Improvements in or relating to Gearing for Bicycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Gearing for Bicycles and other
Vehicles.
1, OLIVER BUCKLEY WHITNEY of Marlboro, County of Monmouth, State of
New York, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 improvements in that class of gearing designed to
increase the speed of rotation of the drive wheel without increasing the speed of
rotation of the crank shaft to which the power is applied the objects of the invention
being to provide a simple and efficient device in which the friction will be reduced
to the minimum enabling the power to be applied without loss. The invention
consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements
of parts.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is à side elevation of a gearing embodying my invention portions being
omitted to prevent obscurity.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section with portions in elevation.
Figures 3 and 4 are detail sections of the main bearings taken at right angles to
each other.
Figure 5 is a detail elevation of one of the frame braces showing the connection
with the fixed gear.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of the same.
Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.
The letter A designates the frame of the machine which may be of the ordinary
construction save at the crank shaft union of the truss framing. At this point, the
frame is bifurcated, or more properly at this point each of the frame rods is
bifurcated forming a series of arms a on each side of the machine, which arms are
united by a forging or box A' adapted to receive the outer cones B of the main
bearings Figures 3 and 4. The cones are threaded into the box A¹ so as to be
adjustable or removable therefrom, and in order to hold them rigidly in place the
lower portion of the box is cut away and extended down in the form of substantially
parallel arms a' through which a set bolt is passed, and by means of which the
box may be drawn together to clamp the cones and hold them rigidly in place.
For convenience in removing the crank shaft and gearing connected therewith, the
opening into the box is made relatively wide and a bifurcated filling block C is
inserted to close the opening. The block is held in place by the bolt and
projections e taking into the box.
The crank shatt D passes throngh both the boxes and is provided with oppositely
arranged pairs of cones which may be made adjustable to take up wear.
The
cranks E are applied to the shaft immediately outside of the bearings thereby
producing a wheel with an exceedingly narrow tread.
The speed gearing in the present instance consists essentially of the relatively
large fixed gear wheel supported by the frame in any suitable manner and with
which meshes a relatively small pinion journalled in the outer end of the arm rigidly
fixed on and rotating with the crank shaft, and consequently as the crank shaft is
rotated said pinion is given a relatively high speed of rotation in the same direction.
A sprocket wheel is provided for driving the ground wheel as is usual in this class
of vehicle and this sprocket wheel is driven from the pinion by intermediate

page_text: gearing which is usually a pair of sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain. These
elements may be combined in a number of different ways but in the preferred
embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings all of the gearing is located
between bifurcated members of the franing so as to present a neat appearance
and so that it may be enclosed by a suitable casing to exclude dirt etc.
The fixed gear wheel in the present instance is secured to the inner sides of the
arms, for which purpose the said arms have forgings F introduced in them, with
cut out portions in which the fixed gear G is secured by means of screws/"¹
passing through arms f2 on the forgings. The fixed gear wheel is thus practically
located in the plane of the arms and does not increase the width of the tread in the
least.
On one side, just within the bearings the crank shaft is provided with a rigid arm
or arms H preferably arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the shaft and
adapted to carry at the ends, boxes or race ways for ball bearings h having
adjustable cones for taking up wear.
Small shafts I are mounted in these bearings and at one end carry pinions K
gearing with the fixed gear wheel. At the opposite end, they carry sprocket
wheels L around which a sprocket chain passes. This sprocket chain meshes with
a larger sprocket wheel M journalled on a centre coincident with the axis of the
crank shaft and carrying a second sprocket wheel or set of sprocket teeth M'around
which the chain passes for connecting the gearing with the drive wheel.
The bearings for supporting the sprocket wheel M are formed by a fixed female
cone N at one end and an adjustable female cone N¹ at the opposite end screwing
into a recess formed in the inner side of the arms or spider carrying the small gear
and sprocket wheels. The hub of the wheel M is provided with cones N 2 between
which cones and the female cones referred to a series of balls are placed to form
antifriction bearings.
The power applied to the crank shaft is transmitted through the arms which
rotate with the shaft being keyed thereto and as the arms rotate, the small gear
wheels being in mesh with the fixed gear are rotated more rapidly and transmit
their motion through the small sprocket wheel to the larger sprocket wheel and
thence to the drive wheel of the machine.
The arms being oppositely arranged balance the strains on the frame and fixed
gear, and the friction of the chain passing around the larger gear is almost
entirely overcome, the chain taking into only a couple of teeth on each side of the
larger gear.
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. In a driving gear for vehicles the combination with the ground wheel axle,
the independent crank shaft and the sprocket wheels journalled loosely thereon of
the arm rigidly connected with said shaft, the sprocket wheel journalled in the
outer end of said arm, chains connecting the sprocket wheels and a fixed gear
having its centre coincident with the centre of the crank shaft for imparting
rotation to the sprocket wheel carried by the arm on the crank shaft; substantially
as described.
2. In a driving gear for vehicles, the combination with the crank shaft, the arm
rigidly connected therewith, the relatively fixed gear having its centre coincident
with the axis of said shaft, the pinion meshing with said gear and the sprocket
wheel driven by said pinion, of the sprocket wheel loosely journalled on the crank
shaft and the sprocket chain counecting the said sprocket wheels; substantially as
described.
3. In a driving gear for vehicles, the combination with the crank shaft, the arm
rigidly connected therewith, the relatively fixed gear having its centre coincident
with the axis of said shaft, the pinion meshing with said gear and the sprocket
wheel driven by said pinion, of the sprocket wheel loosely journalled on the crank

page_text: shaft, the sprocket chain connecting the said sprocket wheels, a second sprocket
wheel rigidly connected with the sprocket wheel journalled on the crank shaft, the
sprocket wheel on the axle of the ground wheel and a sprocket chain connecting
said last mentioned sprocket wheel; substantially as described.
4. In a vehicle, the combination with the crank shaft having the rigid arm
thereon, the relatively large fixed gear having its centre coincident with the axis.
of said shaft, the pinion engaging the periphery of said gear journalled in the outer
end of the arm and a relatively small sprocket wheel rotated by said pinion, of the
double sprocket wheel journalled on the crank shaft, the sprocket wheel on the axle
of the ground wheel and two sprocket chains, one connecting one half of the double
sprocket wheel and the ground wheel sprocket and the other connecting the other
half of the double sprocket wheel and the sprocket rotated by the pinion journalled
in the rigid arm; substantially as described.
5. In a bicycle gearing the combination with the frame having the separate
bearings for the crank shaft, the crank shaft journalled in said bearings and the
arm mounted on the crank shaft to rotate therewith between the bearings, of the
fixed gear, the pinion journalled on the arm meshing with said fixed gear wheel,
the sprocket wheel connected with the pinion and the sprocket wheel journalled on
an axis coincident with the axis of the crank shaft, and the chain connecting said
sprocket wheels; substantially as described.
6. In a bicycle gearing the combination with the frame having the separated
bearings for the crank shaft, the crank shaft journalled in said bearings and the arm
mounted on the crank shaft to rotate therewith between the bearings, of the fixed
gear wheel secured to the frame, the pinion journalled in the arm, and the wheel
driven by said pinion journalled on a centre coincident with the axis of the crank
shaft and gearing for connecting said wheel and the drive wheel; substantially as
described.
7. In a bicycle gearing the combination with the frame having the separated
bearings for the crank shaft, and the relatively large fixed gear wheel secured to
the inner side of the frame, of the crank shaft, the arm mounted thereon to rotate
therewith, the pinion journalled in the end of the arm and meshing with the fixed
gear wheel, the sprocket wheel mounted on the opposite side of the arm and
connected to rotate with the pinion, the double sprocket wheel journalled on
a centre coincident with the axis of the crank shaft, the chain connecting the
pinion driven sprocket and the sprocket surrounding the crank shaft and the
chain for connecting said last mentioned sprocket and the ground wheel, substantially
as described.
8. In a bicycle gearing the combination with the frame having the separated
bearings for the crank shaft, the crank shaft journalled in said bearings and the
arms carried by the crank shaft at diametrically opposite points between the
bearings, of the relatively large fixed gear wheel secured to the frame, the pinions
journalled in the ends of the arms the sprocket wheels connected with the pinions,
the sprocket chain passing around said sprocket wheels and the larger sprocket
wheel journalled on the crank shaft and meshing with said chain; substantially as
described.
9. In a bicycle gearing the combination of the frame, the relatively large gear
fixed thereon and the crank shaft journalled in the frame on an axis coincident with
the centre of the relatively large gear, of the arm fixed on the crank shaft and
pinion journalled in the end of the arm and meshing with the relatively large fixed
gear wheel, a relatively large sprocket wheel journalled on an axis coincident with
the axis of the crank shaft, adjustable bearings for said sprocket wheel, gearing
connecting the sprocket wheel and pinion, and gearing for connecting the sprocket
wheel and drive wheels; substantially as described.
10. In a bicycle gearing the combination with the crank shaft, the bifurcated
frame having separate bearings in which said crank shaft is journalled and the fixed
gear wheel seated in the frame of the arm fixed to the crank shaft, the pinion
journalled in the outer end of the arm and meshing with the gear wheel, the

page_text: sprocket wheel journalled on the crank shaft and gearing connecting the pinion and
sprocket wheel and gearing for connecting the sprocket wheel and drive wheel;
substantially as described.
11. A bearing for bicycle gearing consisting of the external cones N 2 carried by
the revolving member and the fixed and adjustable internal cone members N N₁;
substantially as described.
12. In a bicycle the combination with the frame having the bearing box and
relatively wide aperture at one side for the admission of the crank shaft, of the
cones held in said bearing box and the removable filling piece for closing the
opening in the bearing box; substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of April 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.