Hand driving device for a bicycle

A hand driving device for a bicycle, the bicycle having a frame including an inclined frame member connected to a steering head, a foot crank mechanism that is rotatably attached to the frame, and pedals that are each rotatably connected to the foot crank mechanism, each pedal including an axial shaft formed centrally therethrough, said device comprising:

• a pair of spaced apart handle levers, each handle lever having a first end and a second end;
• a pair of spaced apart pivoted levers, each pivoted lever having a first end and a second end;
• a pair of spaced apart pedal connecting rods, each pedal connecting rod having a first end and a second end;
• a T-shaped bracket sized and shaped to be removably fastened to the bicycle frame;
• pedal connecting rod fastener means for pivotally supporting the second end of one each of said pedal connecting rods on one each of the axial shafts of the bicycle pedals;
• wherein the second end of each of said handle levers is pivotally connected to the first end of each of said pivoted levers, the second end of each of said pivoted levers is pivotally connected to the first end of each of said pedal connecting rods, and each of said pivoted levers is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said T-shaped bracket and held in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to one another.

A method of attaching a hand driving device to a bicycle, the bicycle having a frame including an inclined frame member connected to a steering head, a foot crank mechanism rotatably attached to the frame, and two bicycle pedals that are each rotatably connected to the foot crank mechanism, each pedal including an axial shaft formed centrally therethrough, comprising the steps of:

• attaching a pair of spaced apart fastening plates to the inclined frame member and steering head of the bicycle frame;
• attaching a T-shaped bracket to said connecting plates;
• pivotally attaching lever means to said T-shaped bracket, wherein said lever means includes a pair of elongated pedal connecting rods;
• fastening said lever means to the axial shafts of the bicycle pedals by enclosing the axial shaft of one each of said bicycle pedals in an arcuate notch defined in the end of one each of the pedal connecting rods and by passing a pedal connecting rod fastener over the pedal connecting rod and sliding the pedal connecting rod fastener along the length of said rod toward the end of the pedal connecting rod placed over the axial shaft of the bicycle pedal;
• and
• holding said pedal connecting rod fastener at the end of said pedal connecting rod by stop means formed on the end of the pedal connecting rod so that said pedal connecting rod fastener is held in a fixed position with respect to said notch formed in said pedal connecting rod.

A hand driving device for a bicycle, the bicycle having a frame including an inclined frame member connected to a steering head, a foot crank mechanism that is rotatably attached to the frame, and pedals that are each rotatably connected to the foot crank mechanism, each pedal including an axial shaft formed centrally therethrough, said device comprising:

• lever means for transmitting the arm motion of a bicycle rider to the pedals of the bicycle, said lever means including a pair of handle levers, each handle lever having a first end and a second end, a pair of pivoted levers, each pivoted lever having a first end and a second end, a pair of pedal connecting rods, each pedal connecting rod having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of each of said handle levers is pivotally connected to the first end of each of said pivoted levers, and the second end of each of said pivoted levers is pivotally connected to the first end of said pedal connecting rods, and the second end of each of said pedal connecting rods is sized and shaped to be supported on the axial shaft of each bicycle pedal;
• bracket means for supporting said lever means on the bicycle frame;
• means for fastening said bracket means to the bicycle frame;
• and
• means for fastening said lever means to the axial shaft of each bicycle pedal.