Land vehicles – Wheeled – Occupant propelled type
Patent
1995-03-15
1997-06-10
Boehler, Anne Marie
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Occupant propelled type
280230, 280259, B62M 120
Patent
active
056368542
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to cycles, and in particular, to cycles in which rotation of the drive wheel can be effected by the application of force alternately to pedals and to the saddle.
My earlier United Kingdom patent specification No. 2 111 924 describes a bicycle of the type mentioned above. The bicycle is in the nature of an exercise bicycle intended to allow the cyclist to exercise muscles and joints different to those which are exercised using a conventional bicycle, while at the same time experiencing the pleasures of outdoor cycling.
My earlier bicycle is not suitable for use in exercising those muscles and joints which are exercised by using a conventional bicycle and for this reason a person interested in exercising both sets of muscles and joints would be obliged to purchase, store and maintain two different types of bicycle.
My earlier bicycle suffers from stalling at low speed, for example when going up hill. The cyclist pushes downwardly on the pedals so that they rotate from the top dead centre position to the bottom dead centre position, bringing the saddle upwards towards the uppermost position. The momentum of the pedals should then cause the pedals to move past the bottom dead centre position. Often however the momentum does not do so, for example because the cyclist continues to push downwardly on the pedals for an instant too long, or because the cyclist while sitting on the saddle and putting almost his entire weight on the saddle, nevertheless leaves the weight of his feet on the pedals. Once the pedals lose their momentum the directly vertically downward weight of the cyclist on the saddle is insufficient to bring the pedals past the bottom dead centre position.
My earlier cycle also suffers from the disadvantage that if a cyclist mounts a bicycle with the saddle near but to the rear of the top dead centre position and the pedals near but just forward of the bottom dead centre position the result may be that the weight of the cyclist drives the saddle downwardly, causing the pedals to counter rotate upwardly hitting the rider unexpectedly on the shins.
In one aspect the invention provides a cycle which is convertible between an exercise configuration in which the saddle and pedals are connected to the crank shaft out of phase with one another so that the cycle may be propelled forwardly by the application of force to the pedals and the saddle in the manner of my earlier cycle, and a conventional configuration in which the saddle is connected to the cycle frame and the two pedals are connected to the crank shaft out of phase with one another so that the cycle may be cycled in the conventional manner. A cyclist may use the cycle in the exercise configuration to take exercise, in the conventional configuration for transport purposes, or may set off on e.g. a day trip and convert from one mode to another as and when required.
Thus there is provided a bicycle which is useful for both forms of exercise and which does not suffer from the disadvantages described above and other disadvantages of the prior art.
In another aspect the invention provides a cycle in which rotation of the drive wheel can be effected by the application of force alternately to pedals and to the saddle, in which the saddle and the pedals are connected to the crank shaft in a configuration such that when the pedal cranks and pedals are at the bottom dead centre position, the transmission between the saddle and the saddle crank is at an angle to the saddle crank such that the weight of the cyclist is applied to the saddle crank with mechanical advantage to propel the cycle in a forward direction. The likelihood of stalling when the pedals are in the bottom dead centre position is reduced.
In a further aspect the invention provides a cycle in which rotation of the drive wheel can be effected by the application of force alternately to pedals and to the saddle, in which the saddle and pedals are connected to the crankshaft in a configuration such that when the saddle is at the bottom most position the pedal cranks and peda
REFERENCES:
patent: 633943 (1899-09-01), Austin
patent: 3133747 (1964-05-01), Nelson
patent: 4371185 (1983-02-01), Bals
LandOfFree
Cycle propelled by pedal and saddle movement does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Cycle propelled by pedal and saddle movement, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cycle propelled by pedal and saddle movement will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-759940