Improvements in or relating to Variable Speed Driving Gear.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Variable Speed Driving Gear.
We, WILHELM ERKER, Engineer, and OSWALD LÖFFLER, Merchant, both of
XVIII. Währingergürtel 81, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to variable speed driving gear applicable for cycles and
other purposes, but is hereinafter described as applied to a cycle. The variations
of the speed are effected by means of bevel gearing which can be thrown in and
out of engagement, the gearing operating on the chain wheel on the crank shaft.
The accompanying drawing illustrates a driving gear for cycles constructed in
accordance with this invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the crank shaft with the driving mechanism
shown in vertical section.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 shows a part of the coupling device in plan.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the coupling device on the cycle frame.
As may be seen from Figure 1 the chain A of the driving gear is mounted loose
on the ball bearing b on the crank shaft B. The chain wheel A is provided on
its face with teeth A' with which engages a bevel wheel C whose spindle c rotates
in a movable ball bearing D. This spindle carries a second bevel wheel C¹ which
engages with a larger wheel F adjustably mounted on the crank shaft B by means
of a groove and feather f.
With the parts in the position shown in Figure 1, the rotation of the crank
shaft B is transmitted by the bevel wheels F, C, C, A¹ to the driving chain
wheel A. If the wheels C Care disengaged from the wheels F' A¹ by moving
the ball bearing D and if the wheel F is coupled with the chain wheel A by
moving it towards the coupling a¹ on the hub a of the latter, the motion of the
crank shaft will be transmitted direct to the chain wheel.
The throwing in or out of the gear of the wheels C C and F is effected by
moving a cam block J, whereby the guide brackets & mounted on the frame-
tube E and secured to the ball bearing D are caused to move in one direction and
the coupling ring G surrounding the wheel F with ball bearings and supported
by a bar sliding in brackets g¹ is caused to move in the opposite direction
parallel to the crank shaft.
The simultaneous movement of the guide-bracket d and bar is brought about
by connecting them by pins 1 and 2 to a lever I pivotted on the bottom bracket H
at h. A pin d passes through the bracket d and engages with the cam slot ; of
the block J.
By depressing the block J, the bearing D is caused to move in the direction
indicated by arrow d in Figure 1 so that the wheels CC are thrown out of engage-
ment with the wheels A F. At the same time the movement of the lever I
causes the bar g³ to move in the direction indicated by the arrow B whereby the
coupling projections a¹ on the hub of the chain wheel A are caused to engage with

page_text: corresponding recesses in the wheel F, and the two wheels A and F are thus
coupled.
When the block J is raised, the reverse action takes place.
The block J may be modified so as to produce the movement of the bearing D
in one direction by cam-action, the movement in the opposite direction being
effected by a spring.
In order to enable the wheels CC and F to be thrown in and out of gear during
riding the block J is connected with an operating device of some convenient kind,
preferably with a hand lever pivotted to the cycle-frame and adapted to be fixed
on a quadrant K (Figure 4) and connected by links and levers mno with the
block J.
Dated this 4th day of July 1898.
Improvements in or relating to Variable Speed Driving Gear.
We, WILHELM ERKER, Engineer, and OsWALD LÖFFLER, Merchant, both of
XVIII. Währingergürtel 81, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention relates to variable speed driving gear applicable for cycles and
other purposes, but is hereinafter described as applied to a cycle. The variations
of the speed are effected by means of bevel gearing which can be thrown in and
out of engagement the gearing operating on the chain wheel on the crank shaft.
The drawings left with the Provisional Specification illustrate a driving gear
for cycles constructed in accordance with this invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the crank shaft with the driving mechanism
shown in vertical section.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 shows a part of the coupling device in plan.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the coupling device on the cycle frame.
As may be seen from Figure 1 the hub a of the chain wheel A of the driving
gear is mounted loose on a ball-bearing on the crank shaft B. The chain
wheel A is provided on its face with teeth A' with which engages a bevel wheel C
whose spindle c rotates in a movable ball bearing 1). This spindle carries a
second bevel wheel which engages with a wheel F adjustably mounted on the
crank shaft B by means of a groove and feather f.
With the parts in the position shown in Figure 1 the rotation of the crank
shaft B is transmitted by the bevel wheels F, C¹, C, A¹ to the driving chain
wheel A. If the wheels CC are disengaged from the wheels F and A' by moving
the ball bearing D and if the wheel is coupled to the chain wheel A by moving
it towards the coupling a on the hub a of the latter, the motion of the crank
shaft will be transmitted direct to the chain wheel.
The throwing in or out of the gear of the wheels C C and F is effected by
moving a cam block J whereby the guide brackets & mounted on the frame.
tube E and secured to the ball bearing 1) are caused to move in one direction and
the coupling ring G surrounding the wheel F with ball bearings g and supported
by a bar sliding in brackets g¹ is caused to move in the opposite direction
parallel to the crank shaft.

page_text: The simultaneous movement of the guide-brackets d and bar g² is brought about
by connecting them by pins 1 and 2 to a lever I pivotted on the bottom bracket H
at h. A pin d passes through the bracket d and engages with the cam-slot j of
the block J.
By depressing the block J, the bearing D is caused to move in the direction
indicated by the arrow d in Figure 1, so that the wheels CC are thrown out of
engagement with the wheels A and F. At the same time the movement of the
lever I causes the bar g² to move in the direction indicated by the arrow B whereby
the coupling projections a' on the hub of the chain wheel A are caused to engage
with corresponding recesses in the wheel F and the two wheels A and F are thus
coupled.
When the block J is raised the reverse action takes place.
The block J may be modified so as to produce the movement of the bearing D
in one direction by cam action the movement in the opposite direction being
effected by a spring.
In order to enable the wheels CC and F to be thrown in and out of gear during
riding, the block J is connected with an operating device of some convenient kind,
preferably with a hand lever pivotted to the cycle-frame and adapted to be fixed
on a quadrant k (Fig. 4) and connected by links and levers m n o with the
block J.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is―
1. A variable speed driving gear comprising a chain wheel mounted loosely
on a driving shaft and provided with lateral bevel teeth a second concentric bevel
toothed wheel longitudinally movable on the shaft and provided with means for
engaging with the chain wheel and two co-operating bevel wheels carried on a
movable bearing said wheels being caused to engage with the teeth of the con-
centric wheels when a low gear is required the bevel wheel on the shaft being
coupled directly to the chain wheel when a higher gear is required the other bevel
wheels being thrown out of gear and means for moving the wheels in and out of
gear substantially as described.
2. In a variable speed driving gear of the kind described means for simul
taneously throwing the sets of gearing in or out of gear comprising a movable
bearing supporting the wheels C and a coupling bar surrounding the hub of
the bevel wheel movable on the driving shaft said coupling parts being connected
by a lever pivotted to the shaft bearing and operated by a cam block acting on
the pin of the brackets of the movable bearing of the bevel wheels or in equivalent
manner substantially as described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete variable
speed driving gear substantially as described or illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1808