Monocycle. Page: 3 of 5
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UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.
SIDNEY ALBERT MORRIS, OF BUFFALO, TEXAS.
MONOCYCLE.Specification of Letters Patent.
Patented March 9, 1909.
Application filed January 28, 1908. Serial No. 413,049.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, SIDNEY ALBERT MOR-
Rns, a citizen of the United States, residing
at Buffalo, in the county of Leon and State
5 of Texas, have invented a new and useful
Monocycle, of which the following is a speci-
fication.
This invention has reference to improve-
ments in monocycles, and its object is to pro-
10 vide a means whereby the rider may more
certainly maintain a balance upon the wheel
when riding.
The invention comprises essentially a
wheel rim provided, as usual, with a suit-
15 able tire, and this rim has on one, or if de-
sirable, on both sides a laterally-extending
flange. The hub of the wheel is connected
to the rim through the intermediary of elas-
tic spokes, which when the weight of the
20 rider is applied will give to a small extent
so that while the rider is mounted on the
wheel the hub is depressed below the plane
of the horizontal diameter of the wheel.
Supported by the hub is a suitable frame-
25 work upon which is mounted the rider's
seat and suitable handle bars, and this
framework is provided with an elastic rest
engaging the flange on the rim of the wheel
and serving to aid in maintaining the rider
30 in the upright position, since when the rider
is mounted on the wheel the axis of the hub,
and consequently of the frame, is eccentric
to the wheel.
Suitable pedals and cranks may be applied
35 directly to the hub in the usual manner, or
gearing may be applied through the inter-
mediary of the usual chain connections to
increase the relative speed of rotation of the
wheel and pedals, since with the higher
40 gearing the latter is so located with refer-
ence to the wheel that the pedal cranks must
be in two separate pieces and be separately
connected to the hub, the connections being
such that these cranks are kept in their
45 proper relative positions through these con-
nections and the hub.
The hub may be made in two parts one
movable with relation to the other so that
by means of a simple clutch connection the
50 wheel may be driven in a forward direction
and when so desired the pedals may be held
stationary with relation to the wheel, while
the wheel still is free to rotate. While of
course the usual coaster-brake may be ap-
55 plied to this structure, it is preferable to
employ a friction brake controlled by a suit-able brake lever on the handle bar, and this
friction brake may be brought into opera-
tive relation with the flange on the wheel
rim when desired. 60
The invention will be best understood
from a consideration of the following detail
description taken in connection with the ac-
companying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which drawings,- 65
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the im-
proved monocycle with the parts in the po-
sition assumed when the rider is dismounted.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the monocycle
with the parts in the position assumed when 70
subjected to the weight of the rider. Fig. 3
is a horizontal cross section with parts in
elevation. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a
modified form of the monocycle, and Figs.
5 and 6 are detail views, of a portion of the 75
structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Referring to the drawings, there is shown
a wheel rim 1, which may be of the ordinary
construction, and projecting. from one side
of this rim is an annular flange 2. Seated 80
in the rim is a tire 3, which may be of any
approved construction, and is only diagram-
matically represented in Fig. 3 of the draw-
ings since this tire may be either of the
pneumatic type or the cushion type or the 85
solid type, as desired. The wheel rim has
secured to it a number of spiral springs 4
equally spaced and constituting the spokes
of the wheel. These spokes are each at-
tached at their other ends to the inner face 90
of the rim at equidistant points, and their
inner ends are . likewise attached to the
sleeve 5 constituting a part of the hub of
the wheel. This sleeve is mounted upon an-
other inner sleeve 6 and is separate there- 95
from by a series of anti-friction balls 7 or
other anti-friction bearings, anti the inner
sleeve 6 is in turn mounted upon an axle 8
through the intermediary of a series of anti-
friction balls 9 or other suitable anti-friction 100
bearing. The sleeve 6 carries at each end a
sprocket wheel 10, and one of these wheels
is provided with a number of spring teeth
11 arranged to engage ratchet teeth 12
formed on one end face of the sleeve 5. 105
The relation of the spring teeth 11 and
ratchet teeth 12 is such that the teeth 11
will freely ride over the teeth 12 when the
relative rotation of the parts is in one direc-
tion but will engage the teeth 12 when the 110
relative rotation of the parts is in the other
direction. The spring teeth 11 and theNo. 914,597.
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Morris, Sydney Albert. Monocycle., patent, March 9, 1909; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth512416/m1/3/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.