IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WHEEL GEARING FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION, AND APPLICABLE TO DRIVING SHAFTS, SPEED INDICATORS, AND OTHER MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WHEEL GEARING FOR THE TRANSMISSION
OF MOTION, AND APPLICABLE TO DRIVING SHAFTS, SPEED INDICATORS, AND
OTHER MACHINERY OR APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Doctor
Guiseppe Marzari, of Imola, Italy.
Sealed the 16th September 1879, and dated the 20th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WHEEL
GEARING FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION, AND APPLICABLE TO DRIVING SHAFTS,
SPEED INDICATORS, AND OTHER MACHINERY OR APPARATUS." [A communication
from abroad by Doctor Guiseppe Marzari, of Imola, Italy.]
This Invention relates to an improved wheel-mechanism or gearing, which is
applicable to driving shafts, revolution indicators, and for similar purposes.
It consists essentially of a toothed pinion gearing with two toothed wheels, one,
of which at least has teeth on a portion only of its circumference.
The portions of the said wheels which are not furnished with teeth have a cylin-
drical surface, whose radius is nearly equal to that of the toothed portion of the
periphery of the same. The radius and the movement of the wheels are so arranged
that when the pinion is opposite the untoothed portion of one of the wheels it
cannot turn upon its axis, whilst the wheel is free to continue its rotation. By
rendering stationary one or other of the axes or shafts of the aforesaid pinion or
of the toothed wheels, and by keying one or the other of the said toothed wheels
or the pinion upon its shaft, or by providing only a portion of the periphery of
either or both of the said toothed wheels with teeth, many varied kinematic com-
binations may be obtained.
The arrangements hereinafter described illustrate the manner in which my In-
vention may be carried into practice, but I wish it distinctly understood that I
may modify the same by a simple change of kinematics, or by substituting shafts

page_text: which are parallel or inclined to the shafts of the toothed wheels, the said shafts
however being preferably arranged end to end with regard to each other.
According to my Invention I construct mechanism for the purpose of obtaining
the intermittent movement of two shafts. In carrying this part of my Invention
into practice I make use of the aforesaid toothed pinion keyed upon its shaft,
which is supported in a suitable bracket, and the said wheels are provided with
teeth on a portion of their periphery. On the shafts of the said toothed wheels are
arranged two pulleys, to which motion is imparted from a suitable driving shaft.
One of the said pulleys is attached to the toothed wheel upon one shaft, and the
other pulley to the toothed wheel upon the other shaft.
The above described arrangement permits the shafts of the aforesaid toothed
wheels to turn both at the same time, when the toothed pinion gears with the
toothed portions of the said wheels, whereas one of the said shafts stops, and the
other shaft continues to revolve when the toothed part of one of the aforesaid
wheels is in contact with the pinion at the same time as the untoothed portion of
the other wheel. This operation is changed when the position of the toothed and
untoothed parts of the said wheels relatively to the pinion is reversed.
In applying my Invention to engaging and disengaging mechanism I employ in
connection with the continuously rotating shaft a shaft which is to be alternately
engaged with and disengaged from the same, and upon the latter two wheels are
keyed, one wheel having teeth on a portion only of its periphery, and in connection
with the said wheels I arrange a toothed pinion fixed upon a shaft or spindle, the
said pinion being free to move endwise in the direction of the length of its shaft.
This shaft turns in a support capable of rotation around the common axis of the
shafts of the said toothed wheels.
If by means of a screw, lever, or other suitable means the toothed pinion is
moved in the direction of its axis in such a manner as to cause the said pinion to
engage with both of the aforesaid toothed wheels it will carry with it the shaft of
the said wheels. As soon as it arrives opposite the untoothed part of one of the
wheels it will no longer be free to rotate upon its axis. The parts of this mechanism
should be so arranged that the movement of the toothed pinion in the line of its
axis is effected before the said shaft has movement imparted to it. In applying my
improved wheelwork apparatus to revolution indicators I arrange the same as
follows, that is to say :-Upon the shaft whose speed is to be indicated or registered
are fixed two pulleys adjacent to each other, and forming part of a series of pulleys
arranged in juxtaposition to each other. All of these pulleys are loose upon the
said shaft, and are free to turn upon the same, with the exception of the first
pulley of the series, which should be fixed. A wheel provided with teeth on a
portion of its periphery is keyed upon the said shaft, and another wheel provided
with teeth entirely around its periphery is fixed upon one of the aforesaid pulleys.
A similar wheel provided with teeth on a portion of its periphery is placed between
each pair of adjacent pulleys, and a wheel toothed entirely around its periphery is
attached to each pulley of the series, with the exception of the driving pulley.
In connection with the aforesaid toothed wheels I arrange a pinion of a width
equal to the combined width of the said wheels. This pinion turns upon an axis
attached to one of the aforesaid pulleys. A similar pinion is applied in the same
manner to all of the pulleys of the series, except the last one. It will be under-
stood that in this arrangement the relative displacements of the pulleys furnish
the means for ascertaining the number of revolutions of the shaft by the aid of
numbering apparatus arranged in connection with the toothed and untoothed
portions of the toothed wheels, and applied to the side of the pulleys.
I construct a registering or counting apparatus substantially similar in its
operation to that above described by fixing the shaft and the toothed wheels in the
space, and communicating the movement to be measured or recorded to the first
pulley. of the series.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
September 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WHEEL-
GEARING FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF MOTION, AND APPLICABLE TO DRIVING-SHAFTS,
SPEED-INDICATORS, AND OTHER MACHINERY OR APPARATUS." A communication
from abroad by Doctor Guiseppe Marzari, of Imola, Italy.
This Invention relates to improved wheel-mechanism or gearing which is
applicable to driving-shafts and revolution-indicators, and for similar purposes.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, shewing one arrangement of my
improved gearing, and
Figure 2 is a similar view of another arrangement of the said mechanism.
Figure 3 is a front view, and
Figure 4 is a vertical section of still another arrangement of my improved gearing.
The remaining Figures are hereinafter described.
My Invention consists essentially of a toothed pinion p gearing with two toothed
wheels o, o¹, one of which at least has teeth on a portion only of its circumference.
The portions of the said wheels which are not furnished with teeth have a
cylindrical surface whose radius is nearly equal to that of the toothed portion of
the periphery of the same. The radius and the movement of the wheels are so
arranged that when the pinion is opposite the untoothed portion of one of the
wheels it cannot turn upon its axis, whilst the wheel is free to continue its rotation.
By rendering stationary one or other of the axes or shafts p', A, A, A¹, A', by
keying one or other of the wheels o, o¹, p, upon its shaft, or by providing only a
portion of the periphery of either or both of the said toothed wheels o, o¹, with
teeth many varied kinematic combinations may be obtained.
The arrangements hereinafter described illustrate the manner in which my
Invention may be carried into practice, but I wish it distinctly understood that I
may modify the same by a simple change of kinematics or by substituting shafts
which are parallel or inclined to the shafts A, A, A', A', which in Figures 1 and 2
are placed end to end with regard to each other.
Figure 1 represents mechanism constructed for the purpose of obtaining the
intermittent movement of two shafts, the stages of the stoppage succeeding each
other alternately. The following description will suffice to give a clear understanding
of the same:-p is a toothed pinion keyed upon the shaft p', p'; t is the bracket or
support for the said shaft; 0, 0¹, are the wheels provided with teeth on a portion
of their periphery; m, m³, are pulleys to which motion is imparted from a suitable
driving shaft. The pulley m is attached to the toothed wheel o upon the shaft A, A,
and the pulley m¹ to the toothed wheel o¹ upon the other shaft A', A¹.
This arrangement, shewn in Figure 1, allows both of the shafts A, A', A¹, A¹, to
turn at the same time when the toothed pinion gears with the toothed portions of
the wheels o, o', whereas the shaft A, A, stops and the shaft A¹, A¹, continues to
revolve when the toothed part of the wheel o is in contact with the pinion at the
same time as the untoothed portion of the wheel o'. This operation is changed
when the position of the toothed and untoothed parts of the said wheels relatively
to the pinion is reversed.
Figure 2 shews the application of my Invention to engaging and disengaging
mechanism. A, A, is a shaft having a continuous rotary motion; A', A', is a shaft
which is to be alternately engaged with and disengaged from the same; o, o¹; are
wheels keyed upon the shaft A, A, the wheel o¹ having teeth on a portion only of
its periphery; p represents a toothed pinion fixed upon the shaft or spindle p', the
said pinion being free to move end wise in the direction of the length of its shaft,

page_text: the said shaft p¹ turns in a support t capable of rotation around the common axis
of the shafts A, A, A¹, A¹.
If by means of a screw, lever, or other suitable means the pinion p is moved in
the direction of its axis in such a manner as to cause the said pinion to engage with
both of the wheels o and o¹, it will carry with it the shaft A¹, A¹, and as soon as it
arrives opposite the untoothed part of the wheel o¹ it will no longer be free to rotate
upon its axis. The parts of this mechanism should be so arranged that the move-
ment of the pinion p in the line of its axis is effected before the shaft A¹, A¹, has
movement imparted to it.
Figures 3 and 4 represent my improved wheel-work apparatus as applied to
revolution-indicators; A, A, is the shaft whose speed is to be indicated or
registered; m, m³, represent two pulleys forming part of a series of pulleys
arranged in juxtaposition to each other. All of these pulleys are loose upon the
shaft A, A, and are free to turn upon the same with the exception of the first
pulley of the series which should be fixed; o represents a wheel provided with
teeth on a portion of its periphery and keyed upon the shaft A, A; o' is a wheel-
provided with teeth entirely around its periphery and fixed upon the pinion m'.
A wheel similar in construction to the wheel o keyed upon the shaft A, A, is placed
between each pair of adjacent pulleys (such as m, m²,) and a wheel similar to the
wheel o¹ is attached to each pulley of the series with the exception of the driving
pulley; p is a pinion of a width equal to the combined width of the wheels
o and o'. This pinion turns upon an axis p¹ attached to the pulley m. Pinions.
similar to the pinion p are applied in the same manner to all of the pulleys of the
series except the last one. It will be understood that in this arrangement the
relative displacements of the pulleys furnish the means for ascertaining the number
of revolutions of the shaft, by the aid of numbering apparatus arranged in
connection with the toothed and untoothed portions of the wheels o, and applied to
the side of the pulleys.
I construct a registering or counting apparatus substantially similar in its
operation to that above described, by fixing the shaft A, A, and the wheels o in
their place, and communicating the movement to be measured or recorded to the
first pulley of the series.
Another form or arrangement of my improved mechanism or gearing is illus-
trated in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, in which Figure 5 is a vertical section of the said
mechanism, and Figures 6, 7, and 8, are sections of the same on the lines C, D, E, F,
and G, H, Figure 5. It will be seen by reference to these Figures that the arrange-
ments of the same differs from those hereinbefore described in that the pinion p is
three times as wide as the wheel o'; for one third of its width the teeth upon the
periphery of the said pinion are partially dispensed with, and are replaced by arcs,
such as shewn at e, f, Figure 8. A plane surface perpendicular to the axis of the
wheel o keyed upon the shaft A, A, divides the said wheel into two parts. In one
of these parts where there are no teeth, the said teeth are replaced by the arc of a
circle whose radius is equal to the outer circumference of the teeth (see Figure 8);
in the other part or half where there are no teeth, the said teeth are replaced by a
hollow or recessed part, as shewn at a, b, c, in Figure 7. By this novel arrange-
ment one of the objects hereinbefore described, namely, to stop the rotation of the
pinions around their axes when they are opposite the parts of the wheels o
unprovided with teeth is attained separately from the others, and with absolute
accuracy by the portions of the wheels o and of the pinions p which are represented
in Figure 8. The arrangement moreover affords the further advantage that the
sliding of the wheels o upon the pinions (if the shaft A, A, acts as the motor as it
is supposed to do in the Drawing, Figure 8; or the pinion is pivoted at a point in
the covering m); or the sliding of the pinion pupon the wheels o (if the shaft or
axis A, A, is stationary) where the parts unprovided with teeth come into action is.
effected without any danger of the rapid wear and tear of the teeth of the pinion.
When the engagement is again effected, the contact between the engaging teeth of
the pinions and wheels occurs at first at points situated very near the line of the
s

page_text: centres, which is a very important circumstance with regard to the reduction of
friction.
Since the number of teeth left out in the toothed portion of the wheels o depends
upon the relative speed of the wheels m¹, m', and other parts which it is desired to
obtain the choice of number of teeth of the pinions p should be made in such a
manner as to reproduce during the relative sliding movement of the wheel o and
pinion p the arrangement shewn in Figure 8.
Figure 9 represents another arrangement of my improved system of wheel-work
to serve as a counting apparatus, and to which movement is imparted by means
of a worm. This worm B transmits motion to an ordinary worm-wheel C provided
with a great number of teeth (100 are shewn in the Drawing); the said wheel is
loose upon the stationary shaft A and carries a very short axle or shaft p' around
which a pinion p is free to turn. This pinion whose width is three. times as great
as that of the wheel o¹, having the same number of teeth as the worm-wheel,
engages with the latter and with a wheel o of double thickness, and which is not
shewn in the Drawing. The arrangement of the wheel o¹ which is loose and the
wheel which is fixed upon its shaft is the same as that shewn in Figures 6, 7,
and 8; the part of the pinion whose plain surface corresponds with the plain
surface of part of the wheel o having the form shewn in Figure 8 is represented by
Figure 10. The number of teeth of the pinion is selected in such a manner that
the sliding movement of the pinion upon the wheel will always be effected in the
same manner as in Figure 10.
To count the number of revolutions I employ a fixed graduation or scale and a
finger or pointer x fixed upon the axle p' to register units of the lower order, and a
pointer y indicates the units of the higher order.
The general arrangement of revolution-indicators, represented in Figures 3 and 4
of the accompanying Drawings, and by Figures 5 and 6, may be retained even when
I employ elementary mechanism different to that which forms part of the indicators
above described.
Figure 11 shews another arrangement of my improved mechanism which is
similar to that shewn in Figures 3 and 4, the only difference being that the
wheels o, o', are both provided with teeth around their entire periphery. The
relative displacement of the one wheel with regard to the other is effected by
forming the loose wheels o¹ with a number of teeth (preferably one or two) a little
larger or a little smaller than those of the wheels o keyed upon the shaft A, A. To
each loose wheel o¹ is attached a piece m¹ of any suitable form. Upon these
pieces m¹ are mounted the axles of all the pinions p with the exception of the first
pinion of the series, the axis of which is stationary (if movement transmitted at
first to the shaft A, A,) or is mounted upon the driving arm of the apparatus if the
shaft A, A, is held stationary. The pieces m' also carry pointers x, which are
arranged in connection with different graduations, all drawn on the same plane.
In order to put in action the counting apparatus above described it will some-
times be advantageous to employ the apparatus shewn in Figures 12 and 13 which
is applicable when it is desired to apply my improved counting apparatus to a
piece in movement (a spinning machine spindle for instance) without requiring to
support the weight of the hand of the operator. The end C, Figure 12, of the
socket C is applied to the axle A, A, of the counting apparatus by holding in the
hand either the globe B or the counting apparatus itself. The recess formed in the
globe B is so formed as to receive or admit the extremity of the piece in motion,
and the speed of which it is desired to measure; f,f, represent a slot, by the
employment of which, although the hand of the operator holding the apparatus
may vibrate, there will be no effect produced on either the piece in motion or the
counting apparatus. The small projection F permits the moment when the
transmission of movement to the counting apparatus commences to be recorded
with precision. In order to employ the apparatus shewn in Figure 13, and which is
for the same object as that above described, it is necessary to couple together the
axle of the counting apparatus and the rod r. The rod r is then coupled to the

page_text: In
holder t perpendicularly in the direction of the latter by means of the slot 8, and
the said rod is invariably fixed by the employment of the buttons or rings g.
cases where the initial movement of the counting apparatus is not imparted to it
from the shaft A, A, but by the first wheel m I may adopt one of the arrange-
ments shewn in Figures 14 and 15 to put the same in motion. In Figure 14 a
represents a small shaft situated upon a prolongation of the shaft A, A, of the
counting apparatus, which in this case is designed to be fixed immovably in its
place. The shaft a, which receives the movement carries an eccentric b formed in
one single piece with the same. The spindles or pins d, d, fixed to the case of the
apparatus engage alternately with the teeth of the pinion c surrounding the afore-
said eccentric b. The said pinion c, c, carries a button or stud which enters a
radial slot formed in the wheel m, with which it is employed to transmit the
movement.
In Figure 15 the said stud is also employed to transmit motion to the wheel m
by means of the small shaft a concentric with the principal shaft A, A, of the
counting apparatus fixed in its place. The shaft a also carries an eccentric b which
is surrounded by the rod or bar e. This bar is provided with pins or studs f. f,
d, acting upon the teeth of the pinion c, the last mentioned tube d is guided by the
interior of a radial slot in the enclosing case. The pinion c is invariably fixed to
the wheel m in which it serves to operate.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,―
The apparatus consisting of the wheel-gearing in either of the forms or modifications
above described or shewn in the accompanying Drawing, and whereof one or more
of the wheels have an untoothed or plain portion, or are so formed and arranged
that the pinion gearing with the said wheels will be alternately rotated and
stopped while the said wheel or wheels will continue to rotate, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.