Improvements in Velocipedes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Velocipedes.
We, STEPHEN WATERMAN, of 72 Stimson Avenue, in the City of Providence,
County of Providence, State of Rhode Island, Manufacturer, CHARLES HENRY
LUTHER, Jr., of 90 Anthony Avenue, in the City of Providence, County of
Providence, State of Rhode Island, Draughtsman, and KENNETH LEE, of
16 Gramercy Park, in the City, County, and State of New York, Actor, all in
the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 has reference to improvements in speed-changing devices which
are particularly applicable to velocipedes of the bicycle type.
The object of this invention is to produce an attachment for a velocipede by
which the speed at which the driving-wheel is operated is diminished and the power
exerted on the same changed in a corresponding degree.
Another object of the invention is to provide a velocipede with a speed-changing
device adapted to be operated by a movement of the rider's foot or through a system
of connecting rods and a handle located in a convenient position.
Another object of the invention is to produce a bicycle having two driving-
mechanisms which can be operated from one seat.
The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the sprocket driving-drum
and the combination therewith of a clutch and a system of compound gearing
adapted to be connected with and disconnected from the sprocket-drum.
The invention also consists in the peculiar and novel device for operating the
clutch to change the speed and power exerted on the drive-wheel.
The invention also consists in the novel construction of a bicycle and the com-
bination therewith of a seat-support which is adapted to be moved along the
backbone thereof into convenient positions for operating the driving mechanisms,
together with the novel locking and unlocking device operated from the handle-
bar, as will hereinafter be more clearly described and pointed out in the claims.
Figure 1 represents a side view of a two-wheel velocipede provided with our
improved speed-changing device.
Figure 2 represents a sectional view through the crank-shaft bearing showing
the inner construction of the sprocket driving-drum and the means for connecting
the same directly to the crank-shaft, or for connecting through the compound
gearing.
Figure 3 represents a face view of the sprocket-drum and the internal gearing,
the central gear and the clutch being shown in section.
Figure 4 represents a side elevation of a modified form of the improved bicycle
indicating the operation of the same.
Figure 5 represents an enlarged view, partly in section, of the backbone, the
seat-support, and the locking-device therefor.
Figure 6 represents a cross-sectional view of the seat-support and the back-bone,
showing the locking-device in engagement with the seat-support.
Similar numbers of reference designate corresponding parts throughout.
In the drawings 5 indicates a lower stay of a bicycle or velocipede frame, and
6 is an upright stay; at the juncture of these stays with the lower brace of the
drive-wheel 7 is secured a transverse-sleeve 8 through which the crank-shaft 9
extends, this sleeve is provided with enlarged ends in which the slightly-concaved
shoulders 10 and 11, secured to the shaft 9, are journaled in ball-bearings, the
bearing of the shaft being adjusted by means of the thumb-nut 12 and the
shoulder 11, on the outer ends of the shaft 9 are secured the usual cranks 13--13

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The end of the crank-shaft on which the sprocket-drum is carried has a longi-
tudinal slot 14 in which the slide 15 is free to reciprocate, on the outer end of the
slide is secured the grooved-pulley 16 and on the inner end of the slide is fastened
the double-clutch 17 which may be of any ordinary construction but is here shown
as a simple friction-clutch.
The sprocket-drum 18 is mounted on the crank-shaft 9 intermediate the pulley 16
and the clutch is free to rotate on the shaft but is held from longitudinal movement
by a shoulder on the outer portion of the shaft. The sprocket-drum is furnished
on its outer circumference with the studs 19 to engage the links of the continuous
drive-chain 20 which also passes around a small sprocket-disc secured to the axle
of the drive-wheel 7,-the sprocket-drum 18 is furnished on the inner surface of its
circumferential-flange with the internal-gear 21 and the central portion is thickened
to form a hub in the inner surface of which is formed a friction-cavity 22 or other
means with which the clutch 17 may engage.
Loosely mounted on the crank-shaft 9 is a central holow-gear 23 the hub of
which is furnished with means by which it may be engaged by the clutch 17 as it
is moved inward on the crank-shaft. The sleeve 8 has an upwardly-projecting
member 24 furnished with the arm 25 and in this member are secured studs on
which are journaled the pinions 26 and 27 by which motion is conveyed from the
central-gear 23 to the internal-gear 21 of the sprocket-drum.
Pivoted to the upper end of the arm 25 is a bent-lever 28 which has a bearing-
finger at its lower end which enters the groove in the pulley 16, by the movement
of this lever the clutch 17 is moved back and forth on the crank-shaft and is
engaged with the sprocket-drum to drive the same directly from the crank-shaft,
or is engaged with the central-gear to connect the same to the crank-shaft and to
drive the sprocket-drum through the pinions 26 and 27,-a spring 29 is sometimes
used to hold the upper end of the lever down and to keep the clutch in engagement
with the hub of the sprocket-drum, and a circular-disk 30, having perforations
through which the base portions of the gears 26 and 27 extend, is provided to close
the open side of the drum.
The bent lever 28 may be operated in any suitable manner, but we prefer to
connect the upper end of the same to a bell-crank 31 which is pivoted to the
upright-brace 6, this in turn being connected by a system of connecting rods and
bell-cranks with a handle 32 pivoted to the ordinary handle-bar 33 of the velocipede
and in a convenient position to be grasped by the rider.
It will be readily apparent that when the sprocket-drum is connected by means
of the clutch with the crank-shaft, the drive-wheel 7 will be driven at a greater
speed than that at which the cranks are moving owing to the sprocket-drum being
of greater diameter than the sprocket-disk on the drive-wheel axle,-if, however,
it is desired to diminish the speed of the drive-wheel and to increase the power
exerted thereon, a simple movement will throw the clutch into engagement with
the central-gear 23, and the sprocket-drum, while being driven at a less speed, will
have increased power through the gears 26 and 27.
In the modified form shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, 45 indicates the forward
steering-wheel of a bicycle, and 46 is the rear wheel thereof. The forward
wheel 45 is provided with a shaft, or axle, which is journaled in the lower ends
of the vertical-fork 47 and is provided at each end with a pedal-crank 48, the
upper end of the vertical-fork is contracted to form a spindle which is vertically
journaled in the sleeve 49 to which the rear portion of the bicycle-frame is secured,
the upper end of this spindle is furnished with a handle-bar 50 formed of
telescopic-sections which slide one into the other and allow the handles to be
extended towards the rear, or contracted when the seat is moved forward, to bring
the handle grips in convenient positions to be grasped by the rider.
The rear wheel 46 has an axle provided with a sprocket-disk 51, the axle being
journaled at the point of juncture of the forwardly-inclined fork 52 and the
horizontal-fork 53, these being joined beyond the circumference of the wheel 46
by the curved-brace 54 from the lower end of which the stay 55. extends upward

page_text: and forward to a fitting on the sleeve 49,-from the upper end of the brace 54 the
double back-bone 56, formed of two tubes, extends upward and then horizontally
and is also secured at its forward end to a fitting on the sleeve 49.
At the junction of the brace 54 with the stay 55 is journaled a transverse-shaft
on which is secured a sprocket wheel or drum 57 considerably larger than that
marked 51, these being connected by the continuous drive-chain 58 which conveys
the motion of the sprocket-wheel 57 to the disk 51,-to each end of the sprocket-
wheel shaft is secured a pedal-crank 59.
At suitable distances apart on the lower surface of the back-bone 56 are secured
the stops 60 and 61 and the spring latching-devices 62 and 63 the construction of
which is clearly shown in Figure 7 of the drawings and consists of cases 64 having
vertical sockets in which the spring-operated latch-bolts 65 are free to slide, the
upper ends of these bolts being beveled in opposite directions, the shanks of the
latch-bolts extend below the cases and are pivoted in slots in the arms of the bell-
cranks 66 which are in turn pivoted to studs on the cases and are connected by the
rod 67, the forward end of this rod is pivoted to an arm of the bell-crank 68 on
the sleeve 49, the other arm of the bell-crank being connected by the rod 69 with
a pivoted-handle 70 on the handle-bar 50.
The seat-support 71 is formed by a fitting having a depression in its lower
surface to receive the upper end of the latch-bolts and side-plates 72 which are
bent to embrace the tubes of the back-bone 56,-from the upper portion extends a
tubular standard 73 having a set-screw by which the height of the angle-bar 74
is adjusted.
In the normal condition the bicycle would be operated with the seat in the
position shown in Figure 5, the pedal-cranks 59 being used by the rider and the
wheel 46 being driven by means of the chain at a greater speed than that at
which the pedals are moved,--if the rider desires to increase the power of the
machine, to ascend a hill, or otherwise, without reference to the speed, a slight pull
on the handle 70 will operate the rods 67 and 69 to disengage the latch-bolt 65 of
the latching-device 62 from the depression in the seat-support which with the seat
and rider can now be readily drawn forward until the stop 61 is reached when the
depression in the lower surface of the support will be engaged by the bolt of the
latching-device 63 and the seat held against movement, the telescopic handle-bars
may now be shortened to convenient lengths and the rider will be in a position to
operate the bicycle by means of the pedal-cranks 48-48 which moving at the same
speed as the wheel 45 will give increased power.
When it is desired to use the bicycle as a tandem, an additional seat and support
may be secured to the back-bone 56 and two persons may operate the machine
one working each pair of pedal-cranks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
Claim 1. In a velocipede, the combination with the crank-shaft, a sprocket-drum
loosely journaled thereon having an internal circumferential-gear and carrying a
drive-chain, of a central-gear also loosely journaled on the crank-shaft, inter-
mediate pinions suitably journaled and adapted to convey the movement of the
central-gear to the internal-gear of the drum, and means for alternately connecting
the central-gear and the sprocket-drum to the crank-shaft.
2. In a velocipede, the combination with a crank-shaft, a sprocket-drum loosely
mounted thereon, and means for conveying the motion of the drum to a drive-wheel,
of a clutching-device adapted to connect the sprocket-drum with the crank-shaft,
and means for operating the clutch.
3. In a velocipede, the combination with a crank-shaft, a sprocket-drum loosely
mounted thereou, and means for conveying motion of the drum to a drive-wheel,
5 of a gear independently rotatable on said shaft, means for conveying motion from

page_text: the gear to the sprocket-drum, and means for connecting and disconnecting the
gear to and from the crank-shaft.
4. In a velocipede, the combination with a speed-changing device located in
the lower portion of the frame, of a series of connecting-rods and bell-cranks
secured to the frame and extending to a handle pivoted to the handle-bar of the
velocipede.
5. The combination with a sleeve 8 suitably supported and having the member 24
furnished with the arm 25, the crank-shaft 9 journaled in said sleeve and having a
longitudinal-groove 14, a slide 15 movable in said groove, the grooved-pulley 16
secured to the outer end of said slide, the double friction-clutch 17 secured to the
inner end of the slide, the sprocket-drum 18, having the internal-gear 21 and a
central friction-cavity, independently rotatable on the crank-shaft, and a lever
engaging in the groove of the pulley 16 and adapted to move the same longi-
tudinally of the shaft, of the central-gear 23 having a friction-cavity and also
loosely journaled on the crank-shaft, the pinion 26 journaled on a shaft secured to
the member 24 and engaging with the central-gear, the pinion 27 also journaled on
a shaft secured to the member 24 and engaging with the pinion 26 and with the
internal-gear 21 of the sprocket-drum, and a suitable disk for closing the open side
of the drum, as and for the purpose described.
6. In a velocipede, the combination with a forward driving-wheel having a shaft
journaled in bearings in the lower ends of a vertical swiveled-fork, pedal-cranks
on said shaft, a rear drive-wheel having a shaft provided with a sprocket-lisk, a
sprocket-wheel mounted on a transverse-shaft suitably journaled, and a drive-chain
for conveying motion from the sprocket-wheel to the sprocket-disk, of a longi-
tudinally-movable seat, and means for locking and unlocking the same to and from
the velocipede-frame, as described.
7. In a velocipede, the combination with the back-bone and a sliding seat-support
mounted thereon, of means for locking and unlocking said support to and from the
frame, as described.
8. The combination with the wheel 45 having an axle journaled in bearings in
the lower ends of the vertical-fork 47 and provided with pedal-cranks 48-48, a
spindle, extending from the upper portion of the fork, journaled in the sleeve 49
and having the extensible handle-bar 50, the rear-wheel 46 having an axle journaled
at the juncture of the fork 52 with the fork 53, the curved brace 54 counecting
the ends of these forks, the stay 55 extending to the sleeve 49, the double back-
bone 56 extending from the upper end of the fork 52 to the sleeve 49, a shaft
transversely journaled at the lower end of the brace 54, the sprocket-wheel 57
mounted on the shaft, the pedal-cranks 59 secured to the ends of said shaft, and
the endless-chain 58 connecting the sprocket-wheel 57 with the disk 51, of the
latching-devices 52 and 53 secured to the back-bone, the bell-cranks 66-66 for
operating the same, the rods 67 and 69 connecting with the pivoted-handle 70, and
the seat-support 71, carrying a seat, having means for engaging said latching-
devices, as described.
Candanihan & D 1000
In presence of :-
STEPHEN WATERMAN.
CHARLES HENRY LUTHER, Jr.
KENNETH LEE.
HENRY J. MILLER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.