An Improved Pulley for Varying the Power Transmitted by. Means of an Ordinary Revolving.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar.; 1893-Accepted, 9th May, 1396
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Pulley for Varying the Power Transmitted by. Means
of an Ordinary Revolving. Shaft.
WILLIAM KNEEN of 7 Norfolk Street Manchester in the County of Lancashire
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
A pully composed of sections or rings each one within the other and attached to
each other by pivots each pair of pivots attached at opposite sides of the circle
thus the rings are free to swing and the outside ring or rim may be made to
lean over from its square position from the shaft and brought nearer to the shaft
at two points than it would be in the ordinary position. By means of a lever or
levers and suitable gearing the said pully may be readily altered from its leaning
position to a vertical position like an ordinary pully.
My invention has for its object the increasing of power in the case of pullies
on ordinary shafts or the like.
To accomplish this end I construct a flexible pully which may consist of sections.
The inner or rigid section immediately attached to an ordinary revolving shaft
may be in the form of a small solid pully and the next section in the form of a
ring of sufficient diameter to admit the former within it' and 'the next or outer
ring sufficiently large in diameter to admit the latter ring within it. The inner ring
may be attached by two axis or pivots to the rigid pully herein described and the
outer ring may be attached to the inner ring by two axes or pivots. Each pair
of axis or pivots is attached at opposite edges of the said rings. The said pully
being composed of sections as herein described is flexible, .and the outer ring or
rim of the said pully may by means of levers or suitable gearing be made to lean
over from its square position from the shaft and thus be brought automattically
nearer to the center of the circle or the said shaft at two points of the circle
than would otherwise be the case and if the strap or other arrangement for
developing the power pass on to the pully and also pass away from the pully, at
the two points respectively of the circle nearest to the said shaft then pretty
much the same end is attained as if a smaller pully were attached to the said
shaft and by means of gearing, the outer rim of the said pully may quickly, be
made to assume a position like that of an ordinary pully:
97th of M. 1905-
An Improved Pulley for Varying the Power Transmitted by Means
of an Ordinary Revolving Shaft.
I, WILLIAM KNEEN of 7 Norfolk Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to: be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object to construct driving pulleys or wheels in such a

page_text: manner that their power to rotate the shafts or the like on which they are carried
may be varied as required according to the work to be done.
According to my invention I construct a pulley or wheel of sections or rings
preferably two rings arranged one within the other the outer one being counected
to the inner ring by pivots or trunnions and the inner section or ring being
pivotted to an ordinary revolving shaft or to a disc or small pulley or boss fast on
the shaft and of a size to enter the said inner section or ring. The pivots or
trunnions on which the inner ring turns are arranged diametrically at right angles
to the pivots or trunnions on which the outer ring turns. The outer ring of the
said pulley or wheel may by means of a lever or levers or suitable gearing be caused
to lean over or incline from its square or right angled position on the shaft and
thus bring two diametrical opposite points of the outer ring or rim nearest to
the shaft so that if the strap, chain, or other arrangement for developing the power
pass on to the pulley and also pass away from the pulley at these two points
respectively nearest to the said shaft then the same end is attained as if a smaller
pulley were attached to the said shaft. By means of levers.or gearing the outer
ring of the said pulley or wheel may be quickly caused to assume the position of
an ordinary pulley.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings, the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures...
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a face view of a pulley or wheel
constructed according to my invention,
Figure 2 is a plan shewing the outer ring in a position other than a right angle
to the shaft, and
Figure 3 shews in plan both the inner and outer rings at an angle other than a
right angle to the shaft.
A is the shaft on which the improved pulley or wheel is carried. The said pulley
or wheel consists of a boss or collar B surrounded by a ring C connected to the said
boss or collar by pivots or truunions o on which the ring C can oscillate.
Surrounding the ring C and connected thereto by pivots or trunnions dis
another ring D on which pivots or trunnions d the ring D can oscillate. The
pivots or trunnions c are arranged diametrically at right angles to the pivots or
trunnions d so that the rings so combined constitute substantially a universal joint or
coupling. Instead of the boss B the shaft A may have on diametrically opposite
sides thereof studs or projections to which the ring C may be pivotted. E is a
bifurcated lever centered to any suitable support in such position that the arms
of the lever will engage the two opposite sides of the ring D, the said arms prefer-
ably being provided with anti-friction rollers to bear, on the said ring. When
the rings are in the position shewn in Figure 1, that is at right angles to the axis
of the shaft, the pulley acts like an ordinary pulley but by tilting the. ring D by
means of the lever E, or other suitable means, so as to cause it to take a position at
an angle other than a right angle to the shaft, two diametrical opposite points f
and g, in the ring will be nearest to the shaft and the power exerted at these points
will be the same as if a pulley having a radius equal to the distance between the
axis of the shaft and the point for g be fixed on the shaft. The power of the
pulley can thus be varied as required according to the amount of inclination given
to the ring D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-.
A pulley or wheel composed of sections or rings arranged one within another and
connected together by pivots or trunnions, the innermost ring being pivotted to a

page_text: of the rings with reference to the axis of the shaft being capable of varying or of
being varied substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
Dated this 30th day of March 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.