IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martin Diederich Rucker, junior, of Letchford's
Buildings, Bethnal Green, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO
OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martin Diederich Rucker
jun. at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th January 1882.
MARTIN DIEDERICH RUCKER junior of Letchford's Buildings Bethnal Green in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES PARTS OF WHICH
ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
My improvements relate in the first place to an automatic clutch action by which,
when the shaft is revolved in one direction the wheel on the shaft is rotated with
the same but when the shaft is revolved the other way or held without rotation
On
the wheel is free. The wheel is fixed on a loose sleeve mounted on the shaft.
one side of this wheel is fixed a ring having on its outer side a series of teeth. On
this same side of the wheel a disc is firmly fixed on the shaft, which disc has two
or more wedge shaped or partly wedge shaped projections, projecting towards the
wheel. Between this disc and the wheel a ring is mounted on a prolongation of
the sleeve on which the wheel is fixed, which ring has on one side a series of teeth
corresponding to the teeth on the fixed ring and on the other side two or more
recesses corresponding to the projections on the disc. When the shaft is moved
one way the inclined sides of the wedge shaped projections on the disc force the
moveable ring towards the wheel and make its teeth engage the teeth on the fixed
ring and revolve the wheel, but when the shaft is held or moved the other way the
right angled end of the projections on the disc prevent the loose ring from
revolving and the inclined sides of the teeth on the fixed ring force the loose ring
back again until the two series of teeth are clear of each other and the wheel is
free. This is applicable to other machines as well as to velocipedes.
In the second place my improvements relate to the ball bearings which are
formed in the following manner. In the hub of the wheel is a deep recess in which
is firmly secured a ring with a groove on the inside in which the balls revolve.

page_text: A sleeve fitting quite loosely is mounted on the end of the axle of the wheel, the
inner end of which sleeve has a flange with one side coned or bevelled and a thread
is cut outside on the other end. A ring passes over this sleeve one side of which
is coned or bevilled to correspond with the coned or bevilled side of the flange of
the sleeve and form the groove against which the balls bear and the periphery of
this ring has a shoulder cut on it. A stud may be formed on the inside of this ring
taking into a groove formed on the sleeve. On this ring and bearing against the
shoulder thereof is the band formed on the end of the fork and which supports the
same and which may be cut on one or both sides and fitted with a screw pin or a
pin and nut for the purposes of clamping. A screw ring which has also a shoulder
on its periphery is then screwed on to the sleeve and partly enters the band of the
fork. The adjustment is made by the shoulder on this screw ring forcing the
band of the fork against the shoulder of the loose coned ring, while at the same
time the action of the screw draws forward the sleeve with its coned flange. When
the adjustment is made the band of the fork may be tightened so as to clamp all
the parts firmly together. A stud may also be fitted on the periphery of the loose
ring taking into a groove formed in the band of the fork.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Martin Diederich Rucker jun. in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th July 1882.
MARTIN DIEDERICH RUCKER, junior, of Letchford's Buildings, Bethnal Green in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES, PARTS OF WHICH
ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
My improvements relate in the first place to an automatic clutch action by which
when the shaft is revolved in one direction the wheel on the shaft is rotated with
the same but when the shaft is revolved the other way or held without rotation
the wheel is free. The wheel is fixed on a loose sleeve mounted on the shaft. On
one side of the hub of this wheel is fixed a ring, having on its outer side a series of
teeth which I prefer to make of a ratchet shape. On this same side of the wheel a
disc is fixed on the shaft at a suitable distance from the wheel as is hereinafter
explained which disc has two or more wedge shaped or partly wedge shaped pro-
jections projecting towards the wheel. Between this disc and the wheel a ring is
loosely mounted on the sleeve on which the wheel is fixed which ring has on one
side two or more recesses corresponding to the projections on the disc and on the
other side a series of teeth corresponding to the teeth on the ring fixed on the hub
of the wheel. When the shaft is revolved one way the inclined sides of the wedge
shaped projections on the disc force the loose ring towards the wheel and make the
teeth of this loose ring engage the teeth of the ring fixed on the hub of the wheel
and as the shaft continues to revolve the wheel is revolved therewith. But when
the shaft is revolved the other way or held without rotation the right angled ends

page_text: of the projections on the disc being engaged in the right angled ends of the recesses
in the loose ring this ring either is revolved the other way with the shaft or held
without rotation. In both cases the inclined sides of the teeth on the ring fixed on
the hub of the wheel force the loose ring back again until the two series of teeth
are clear of each other and the wheel is free. It is obvious that the distance of the
fixed disc from the wheel depends upon the breadth of the loose ring but this ring
must always be formed of such a breadth and the projections on the disc with the
two series of teeth of such a height as shall allow of the projections on the disc
always engaging the corresponding recesses in the ring whether the two series of
teeth are free of each other or are engaged. In velocipedes I prefer to place this
clutch action on the crank shaft attaching the ring with the ratchet shaped teeth
on the side of the chain wheel but I can also place it on the driving wheel shaft
if I choose. This clutch action is plainly applicable to various machines as well as
to velocipedes such as lathes sewing machines and others in which it would be
applied in the same manner.
In the second place my improvements relate to the ball bearings which are
formed in the following manner. In the hub of the wheel is formed a deep recess
in which is firmly secured a ring with a deep groove on its internal periphery in
which the balls revolve. A sleeve fitting quite loosely is mounted on the axle the
inner end of the sleeve having a flange formed thereon which has a coned or
bevelled side towards the sleeve the other side of the flange being flat and at right
angles to the axis of the sleeve. An outside thread is cut on the outer end of the
sleeve. A ring passes over this sleeve from the outer end the side of the ring
nearest the flange being coned or bevelled to correspond with the coned or bevelled
side of the flange on the sleeve and to form the adjustable bearing for the balls in
the groove of the ring in the hub of the wheel. On the outer periphery of the
ring is cut a shoulder and a pin passes through the ring the inner end of which
engages in a slot formed in the sleeve while the outer end engages in a slot formed
in the band of the fork hereinafter described to prevent the ring from revolving
round the sleeve. Round the ring and bearing against the shoulder thereof is the
band formed on the end of the fork which may be cut on both sides and fitted
with a screw pin or a pin and nut to clamp it withal. A screw ring also with a
shoulder on its outer periphery is then screwed on to the sleeve and enters the
band of the fork up to its shoulder. This ring may be cut or split to enable it to
be easily clamped as is hereinafter explained. The adjustment is made by the
shoulder of the screw ring forcing the band of the fork against the shoulder of the
inner loose coned ring while at the same time the action of the screw draws
forward the sleeve with its coned flange. This method of adjustment therefore acts
equally on both sides of the coned bearings of the balls and keeps these balls always
duly centred. When the adjustment is made the band of the fork is tightened
by the screw pin or pin and nut and all the parts are firmly clamped together.
Having thus particularly described my Invention in order to clearly explain the
same I refer to the accompanying Drawing. Figure 1 is an elevation of the clutch
action in gear to rotate the wheel. Figure 2 is the same out of gear. Figure 3.
The left side is a plan of the clutch action taken at a. b in Figure 1. The right
side is a plan of the same taken at c. d. in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a section of
Figure 3 taken at e. f. The letters are the same in all the Figures. A is the chain
wheel mounted on the loose sleeve B on which is fixed the ring C with ratchet
teeth. D is the disc fixed on the shaft E having the wedge shaped or partly wedged
shaped projections F engaging the correspondingly shaped recesses G in the loose
ring Has herein before described. This ring H has on its other side the ratchet
teeth I which engage the ratchet teeth in the ring C as herein before described.
When the shaft E is revolved one way the inclined sides of the projections F force
the ring to engage the ring C and revolve the chain wheel A as shewn in
Figure 1 but when the shaft E is revolved the other way or held without rotation
the inclined sides of the ratchet teeth on the ring C force the ring H back again
and the chain wheel A is free as shewn in Figure 2 and as is herein before described

page_text: Figure 5 is an elevation shewing the hub of the wheel and the ball bearing.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of the same. K is the hub of the wheel in a deep
recess in which is secured the ring L with a groove therein. M is the sleeve fitting
loosely on the shaft N which has a coned flange O on its inner end as hereinbefore
described. The ring P passes over the sleeve M which has a coned side forming
together with the flange O and the groove in the ring L the bearing for the
balls R. The ring P has a shoulder against which the band of the fork S bears
and a pin T passes through the ring P one end of which engages in a slot in the
sleeve M and the other end engages in a slot in the band S as herein before
described. The band S is cut and fitted with the screw pin V to clamp it withal.
The screw ring X is screwed on to the sleeve M which adjusts the bearing as herein-
before described and the band S is clamped by the pin V.
I am aware that cones or coned or bevelled surfaces have long been used for the
bearings of the balls and I do not make any claim for the use of these coned or
bevelled surfaces but what I do consider novel and my Invention and claim as
protected to me is the particular arrangement and construction of the parts
concerned as hereinbefore described by which these ball bearings are adjusted and
kept duly centred.
Having thus described and clearly explained my Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed I claim-
1. The automatic clutch action herein before described consisting of the combi-
nation of a fixed ring a loose ring and a fixed disc all constructed and combined
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and declared and shewn in
the accompanying Drawing.
2. The application of the automatic clutch action as herein before described to
velocipedes of all descriptions and to various other machines substantially as
herein before described and declared.
3. The method or manner of constructing and adjusting the ball bearings of
velocipedes hereinbefore described the said method of construction consisting of
the combination of the ring in the hub of the wheel the loose sleeve on the axle
and the two rings on the sleeve which two rings are surrounded by the band of
the fork the whole constructed and combined and operating substantially as herein-
before described and declared and shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said Martin Diederich Rucker junior have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Fifth day of July in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.