Improvements in Gearing for Bicycles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1892-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gearing for Bicycles.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER of Suffolk Hotel Bury St. Edmunds,
Hotel Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to gearing for front driving bicycles, and has for its
object to provide a suitable gearing for altering the speed of the driving wheel in
proportion to the crank, which can be easily taken apart or adjusted when
required. According to one arrangement, I use a disc with teeth on its face
forming part of the crank axle, and gearing with a small wheel with face teeth
fixed to the hub of the driving wheel. The hub runs upon a stationary axle,
which is kept stationary by having a projection engaging with a part attached to
the fork. The crank spindle bears upon this axle, within the hub, which is
provided at its lower part with antifriction rollers, having a connecting spindle
turning freely in a bearing attached to the stationary axle. The forks are provided
with ball bearings, by which they support each end of the crank spindle. The
spindle has a collar at each end having grooves in which the balls rest.
In another arrangement cog wheels are used, one being fixed to the crank axle,
one to the hub of the driving wheel and two others fixed together by a nut and
bolt supported by the frame, a little to one side of the hub. The wheel on the
axle gears into one of these wheels, the other one of which gears into the wheel
on the hub, so that the driving wheel will be driven at a speed varying with the
proportionate size of the two intermediate wheels. The intermediate wheels
revolve in ball bearings, one of them having an extension with a groove in which
the balls lie, or two sets of balls may be used, each wheel having a conical
extension, the balls being contained in the recesses formed by the extensions and an
internal annular projection on the part of the frame carrying the wheels. Each
wheel also has a cylindrical part, one of which can slide inside the other, being
connected together by a key which allows them to move to and fro, and a nut and
bolt by which they can be regulated, as the balls or conical surfaces wear.
crank axle has conical bearings for the balls, one of which is formed by a collar
on the axle and the other by a conical nut in the usual manner.
The
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gearing for Bicycles.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER of the Suffolk Hotel Bury St. Edmunds
Hotel Proprietor 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 :-
The object of my said invention is to provide a simple and compact driving
mechanism, to reduce the width of the gearing and consequently the distance
between the fork ends of the machine, and also the length of the crank axle, to
insure the true working of the bearings of such gearing by the combination of a
stationary axle and to provide special facilities for adjustment, to compensate for
wear, and to dispense with the nuts or screwed collars hitherto applied in the ends
of the hub for this purpose.

page_text: In order that my invention may be understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings which-
Fig. 1. is a transverse section on a line passing through the centre of the crank
shaft, of the gear, stationary axle, and bearings.
Fig. 2. is a cross section of the crank axle shewing gear and bearings.
Fig. 3. is a central section on a line passing through the axis of the crank shaft,
and intermediate gear, shewing the whole arrangement of bearings of the geared
hub and a modification of the stationary axle, and intermediate gear, the latter
running on two sets of ball bearings.
Fig. 31 is a transverse section of part D' on line d d.
Fig. 4. is a similar view to Fig. 3 and illustrates an alternative arrangement of
my intermediate gear in which a single series of balls of larger size instead of a
double series are used.
Fig. 4. is a transverse section through the bolt, key and extensions of the
wheels I & K Fig. 4.
Fig. 5. is an elevation of the left hand of Figs. 3 and 4, with the crank and a
portion of the caseing removed.
Fig. 6. is a similar view to Fig. 5, but with more of the parts removed.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, A is the hub, B the crank axle having at or
near one end a disc N, on to the face of which is fitted a ring of teeth N¹, which
gears into teeth formed upon or secured to the face of the hub. The crank shaft
runs through the stationary axle, O, which has excentric circular enlarge-
ments 010 at its opposite ends and is prevented from rotating by engageing at one
end with and fixed in part D2 by means of screws D³ D'. On the enlargement
at the other end is formed a ball bearing O* upon which the hub A. rotates.
In a
concentric projection on the face of the enlargement O' an annular ball race P is
formed corresponding with a ball race P¹ formed on the crank axle and between
which spherical balls P are interposed as shown. When a heavy weight is
required to be carried anti-friction rollers R. R' are proposed to be used within
the hub, and turning in bearings attached to the stationary axle, by this means
the whole of the bearings are kept in line and insures the true working of the
gear. C, C¹ are bearings attached to the fork ends and in which the crank shaft
runs, by screwing up the nut C³ the bearings P' and C¹ are simultaneously
adjusted.
In
In Fig. 3 is shown my improved intermediate gear with arrangement of bearings
to insure the true and proper working of the same, where A is the hub of travelling
wheel, B the crank axle, C is a ball bearing formed in the frame D' which is
bolted or otherwise secured to the fork or frame of the machine by the attach-
ment D. E. E. are ball bearings at the end of the hub. F is a spur wheel
'screwed or in another manner fixed upon the boss of the crank B¹.
G is a spur
wheel formed upon or screwed or in other manner fixed to the end of the hub.
two ball bearings H. H adjustable and fixed in the frame D¹ as hereinafter
explained, two, spur wheels I and K are mounted, the said two wheels are held
together by means of a bolt L and nut L', the bolt being formed upon the wheel K
and screwed into the extension upon wheel I with a left hand thread, the nut L¹
being screwed upon the end of the said bolt with a right hand thread. Liners M
are placed between the ends of the extensions of wheels I and K by removing any
or all of the said liners and by turning the wheel I upon the bolt L the two wheels
may be brought closer together to compensate for the wear of the balls and bearing
surfaces. The annular bearing surfaces H¹ H' provided to receive the two sets of
balls and upon which the wheels I and K rotate may both be formed in the
frame D' or one may be formed in the frame as H² and the other in a ring screwed
into the frame as H, or the two may be formed in separate rings screwed into the
frame. In the interior of the part D' is provided an annular ball race corresponding
with a ball race formed around the collar C' which collar is screwed upon the
crank axle. On the opposite end of this part is formed a ball race C³ corresponding

page_text: with a ball race C* formed in the end of the hub A, the intermediate portion is
made elastic by being cut partly through in two places transversely and through
the top longitudinaly. The stationary axle B extends some distance into the
part D, and by means of screw D is kept from turning, and by means of the
Screw D is gripped fast. The opposite end of the hub revolves on the ball
bearing E E formed upon stationary axle B', nearer the end of and upon the
stationary axle is formed a second ball race E' E' corresponding with an annular
ball race formed in a collar of the axle B between which the balls rotate and
support the stationary axle B', and also the gear wheel G by which arrangement
the crank axle is made to work truly and central with the hub and the gearing,
and greater facility given for the adjustment of the bearings E. E¹ E and C+
which are all simultaneously adjusted by screwing the nut C2 upon the crank axle,
dispensing with the nuts hitherto used in the ends of the hub for this purpose, the
space between the forks is reduced which is an important feature of my invention.
Fig. 3 is a section of part D' through the line dd. Fig. 4 and 4* illustrates an
alternative arrangement of my improved mechanism, the ball bearings of the
wheels I and K consist of a single series of balls of larger size instead of a double
series as in Fig. 3, the extended portion or boss K' of the wheel I fits into the boss
or extension K' of the wheel K the said two wheels being fixed together by the
bolt L provided with the nut L' and rotate together with the said bolt, being
prevented from rotating separately by means of the key L' which passes through
the bolt and through the wheel K into the boss or extension of the wheel I. In
Figs. 5 and 6 an arrangement of casing T is provided, the lower portion of which is
secured by screws S S to bosses on the frame D', the upper portion is retained in
place upon the lower portion by having its sides formed to overlap the top part of
the lower portion and by the screws SS which pass through such overlaping. The
edge of the ring H¹ is notched in the usual manner and is secured from rotating
after adjustment by the keep and screw S¹. The attachment D for securing the
gear frame to the fork may be in a vertical line with the centres of the crank shaft
and intermediate motion or it may be placed at right angles thereto as shown by
dotted lines, in which case the centre line passing through the crank shaft and
intermediate gear will be horizontal.
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. The combination of gearing with a stationary axle fixed in one end of the
fork of the machine and extending through the hub, the same having recesses
formed in its interior and upon its exterior for ball bearings and in which the balls
work forming a support to the crank shaft and which maintains the gearing in a
firm and true position when working substantially as herein described and illustrated
by Fig. 1. and Fig. 3.
2. An intermediate gear connecting the gear wheel on the crank shaft with the
gear wheel on the hub and consisting of two separate wheels connected together by
a bolt or screw provided with a key and a nut by which they can be easily separated
and adjusted endwise relatively to each other substantially as herein described.
3. An intermediate gear constructed for the purpose specified consisting of two
separate wheels having extensions on their faces with conical recesses and corre-
sponding with annular recesses in the gear frame forming ball bearings in which
the said intermediate motion runs.
4. The construction of the gear frame D¹ Figs. 3, 4 and 6, in which two annular
appertures are formed embracing the crank shaft bearing and the bearings of the
intermediate gear as herein before described for the purposes specified.
Dated the 21st der of December 1809
F. W. TURNER.