Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Velocipedes.
I, HARRY PARSONS of Ferndale, Wren Street, Coventry, in the County, of
Warwickshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as.
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved bearing for the pedal-crank axles of
velocipedes and also to an improvement in the cranks thereof, the object being to
improve such parts to simplify their construction and thereby reduce the cost of
manufacture.
According to this invention the pedal-crank axle bracket, which may be made
out of a casting, stamping or a length of tube has the usual cup or cone let into or
fixed to each end, and the outer end of each cup is provided with a washer to
exclude the dust and dirt and to retain the oil.
The crank axle has no cones formed on it but is plain throughout its length of
one or more diameters. The cranks are fixed to the ends of the axle by means of
transverse cottars in the well-known manner but the eyes of the cranks are enlarged
at their inner ends to form recesses which are threaded internally to receive the.
cones which have threaded sleeves or shoulders formed on them. These cones are
free on the axle and they have milled flanges for adjustment purposes. The flanges
may also have inturned edges to lie over or overlap the cups in the bracket or the
bracket itself to make the bearings as dust proof as possible.
The cone attached to one of the cranks is made a fixture and the other is made
adjustable, though both may be made adjustable if desired. The adjustable cone
has the exterior of its flange milled to enable it to be turned for adjustment
purposes.
The transverse cottars are not only to fix the cranks to the axle but also fix the
adjustable cones by reason of the pressure of the cranks on them.
As a modification the adjustable cone may be fixed to the crank by means of.
an independent screw threaded into the boss of the crank either radially or
longitudinally and adapted to impinge against or engage with the adjustable
cone.
As a further modification the adjustable cone may simply slide in the recess in
the crank in which case it is threaded on that part lying outside the crank to
receive a flanged nut which on being rotated bears against the crank and thereby
adjusts the cone longitudinally with respect thereto, the cone being prevented from
rotating by means of a key sliding in a keyway in the crank, a screw or other
suitable device being provided to lock the flanged nut after the required adjustment
has been made.
When square cottar pins are used for fixing cranks it is customary to slot the
boss of the crank right across, but this makes the slot too weak to resist the strains
brought on it unless the crank is made unduly wide. According to my invention.
after the boss is drilled I take out the material of the required width and to a certain
depth on each side by means of revolving cutters, thus leaving a web between the
:

page_text: two projecting, pieces. The metal then remaining at the bottom of the slot is
removed by a shaper or other suitable tool.
Dated this 26th day of June 1896.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
1, HARRY PARSONS of Ferndale, Wren Street, Coventry in the County of
Warwickshire, Engineer, 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 an improved bearing for the pedal-crank axles of
velocipedes and also to an improvement in the cranks thereof the object being to.
improve such parts to simplify their construction and thereby reduce the cost of
manufacture.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this invention :-
Figure 1 is a view in transverse section.
Figure 2 is a broken view in side elevation of one of the cranks.
Figure 3 is a broken view in transverse section shewing an alternative method of
fixing the cranks.
Figure 4 is a similar view showing another modification.
Figures 5 and 6 are broken. views of the boss of the crank shewing how the slot
for the transverse cottar is formed.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The pedal-crank axle bracket A which may be made out of a casting, stamping
or a length of tube has the usual cup B let into or fixed to each end, the outer end
of each cup being provided with a washer b to exclude the dust and dirt and to
retain the oil, and also the balls when the axle and cones are removed.
The crank axle C has no cones formed on it but is plain throughout its length of
one or more diameters. The cranks D are fixed to the ends of the axle C by
means of transverse cottars E in the well-known manner but the eyes d of the
cranks are enlarged at their inner ends to form recesses d'. These recesses
are threaded internally to receive the cones F which have threaded sleeves or
shoulders formed on them. The cones F have radial flanges f¹ carrying side
flanges adapted to overlap the outer ends of the cups B as shown or the outer
ends of the bracket A to make the bearings as dust-proof as possible, and to afford
a means of turning the cones for the purposes of adjustment.
Although one of the cones carried by the cranks may be made a fixture I prefer
to make both adjustable, as it facilitates the alignment of the chain wheels.
It will be seen that by this construction the cottars E not only fix the cranks D
to the axle B but also fix the cones F thereto by reason of the pressure of the
cranks on them.
As a modification the sleeves or shoulders of the cones F may simply slide in
the recesses d¹ in the bosses of the cranks D in which case they are threaded on
that part adapted to lie outside the cranks to receive flanged nuts G which on being
rotated bear against the cranks and thereby adjust the cones longitudinally with
respect thereto, the cones being prevented from rotating by means of keys such
as f sliding in keyways such as d in the cranks.
If desired the cones F may be also fixed to the cranks D. by means of small

page_text: screws threaded into the bosses of the cranks and adapted to impinge against or
engage with the cones.
When square cottars are used for fixing cranks it is customary to slot the boss
of the crank right across, but this makes the slot too weak to resist the strains
brought on it unless the crank is made unduly wide. According to my invention
after the boss is drilled I take out the material of the required width and to a
certain depth on each side of the boss of the crank by means of revolving cutters
as shown by Figure 5 which leaves a web a between the two side pieces above the
eye d and a solid piece x at the bottom of the eye d. This solid piece is then
removed by a shaper or other suitable tool leaving the bottom of the slot d³ square
for the cottar E to bear against.
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.) The improvements in and relating to velocipedes substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
(2.) In a pedal-crank axle for velocipedes mounting the cones in the bosses of
the cranks as herein specified.
(3.) In a velocipede the combination with a pedal-crank axle, of cranks fixed on
the ends thereof by transverse cottars, and of cones mounted in the bosses of the
cranks so as to be locked and fixed by the cottars employed to fix the cranks, as
set forth.
(4.) Forming the slots through the bosses of cranks to receive the transverse
cottars in the manner herein described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawing.
AUTCH
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.