Improvements in and connected with Driving Bands for Velocipedes, Motor cars, and other Vehicles or Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1898
Improvements in and connected with Driving Bands for Velocipedes,
Motor cars, and other Vehicles or Machinery.
I, BERRY HIGGS, of 207, Harold Road, Upton Manor, Plaistow, in the County
of Essex, Engineer and Cycle Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
Heretofore, and especially in driving velocipedes, it has been proposed to employ
endless flexible steel bands, to extend between the driving pulley on the pedal
axle and a pulley in connection with the driven road wheel. Such bands have
had a lining of india-rubber, and have acted by friction, and in other cases the
flexible band has been pierced with holes to receive teeth of the wheels which
the band connects.
In this latter case the band obviously has a positive driving action, but its
construction has been such that the wheel teeth have not had a solid unyielding
abutment upon the band against which to act.
Now the object of my invention is to produce such a band, whereon there is
formed a solid abutment at each end of the aperture through which the teeth
project, and that such solid block or abutment shall be homogeneous with the
metal of which the band is composed and of greater substance than any other
part of the band.
According to my invention, I produce an endless, flexible, metal (preferably
steel band, of a suitable width; apertures are formed upon the centre line of the
width of the band at equal distances apart, according to the pitch of the toothed
wheels which the band is to connect and upon the external surface of the hand
there are produced solid blocks homogeneous with the band; one such block being
atuated at the forward edge and one at the rearward edge of each aperture in
the hand, the blocks extending in a direction transversely of the length of the
band.
These blocks are of sufficient height above the band to form as efficient a
bearing surface for the wheel teeth as is now effected in the ordinary velocipede
driving chains and the bearing faces of the blocks adjacent to the apertures may
be_curved vertically or otherwise shaped, to suit the wheel teeth.
In some cases the blocks may extend in a transverse direction beyond the
longitudinal edges of the apertures.
The peripheries of the toothed wheels should be formed with a surface to support
the breadth of the band and may be perfectly cylindrical, as the inner surface
of the band has no projecting parts. In order however, to allow of the escape
of dust or mud, which might by chance enter between the inner surface of the
band and the wheel periphery, I sometimes perforate the band between the tooth
apertures therein; or I may even recess the peripheries of the wheels, at parts.
In the manufacture of such a band, I take a length of flexible steel of a suitable
width for the band, but having a central rit extending throughout its whole

page_text: length, of about the same or slightly greater width than the apertures which
are to be hereafter formed to receive the wheel teeth.
I then form apertures through the thickness of the rib and at the longitudinal
centre line of the band to receive the wheel teeth, and I remove the rib projection
between these apertures to such extent, as to leave a solid block at the forward
and rear edges of the apertures to form a sufficient abutment for the wheel teeth.
Where the abutments extend transversely on each side beyond the longitudinal
edges of the apertures, I of course, remove the portions of the rib also from each
longitudinal side of the apertures, to preserve the flexibility of the band.
The ends of the length are then joined. Such a band presents all the advan-
tages of a driving chain and in addition it does not stretch and therefore does not
require the constant attention and adjustment always incident to the use of
chains.
I would wish it understood that I do not absolutely limit myself to the identical
mode of manufacture which I have so fully described above.
בד
10th
Jonvon 1808
Improvements in and connected with Driving Bands for Velocipedes,
Motor-ears, and other Vehicles or Machinery.
I. BERRY HIGGS, of 207, Harold Road, Upton Manor, Plaistow, in the County
of Essex, Engineer and Cycle Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
Heretofore, and especially in driving velocipedes, it has been proposed to employ
endless flexible steel bands, to extend around and between the driving pulley on
the pedal axle, and a pulley in connection with the driven road wheel. Such
bands have had a lining of india-rubber and have acted by friction, but in other
cases the flexible metal band has been pierced with holes to receive the teeth of
the wheels which the band connects. In this latter case the band obviously has
a positive driving action, but its construction has been such that the wheel teeth
have not had a solid and absolutely unyielding abutments upon the band, against
which the said teeth act.
Now the object of my invention is to produce such a band whereon there is
formed a solid abutment, at each end of each aperture through which the teeth
project, and that such solid block or abutment shall be homogeneous with the
metal of which the band is composed, and of greater substance than any other
part of the band.
In order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereon is shewn, by way
of example, the formation of such a band.
Figure 1. is a transverse sectional perspective view of a strip of metal, from
which my band may be formed or manufactured, Figure 2. is a side elevation
of same, Figure 3, is a plan view of a piece of my improved flexible band when
the manufacture has been completed, Figure 4, is a transverse section on the
line X. Y. of Figure 3. Figure 5, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the
band. Figure 6, is an elevation, and Figure 7, a plan view of a joint in the band,
and Figure 8, is a side elevation drawn to a smaller scale than the previous figures,
and shewing a portion of one of my flexible bands, having several joints.
According to my invention, I provide a metal, preferably steel, strip of a suit-

page_text: able length and of a section for example, as is shewn at Figs. 1 and 2, the central
part of the section A, being thicker than the side parts B, B, and possessing a
central rib extending throughout its whole length. Vertically through this
strip at required distances apart, I form apertures of suitable shape, and such
apertures are formed upon the centre line of the width of the strip.
I then proceed to cut, grind, or in other ways reduce the central thickness or
rib A, of the strip at places, and in such a manner that there only remains of
this thickening or rib, certain parts D, D. Fig. 3, which are located at the for-
ward and rearward edge of each aperture in the band, that is, of each aperture
through which teeth of the wheels are to pass, and these thickened parts form as
it were blocks, D, D, extending in a direction transversely of the length of the
band.
I form the thickened portion of the band Fig. 1, of a greater width than the
width of the apertures C. whereby when the manufacture of the band is completed.
as at Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the blocks D. D, extend in a transverse direction beyond
the transverse edges of the apertures C, and thereby prevent the tearing or fracture
of the band at such edges.
The blocks D, D, are of sufficient height above the upper surface of the band B,
to form as efficient a bearing surface for the wheel teeth, as is now effected in the
ordinary velocipede driving chains, and the bearing faces D¹. Fig. 5, of the
blocks D, adjacent to the aperture C, may be curved or otherwise shaped to suit
the formation of the wheel teeth.
The peripheries of the toothed wheels over which the band travels, should pre-
ferably be formed with a surface of sufficient width to support the width of the
band B, and may be perfectly cylindrical as the inner surface of the band has
no projecting parts.
In order to allow of the escape of dust or mud which might by chance enter
between the inner surface of the band and the wheel periphery, I sometimes
perforate the band as at E, Fig. 3, between the tooth apertures C, therethrough,
or I may even recess the peripheries of the wheel at parts, such a band is suffici-
ently flexible lengthwise to readily pass around the peripheries of the wheels
which it is intended to drive and it is made endless, by joining the two ends
together by rivets, braizing, or other suitable means or by jointing or hingeing
the two ends together. Such a joint or hinge is shewn at Figs. 6, and 7, where
thickened portions formed homogeneous with the strip are shaped and drilled
to receive the pivot pin by which the parts are connected. Obviously, the endless
band might be composed of two, three, or more sections so jointed together each
section being flexible, and formed as described with reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
I am thus enabled to produce a flexible metal driving band and to provide
thereon solid block abutments for the wheel teeth to act upon, which solid block
abutments are one and the same piece or homogeneous with the metal of the
band itself and thereby presents all the advantages of a driving chain while
in addition it does not vary in length by wear and consequently does not require
the constant attention and adjustment always incident to the use of chains.
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. A flexible metallic driving band for the toothed wheels of velocipedes, motor-
cars and other vehicles or machinery having suitably shaped apertures at proper
distances apart, to receive the wheel teeth, and a solid block abutment piece at
the forward and rearward edges of each tooth aperture, in the band, to form
bearing pieces for the wheel teeth, such abutment pieces being formed homo-
geneous with the metal of the flexible band, and extending transversely somewhat
beyond the longitudinal edges of the said tooth apertures, substantially as
described.
2. The combination with a flexible band having tooth apertures about the

page_text: longitudinal centre line of the band and transverse abutment piece upon the
forward and rearward edge of each aperture, homogeneous with the band, and
extending transversely beyond the aperture, of an aperture or apertures through
the band between the tooth apertures substantially as described.
3. The combination with a flexible metallic driving band as claimed by Claim 1,
and composed of one, two, or more parts jointed or hinged together substantially
as described.
4. Forming a flexible metallic driving band as claimed by Claim 1, from a
strip or a number of strips of metal of a suitable width, the strip havng a longi-
tudinal rib or central thickness, forming the necessary apertures therein and
removing or reducing the said rib or thickness so as to leave the solid abutments
as aforesaid substantially as and for the purposes described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
5. The general arrangement and construction of parts composing my improved
flexible metallic driving band substantially as described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.