US355324A

US355324A - kra-mee

Info

Publication number: US355324A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1887-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1904-01-04

Description

(Nol Model.) n '2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 0. KRAMER.

VELOGIPEDB.

No. 355,324. Patented Jan.. 4,"1881 nunnnmnmunnunnnnmw '4.

2 Sheeas---Shee1a 2. KRAMER. l

(No Model.) l

` VBLOGIPBDB. No. 355,324.

Patente'd Jan. 4, 1887.

ne nl FIG -V- 'Nrrnn STATES ArnNgr .Finca `CAMILLO KRAMER, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK.

vELooiPi-:Di-z.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,324, dated January 4, 1887.

a Application filed October 1Q, 1886. Serial No. 216,011. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAMILLO KRAMER, of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Velocipedes and Similar Vehicles, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification.

. This invention has reference more particularly to vehicles of the velocipede class, which are propelled by the person or persons riding thereon. As commonly constructed, bicycles, tricycles, and like vehicles are constructed to be propelled by the motion of the riders legs, though some vehicles of this class are worked by the riders arms.

It has been proposed heretofore to derive the power for propelling the vehicle from the motion of the riders body, and attempts have been made to construct vehicles on this principle. Velocipedes for children having the design of a hobby-horse have been made or proposed, the body of the horse being hinged at one end to the frame, so as to be capable of oscillating up and down, and the drivingwheels being connected with the body by means of cranks and connecting-rods or other operating mechanism. Such a vehicle is n ot suitable for practical use, as it can only be propelled with extreme difficulty and by violent exertion. The motion of the oscillating part is very irregular and jerky. The weight being all on one side-of the center of oscillation, the downward motion is performed very easily, while the upward motion, in which it is required to raise all the weight of the rider and that of the seat, is accomplished very slowly and with great difficulty. It has been proposed heretofore to overcome this difficulty by constructing and mounting the seat in such manner that its oscillation is approximately horizontal, and it is to velocipedes of this latter construction that the present invention more particularly relates.

The object of the presentpinvention is the.

construction of an entirely .practical road-vehicle which shall receive its motion from the rocking or swaying of the chair or saddle upon which the rider sits, and in which the motion of the seat shall be'even and uniform.

According to t-he present invention the seat is so constructed and supported that its motion is back and fort-h instead of up anddown-'that is to say, the chord of the arc through which the seat moves is horizontal instead of vertical, or nearly so. some distance above the center of/oscillation, which diminishes the difficulty of operating the device. It is immaterialgwhether the seat be pivoted to the frame or mounted thereon by rockers like those of a rocking-chair. Preferably the seat is adjustably secured tothe frame, so that it can be moved up and down, as desired. It may be in the form of a chair or saddle, or of other form, and adapted for one or for any greater number of persons. The seat may be connected with the driving-shaft by cranks and connection-rods or by other suitable means. Preferably l employ toothed driving-bars, which engage a toothed or The scat may be supported on two centers of oscillation instead of on a single one. The seat can in this case be made of any desired length, to hold two or more persons, one behind the other, in a straddling position; or several chairs may be carried by an oscillating frame so supported. In this case, moreover, the seat does not tilt, but is always kept horizontal.

The invention includes certain other new features and combinations of parts, as here'- inafter set forth.

I have found in practice that avehicle constructed in accordance with my invention can be driven at a good speed with little difficulty or fatigue. It is, moreover, suitable for persons who cannot or do not wish to use an ordinary bicycle or trieycle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side view of a tricycle constructed in accordance with the invention, one of the drivingwheels being removed. Fig. I-I is a partial plan view ot' the vehicle shown in Fig. I, the

The seat,n1oreover,is supported structure. Fig. IV is a detail of the driving shaft, showing device for locking'the wheel to the shaft; and Figs. V and VI are details showing the construction of the axle-bearings.

The frame-work 2 of the vehicle is formed of iron castings of suitable shape to support the working parts. To this frame are pivoted the standards or uprights 3 of the seat or chair 4 by means of the rod or bolt 5. There are several holes, 6, one above the other, in the frame for the insertion of bolt 5, so that the standards can be raised or lowered to adjust the chair to the desired height. The chair 4 can oscillate freely on the bolt 5 as a center. Just beneath the chair is another bolt or rod, 7, which passes loosely through the end of a driving rod or pitman, 8, connected at its other end with the crank 9 on the drivingshaft 10.

Around the sides of the frame is a platform, 11, which serves as a foot-rest, and also aids in mounting. This platform is preferably an open-work casting, which is light, and at the same time affords a firm foothold.

The steering-rod 12 has a handle, 13, somewhat ring-shaped, so that it can be steered with one hand. As shown, there are two drivinglwheels and one steering-wheel; but of course there may be two steering-wheels and one driving-wheel.

In operation, the rider braces himself firmly with his hands and feet and sways the body backward and forward, the movement of the seat being communicated to the driving-wheels 14 through the rod or pitman 8 and crank 9. The motion is nearly horizontal, and is first to one side and then the other of the center of oscillation. By this construction the vehicle can be driven with ease and regularity. rIo assist the forward movement, which is somewhat more difficult than the backward movement, a spring, l5, is secured to the frame', and bears at its free end against the seat 4.

Between the frame 2v and a collar on the steering-rod is a spring, 16, which may be rubber or a spiral spring. A set-screw, 17, is provided at this part to fix the rod in one position, to steer a straight course or a circular one of any radius.

In addition to the adjustable connection between the seat and frame, the pitman 8 is adjustably secured to the crank 9. The pitman is provided, near its end, with a number of grooves, 24, and the crank may pass through any one of these, being held therein by the flat spring 23. To lengthen or shorten the pitman, the spring is depressed and the crank placed in one of the other grooves.

In Fig. III the seat is supported on two axes instead of one, there being four uprights or standards, 3, two on each side. These standards are adjustably connected to the frame, as before. By this means it is possible to mount several seats or saddles, one behind the other, on the oscillating frame, the foot-rest or platform l1 extending around the sides of the frame, so as to furnish asupport and brace for the feet of several persons. Moreover, it is obvious that a seat mounted on an oscillating frame having two axes in different vertical planes always maintains a position parallel to the surface of the ground.

Instead of cranks and connectiourods, as in Figs. I and II, the vehicle is propelled by two driving rods or bars, 20, which are connected loosely at their upper ends to the oscillating frame ofthe seat 4. These rods 20 are toothed at their lower ends and engage withatoothed or ratchet wheel, 21, on the driving-shaft 10. The driving-rods 20 are held in engagement with the wheel 2l by the spring 22, the effective pressure of which can be increased or diminished by moving it toward or away from the wheel 21. When' the seat4 rocks forward, the teeth on the upper rod engage the wheel 21, rotating the shaft 10, and the teeth 'on the lower rod slip over those of the wheel, the rod being permitted by spring 22 to yield suiciently. When the seat moves backward, the lower rod engages the wheel and rotatesthe shaft. In this connection there are no dead` centers. The rider can make as long or as short a movement as he chooses,and is not limited to a path of fixed length. Moreover, by a forcible mot-ion the vehicle can be given an impetus and then allowed to run by its own momentum, the chair being stationary, and in running downhill the rider can sit motionless. With the crankconnecti0n the chair and rider must, of course, always follow the motion of the cranks. The rods 20 are adjustably connected to the bolts `7 by means of the spring 23 and grooves 24 in the rod, the connection being similar to that of the driving-rod and crank in Fig. I.

Referring to Fig. IV, the driving-wheel14 is detachably secured to the shaft 10 by the device 25, which consists of a nut and handle in one piece. Ordinarily the handle is turned so as to clamp the wheel against a shoulder on the shaft, so that both turn together. If desired, however, for any purpose-as in going downhill', or if the vehicle is to be pushed or otherwise propelled without the action of the rider-a single turn of the handle releases the wheel, so that the shaft becomes stationary. When locked, the handle of the device is arranged to counterbalance the crank. When released, the weight of the handle prevents its turning with the wheel and unscrewing, as would be the case with an ordinary nut.

I prefer to lock only one wheel to the shaft, if there be two driving-wheels, as the vehicle can then more easily make short turns, during which one of the wheels has a tendency to turn backward while the other turns forward.

Figs. V and VI illustrate a form of antifric tion bearing that I prefer to employ. The journal-box 30 (shown open in Fig.V) is bolted or otherwise secured to the frame 2. y It consists of a cylindrical casting, the shaft 10 passing through the center. rIhe shaft is completely encircled by anti-friction rollers 31, placed loosely in the box 30. These rollers ICO IIC

IIS

are cylindrical, withrounded ends, to reduce the friction between them and the front and back of the box.

Itis obvious that the construction may be modified in particulars other than those pointed driving-shaft, and connections comprising a driving rod or rods adj ustably connecting said scat and shaft, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the frame, the driv ing-shaft, the pivoted seat connected with said shaft, as specified, andthe stationary foot-rest or platform extending around the'sides of the frame, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the frame, the seat pivotally supported thereon, the driving-shaft, and operating connections between said seat and shaft, comprising a driving-rod having a number of grooves near the end and a retaining-spring, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the `frame, pivoted seat, driving-shaft, ratchet-wheel on said shaft, and driving mechanism comprising two toothed rods connected with said seat and held in engagement with said ratchet-wheel on opposite sides thereof with yielding /or spring pressure, the teeth on said rods being inclined in opposite directions, substantially as de, scribed.

7. The combination, with the driving-shaft, of a seat carried by an oscillating supporthaving two axes of oscillation and operating mechanism connecting said seat and shaft, substantially as described.

8.111 a velocipede, the combination, with the drivingshaft and driving mechanism for imparting motion thereto, of a driving-wheel and a locking devicecomprising a nut and handle for securing said wheel to said shaft, whereby the wheel may be rotated by said driving mechanism, and for releasing said wheel from the shaft, whereby it may rotate inde` pendently of said mechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CAMILLO KRAMER.

Witnesses:

ANDREW AMENDZ, JOHN ZwIoK.