US42678A - Improvement in economizing human power - Google Patents

Description

'W. C. MOORES.

Veloqipede. I No. 42,678. Patented May 10, 1864.

MPETERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D 0.

be operated upon UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ECONQMIZING HUMAN POWER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,678, dated May 10, 1864. V

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MOORES, of the town of Bloomlirld, in the county of Walworth and State. of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful machine for economizing human power and applying it to all kinds of mechanical operations; and I do hereby *declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in wh1ch- Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, a longitudinal elevation.

A is a ratchet wheel; B, levers; (J, pawls;

- D, springs; E,treadles; F,seat; Gr, spiral or india-rnbber springs-the whole operating in combination, as hereinafter described.

The object of this invention is to furnish meanswhereby the strongest muscles of the human body may be advantageously used in propelling machinery, whether for locomotion or for stationary work, thus, cheapening motive power.

1n the accompanying drawings this machine is represented as applied to the moving of cars on a railway, and when so used it will be seen there are several features which would be unnecessary when used in a fixed position.

The construction of this machine is very simple, there beih g properly but one wheel, A, fastened securely to a shaft and provided with notches on the two sides of its rim, and moved bymeans' of the levers B, with their pawls O and springs D, and also with treadles E, to by the feet while seated upon the seat F, a steady motion being given to the wheel by moving each foot forward alternately, the same being drawn back for the next stroke by the reaction of the spiral or ndia-rubber springs G.

The remaining peculiarities of the invention relate to the contrivances for changing the motion of the wheel A, when applied to the moving of cars, so as to travel in the opposite direction. These peculiarities are as follows: First, the seat F is made alike at top and bottom, properly cushioned, and so attached to the center of the car by means of rods as to permit the whole to be turned over to the opposite side of the wheel; second, the treadles made in the box form indicated in the drawings, so as to support the weight of the feet and limbs while moving in either direction; third, the peculiar arrangement of the pawls O, with their springs D, together with the notches in the sides of the wheel A, the springs being attached to the center of the levers in such a manner as to admit of their being moved from side to side, as indicated by the red lines.

I do not claim, broadly, the idea of waving machinery by means of treadles wor ed by the feet while in a sitting posture, as this is well known; but

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The ratchet-wheel A, with its notches out in each direction and worked by means of the levers B B, with thepawls O O and springs D D, asdescribed.

2. In combination with the above, the treadles E E, attached to the ends of the levers B B, constructed in box form, as described.

3. The seat F, constructed as described, when used in combination with the ratchetwheel A, levers B B' and pawls O G, and treadles E E and springs G G, all arranged as set forth.

WM. 0. MOORES.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD, J. U. Moonns.

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