Improvements in the Hubs and Bottom Brackets and other Parts of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1396
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in the Hubs and Bottom Brackets and other Parts of
Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
I FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND of Chantry Road, Moseley in the County of
Worcester Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention consists principally of the construction and arrangement of parts
hereinafter described for locking the cups of the ball bearing arrangement of hubs
and bottom brackets of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes in the ends of the
hub, shell or bottom bracket barrel, the said construction and arrangement of parts
being also applicable to the locking together of other parts of velocipedes as
hereinafter described.
I will describe my invention in connection with the ball bearings cups of a hub.
According to my invention I make each of the internally screwed mouths or
ends of the hub shell, into which the ball cups are screwed, elastic so that the said
screwed mouths or ends of the hub shell can be closed or contracted upon the
screwed ball cups and thereby effectually lock them in position.
I make the said ends of the hub shell elastic by slitting the said ends longi-
tudinally by four or other number of equi-distant radial slits or divisions, the said
slits or divisions extending inwards from the extreme end of the hub to a short
distance behind the part into which the front end of the cup is screwed into the
said hub. The exterior of the end of the hub is screwed with a large screw
thread, one side only of which is inclined, the other side being perpendicular or
nearly so to the axis of the hub. I do not however limit myself to this shape of
the thread. The exterior of the mouth of the hub has a shoulder against which a
washer is placed; and against the said washer a locking ring screwed upon the
external screwed elastic part of the hub is made to bear. That is to say, after
the ball cup has been screwed into its place in the internally screwed and slit end
of the hub so as to retain the balls or spheres of the ball bearing in their places
against the race or cone on the axle, the washer is placed on the exterior of the
hub and against the shoulder on the hub. The locking ring is next screwed on
the exterior of the elastic end of the hub and made to bear against the washer
described. By the screwing home of the locking ring, the elastic or slit eud of
the hub is closed or compressed upon the screwed ball cup and the latter locked
very securely in the end of the hub shell.
When the hub is provided with a chain ring that end of the hub which receives
the said chain ring has besides the shoulder described a right and left handed
screw thread, the right handed thread receiving the chain ring and the left handed
thread the locking ring. By the screwing home of the locking ring, the chaiu
ring is fixed in its place and the elastic or slit end of the hub is at the same time
closed or contracted upon the ball cup for locking the latter in its place.
The locking of the ball cups in bottom or crank brackets of velocipedes is
effected in the manner hereinbefore described with respect to the ball cups
of hubs.
,:

page_text: The method I have described of locking the ball cups of hubs and bottom
brackets is also applicable to the locking of handle bars, seat pillars, brake rods
and the like in their clips.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1895.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Hubs and Bottom Brackets, and other Parts of
Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
I, FREDERICK John Osmond, of Chantry Road, Moseley, in the County of
Worcester, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists principally of the construction and arrangement of parts
hereinafter described for locking the cups of the ball bearing arrangement of
hubs and bottom brackets of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes in the ends
of the hub shell or bottom bracket barrel, the said construction and arrange-
ment of parts being also applicable to the locking together of other parts of
velocipedes as hereinafter described.
I will describe my invention in connection with the ball bearing cups of a hub.
According to my invention I make each of the internally screwed mouths or
ends of the hub shell, into which the ball cups are screwed, elastic so that the said
screwed mouths or ends of the hub shell can be closed or contracted upon the
screwed ball cups and thereby effectually lock them in position. I make the said
ends of the hub shell elastic by slitting the said ends longitudinally by four or
other number of equi-distant radial slits or divisions the said slits or divisions
extending inwards from the extreme end of the hub to a short distance behind the
part into which the front end of the cup is screwed into the said hub. The
exterior of the end of the hub is screwed with a large screw thread, one side only
of which is inclined, the other side being perpendicular or nearly so to the axis of
the hub. I do not however limit myself to this shape of the thread. The
exterior of the mouth of the hub has a shoulder against which a washer may be
placed; and against the said washer, a locking ring screwed upon the external
screwed elastic part of the hub is made to bear. That is to say, after the ball
cup has been screwed into its place in the internally screwed and slit end of the
hub so as to retain the balls or spheres of the ball bearing in their places against
the race or cone on the axle, the washer is placed on the exterior of the hub and
against the shoulder on the hub. The locking ring is next screwed on the exterior
of the elastic end of the hub and made to bear against the washer described. By
the screwing home of the locking ring, the elastic or slit end of the hub is closed
or compressed upon the screwed ball cup and the latter locked very securely in the
end of the hub shell.
When the hub is provided with a chain ring that end of the hub which
receives the said chain ring has besides the shoulder described a right and left
handed screw thread the right handed thread receiving the chain ring and the
left handed thread the locking ring. By the screwing home of the locking ring
the chain ring is fixed in its place and the elastic or slit end of the hub is at the
same time closed or contracted upon the ball cup for locking the latter in its
place.
The locking of the ball cups in bottom or crank brackets of velocipedes is
effected in the manuer herein before described with respect to the ball cups of
hubs.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in vertical section the hub
of the rear or driving wheel together with the rear part of the frame of a safety
bicycle containing my improvements;
Figure. 2 represents partly in elevation and partly in vertical section the said
hub detached from the bicycle frame, one of the cone locking rings being separated
therefrom;
Figure 3 represents in elevation the left hand end of the hub Figure and
Figure 4 represents in elevation the right hand or chain wheel end of the said
hab:
Figures 5 to 8, both inclusive, illustrate the application of my invention to
other parts of velocipedes as hereinafter particularly described.
I will first describe the hub Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a is the hub and a², a² the spoke flanges of the same. The mouths or open ends
of the said hub into which the bearing cups c, c of the ball races are screwed are
marked respectively a³ and e, e². The said mouths or ends of the hub are made
clastic by longitudinal slits or divisions made in the said ends parallel to the axis
of the hub. The elastic ends of the hub are screwed externally for receiving
internally screwed locking rings. The locking rings are marked respectively d
and g. The external screw threads on the elastic ends are preferably inclined on
one side only, the other side of the said thread being perpendicular to the axis of
the hub as is represented at the elastic end a Figures 1 and 2. By screwing home
the locking ring on the elastic end a³ the said ring bears against the collar or
flange a² of the hub and the further screwing of the said ring results in the virtual
forcing back of the said ring, the wedge like screw threads of which rising up the
wedge like screw threads of the elastic end a³ slightly contracts the said elastic end,
thereby binding and locking the cup c of the ball bearing race in place.
In applying my improvements to hubs which are without chain wheels as well as
when applying them to bottom brackets, I make the elastic or slit mouths at both
ends of the hub or bottom bracket similar to the end a³ Figures 1, 2 and 3, but in
applying my improvements to hubs of the kind represented in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4
that is, to hubs having at one end a chain wheel or chain ring, I modify the hub at
that end as illustrated in the drawing. I make the chain wheel end of the hub of
two diameters externally the larger part e having preferably a right handed V shaped
screw thread formed thereon, the smaller part 2 being provided with a left handed
V shaped screw thread. On the larger part e the chain wheel or ring f is screwed
and on the smaller part e the ring g is screwed the said ring g locking the chain
wheel to the hub and simultaneously locking the cup in the elastic end e² of
the hub.
e,
The method I have described and illustrated of locking the ball cups of hubs is
applicable to the locking of the ball cups of bottom brackets as before mentioned
as well as to the locking of handle bars, seat pillars, brake rods and the like in
their clips.
Figure 5 illustrates the application of my invention to the fixing of the steering
handle column h in position in the fork stem i.
In this arrangement the screw on the upper end of the fork stem is of the kind
illustrated with respect to the elastic end a of the hub a in Figures 1 and 2 and
the internal screw of the cone 7 of the ball head l, k is of a corresponding shape.
The screwed end of the fork stem is slit with preferably four slits or divisions
one of which is marked 2³. m is the locking ring taking onto the screw of the
fork stem thereby contracting the slit top of the said stem and fixing the handle
bar column in position; the ring m simultaneously locks the cone of the
ball head.
In Figure 6 I have represented a modified arrangement of parts for locking the
handle bar column in the fork stem i: k is the steering socket of the bicycle
frame having in its top the cup in which the bearing balls of the bail head work

page_text: as usual. In the said socket k the stem i of the steering wheel fork takes the upper
screwed end of which stem is slit with preferably four slits or divisions one of
which is marked . On the screwed slit end of the fork stem i the cone l
(represented detached in Figure 7) takes. The upper end of the cone / is
screwed externally and slit, the slits or divisions, marked 13 in Figure 7, being
preferably eight in number. The externally screwed end of the cone is pro-
vided with a locking ring m which when screwed home against the unscrewed
end of the said cone contracts the slit end 12 and through it the screwed slit
end of the fork stem. The stalk or column of the handle bar is thus fixed
and the cone of the ball head simultaneously locked in position.
Figure 8 illustrates the application of my improvements to the locking of the
seat pillar in the seat tube or socket of the bicycle frame. The seat tube n of the
frame is provided with a brazed liner n³ the end n' of which liner projects from
the said tube n. The projecting end n' is screwed and slit preferably, eight
divisions or slits being made. On the introduction and adjustment of the seat
pillar p in the seat tube n the locking ring m is screwed home against the top of
the seat tube thereby contracting the slit part of the liner and fixing the seat pillar
in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in the hubs and bottom brackets and other parts of
bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes" ;-
First. The construction and arrangement of parts bereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawing for locking the
adjustable cups of the ball races of hubs and bottom brackets in position in the
said hubs and bottom brackets, the said construction and arrangement of parts
consisting in making the internally screwed mouths or ends into which the
adjustable cups are screwed elastic, by slitting the said ends in a direction parallel
to the axis of the hub, the said elastic ends being contracted upon the adjustable
cups of the bearing by locking rings taking on external screws on the elastic
mouths or ends of the hub or bottom bracket substantially as herein before
described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction and arrangements of parts hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawing for locking
the adjustable pillars or rods of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes in their
clips or sockets, the said construction and arrangements of parts consisting in
screwing the upper end of the tubular socket or clip and slitting the said screwed
end so as to make it elastic and using therewith an internally screwed ring for
taking upon and contracting the said screwed and slit end of the socket or clip
substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
Dated the Twenty-fifth day of November 1895.
FREDERICK JOHN OSMOND.