Improvements in Gear Cases of Cycles.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear Cases of Cycles.
I WALTER HENRY BULPITT of the Firm of Bulpitt & Sons of 55 Camden
Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object improvements in the gear cases of cycles whereby
I am enabled to easily and readily attach or detach them without having to disturb
or unlock any of the parts of the cycle to which such gear cases are fixed when the
driving chain or any of the working parts of the cycle require to be attended to
which will be found to be of great advantage.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto two double sized sheets of drawings
upon which I have illustrated an example of my improved gear case and the various
parts which are used in the building up of such gear cases.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the gear case fitted together as it would appear
when fixed to a cycle.
Figure 2 is a front elevation showing the two main portions A and B with their
other parts attached but moved out of position.
Figure 3 is a rear view of Figure 2 without the centre slide 6'.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the part A showing the slides a¹ and a³
detached.
Figure 5 is a sectional plan view of the part B also showing the slides b² 6³
detached.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan view of the centre slide b¹.
Figure 7 is au end elevation of the centre slide b¹.
Figure 8 is a view of the part A with the outer edge broken away & with the
slide a showing a modification of the spring clip.
In carrying my invention into effect I form the main portion of my gear case in
two parts A and B. The part A covering the chain wheel on which the driving
cranks of a velocipede are secured is made sufficiently large for that
purpose with
a slot a formed in the centre which allows the cover to pass over the driving crank
spindle. Formed on the front face above and below the slot a' are two grooves a', a
into which the part a' slides, one end being formed so as to fit round the bottom
bracket spindle when fixed in position the other end being turned up to enable the
parts to be withdrawn which can be easily done when the case is fixed on the cycle
to oil the chain or for other purposes without disturbing any of the other parts of
the case.
The corresponding slot at the rear side of the part A is made larger, two
grooves as, a being also formed above and below into which the part a' slides and
this has a spring clip a8 (see Figures 3 and 4) provided with a thumb screw or
equivalent fixed on the end which fits up to the bracket spindle for clipping or
binding around the body of the bottom bracket whereby the part A is securely
held in position. Instead of forming the spring clip in one piece I may form it in
two halves one half being fixed to the slide a and the other half to the part A
with two thumb screws or their equivalent for tightening them around the body of
the bottom bracket. The part B covering the chain wheel on the hub of the
driving wheel of a velocipede and the main portion of the driving chain has the
centre portion cut away longitudinally tapering towards the chain wheel on the back
hub sufficiently to allow the back fork which supports the driving wheel to pass

page_text: between. Into these tapering slots is fitted a sliding piece 61 which forms a cover
for the top and bottom portions of the slots. The edges of this sliding piece are
turned over so as to overlap the edges of the tapering slots and the edges of the
closed end of the centre sliding piece b' are also turned over to overlap the edges a
of the part A. Extending beyond the narrow ends of the tapering slots s are two
parallel slots sufficiently large to allow the spindle of the back wheel of the
velocipede to pass through. Formed on the front face of the part B above and
below this parallel slot are two grooves into which the part 6 slides the entre
of which is bellied outwards to allow the back fork of the velocipede to pass
through. Also formed above and below the parallel slot on the face of the rear
side of the part B are two grooves 56 into which the part 6 slides, the end 6 of
which is bent at right angles to the other portion and fits between the narrow ends
of the tapered slots the shoulders at the ends of which prevent it from being pushed
too far backwards, and it has two projections & formed thereon which hold the
ends, 68 of the centre sliding piece b' in position see Figure 1 which prevent it from
rattling or working loose. Also formed on the end 68 is a lip or stop piece 6° which
prevents the part from sliding too far forward in the grooves. Before fitting the
gear case onto a cycle the slide or part a² is fixed in position and then the part A is
placed over the bracket chain wheel and held in position by the spring clip a³.
Then the slide or part 66 is fixed in the grooves on the part B which is afterwards
placed over the chain wheel on the back hub the edges 60 fitting into the collars alo
the screws d, d' passing through tapped holes formed in the said collars and through
corresponding tapped holes in the edges 610 by which means the parts A and B are
rigidly and securely held together.
In order to strengthen the various parts I form a beading or ridge on the front
and rear face of the parts A and B and also on the inner sides of the part b' by
which means I am enabled to use a much lighter gauge of metal and to increase
the rigidity. There may however be more than one of such beads with beneficial
effect.
Instead of using two screws d. and d¹ one end, and by preference the lower end,
may be fitted with a peg to enter a socket or a hook to pass into a hole in which
case there would only require the upper screw d to lock the parts together.
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
1st. The improvements in the gear cases of cycles consisting essentially of the
two main parts A and B with their supplemental fittings such as a¹, a² and 616263
respectively, connected together in the manner substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown on the accompanying sheets of drawings.
2nd. Forming the gear cases of cycles in two such main parts as A and B for
sliding over the chain from each end and connecting them together in the mauner
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the accompanying drawings.
3rd. In gear cases for cycles forming a bead or beads on the front or back or
both for the purpose of stiffening them and preventing the rattle which often takes
place in gear cases as herein set forth and shown.
Dated this 6th day of July 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.