An Improvement in Gear Cases for Cycles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Se t., 1895-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1895
An Improvement in Gear Cases for Cycles.
ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR, Wireworker, 8 Phipp Street London, E.C. and
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER, Commercial Traveller also of 8 Phipp Street,.
London, E.C. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
An appliance to fit in the gear cases of cycles to prevent the leakage of oil..
We find that in those gear cases which are intended to form an oil bath for the
chain the oil is taken up by the chain as it travels and that nearly all of it is
thrown off as it passes round the small cog wheel on the driving wheel of cycle.
The oil flies off at a tangent and splutters all over the inside of the gear case round'
about the small cog wheel escaping at any place or joint where there is an opening.
There is bound to be an opening for the hub of the wheel to pass and this hole has
to be made sufficiently large to allow the hub to be moved inwards or outwards
when the chain needs tightening or adjusting. This large hole in the side of the
The principle
gear case has hitherto been a source of trouble and leakage of oil.
we go on in our invention is to stop the streams of oil thrown off the chain before
they touch the inside lining of the case, and to drain the oil back to the oil
reservoir. Hitherto this has been partially done by fixing a kind of tail piece of
sheet metal inside the case behind the small cog wheel but it has had to be put so far
away from the wheel (because of the space allowed for adjustment of chain) that its
success has been spoilt. The chief point in our invention is that the oil catcher is
For ordinary gear
enabled to be quite close to the wheel and may move with it.
cases we make the appliance by taking two pieces of sheet metal a little larger than
We round the top'
the size of the small cog wheel, one to go on each side of it.
portions concentrically with the wheel and cut away the bottom parts as may be
In the middle of
necessary to allow them to drop into or fit into the gear case.
one piece a hole is made to admit the hub and in the other a corresponding hole to
admit the hub spindle. The metal from the holes to the bottom of the pieces is
then cut away forming slots to enable them to be put in their places without taking
the wheel out of its bearings. The two are then joined together at the back and
partly over the top like a portion of a bridge leaving the front and bottom open
for the chain to pass. By tightening the nut which secures the hub spindle to the
frame of the cycle one of the sides of our appliance is also held fast and kept in
position and it may also be held if necessary by being fitted with sliding pieces free
to move in slides on the inside of the gear case.
We find the best results are obtained by making the bridge pieces in several
portions overlapping one another like louvres, and to corrugate them with the
corrugations running in the direction of the chain travel, the oil thrown off strikes
the inside of one of the bridge pieces and drains down the corrugations, dripping on
to the outside of the next piece and thence runs down into the bottom channel of
the gear case to the oil bath.
The appliance is usually made of tin sheet but may be any other suitable
material and the side pieces may be varied in shape to suit the numerous varieties
of make of cycle and gear case, the bridge pieces may be flat or curved both in
longitudinal or cross section the main point being that they shall be close to the
chain cog wheel and attached to it or moved with it, though if the overlapping

page_text: louvre bridge pieces are used they may be fixed to the gear case though we prefer
to have them adjustable with the wheel.
Dated this 10th day of December 1894.
An Improvement in Gear Cases for Cycles.
ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR, Wireworker 8 Phipp Street, London E.C. and
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER also of 8. Phipp Street London E.C. Commercial
Traveller, 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 :-
An appliance to fit in the gear cases of cycles to prevent the leakage of oil.
We find that in those gear cases which are intended to form an oil bath for the
chain, the oil is taken up by the chain as it travels and that nearly all of it is
thrown off as it passes round the small cog wheel on the driving wheel of cycle.
The oil flies off at a tangent and splutters all over the inside of the gear case round
about the small cog wheel escaping at any place or joint where there is an opening.
There is bound to be an opening for the hub of the wheel to pass, and this hole has
to be made sufficiently large to allow the hub to be moved inwards or outwards
when the chain needs tightening or adjusting. This large hole in the side of the
gear case has hitherto been a source of trouble and leakage of oil. The principle
we go on in our invention is to stop the streams of oil thrown off the chain.
before they touch the inside lining of the case, and to drain the oil back to the oil
reservoir. Hitherto this has been partially done by fixing a kind of tail piece of
sheet metal inside the case behind the small cog wheel but it has had to be put so
far away from the wheel (because of the space allowed for adjustment of chain)
that its success has been spoilt. The chief point in our invention is that the oil
catcher is enabled to be quite close to the wheel and may move with it. For ordinary
cases we make the appliance by taking two pieces of sheet metal a little larger
We round the
than the size of the small cog wheel, one to go on each side of it.
top portions concentrically with the wheel and cut away the bottom parts as
In the
may be necessary to allow them to drop into or fit into the gear case.
middle of one piece a hole is made to admit the hub, and in the other a corre-
sponding hole to admit the hub spindle. The metal from the holes to the bottom
of the pieces is then cut away forming slots to enable then to be put in their places
without taking the wheel out of its bearings. The two are then joined together at
the back and partly over the top like a portion of a bridge leaving the front and
bottom open for the chain to pass. By tightening the nut which secures the hub
spindle to the frame of the cycle, one of the sides of our appliance is also held fast
and kept in position, and it may also be held if necessary by being fitted with
sliding pieces free to move in slides on the inside of the gear case. We find the
best results are obtained by making the bridge pieces in several portions over-
lapping one another like louvres and to corrugate them with the corrugations
running in the direction of the chain travel, the oil thrown off strikes the inside of
one of the bridge piéces and drains down the corrugations dripping on to the
outside of the next piece and thence runs down into the bottom channel of the
gear case to the oil bath. The appliance is usually made of tin sheet but may be
made of any other suitable material and the side pieces may be varied in shape to
suit, the numerous varieties of make of cycle and gear case. The bridge pieces
may be flat or curved both in longitudinal and cross section, the main point being
that they shall be close to the chain cog wheel and attached to it or moved with it,

page_text: though if the overlapping louvre bridge pieces are used they may be fixed to the
gear case, though we prefer to have them adjustable with the wheel.
In the accompanying drawings :
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the oil catcher.
Fig. 2 is a side view shewing the projecting piece D which fits over the hub
spindle and against which the nut which secures the hub spindle to the frame,
presses.
Fig. 3 shews opposite side as seen when front is removed.
Fig. 4 shews a section of the back part of a gear case, with chain cog wheel
and portion of oil catcher. The dotted lines and arrows shew how the oil is
thrown off the travelling chain and caught by the louvre or bridge pieces "C"
and then drained back to the oil bath. The same parts are marked with the same
letters in the respective figures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
A movable oil catcher substantially as described the bridge portion of which
may be either a plain surface, or overlapping plain or corrugated louvre pieces, if
corrugated the corrugations being parallel with the direction of travel of the
chain.
Dated this Tenth day of September 1895.
ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR.
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER.