Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 16th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 21st Aug., 1897
We, WALTER WILLIAM LOVE, of No. 265 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy near Melbourne,
in the Colony of Victoria, Wheelwright, MOкHIS RUBINSTEIN, of No. 16 Murray Street,
Perth, in the Colony of Western Australia, Importer, temporarily residing at Tower
Hotel, Russell Street Melbourne aforesaid, and SAMUEL COHEN, of No. 270 Brunswick
Street, Fitzroy near Melbourne aforesaid, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a driving-gear for cycles, which dispenses
with the chain, and enables the rider to employ a high, low, or inedium gear, according
to the nature of the ground, weather or other circumstance and to alter same whilst
travelling without dismounting from the machine.
Our improved chainless variable driving-gear for cycles is exceedingly simple in
construction, will run smoothly and is almost impossible to get out of order, whilst
the mechanical advantage over ordinary driving gears is very great.
It consists of a comparatively large light bevel wheel mounted upon the crank axle,
and having two or more concentrically arranged bevelled working faces of different
diameters adapted to gear with a corresponding number of bevel pinions mounted upon
a countershaft which rotates the drive wheel of the machine through the medium of a
bevelled cog-face on its rear extremity engaging with a correspondingly bevelled
cog-face on the axle of said drive wheel. The bevelled pinions on the countershaft
are always in gear with their corresponding working-faces of the large bevel wheel and
are adapted to either rotate idly, or to be keyed or locked thereto, one at a time the
fast or keyed pinion alone operating the countershaft and driving the machine. It is
therefore obvious that according as one or other of said pinions are locked or keyed
to the countershaft the gearing of the machine will be altered, by virtue of the
different diameters of the working-faces of the large bevel wheel on the crank axle.
Said pinions may be locked or keyed to the countershaft in any practical manner, 80
long as they may be easily manipulated by the rider through the medium of a cord
which is led either inside or alongside the tube framing to a convenient position near
the handle bar of the machine. The bevelled gearing is enclosed in a light dust proof
case, and the whole presents a remarkably neat appearance.
Dated this Eighth don of October Ann thousand night hundred and ninety-oi

page_text: We, WALTER WILLIAM LOVE, of No. 205 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, near Melbourne,
in the Colony of Victoria, Wheelwright, MORRIS RUBINSTEIN, of No. 16 Murray Street,
Perth, in the Colony of Western Australia, Importer, temporarily residing at Tower
Hotel, Russell Street, Melbourne aforesaid, and SAMUEL. COHEN, of No. 270 Brunswick
Street, Fitzroy, near Melbourne aforesaid, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a driving gear for cycles which will
dispense with the use of chains for that purpose, and enable the rider to employ either
a high or a low gear (or if preferred a high, medium or low gear) at will according to
the nature of the ground, weather or other circumstance and to alter said gear whilst
travelling without dismounting from the machine.
Our improved chainless variable driving gear for cycles is exceedingly simple in
construction, will run smoothly and is not likely to get out of order whilst the
nechanical advantage over ordinary driving gear is very great.
It comprises a comparatively large crown or bevel wheel mounted upon the crank
axle and provided with two or more concentrically arranged rings of bevelled working-
faces or teeth adapted to gear each with a corresponding bevel pinion upon a hollow
countershaft or sleeve whereby motion is conveyed to the main drive wheel of the
cycle through the medium of a pair of bevel pinions secured one upon said
countershaft and the other upon the axle of said drive wheel.
Provision is made for securing one or other of the first mentioned bevel pinions to
the countershaft, at will in order to vary the gearing of the machine, the pinion or
pinions not so-connected being arranged to run loose upon the shaft as will be readily
understood from the following description reference being had to the accompanying
drawings wherein,―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle fitted with our improved chainless variable
driving gear.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section of the main part of said gear, and
Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional plan thereof, whilst,
Figure 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 Figures 2 and 3, and,
Figures 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections of the rear and front ends respectively of
said gear, drawn about twice the scale of Figures 2, 3 and 4 in order to better
illustrate its construction.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A represents the comparatively large crown or bevel wheel which is mounted upon
the crank axle and is provided with two (or it may be three or even more) concentric
rings of bevelled working faces or teeth a a' gearing each with a bevel pinion B or B
mounted loosely upon a hollow countershaft or sleeve C working in suitably constructed
ball bearings c c at either end as shown and fitted at its rear end with a bevel
pinion D in gear with a similar bevel pinion D' on the axle of the main drive wheel E
of the machine.
FF represent longitudinally sliding keys of which four (or more or less) may be
used as shown for coupling either of the pinions B B' to the hollow countershaft or
sleeve C at will, said keys being arranged to slide in key ways cut in the countershaft C
and being connected at their forward ends to a clutch ring G in which they can rotate
freely but cannot move endwise. This clutch ring is connected by a stirrup g and
connecting rod g¹ to the lower end of an operating lever I extending up to a
convenient position in front of the saddle of the bicycle.

page_text: This operating lever is fitted with a spring h whose tendency is to always draw its
upper end forward so as to force the keys F back into engagement with the pinion B,
the effect being to lock said pinion to the countershaft C so that the larger ring of
bevelled working faces or teeth a will be used for driving the machine which will
therefore be geared up to its highest extent.
On the other hand, if the lower gear is required, it is only necessary to draw back
the upper end of the lever H so that the keys F will be drawn into gear with the
pinion B₁.
It will be readily understood by cycle manufacturers that the herein described
chaiuless variable driving gear can be applied to existing machines and that a gear
case or cover may be fitted which will entirely enclose the gearing and protect it
from dust.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The combination of parts constituting the herein described chainless variable
driving gear for cycles the whole being constructed and arranged substantially as and
for the purposes specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In chainless variable driving gear for cycles a crown or bevel wheel mounted
upon the crank axle and having two or more concentric rings of bevelled working faces
or teeth in combination with two or more loose bevel pinions together with sliding
keys or the like actuated by a lever or otherwise for connecting either of said pinions
to a countershaft whereby motion may be conveyed to the axle of the main drive
wheel of the machine substantially as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of March One thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.