Improvements in Devices or Appliances for Use in Making or Building up Cycle Wheels, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Devices or Appliances for Use in Making or Building
up Cycle Wheels, and the like.
I, CHARLES THOMAS AUSTEN, of 4 Crathorn Street, Lewisham, in the County
of Kent, Cycle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to devices or appliances for making or building up cycle
wheels and the like, and is especially applicable for such wheels as are fitted
with what are known as tangent spokes secured to the rim or felloes by nipples.
In the specification of a former Patent granted to me numbered 10,572 and
dated May 28th 1895 I have described, a tool or apparatus for screwing up the
said nipples, which tool or apparatus is designed to be worked by hand. According
to my present invention I provide suitable means for enabling the said. tool or
apparatus to be operated by power. I provide, moreover, means whereby the
driving mechanism will be automatically thrown out of gear at the proper time,
and my present invention likewise comprises various other improvements herein-
after set forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice I employ a toothed wheel and
pinion, the latter being provided with a radial slot or way to admit the spoke
to a central hole, a portion of which latter is formed. square to receive the corres-
ponding square on the nipple, all substantially as described with reference to a
modified form of my device in the above mentioned prior specification. In the
present instance, however, the said. toothed wheel and pinion are rotatably mounted
upon an arm or bracket which is mounted on a suitable frame to carry the said
bracket, which frame is adapted to be bolted or fixed to a bed-plate upon which
the said frame may be moved to any desired angle.
A slot or way is likewise provided in the bearing supporting the slotted pinion
so as to admit of the passage of the spokes to the said slot or way in the latter,
and the mouths or apertures of both slots are preferably formed. bell-mouthed
or flaring to facilitate the entrance of the said spokes. In my former specification
the toothed wheel gearing with the slotted pinion is provided with a handle by
means of which it is intended to be operated by hand, I now provide for operating
it by power through another or a third toothed or spur wheel, upon the spindle of
which is keyed or otherwise secured a grooved wheel or pulley adapted to receive
rotary motion through a gut or other driving band from any available source of
power. The dimensions of the said toothed wheels and of the grooved pulley are
such as to insure the desired speed of the slotted pinion. To enable the above
mentioned toothed or spur wheels to be caused to gear or mesh with the slotted
pinion and disengaged therefrom their spindles are supported in, suitable bearings

page_text: in a swinging arm or block which can be moved by means of a crank handle so
as to cause the larger or intermediate toothed wheel to engage or mesh with the
slotted pinion, a suitable catch being provided for retaining the said swinging
arm or block in that position, and a spiral or other spring which normally tends
to retain the arm or block out of engagement with the said catch, and which
upon the disengagement or release of the latter as hereinafter described will so
move the said arm or block as to throw the driving mechanism out of gear.
To effect the automatic release of the above mentioned catch when the nipple
has been screwed upon a spoke for any predetermined distance, I provide a tubular
push piece for supporting the nipple against the rim, which practically takes
the place of the nipple supporting rod described in the specification of my former
Patent. In the present instance, however, I mount the nipple supporting device
upon the free end of a pivoted arm so that it can be moved to or away from the
said rim by hand, and within the tube I arrange a rod, piston, or plunger,
adjustably connected by means of a projection thereon working in a slot in the
former, and a screw or the like, with one arm of a bent lever, the. other arm of
which lever engages with a tail or projection upon the hereinbefore mentioned
catch.
It will be seen that the rod or plunger will be pushed inwardly by the spoke
after it has passed through the nipple and that the said rod will, through the
above mentioned bent lever, operate the disengagement of the catch and con-
sequently admit of the swinging arm or block being moved under the action of
its spring so as to throw the driving gear out of engagement with the slotted
pinion, and consequently arrest the rotation of the latter. The exact predeter-
mined point at which the spoke end will meet and operate the rod or plunger
in the nipple supporting device can be arranged to great nicety by the screw or
equivalent adjustment, and the said rod or plunger is retained in its forward
position by a spring or the like. Or the plunger might be provided with a
projection to enter the nipple so that the herein described arrangement is actuated
before the spoke has passed through the nipple.
To cause or assist the slotted pinion to assume such a position, when released
from the driving gear, as will bring the mouth of the slot therein opposite that
in its bearing, I provide a suitable counterweight, or I may effect this purpose
by means of a wiper, spring friction wheels or other arrangement in connection
with one or other of the moving parts of the machine or otherwise. I may
provide the said slotted pinion with a handle for allowing of its being turned or
adjusted by hand.
Instead of the nipple supporting device being held against the rim or felloe
of the wheel by hand I may employ a spring, weight or other convenient means
for keeping it in position.
For the purpose of bringing the spokes into line with the apparatus I preferably
mount the wheel in a fork or support so as to be capable of being readily turned
to different angles or raised or lowered relatively to the said tool or annaratus.
For example, the wheel may be supported by a fork in which it is rotatably
mounted through its axle or otherwise, the said fork being hinged or jointed at
or near its bridge to a connecting rod, the other end of which is connected in a
like manner to the free end of a crank arm. The whole of this may be adapted
to be raised or lowered to suit other angles for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned,
by a foot lever or otherwise. It will be seen that by means of these arrangements
the wheel can be easily and expeditiously raised or lowered or turned to any
desired angle relatively to the nipple tightening device. In order to admit of
the more ready or freer adjustment of the parts I prefer to employ ball and socket
or universal joints between the above parts.
A. F. SPOONER,
124 Chancery Lane, W. C., Agent for the Applicant,

page_text: from any available source of power. The dimensions of the said toothed
wheels f, d, e and b and of the pulley g are such as to insure the desired speed of b.
The wheel d is mounted on a swinging arm or block h which can be moved by
means of a crank handle i. The said arm or block is normally held in its back-
ward position by a spring so that the wheels d and bare out of gear. The move-
ment of the crank handle i operates to throw the wheels d and b into gear and a catch j.
pivoted on a suitable part of the framework and actuated by a spring k, engages
with a recess on the arm or block h and retains such wheels d and b in gear. To
effect the automatic release of the catch j (and consequently the throwing out of
gear of the wheels d and b) when the nipple has been screwed upon a spoke for
any predetermined distance, I provide a tubular push piece m for supporting the
nipple against the rim, which practically takes the place of the nipple-supporting
rod described in the specification of my former Patent. In the present instance,
however, I mount the nipple-supporting device m upon the free end of an arm n
pivoted at n so that it can be moved to, or away from, the said rim by hand
through a suitable handle n¹ and within the said tubular push-piece m I arrange
a rod, piston, or plunger o, adjustably connected by means of a projection o¹
thereon working in a slot in such push-piece m, and an adjustment screw por
the like, with one arm 9 of a bent lever pivoted at gl to the lever n, and the other
arm q of which lever engages with a tail or projection j¹ upon the hereinbefore.
mentioned catch j.
It will be seen that the rod or plunger o will be pushed inwardly by the spoke
after it has passed through the nipple and that such rod or plunger will, through
a sliding arm and the above mentioned bent lever q, q3 operate the disengagement
of the catch j and consequently admit of the swinging arm or block h being
moved under the action of its spring 1 so as to throw the toothed wheel d out
of engagement with the slotted pinion b and consequently arrest the rotation
of the latter. The exact predetermined point at which the spoke end will meet and
operate the rod or plunger o in the nipple supporting device m can be arranged
to great nicety by the screw p or equivalent adjustment, and the said rod or
plunger o is retained in its forward position by a spring oor the like. Or the
plunger o might be provided with a projection to enter the ninnle so that the
herein described arrangement would be actuated before the spoke had passed
through the nipple. 03 is a small pin or projection upon the plunger o which
works in a slot m¹ in the nipple-supporting device m.
To cause the slotted pinion b to assume such a position, when released from the
toothed wheel d, as will bring the mouth of the slot 6' therein opposite the slot cl
in its bearing or bracket c, the second toothed or spur wheel e, which may be of
corresponding dimensions to the toothed wheel d, is kept against the face of the
toothed or spur wheel d by a spiral spring (not shewn in the drawing) located in
the projection upon the bracket r rotatably supporting the said toothed or spur
wheel e.
It is necessary that there be sufficient friction between the faces of the
wheels d and e. This friction may be augmented by a clutching or catching
device. Figures 1 and 2 shew a spring catch s mounted upon the toothed or spur
wheel e and adapted to pass through such wheel e and engage in one or the other
of a series of suitable radial slots, recesses or the like formed in the face of the
toothed or spur wheel d and so couple or connect the one to the other. t is a
catch governed by a spring which when the slots b and c are in line engages
in a notch u¹ in a disc or piece u connected with the pinion b, so as to arrest the
further rotation of the latter. The catch t is disengaged from the said notch u¹
in the piece u when the handle i is operated to bring the toothed wheel d in gear
as shewn in the drawings. is a thumb screw for adjusting the tension of the
spring in the extension r. I may, however, effect the above purpose by means
of a suitable counterweight, or a wiper, friction wheels or other arrangement
in connection with one or other of the moving parts of the machine or otherwise.
I may provide the said slotted pinion with a handle for allowing of its being
turned or adjusted by hand,

page_text: instead of the nipple-supporting device being held against the rim or felloe
of the wheel by hand I may employ a spring, weight or other convenient means
for keeping it in position.
In Figure 5 I have shown a slight modification of the arrangement shown in
Figures 1 to 4, wherein the nipple-supporting device m is extended as at m²,
and is connected with the pivot point of the lever n by means of a link or rod w.
In this instance the said nipple-supporting device is so mounted at the point
as to be free to pivot freely thereon and to move in a parallel direction, 'the said
pivoting movements however being governed by the link or rod w.
In Figures 6 and 7 a modified arrangement is shown. The spindle f', which in
this case besides carrying the flanged pulley g, also carries a coupling box z, and
the actuating pinion d, is supported in a swinging arm or block y which latter
is pivotally mounted through a ball race or otherwise to the bed a as indicated
at y'. The toothed or spur wheel e is independently mounted in a fixed bracket a²
and is constantly in gear with the pinion b. z is a coupling box or friction clutch
on the spindle. Or the said spindle /, the box z, and the pinion may be
formed in one piece. The box z is drilled with a suitable number cf holes in each of
which is inserted a ball z. A plug 2 behind which is a spring presses the
ball z upon the face of the spur wheel e which has radial grooves formed thereon
and with which the balls d engage. is an adjusting screw for regulating the
amount of friction. Thus rotary motion is imparted to the toothed or spur wheel e
and communicated to the pinion 6 so as to bring the slot b' therein in line or cause
it to coincide with the slot c¹ in its bearing c, a suitable spring or other catch
locking it in position as before. is a hand lever pivoted at to the bed a and
connected through a link or connecting rod with a lug y2 secured to the
swinging arm or block y by a screwed shank y³ arranged to work or move in a
slot a3 in the bed a and thus to admit of the said swinging arm
or block y being moved through the hand lever against the pull
of the spring to bring the driving mechanism into gear. The nipple-supporting-
device m is so mounted in a bracket a formed on, or attached to, the bed a as
to be free to move therein in a longitudinal direction, and such movements can
be imparted thereto by the operating lever n, slot n², and pin m. The actuating
pinion d is (in like manner to the arrangement described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4) kept normally out of gear by the spring 1 (Figure 7) which
is in this instance connected to the bed a and the swinging arm or block y as already
described. To maintain the pinion d in engagement with the pinion 6 I provide
upon the pivoted lever a a catch which, when the said wheels are in gear,
engages with a pin or projection of upon the rod or plunger o. It will be seen
that upon the spoke passing through the nipple it will operate the rearward
movement of the rod or plunger o and consequently disengage the pin or
projection o from the catch n³, whereupon the swinging arm will be moved by
the spring so as to throw the toothed wheels d and b out of gear. I may provide
a screw or equivalent adjustment for regulating the point at which the spoke will
meet and operate on the rod or plunger o.
2
For the purpose of bringing the spokes into line with the nipple screwing
device or apparatus I preferably provide a stand such as that shown in Figures 8
and 9, wherein the wheel is mounted in a fork or support A so as to be capable
of being readily turned to different angles or raised or lowered relatively to the
said tool or apparatus. For this purpose, the fork or support A is mounted on
point bearings as shown at A¹ or otherwise at the free end of a crank arm B¹
formed on, or firmly secured to, the upper end of a spindle B supported in a
vertical position in bearings C, C intended to be attached to any convenient
support. The vertical spindle B is so mounted in the bearings C as to be both
capable of rotating and moving endwise therain. D) is a foot-lever one end of
which engages beneath the lower extremity of the spindle B and by means of
which this latter may be raised or lowered to suit other angles for the purpose
herein before mentioned. E is a spiral spring secured to the vertical spindle B

page_text: and to one of the bearings C which spring is for the purpose of ensuring the
return of the said spindle after it has been raised through the foot-lever D.
It will be seen that by means of these arrangements the wheel can be easily
and expeditiously raised or lowered or turned to any desired angle relatively to
the nipple tightening device.
In order to admit of the more ready or freer adjustment of the parts I may
sometimes employ ball and socket or universal joints between the above parts.
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. The combination, with a pinion and bearing each having a radial groove,
slot or way and adapted to receive and screw up the nipples of cycle spokes and
the like, of means for imparting rotary motion to the said pinion, and of arresting
such motion when the said nipples are screwed up to the desired amount, sub-
stantially as set forth.
2. The means for bringing the radial groove, slot or way in the pinion opposite
or in line with that in the bearing, comprising the double toothed or spur wheels
and clutch or equivalent device, and a suitable spring or other catch or catches,
substantially as set forth.
3. The fork or support for holding the wheel to be operated upon, so hinged
or jointed, and mounted, as to admit of the ready adjustment of the position of
the said wheel relatively to the nipple-screwing tool or device employed, sub-
stantially as set forth.
4. The improved nipple-screwing device constructed substantially as described
with reference to Figures 1 to 4, or to Figure 5, or to Figures 6 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings, and operating in the manner set forth.
5. The improved form or support for holding the wheel to be operated upon
constructed substantially as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 10th
100%
A. F. SPOONER,
323, High Holborn, London, Agent for the Applicant.