Improvements in Driving Gear for Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velooipedes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1893-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Gear for Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velooipedes.
I, GEORGE LOUIS PLATNAUER, of 310, Monument Road, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer's Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in driving gear for
safety bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes.
In a safety bicycle tricycle or other velocipede as at present usually constructed
with the driving wheel or driving wheels driven by an endless chain from the pedal
axle, there is, as is well known, some friction on the driving chain, caused by the
links of the chain working on their joints as the chain passes round the chain
wheels; and this friction is considerably increased in those safety bicycles and
other velocipedes which are geared up for high speed because a very small chain
wheel has to be used on the driving wheel or on the driving wheel axle and
consequently the links of the driving chain in passing round this small chain wheel
have to turn on their joints through a larger angle.
The object of my invention is to transmit power and motion from the pedal
axle to the driving wheel or driving wheels by an endless chain so arranged that
the machine can be geared up for any high speed as may be desired without using
a small chain wheel on the driving wheel or on the driving wheel axle of the
machine. I thus considerably reduce the friction on the endless driving chain.
According to this invention I use any arrangement of spur wheel or other
multiplying gear in combination with the said endless driving chain and chain
wheels which transmit power and motion from the pedal axle to the driving wheel
or to the driving wheel axle. This multiplying gear either situated on or near
to the pedal axle and arranged to cause the chain wheels to revolve faster than the
pedal axle; or, and this is what I prefer, the multiplying gear is situated on or
near the axle of the driving wheel or driving wheels and arranged to cause the
driving wheel or driving wheels to revolve faster than the chain wheels.
In applying my invention to a bicycle I may, in combination with the
multiplying gear as above described use either only one driving chain or I may use
two driving chains one on either side of the machine and I may either arrange the
said gearing to drive the back wheel or the front wheel.
Dated this 5th day of October 1892.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Gear for Safety Bicycles, Tricycles, and
other Velocipedes.
I, GEORGE LOUIS PLATNAUER, of 310, Monument Road, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer's 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 :-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in driving gear for
safety bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes.
In a safety bicycle tricycle or other velocipede as at present usually constructed

page_text: with the driving wheels driven by an endless chain from the pedal axle there is as
is well known, some friction on the driving chain caused by the links of the chain
working on their joints as the chain passes round the chain wheels; and this
friction is considerably increased in those safety bicycles and other velocipedes
which are geared up for high speed because a very small chain wheel has to be
used on the driving wheel or on the driving wheel axle and consequently the links
of the driving chain in passing round this small chain wheel have to turn on their
joints through a larger angle.
The object of my invention is to transmit power and motion from the pedal
axle to the driving wheel or driving wheels by an endless chain so arranged that
the machine can be geared up for any high speed as may be desired without using
a small chain wheel on the driving wheel or on the driving wheel axle of the
machine. I thus considerably reduce the friction on the endless driving chain.
According to this invention I use the hereindescribed improved arrangement of
spur wheel multiplying gear in combination with the said endless driving chain
and chain wheels which transmit power and motion from the pedal axle to the
driving wheel or to the driving wheel axle. This multiplying gear is situated on
the axle of the driving wheel or driving wheels and arranged to cause the driving
wheel or driving wheels to revolve faster than the chain wheels.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a safety bicycle with its driving gear constructed
and arranged in accordance with my invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross section through along the driving wheel axle to shew the
construction of the multiplying gear;
Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation of the said multiplying gear and
Fig. 4 shews the said driving wheel axle separately.
A is the driving wheel of the bicycle revolving loosely about its axle B the
ends of which are fixed to the fork C of the bicycle frame as usual. D is the
pedal axle on which is mounted the usual chain wheel E from which rotary
motion and power are transmitted to the driving wheel A by the usual endless
driving chain F. These parts A, B, C, D, E and F are of the usual construction.
The spur wheel multiplying gear which according to this invention I use on the
driving wheel axle B in combination with the endless driving chain F consists of
an internally toothed wheel G formed with or fixed to the chain wheel H and
mounted to revolve loosely upon the enlarged part 6 of the driving wheel axle B
this part as shewn in Figs. 2 and 4 being made excentric to the main portion
the axle so that the internal teeth of the wheel G will gear with the externally
toothed pinion wheel I which I fix to or form with the hub a of the driving
wheel A and concentric therewith this wheel hub revolving loosely on the axle B
as stated above. The chain wheels E and H and the toothed wheels G and I are
so proportioned as to give the necessary gearing up of the driving wheel A and to
keep the chain wheel H of reasonable size instead of having to make the chain
wheel H very small in diameter as would be the case if the multiplying gear GI
were not used.
of
My invention is applied to tricycles and other velocipedes similarly as herein-
before described with reference to a safety bicycle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a safety bicycle or other velocipede in which the pedal axle is arranged
outside the driving wheel, the employment of the hereindescribed improved
arrangement of driving gear for transmitting power and rotary motion from the
pedal axle to the driving wheel, consisting of the combined chain wheel H and
internally toothed wheel G revolving upon an enlarged excentric portion b¹ of the
driving wheel axle, the said chain wheel H receiving rotary motion by the endless
chain F from the chain wheel E on the pedal axle and the internally toothed

page_text: wheel G gearing with a smaller externally toothed pinion wheel I fixed to or
formed with the hub of the driving wheel all substantially as hereinbefore set
forth and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of July 1893.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.