“Velopoliten”, Power Bicycle, Scooter-Bike and More...

инженер Райкин

In spite of his old age (83 years) the inventor of the "Velopolitan" Paul Raikin continues to create and invent. Unfortunately, he has no means to conduct development work for his inventions. Paul Raikin had been working in one of the Institutes of Science and Research of Electronics in Moscow as the leading constructor and the deputy chief of a large-scale laboratory. He has dozens of scientific works and inventions in various technical fields.
He have been interested for years, as a hobby, in problems of ecology, the preservation of natural resources, and, in particular, the development of cycling transportation in large cities (Moscow, Vilnius). He has several patents in this field. Presently Paul Raikin lives in the city of Maalot, Israel.

 

The New Individual and Public Cycling Vehicle

VitaTranSport

1. Power Bicycle (RF patent 78162 – “Bicycle”). Its purpose is to provide equal work for all major muscle groups of the rider and make his or her movements as natural as possible. The bottom bracket is connected to the axle of the back wheel, the frame is shortened, and the chain transmission is two-way. The springy shoulder straps can intensify the action of the arms and of the rider's weight and create support for the back as they do in the “velomobile” (they can be installed on any bicycle). The Power Bicycle comes in two-wheeled and one-wheeled models. The installment of an auxiliary electric engine can be useful.

 

 

2. Light Individual and Group Vehicle (RF patent 77826 – «Coupling Unit for Light Vehicles»). Its goal is the unloading of roads, the economy of public founds and country recourses (metal, oil etc.) as well as the improvement of citizens' health and the enhancement of natural environment. Fast, safe, and compact connection of light vehicles (bicycles, motor-scooters, rented passenger seats etc.). Fast transportation within any distance and up the slopes can be achieved by means of a towing vehicle (a car, motorbike, share taxi etc.) The coupling unit holds safely even one-wheeled vehicles in vertical position (with respect to the road), and the attached vehicles describe an arc without running over the pavement when turning.

 

For this purpose, the end-point of the coupling unit installed on the towing vehicle from behind is shaped as a rod of rectangular section (where the tow-bar has a ball), and the length of the trace attached to it is chosen depending on the width of the units in tow. It determines the radius of the arc described around the pavement at sharp turns. On the other end of the trace the vertical axle of the coupling unit joint is placed. In fact, there can be any rigid hitching unit and a towing transport on the front point of the trace; in other words, not necessarily a rectangular rod, which is the simplest form.

 


 

3. Tandems “Arrow”, “Double Arrow”, “Snake”,“Trailer” (patent pending in the USA).

Their goal is the same as of patents 1 and 2 but to a lesser degree. They can move between the cars in a traffic jam. «Arrow» is suitable also for three-wheeled bicycles (three-wheeled tandem) and for wheel-chairs and baby carriages. The chain transmission and the pedal bracket in this case are absent and the attendant (“riksha”) of the invalid or a baby rides with the passenger working with the poles as if he was using ski poles. The passenger can be seated in the chair between the hind wheels.

On the figure – the “Double Arrow”

Another “passive” variant of a tow

Attendance – a useful service

 

 

4. Scooter-bike (patent pending in the USA). Scooter-bike, which is also a powerful tandem (thanks to the tow) for riding on road or pavement.

 

 

5. Device for riding in standing position (patent applied for in the USA). Enables to use the strong muscles of the arm and the body as well as the rider's weight. Similarly to the models 1 - 4 and 7, this kind of riding is health enhancing being analogous to the Scandinavian method of walking with two spokes.

 

A variation of device for riding in standing position – here the bottom bracket is a little more complex than usual but also much more comfortable for riding.

6. Device “Free Hands” (patent pending in the RF). Periodically facilitates riding with straight back - “without hands”. The pin on spring 9 fits into the hole 12 of the ring 13 placed on the bicycle head tube. The spring below is attached to the lower ring, fixed to the headset. The easier (spontaneous, when riding without hands) turn of the handlebar is limited by the hole in the upper ring. The turn through a larger angle is accomplished manually. The device can be installed on any bicycle.

7. Horizontal Position (RF patent 1698123, priority October 16, 1987 - “Two-Wheeled Bicycle”) - swimming position on bicycle. High aerodynamics (speed). All major muscles of the body are working while the spine is unloaded (similarly to animals and the man's ancestors).

8. Main Road Crossing (patent pending in the USA) enables cyclists to move above the road without stopping. On slopes, a bicycle escalator can be used, which serves also for entering the Velopoliten. It is possible to climb small heights by pushing the pedals, and on steeper slopes - by means of moving handrails, staying in the saddle. The bicycle wheels move along a chute.

 

 

9.The Renovated Velopoliten – a transparent suspension cycleway (patent pending in the USA). Can go over the streets and through the buildings. Its transit capacity can only be surpassed by that of the subway. On slopes, the moving handrails can be employed (similarly to subways and supermarkets) together with a chute for the bicycle wheels (bicycle escalator). The cycleway is provided with simple wind-catchers making the wind favorable along the way, which significantly facilitates the movement. In winter the air-stream can be heated. The light cycleway can be suspended on cables between the piers and other constructions along its way (a very simplified version of large suspension transport bridges).

In order to facilitate and speed up the movement on the prolonged routs it is convenient for the escalator to take the cyclist several meters above the horizontal level. The resulting slope around 1:200 significantly enhances the movement – the bicycle moves almost by itself – the principle of the Roller Coaster. On long routes there can be several such escalators, and the sloped sections can alternate with the horizontal (non-sloped) ones. Where the ground is significantly high there the cable bicycle elevators can be placed.

The Renovated Velopoliten (my patent application US-2005-0102772-A1, "Equipment for cycle tracks, trestles and bridges"; see Fig.2,3 and Fig.1 in section 8) – is not only a transporting structure but also a complex one in the sense of wind energy utilization. There are wind generators installed in the wind-catchers located at certain intervals on the cycleway supports, and the electric energy generated by them can be used not only for the track maintenance (heating, air-cooling, lightning) but also for the needs of the nearby consumers, as well as be incorporated into the general electric network, or be accumulated (for instance, at night or when the outer wind activity is high).

A computerized system of traffic, wind-stream and temperature regulation on the track can be also informative and accompany the movement with melodious music.

This “science fiction” is absolutely not far from the reality and can be realized nowadays quite fast and on a broad commercial basis.

 

 

 

Presently, there are broader possibilities for the Velopolitan construction. Its design resembles, to some extent, a pedestrian railway crossing. However, in contrast to it, the Velopoliten must be oriented to modern light structural materials that enable larger distance between the piers of the overpass. Besides, while pedestrian crossings are oriented to the maximum weight – the human crowd, – on the Velopoliten the crowd consisting of cyclists is much lighter than a crowd of pedestrians. The crowd is basically not supposed to enter the cycleway or to form there. This is easily controlled by modern means. Based on the listed prerequisites and the possibility of the broad application of the modern cable-stayed constructions (the support of the overpass by “suspenders”, use of cables instead of supporting beams), the Velopoliten is not as a fantastic project today as it might have been appeared yesterday.
 

Комментарии

All the materials of the

All the materials of the inventions mentioned above (auxiliary blueprints and descriptions) can be presented. The listed devices transport the passenger “from door to door” by the most simple and safe vehicle without transport change and parking or overload of roads and parking lots; the rider's movement with equally employed groups of muscles is a prophylactics against hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes and other diseases (see also “Fitness the Scandinavian Way”).

A few more words about the “bicycleization” of the population and the public transport, in regard to my patent applications to the US Patent Office.

In 2001-2004 I appealed to the US Patent Office with five patent applications (see Appendix) that concerned an upgrade of bicycle and bicycle tandem constructions and also the construction of the scooter-bike. Four of these applications (1, 2, 3 and 5) in their applied versions, i.e. before the corrections as per the expert's comments, were published by the US Patent Office on its site http://patft.uspto.gov/.The application 4, for some unknown reason, was never published.

Having paid $965 for patent registration (there were other previous contributions), I could get the patent for my first application. Since the other applications were much more effective, I decided against taking this patent. It was also the matter of money, since it was necessary to pay for patent support afterwards.

Obviously having found in my applications an attempt on the America's “Holy of the Holiest” - the automobile, – the experts changed their attitude and began to make various unjustified, sometimes completely absurd obstructions and then stopped the correspondence completely. My appeals to higher patent instances and even to the devoted cyclists president Bush had no effect. At this point my communication with the US Patent Offices ceased.
In part, bicycle equipment and the improvement of the constructions of bicycle, tandem, and the scooter-bike as per applications 1 - 4 are demonstrated on the figures and in the description of my RF patent “Coupling unit for light wheeled vehicles”. My fifth patent application in the USA concerns further improvements of the Velopoliten, known from numerous publications in Russian and Israeli mass media (newspaper “Vesti”). инженер Поль Райкин, Pol Raikin

The engineer Paul Raikin