Improvements in Speed Gear for Chainless Cycles and for Motor Cars.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Gear for Chainless Cycles and for Motor Cars.
I, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
W.C., Consulting Engineer and l'atent Agent (being a communication from
Henri Trepreau, Engineer, and Cyrille Lagarde, Surgeon, of Angers, in the
Republic of France), do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
'
The present invention has for its object certain improvements in mechanism for
varying speed in mechanically propelled vehicles in a rapid and efficient manner,
and it is specially applicable to chainless safety cycles as well as to motor cars
of every description.
The invention consists generally in a compact and novel arrangement of slid-
ing clutch upon the motor or power shaft in conjunction with a simple and
efficient arrangement of speed gear wheels thereon so arranged that any of them
may be put rapidly into or out of gear by the clutch.
In one method of carrying the invention into effect as applied to a chainless
bicycle the construction and operation is as follows. Consider the bicycle to be
arranged with a transmission shaft from the pedal spindle to the rear wheel, and
this shaft operated in the usual manner by bevil gearing on the pedal spindle.
The nave of the rear wheel carries two bevil pinions keyed rigidly to it, one in
front of the other and these pinions respectively engage with two other bevil.
pinions running loose upon the transmission shaft. As the transmission shaft is
preferably coincident with and in the interior of one of the cycle stay tubes, the
said shaft is usually at slightly less than right angles with the hub and there-
fore the pinions on the shaft are of two different diameters so as to gear with
the pinions on the hub.
The transmission shaft which conveys the movement of the pedal is arranged
with a tubular cavity at the end adjacent to the hub of the rear wheel, and
within this cavity a displaceable sleeve is carried armed with four projecting
feathers or keys arranged equidistant round the diameter, and preferably con-
structed by attaching two bars at right angles one to the other within the sleeve
and attaching the same by a transverse key or collar driven flush with the
surface of the said sleeve. These four keys or feathers project through cor-
responding slots made in the tubular end of the transmission shaft and the sleeve
itself is attached at its outer end to a crank, lever, chain, or any suitable device
connected to a hand lever or the like within reach of the rider; so that the
sleeve may be displaced at will to change the gearing in a manner hereinafter
to be described.
The naves or bosses of the two loose bevil pinions upon the transmission shaft
are cut with four key-ways corresponding to the four sliding keys upon the sleeve
and between these two loose wheels a collar is placed attached to the transmission
shaft provided also with keyways of such dimensions and position that the keys
of the displaceable sleeve lie therein in a mid position when neither of the wheels
are in gear, and no movement of the cycle takes place.

page_text: From the construction hereinbefore described the operation of the mechanism
is easily followed. When at rest the hand lever or device operated by the rider
is so placed that the displaceable sleeve is with its keys in mid position and in
the collar but a movement to one side or the other operating through the crank,
lever, chain, or equivalent mechanism, displaces the sleeve and it keys and
rigidly attaches or fixes the large or small bevil pinion to the transmission shaft
and therefore operates the corresponding pinion on the hub and so provides a
slow or fast speed of the rear wheel as may be so desired. By this arrangement
a two speed and stopping and starting gear is provided.
In another method of carrying the invention into effect preferably applied to
motor cars the construction and operation is as follows. Upon the motor shaft
are arranged say three gear wheels of successively increasing diameter and run-
ning loose thereon; though the number of wheels may be varied according to
the number of speed variations required in the car. These three wheels engage
with three corresponding wheels of different diameters keyed upon an intermediate
shaft preferably parallel with the motor shaft. This intermediate shaft carries
the necessary sprocket wheel, gearing or other mechanism which communicates
the power to the traction axle or wheels in any suitable manner.
The motor shaft is arranged with a tubular cavity and in this cavity is a dis-
placeable sleeve constructed with four projecting keys or feathers in a similar
manner to that herein before described in the first modification.
These keys
similarly project through slots or mortices in the motor shaft in the path of four
corresponding keyways cut in the bosses or naves of the three gear wheels
mounted in the said shaft, and between each of these gear wheels is placed a
collar fastened to the shaft with keyways corresponding to the slots in the shaft.
These collars are of such dimension that when the displaceable sleeve is moved so
as to place the keys within the collars none of the three wheels can be in
operation.
The operation of this speed varying mechanism for motor cars is as follows.
The displaceable sleeve is preferably extended in the motor shaft and collars
similar to the key pieces already described are attached thereto and project
through slots in the shaft and are then fastened to an exterior sliding collar
which in turn is longitudinally displaceable by a fork chain lever or any suit-
able mechanism operated from a hand lever or its equivalent by the driver. It is
now evident that if the displaceable sleeve be moved in either direction a fast,
intermediate and slow speed can be obtained successively in either order by the
sliding keys of the sleeve attaching or keying the bosses of the loose wheels to
the motor shaft in succession, and it is also evident that if the keys are allowed
to remain in the collars between the wheels the motor shaft is then put out of
action.
It is to be clearly understood that the number of gear wheels and therefore the
number of speed variation may be increased and all speed variation may be
increased without departing from the subject of the present invention.
D
T
00 1
e A
1 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton, Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton, Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.
Improvements in Speed Gear for Chainless Cycles and for Motor Cars.
I, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, W.C., Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent (being a communication

page_text: from Henri Trepreau and Cyrille Lagarde, of Angeres, in the Republic of France),
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 fol-
lowing statement;-
The present invention has for its object certain improvements in mechanism for
varying speed in mechanically propelled vehicles in a rapid and efficient manner,
and it is specially applicable to chainless safety cycles as well as to motor cars
of every description.
The invention consists generally in a compact and novel arrangement of slid-
ing clutch upon the motor or power shaft in conjunction with a simple and
efficient arrangement of speed gear wheels thereon so arranged that any of them
may be put rapidly into or out of gear by the clutch.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional plan showing our invention applied to a variable speed
gear on the axle of the back wheel of a chainless bicycle.
Figure 2 is a section of the boss of the pinion B or C.
Figure 3 is a section on the line yz of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the sliding clutch arrangement which con-
stitutes the essential part of our invention.
Figure 5 is a section showing our invention applied to a motor car axle.
Figure 6 is a section of one of the gear wheel bosses.
Figure 7 is a section of one of the rings interposed between the gear wheels.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3 which illustrate one method of carrying the inven-
tion into effect as applied to a chainless bicycle, 1) is a transmission shaft, from
the pedal spindle S to the rear wheel, which is operated in the usual manner by
the bevil gearing K, K. The nave of the rear wheel carries two bevil pinions M
and P keyed rigidly to it; these pinions respectively engage with two other bevil
As the trans-
pinions B and C running loose upon the transmission shaft D).
mission shaft D is preferably coincident with and in the interior of one of the
cycle stay tubes, the said shaft is usually at slightly less than right angles with
the hub or nave and therefore the pinions B and C are of two different diameters
so as to gear with the pinions M and P.
The shaft D is provided with an enlarged tubular cavity D₁ at the end adjacent
to the hub of the rear wheel, and within this cavity a displaceable sleeve X is
carried, armed with four projecting feathers or keys arranged equidistant round
the diameter and preferably constructed by attaching two bars A, A¹ (Figures 1
and 3) at right angles one to the other within the sleeve X by a transverse key Z
or collar driven flush with the surface of the sleeve X. The keys or feathers A A¹
which may be in any number desired project through corresponding slots d, d,
made in the tubular end of the transmission shaft D. The sleeve X is attached
at its outer end a to a crank, lever, chain, or any suitable device connected to a
hand lever or the like within reach of the rider: so that it may be displaced at
will to change the gearing in a manner hereinafter to be described.
The naves or bosses of the two loose bevil pinions B and C upon the transmis-
sion shaft are cut with four keyways m (Figure 2) corresponding to the four
sliding keys upon the sleeve X, and between these two loose wheels a collar O
attached to the transmission shaft, as show in Figure 3, is placed. The collar O
is provided with keyways of such dimensions and in such position that the
keys A, A', lie therein in a mid-position, when neither of the wheels are in gear,
and no movement of the cycle takes place.
From the construction hereinbefore described the operation of the mechanism
is easily followed. When at rest the hand lever or device operated by the rider
is so placed that the displaceable sleeve X is with its keys in mid-position and in
the collar 0; but a movement to one side or the other operating through the
crank, lever, chain, or equivalent mechanism displaces the sleeve and it kevs
and rigidly attaches or fixes the large bevil pinion C or the small pinion B to the

page_text: transmission shaft and therefore operates the corresponding pinion on the hub
thus providing a slow or fast speed of the rear wheel as may be desired. By this
arrangement a two speed and stopping and starting gear is provided according
to the position of the sleeve X and keys A A¹.
In Figures 4 to 7 which illustrate another method of carrying the
invention into effect preferably applied to motor cars the construc-
tion and operation is as follows. Upon the motor shaft D (Figure 5) are arranged.
three gear wheels B, C, M, of successively increasing diameter and running loose
thereon. The number of wheels may be varied however according to the number
of speed variations required in the car. These three wheels engage with three
corresponding wheels N, Q, P, of different diameters keyed upon an intermediate
shaft R preferably parallel with the motor shaft. The shaft R carries the neces-
sary sprocket wheel, gearing, or other mechanism which communicates the power
to the traction axle or wheels in any suitable manner.
or
The motor shaft is provided with a tubular cavity inside of which is arranged
the displaceable sleeve X which carries at its ends projecting feathers
keys A, A and a a' respectively, arranged as hereinbefore described, and adapted
to be moved in the slots or mortices and ec in the motor shaft D. Figure 4
clearly illustrates the arrangement of sleeve X and feathers A, A', projecting
through the slots dd of the axle 1). The slots d d are arranged parallel with four
slots or mortices m (Figure 6) formed in the bosses or naves of the gear
wheels B, C, M, so that either of the wheels may be fixed to the shaft I) according
to the position of the sleeve X with projecting feathers A A. Between each of
the gear wheels is placed a collar O fastened to the shaft D by screws 01, 01 as
shown in Figure 7, and provided with keyways corresponding to the keyways d.
The collar O is of such dimensions that when the sleeve X is moved so as to
place the keys AA within its grooves none of the three gear wheels can be in
operation.
The displacement of the sleeve X is effected from the end which carries the
feathers a a. A grooved ring I is attached by screws to the feathers aa which
can be longitudinally displaced by means of a lever with cranks or suitable
mechanism fixed to the fork J which engages in the grooves of the collar I. In
this way the driver by means of a hand lever can control the position of the
sleeve X so as to fix either of the loose wheels B, C, M, with the shaft D and thus
obtain either a slow, intermediate or fast speed. Or by shifting the sleeve so that
the feathers A A¹ engage in the mortices of either of the collars the motor shaft
can be put out of action.
It is to be clearly understood that the number of gear wheels and therefore the
number of speed variations may be increased and all without departing from the
subject of the present invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In variable speed gears an arrangement for changing the speed of the
bicycle or other vehicle consisting of a displaceable spindle or sleeve provided
with projecting keys or feathers adapted to slide in slots in a hollow shaft and
engage gear wheels substantially as described.
2. In variable speed gears the arrangement of grooved rings connected to the
driving shaft in combination with a displaceable spindle or sleeve carrying pro-
jecting keys or feathers whereby said shaft may be thrown out of gear substan-
tially as described.
3. The construction and general arrangement of variable speed gear for a
bicycle substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the
accompanying drawing

page_text: 4. The construction and general arrangement of variable speed gear for a
motor vehicle substantially as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
Doted this 22.1 day of 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.