USRE8252E - Improvement in velocipedes - Google Patents

Description

H. A. REYNOLDS, ASSigIlOr to H. M. RICHARDSON AND G. MGKEE.

Velocipede.

No.8 252. Reissued May 28,1878.

U TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEYA. REYNOLDS, on 'nnw' YORK, 1v. Y.,;'ASSIGNOR TQ HENRY M.

RICHARDSON AND GEORGE MOKEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN vzLocl -bi'zs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,705, dated March 7, 1865; Reissue No. 8,252, dated May 28, 1878 application filed April 15, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY A. REYNOLDS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Velocipede and Trotting or Pacing Horse; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Fignre 1 is a side view ofmy invention; ,Fig. 2, an under iew or an inverted plan of the same; Fig. 3; a detached view of a portion of an axle pertaining to the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like.

such a manner that the driving-wheels may be turned by a direct application of the feet of the rider to them.

The legs of the horse are jointed, and connected with the cranks of the driving-axle in such a manner that they will have a trotting or pacing movement imparted to them as the horse is propelled along over the ground;

A represents the body 01 the horse; B.the fore legs, jointed at b b and (3, the hindlegs, jointed tothe body at a. 4

The rigid body A has fixed at its front bearing-pieces e c, which receive and sustain the driving-axle F, having driving-whcelsD D fixed thereon, and the lower end of I the rigid portion H of the body, shapedtoresemble the tail of a horse, receives within it a kin g bolt, d, tounite the body and rear axle (J,provided with the hind wheels E E.

The axle G is connected, by two wires, 0 c, with levers I I, which are pivoted one at each side of the head, such levers being moved by a guide-rein, J, attached to their upper ends. so that the rear axle may be turned as desired to steer or guide the horse or velocipede.

The axle F of the front or driving wheels is formed with two cranks, ff, in reverse or opposite positions, each crank having a stirrup, K,- attached to it to receive the foot of the rider, so that the driving-wheels may be turned by a direct application to them of the foot of the rider. These stirrups are connected by rods L at their fronts with the lower parts of the front legs B, and at their backs with the lower parts of the hind legs 0.

The wheels D are each provided with a weight, g, to assist in throwing the cranks f past or over their dead-centers. By this arrangement the horse or velocipede may be propelled along by the rider with the greatest facility and with but a moderate exertion or application of power, as the feet of the rider are applied directly to the axle, all treadle-levers, Ste, hitherto used for similar or analogous purposes, being dispensed with.

It will be noticed thatthe horse-figure, which serves as the scatter the rider, rigidly connects the two axles together, so that .the riders seat is always held up by the two axles, and that the riders weight is thrown between the axles.

One of the axles connected by this rigid connecting-body A (shown as the hind axle) is arranged to be turned out of parallelism with reference to the other, to direct the course of the velocipede.

- I am aware-that the forward-driven axle of a velocipede has been provided with cranks projec'ted in the same direction, andth'at such axle has been rotated by aridcr, who has applied his weight alternately to the cranks and 'to the horse-body or seat, also on a crank; but I am y not aware, prior to this, iny invention, that a velocipede was ever made in which a rider in his seat could, by the motion of his legs, with his feet resting directly on oppositely-projecting cranks or stirrups thereon, rotate the driving-shaft positively and propel the velocipede.

1. In a velocipede, a forwarddriven axle provided with reversed -or oppositely-projecting cranks, combined with a seat for the rider, wherebythe oppositely-projecting cranks may be acted upon by the feet of the rider to rotate the axle and propel the velocipede, substantially as described.

2. A rigid seat adapted to connect the front and rear axles, and remain in a fixed position as to its elevation above the axle during the movement of the velocipede, combined with a forward-driven axle, provided with reversed cranks and stirrups, to be operated directly by the feet of the rider.

3. A rigid seat adapted to connect the front and rear axles, 'and remain in a fixed position as to its elevation above the axle during the movement of the velocipede, combined with a forward-driven axle, provided with reversed cranks and stirrups, to be operated directly by the feet of the rider, and with mechanism to move one axle out of parallelism with the other, to direct the course of the velocipede.

4. A velooipede trotting or pacing horse -mounted upon axles provided with wheels,

and having the axle of the forward or-driving wheels provided with reversed cranks, substantially as explained.

5. The jointed legs and the stirrups K on the axle of the drivin g-wheels, combined with rods to connect them, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

HARVEY A. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

G. W. REYNOLDS, J OHN H. FERGUSON.

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