improvements in Cyclometers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1896--Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
[Communicated from abroad by ALBERT FENIMORE ROCKWELL, of 222 Summer
Street, Bristol, Hartford County, Connecticut, U.S.A., General Manager of
a Factory.]
improvements in Cyclometers.
I, VICTOR ISIDORE FEENY, of 60 Queen Victoria Street, in the City and
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has relation generally to instruments or devices for recording or
indicating the number of revolutions of a wheel, and has special reference to
cyclometers, so-called, for recording the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a
velocipede, bicycle, carriage, and the like.
It is the general object of the invention to provide a cyclometer which shall
to a maximum degree combine certainty and accuracy of operation with simplicity
of construction and wide range of recording or indicating functions.
The invention embraces improvements in the means for indicating or recording
fractions, units, and tens or a multiple of tens of miles traveled by a vehicle-
wheel.
The invention also embraces improved means for operating the indicating
mechanism of a cyclometer from a moving wheel; as also improved means for
setting back the indicating or recording means to zero or other desired starting
point, all as I will now proceed to describe in detail and point out in the appended
claims.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating
the same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.
Of the drawings-
Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved cyclometer, the indicators being set at
zero, or the usual point of starting in the use of the instrument.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view in side elevation looking against the adjacent or
opposing side of the instrument as represented in Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of a part of the invention illustrating a
modification.
In the drawing-
a designates the cylindrical casing in which the indicating or recording
mechanism is confined, and which casing is provided with a bottom or base plate b,
and may have, if desired, a face covering of glass (not shown).
Integral with or secured to the casing a is a tubular bracket c forming a bearing
or support for the worm shaft d, and affording a means for connecting the attaching
arm e to the casing, aud adjusting the instrument with respect to the attaching
arm. In the present case, the tubular bracket c.is externally screw-threaded, as
at f, and the connecting end of the arm e is turned on the said screw-threaded part,
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which construction and arrangement afford a desirable
means of adjustment of the instrument as aforesaid. A jamb or set nut g may be
employed in this connection for maintaining the cyclometer in adjusted position.
his a worm gear or ring which rests loosely upon the base-plate or bottom b,

page_text: and extends to the entire interior circumference of the casing e, as shown. The
worm of the worm shaft d engages the worm ring h, so that when one of the
radial arms or spokes of the star wheel j on the outer end of the worm shaft is
engaged by suitable means on the vehicle wheel to turn the said star wheel aud
shaft, the worm gear or ring à will be turned in time and extent accordingly, all
as will be readily understood without further description.
The means shown in the drawings or any other suitable for the purpose may be
employed for maintaining the worm shaft in proper relationship to the worm ring.
e is a fixed ring dial secured to the face or upper edge of the casing a, and is
scaled or marked to fractions of, say, a mile.
1 is a pointer or hand arranged at its inner end to turn upon a stud m extending
up from the base plate b, and connected at its outer or free end through the
medium of a pin n with the loose worin ring h. (See particularly Figs. 3 and 4.)
Under this construction and arrangement it will be seen that as the worm shaft d
is turned intermittingly as it is designed to be, by engagement of means on the
vehicle wheel with the spokes or arms of the star wheel j, the worm ring will be
rotated, and it will, through the means of the pin n carry the pointer or hand
around with it, and as one mile of travel of the vehicle wheel may be supposed to
impart one complete rotary movement to the worm ring h, the pointer
accurately indicate in connection with the dial k when a mile of travel has been
completed, or the fractional part of a mile which may have been traversed.
will
o is a toothed wheel provided with a hub or sleeve p loosely surrounding the
shaft m, so that the said wheel o may turn upon the said shaft.
q is a smooth wheel or ring which turns upon the shaft m and rests upon the
worm ring or wheel h, the lower end or part of the hub p of the gear o in turn
resting upon the smooth ring q..
The upper end of the hub p is provided with a dial sealed to tens or it may be
a multiple of tens of miles or revolutions of the worm gear or ring .
& designates a gear wheel equal in diameter to the gear wheel o, and arranged to
rest thereon, as shown. This gear wheel s has pinned or otherwise secured to it a
dial t, which is arranged outside of and in the same plane horizontally with the
dial r, the dials k, r, t, when viewed in plan or from above showing complete
covering to the device.
The dial t is scaled or marked to units of miles or so as to indicate or record
with reference to the scale inscribed on the dial k the number of revolutions of
the worm ring h from 1 to 50.
u is a pinion secured to the inner end of a stud having bearings in the base
plate b, which pinion engages the teeth of the gears o s; and w is a star wheel
connected with the stud e below the pinion w, and so positioned and related to the
parts that at each rotation of the worm ring or gear h, the pin n, connecting the
worm gear with the pointer l, will come into contact with one of the teeth or cogs
of the said star wheel w and move it to the extent of one tooth, and consequently
move the gears o s through the medium of the pinion u to the same extent.
is a ruller mounted on a stud extending up from the smooth ring or wheel g.
and arranged so as to rest between two teeth or cogs of the star wheel w and hold
the same against accidental turning, and so as that the pin n may properly engage
the teeth of the said star wheel and turn it only to the desired extent.
A spring y surrounding the shaft or stud m'within the sleeve p, and bearing at
its upper end against the finger l or other suitable part of the instrument and at its
lower end upon the said sleeve or hub p or other part of the gear o, serves to
frictionally hold together and in proper relative position worm gear h, ring 9, and
gears os; and as the worm ring or gear h will be moved in a direction to
frictionally carry with it the smooth ring q in a direction to cause the roller to
bear against the star wheel w, said roller will be kept up to place between the
teeth or cogs of the said star wheel, though it will be allowed to yield backward
to permit the star wheel to turn to the extent of one tooth, or so that the dial may
be reset, as will presently be explained.

page_text: It will be understood that the dials trare scaled in accordance with the number
of their respective gear wheels os, and as the gear wheel o has one less in uumber
of teeth than the gear wheels, it follows that when the latter wheel has been
given one complete rotation, the former will have fallen short to the extent ofone
tooth of a complete rotation, so that the scale marks on the dials will have been
moved out of register or matched relationship to the extent of one scale mark.
Now, as the instrument is herein shown to be organized and the dials to be
scaled, at every fifty revolutions of the worm ring hand pointer the gear s and
its dial will be moved to the extent of one rotation, indicating fifty miles of travel
of the vehicle wheel (not shown) which operates the star wheel j, and as at each
rotation of the gear wheel s and its dial t the gear wheel o and its dial will have
changed position or relationship to the extent of one tooth and scale mark, the dial
with respect to the dial t will accurately indicate the number of fifty miles traveled
by the vehicle wheel.
Thus we have the pointer indicating on the outer dial the fractions of a mile
traveled; the next inner dial t indicating with reference to the zero mark on the
dial k the units of miles traveled from one to fifty; and the dial in its relationship
to the scale on the dial indicating the number of miles by fifties that the operating
vehicle wheel has traveled.
is a thumb knob on the lower or outer end of the stud v.so that the user of
the instrument, when it is desired to set the dials rt at zero may take hold of
said knob and turn the dial gear wheels back through the medium of the
pinion w, the pin n and smooth wheel q yielding back so as to allow the star
wheel w to turn with the stud v and pinion u, the pointer being set back or .
turned to zero by rotating the star wheel j and worm shaft d, all as will be
readily understood.
The advantages of my improved cyclometer over those commonly employed will
be obvious to those skilled in the art without further description or explanation.
It may be mentioned, however, that while I secure certainty and accuracy in the
operation of the instrument, and a ready set back of the dials to normal or zero
position, I attain these ends with an exceeding small number of parts, and at the
same time obtain a high number in registration or indication of rotation of the
vehicle or other prime operating wheel.
Of course the several parts may be geared in different time from that shown and
described, in which case the dials will be scaled or inscribed accordingly; and it
will be observed that any means connecting the worm gear à with the pointer /
which will accomplish substantially the same result may be adapted without
departing from the nature or spirit of my invention.
In Fig. 44, there is shown a modified form of the manner of supporting the worm
shaft d in its bearings so as to have it engage with the worm ring h. In this
modified form of the device, the purpose is to make the worm shaft adjustable in
the bracket c so that it might extend from the said bracket at either end, that is,
so as to make it, as it were, a right or a left hand device. The only difference
between this structure and that previously described is that the worm shaft is
supported in a sleeve-2 which is inserted in the tubular bracket from either end
of said bracket,
3 designates the screw plug tapped into the end of the bracket e or it may be a
tubular bearing or sleeve 2 so as to close the end opposite that at which the star
wheel is applied to the worm shaft.
It will be understood from an inspection of this figure that the screw plug 3
may be turned out from its place and the worm shaft and its sleeve support 2
drawn out and inserted in the end from which the screw plug was removed
and then the screw plug turned in on the end from which the supported star
wheel extended.
This modified construction is provided in order that the invention may be
applicable to bicycles on one side of the wheel or the other, that is, as before
stated, to make them either rights or lefts.

page_text: 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:
1. A cyclometer embodying in its construction a casing, a fixed dial, a worm
gear or ing supported in the casing, a rotary pointer connected with the worm
ring, and two differentially movable dials operated by a worm ring.
2. A cyclometer embodying in its construction, a casing, a fixed dial, a worm
gear supported in the casing, a pointer connected with the worm gear to revolve
therewith, two rotary dials, differential gearing for rotating said rotary dials,
and a pinion operated by the worm gear for engaging and moving the differential
.gearing.
3. A cyclometer embodying in its construction two dials, a gear wheel connected
with each of the said dials, a common pinion engaging the said gear wheels to move
the same, means for operating the said pinion, a star-wheel connected with said
pinion, and a yielding stop engaging the said star-wheel.
4. In a cyclometer, the combination with the casing of a loose worm ring supported
in said casing, a worm engaging and operating the said ring, a loose ring frictionally
supported on the worm ring and provided with a stop, dials and differential gearing
..for operating the same, a pinion for engaging and moving the said differential gearing,
and a star wheel connected with the said pinion and with which the said stop is
adapted to come into engagement.
5. In a cyclometer, the combination with the casing, the fixed dial, the rotary
pointer, and the rotary dials, of a worm ring for operating the pointer and the rotary
dials, and a loose ring or wheel for holding the worm ring in place.
6. In a cyclometer, the combination with the casing, a fixed dial, a central
stud, a rotary pointer having its inner end mounted on said stud, a worm ring
supported in the casing concentrically of the stud, and a pin connecting the
worm ring with the outer free end of the pointer, of a rotary dial mounted con-
centrically of the stud, and a gear wheel mounted on the casing eccentrically of
said stud, for moving the rotary dial, said gear wheel being operated intermittingly
by said pin.
7. In a cyclometer, the combination with the casing, a fixed dial, a rotary pointer,
a worm ring connected with the pointer, and two differentially movable dials, of a
gear wheel operated by the worm ring for moving the last mentioned dials, a stud
on which the said gear wheel is mounted and projecting through the casing, and a
thumb knob on the projecting end of said stud.
8. In a cyclometer, the combination with the differentially movable dials and their
gearing, a pinion engaging the said gearing, a yielding stop for holding the said
pinion in place, and means for moving back the said pinion, gearing and dials against
the force of the said stop.
9. A cyclometer comprising in its construction a fixed dial, a revoluble pointer
indicating fractions of a mile, means for revolving said pointer, two differently
speeded gear wheels having dials marked to indicate a certain number of miles
and multiples thereof respectively, and a pinion operated by the pointer revolving
means intermeshing with said differently speeded gear wheels, substantially as
.set forth.