US 7,000,934 B1Granted

Bicycle propulsion system

OwnerWilliam Capekinventor

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Abstract

The disclosure herein provides a two-wheel bicycle system wherein a pair of long levers are arranged on the cross-beam of the frame, to provide the fulcrum for the motion of the levers. The tops of the levers comprise handles perpendicular to such levers, with linkages to a circular and rotatable crank, which rotates in a plane parallel to the ground about a column commonly found in the steering mechanism for such a bicycle. The bottom ends of the levers connect to linking members to connect such levers to the pedals commonly found in such a bicycle. Such linking members are provided so that they are disconnected and then rotatable to be mounted on the diagonal frame piece of the bicycle, when the bicycle is used with hand-operated steering and foot-operated power. Before disconnection, only upper body energy is used to control both steering and powering the bicycle.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A two-wheel bicycle structure for upper body propulsion and steering and for upper body steering with lower body propulsion, said bicycle having front and rear wheels, first and second sprockets with a chain encircling said sprockets, a pair of pedals connected to said first sprocket at the center thereof, a horizontal frame piece, a diagonal frame piece, a steering fork, having a tube attached at the top of said fork, said fork being rotatable relative to said tube, a front wheel having a center hub, said steering fork mounted astride said center hub and said tube being fixedly attached to said diagonal frame piece, and said horizontal frame piece, comprising:

(a) a pair of elongated push-pull levers for oscillating in planes perpendicular to the ground, each of said levers terminating at its uppermost end in a handle, at its lower end in swivel joints, and, at approximately its midpoint, connected for push-pull operation to a fulcrum point on said horizontal frame piece;
and
(b) a disk at the uppermost end of said fork and fixedly attached to said fork, a pair of elongated steering links rotatably attached at their first ends to said disk at the opposed sides thereof approximately 180 degrees apart, said steering links at the second ends thereof being linked to said handles, whereby twisting motion of said handles causes said front wheel to turn in a manner to cause said bicycle to turn.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.