the stroke as compared with velocipedes driven by ordinary gear.
It is thus much easier, according to this invention, to transmit motion to a highly
than to a slightly loaded wheel driven by ordinary gear, wherefore a higher
velocity can be obtained.
A further advantage consists in this gear being readily and promptly applied to
any velocipede without having to alter its frame."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A driving gear applicable to velocipedes of all kind and consisting in the
arrangement of two one arm levers furnished with guides wherein run two rollers
adjustable in the slots of the cranks and converting the up and down motion of the
pedals into a rotary motion transmitted to the axle d of the chain wheel, the
adjustability of the rollers enabling a highly. loaded velocipede to be quickly
treadled for the purpose of gaining speed without any increase of power substan-
tially as herein described and shown.
2. The new or improved velocipede arranged constructed and operating
substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 4th day of June 1896.
DE KATOW & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.