Improvements in or relating to Driving Gear for Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb.,
1897
Complete Specification Left 28th Sept. 1897-Accepted 20th Nov.
1897
I, SYDNEY GEORGE COULSON of 200 Spring Vale Road, Sheffield in the County
of Yorkshire, Colliery Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention relates to improved gear to be used for gearing the pedal crank
shaft or equivalent shaft of a cycle to the driving gear hub or to the rotary shaft
of the driving wheel or wheels.
I provide on the pedal crank shaft and in the wheel hub or rotary shaft, on each,
a wheel having along a pitch line laterally open mortises, slots, or recesses suitably
shaped and with or without rollers on or about the parts between them, these
wheels being adapted to engage with pinions having straight teeth engaging
directly into the lateral mortises, slots or recesses aforesaid so that the wheels
engage with the pinions in the same manner as the block or roller chains used in
the majority of the present cycle gearings, these wheels in fact resembling such
chains if the latter were curved into a circle with the links open to engage on the
one or other of the plane surfaces.
The pinions aforesaid are mounted on a rod or tube on which they may have
axial adjustment so that by replacement of either of the wheels by another of
larger or smaller pitch the proportion of gearing may be correspondingly altered
without any alteration or adjustment of the bearings. The rod or tube carrying
the pinions may extend within one of the frame tubes or may be exterior thereof,
and is carried in suitable bearings preferably ball bearings.
Dated this 8th day of February 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
Improvements in or relating to Driving Gear for Cycles.
I, SYDNEY GEORGE COULSON, of 200 Spring Vale Road, Sheffield, in the County
of Yorkshire, Colliery Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improved gear to be used for gearing the pedal crank-
shaft or equivalent shaft of a cycle to the driving-wheel-hub or to the rotary shaft
of the driving wheel or wheels.
I may provide on the pedal-crank-shaft and on the wheel hub or rotary shaft,
on each, a wheel or disk having along a pitch line laterally open mortises, slots,
гр
017

page_text: or recesses suitably shaped and with or without rollers on or about the parts
between them, these wheels being adapted to engage with pinions having straight
teeth engaging directly into the lateral mortises, slots, or recesses aforesaid so
that the wheels engage with the pinions in the same manner as the block or roller
chains used in the majority of the present cycle gearings, these wheels in fact
resembling such chains if the latter were curved into a circle with the links open
to engage on the one or the other of the plane surfaces.
The pinions aforesaid are mounted on a rod or tube on which they may have
axial adjustment so that by replacement of either of the wheels by another of
larger or smaller pitch the proportion of gearing may be correspondingly altered
without any alteration or adjustment of the bearings. The rod or tube carrying
the pinions may extend within one of the frame tubes, and is carried in suitable
bearings, preferably ball-bearings.
It will be obvious also that the pinions having the radial teeth might be upon
the pedal-crank-shaft and driving wheel hub or rotary axle respectively, and that
the mortice wheels or disks might conversely be carried by the rod or tube afore-
said without substantially altering the feature of this invention.
in the annexed drawing, Fig. is a part elevation and Fig. 2 a part plan
partly in section, showing so much of a rear-driving safety bicycle as is necessary
to explain the manner of carrying this invention into effect. Fig. 3 is a section
on line 3-3 and Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.
A is the pedal-crank-shaft, B is the mortice wheel or disk fixed directly or
indirectly thereto, for instance it may be keyed on the boss of the pedal crank C
which is keyed on the shaft end and secured by screw pin D. In the disk B along
a pitch line are mortises b which may be of any suitable form but are preferably
circular and flared on the inner face of the disk. In the example illustrated,
there are also along a smaller pitch line v another series of mortises b' of the same
pitch so that the same disk B may be used for either of two speeds or gearing
ratios according as the pinion is caused to gear with the mortises b or bl.
The lower back stay tube E on the side of the cycle frame provided with the
gearing is straight and open from end to end, at the pedal crank shaft end it is
carried by a socket F open at the end and adapted to receive the cup G of a ball-
bearing K and at the other end it is carried by a socket H having a web H' so made
as to provide a space H2 for the passage of the disk or pinion on the rear end of the
tube J which revolves within the tube E. The socket H is also open at the other
end and is adapted to receive the cup G¹ of a ball-bearing K. Either or both of
said cups G, G are adjustable.
The tube J carries the cones L, L' of the ball-bearings K, K' respectively, and
at the one end it carries the pinion M to engage the mortises in disk B.
In the example illustrated the tube J carries a wrist J¹ of reduced diameter on
which the pinion M can 'slide longitudinally, while prevented from revolving by a
feather J; thus the pinion can be made to engage either row of mortises b or bl.
The teeth of the pinion are of suitable shape to engage the mortises, for instance,
they are in the example shown circular in section and round hemispherically
at the ends.
1
At the rear end of tube J is a disk N with mortises n similar to those in disk B,
and on the driving wheel hub 0 is a pinion P similar to pinion M.
It will be readily understood that the disk N may be fitted on the driving-wheel-
hub and the pinion P on the tube Jif désired."
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 gearing for connecting the pedal-crank-shaft or equivalent shaft to the
driving-wheel-hub or rotary axle of a bicycle or other similar vehicle having
pinions and disks in which the teeth radiating in the planes of the pinions engage 5
in lateral mortises in the disks substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. A gearing for connecting the pedal-crank-shaft or equivalent shaft to the
driving-wheel-hub or rotary axle of a bicycle or other similar vehicle having a
shaft J extending through the interior of one of the frame stay tubes and rotarily
supported in bearings therein, a disk B with one or more rows of flaring or other
laterally open mortises, a pinion on shaft J adapted to gear with said mortises,
and a suitable gear such as a similar disk N and pinion P for gearing the shaft J
to the driving-wheel-hub or rotary axle, substantially as described.
3. A gearing constructed substantially as illustrated in the annexed drawing
and as herein described for the purpose set forth.
Doted this 28th day of Santambor 1807
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents to the Applicant.