Improvements in Clutches for Velocipedes, Motor Vehicles, or other Machinery.
Year: 1899

page_text: Dite of Application, 28th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 25th June, 1:00-Accepted, 28th July, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Clutches for Velocipedes, Motor Vehicles, or other
Machinery.
I, JOHN HARRINGTON, of Rock Fern House, Queen's Road, Coventry, Warwick-
shire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to clutches for free wheel velocipedes, motor vehicles,
and other machinery.
The chief object being to obtain a perfect and positive grip in one direction,
and a very free rotation in the reverse movement, whereby the wear and tear of
the gripping parts are very considerably reduced.
In constructing this clutch I may employ either rollers or balls so arranged
that they are always in rolling contact with the inner perephery of the outer or
toothed ring of the chain wheel or hub to which they really constitute a roller or
ball bearing during the free running.
The rollers or balls are mounted in a suitable cage or carrier which may be
formed of two flat rings or discs held apart by suitable means, the rollers or
balls being free to drop into bearings formed in the periphery of the dises which
form the cage or carrier.
The central disc upon which are formed the inclines of the clutch is enclosed
within the cage or carrier, and engages with the aforesaid rollers or balls.
To insure the instant action of the balls or rollers I may use a spring or springs
to keep the cage or carrier to its work.
I prefer to use sollid rollers which may have reduced ends for bearings, but in
some cases I may use hollow rollers or balls having their bearing pins passed
through them.
In order to reduce or obviate lateral movement in this form of clutch, I may
in some cases form the rollera with a projecting ridge or series of ridges or recesses
or I may make them conical, preferably larger in the center, tapering them to-
wards the ends, or I make them in any other suitable form, but whatever form I
adopt for the rollers, I form the inner periphery of the outer ring and the inclines
of the cams to correspond with the said rollers or balls. The clutch may be at-
tached to the hub of the wheel by the ordinary method and the dust proof or clos-
ing flanges of the clutch may be fixed either to the chain ring, the central disc
or even to the flanges of the cage or carrier.
Dated this 26th day of August 1899
JOHN HARRINGTON.

page_text: Improvements in Clutches for Vel.cipedes, Motor Vehicles, or other
Machinery.
I, JOHN HARRINGTON, of Rock Fern House, Queen's Road, Coventry, Warwick-
shire, Manufacturer, 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 relates to clutches for “free wheel" velocipedes, motor vehicles,
and other machinery, the chief object being to obtain, besides a reliable grip in
one direction, a very free rotation in the reverse or over-running movement. And
my invention consists essentially in arranging the gripping rollers or balls of the
clutch so that they are always in contact with the inner periphery of the outer
ring of the clutch and in such a way that they constitute a roller or ball bearing
for the said outer ring during the free running.
And in order that my invention may be properly understood I will describe
the same with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure I. is a side elevation showing the internal construction of one form of
"free wheel" velocipede clutch constructed according to my invention.
Figure II. is a transverse section of the said clutch.
Figure III. is a side elevation of the cam collar.
Figure IV. is a similar view of the carrier.
Figure V. shows the side plates in elevation and vertical section.
Figure VI. shows one of the rollers.
Figure VII. shows one of the rivets.
Figure VIII. is a sectional elevation showing a modified attachment for the
side plates.
Figure IX. is a side elevation of a modified construction of clutch, one half
of the interior being disclosed.
Figure X. is a sectional elevation of the same.
Figure XI. is a view similar to Figure I. showing a further modification.
Figure XII. is a section on the line XII-XII. in Fig. XI.
Figure XIII. is a view similar to Figure X., showing a further modification.
Figure XIV. is a side elevation corresponding to Figure XIII.
Similar numerals indicate similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figures I to VII, the cam collar 2 is provided with inclined
surfaces 3 and radial projections 4 and is fixed to or forms part of the hub body
or other part of the machine that is to be driven. Between the inclines 3 and the
inner periphery of the outer ring 5 I introduce a number of rollers 6. The rollers
are mounted in a carrier consisting of two plates 7, 7, lying on either side of the
cam collar 2 and rigidly connected, as by rivets 10 passing clear of the inclines 3.
The respective plates are provided with aligned radial slots 8 which are adapted to
receive the reduced ends 9 of the rollers and thus form bearings for the said
rollers. The projections 4 fall short of the ring 5 and are bored with holes 11
to receive pins 12 on which are threaded springs 13. The said springs extend
beyond the pins 12 and are compressed between the faces of the projections 4
and the adjacent rivets 10 so that the carrier is impelled in such a direction rela-
tively to the collar that the rollers are always held ready to grip between the
inclines 3 and the inner surface of the ring 5.
On rotation of the ring 5 in the direction of the arrow 14, the rollers move
(theoretically, but barely perceptibly) up the inclines 3 and up the slots 8, and
immediately jam between the inner surface of the said ring and the said inclines,

page_text: so that the cam collar 2 is carried round with the said ring 5. On the said rotary
effort being discontinued, the cam collar 2 begins to over-run the ring 5 and
tends to over-run the cage 7 and bring shallower parts of the inclines 3 under
the respective rollers. Under these conditions the rollers release and, rotating
on their ends, form a roller bearing for the ring 5. The slots 8 are of such a
depth only that the rollers 6 cannot fall as low as a circle touching the projec-
tions 4; while the cage itself is a loose fit on the shoulders 19 of the collar 2. The
said collar 2 may be provided with a flange 16 adapted by means of the notches 17
or other irregularities of surface to be operated by a spanner for attaching and
detaching purposes. To avoid any risk of the strain being unequally divided
between the rollers, the carrier 7 may be cut up into sections separated by spaces
of greater or less extent, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure IV. Closing
flanges 15 are preferably employed to exclude dust and may be fixed to the
collar 2 by screwing on to the shoulders 19 thereof, or to the plates 7 by screws 20
engaging the said flanges and passing through holes 21 provided for the purpose
in the said plates as shown in Fig. I.; or they may be provided with somewhat
inturned edges 22 so that they may be snapped like the dome of a watch, on to
the shoulders 18 of the ring 5, which (shoulders) are suitably grooved for the
purpose, as shown in Fig. VIII.
I find the construction shown in Figs. IX. to XII. also gives very good results.
In this case it will be observed the flanges 15 are dispensed with, the cage or car-
rier serving to exclude dust. The plates 7, 7 are separated by hollow distance
pieces 23 and connected by screws 24 passing through the said distance pieces and
engaging the said plates. The slots 8 are not carried out to the outer edge of
the plates in this case. Half the rollers in Fig. IX., viz. those marked 61, are
bearing rollers only riding clear of the cam collar 2 which may be of concentric
formation at the parts adjacent to the said rollers 6. The bearing holes 81 for
these rollers G need not be slotted. The cam collar 2 is provided with additional
projections 41, the radius of the collar measured over any of the said projections
being, as before, appreciably less than the radius of the outer ring 5 measured
internally, so that the said ring will never bear on the said projections but always
on the rollers 6, 6¹ in overrunning. The said projections 4 may be employed,
as shown in Figs. XI. and XII. to carry rollers (which serve as further bearing
rollers only, the projections 4' being chambered out to clear the bodies of the
rollers and slotted at the sides to support the reduced ends thereof The pins 12
project beyond the ends of the springs 13 and terminate in abutting heads 25
having their faces grooved to the radius of the sleeves 23.
The action is practically the same as with the clutch shown in Figs. I to VII.
the rollers 6 jamming when the ring 5 is rotated forwards, and the rollers 61, 611
(if any) as well as the rollers 6 serving to bear the said ring when the collar 2
overruns.
In order to obviate or reduce any lateral friction I may employ a series of balls
on each side of the clutch. In the arrangement shown in Fig. XII I make the
ring 5 with outwardly directed ball races 26 and the plates 7 with inwardly
directed ball races 27. The balls 28 are introduced between the said races as
shown. Adjustment may be provided for by providing the sleeves 23 with heads
and screwed necks at one end and adapting the screws 24 to screw farther or less
far into the other end thereof. But as a rule ball bearings for this purpose do
not require adjustment. In the arrangement shown in Figs. XIII and XIV the
ball races 26 and 27 are made vertically opposite, and either the inner or outer
race may be provided with a detachable block 29 on the removal of which the balls
may be introduced or withdrawn as required. The block may be secured in place
by headed screws 30.
While I prefer to use solid rollers, I may employ hollow rollers having bearing
pins passed through them as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. VI. And instead of
using cylindrical rollers I may use balls, bowls or the like preferably with pro-
jecting end pieces equivalent to the reduced parts 9 of the rollers; but whatever

page_text: form I adopt for the rollers I make the transverse contour of the inner periphery
of the ring 5 and the inclines 3 of the collar 2 to correspond therewith.
Although I have described and illustrated clutch more particularly adapted for
use upon "free wheel" velocipedes I wish it to be understood that my invention
may be applied to clutches for motor vehicles and other machinery in substan-
tially the same manner and I hold myself at liberty to vary the arrangement of
the springs and to make such other detail modifications as fairly fall within the
scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A clutch for velocipedes, motor vehicles, and other machinery constructed,
arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described, and according
to one or other of the modifications shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. A clutch for velocipedes, motor vehicles, and other machinery, in which the
gripping rollers, balls or the like of the clutch are always in contact with the inner
periphery of the outer ring of the clutch and constitute a roller, ball or like
bearing for the said outer ring during over-running.
3. A clutch for velocipedes, motor vehicles, and other machinery in which the
gripping rollers, balls or the like of the clutch are mounted in radial slots in a
cage, the said slots being of such a depth only that the rollers or the like cannot
fall as low as a circle touching the radial extremities of the inner ring of the
said clutch.
4. In a clutch of the kind herein referred to, the employment of a sectional
carrier substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In combination with a clutch of the kind referred to in Claims 2 and 3 here-
of, the employment of closing flanges adapted to snap on to the outer ring,
substantially as set forth.
6. In combination with a clutch of the kind referred to in Claims 2 and 3 hereof,
the employment of additional bearing rollers or the like carried by the cage, sub-
stantially as set forth.
7. In combination with a clutch of the kind referred to in Claims 2 and 3 hereof,
the employment of additional bearing rollers or the like in projections on the
inner ring, substantially as set forth.
8. In combination with a clutch of the kind referred to in Claims 2 and 3 hereof,
the employment of ball bearings for the outer ring, substantially as herein
described with reference to Fig. XII. of the accompanying drawings, for the
purpose set forth.
9. In combination with a clutch of the kind referred to in Claims 2 and 3 hereof,
the employment of ball bearings for the outer ring, substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs. XIII. and XIV. of the accompanying drawings,
for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1900.
DOUGLAS LEECHMAN, M. Cv. E.I.,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
18, Hertford Street, Coventry,
9, Exchange Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, and
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.