IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRAL GEAR TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: We WALTER JOHN LLOYD and WILLIAM PRIEST both of Harborne in the
County of Stafford Manufacturers and Co-partners do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRAL GEAR TRICYCLES AND OTHER
VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
n
"
This invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the appli-
cation or adaptation of balance gearing to the middle of the shaft or principal axis
of central gear tricycles and other velocipedes.
According to this invention the said shaft or axis is made tubular and divided
at the middle of its length. In the inner end of one part of the divided shaft is
fixed by brazing or otherwise a solid cylindrical plug of about six inches in length.
About one third of the length of the said plug is fixed in the part of the shaft last
referred to the remaining two thirds protruding from the said part of the shaft.
On this protruding end of the plug the inner end of the other part of the shaft fits
and turns freely. Two bevil toothed wheels are fixed respectively near the inner
ends of the divided shaft. The boss or bush of the chain wheel works upon the
two ends of the divided shaft covering and protecting their junction. The axis
of the third bevil toothed wheel of the balance gearing works between and
gears with the two bevil toothed wheels before mentioned and is carried by the
chain wheel.
The outer ends of the two parts of the shaft pass through and work in bearings
carried by the framing of the machine and collars brazed on each of these parts
respectively abut against the said bearings and prevent the two parts of the shaft
from separating.
By these improvements the tendency in the tricycle or velocipede to a deflection
from a rectilinear path which occurs in tricycles and velocipedes in which balance
gear is applied in the ordinary way is avoided. Additional strength is given to
the shaft or principal axis. When the parts of the balance gear and shaft are
constructed and arranged according to this invention. they are not liable to get out
of order.

page_text: We WALTER JOHN LLOYD and WILLIAM PRIEST both of Harborne in the
County of Stafford, Manufacturers and Co-partners, do hereby declare the nature
of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRAL GEAR TRICYCLES AND OTHER
VELOCIPEDES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
This invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the
application or adaptation of balance gearing to the middle of the shaft or principal
axis of central gear tricycles and other velocipedes.
According to this invention the said shaft or axis is made tubular and divided at
the middle of its length. In the inner end of one part of the divided shaft is fixed
by brazing or otherwise a solid cylindrical plug of about six inches in length.
About one third of the length of the said plug is fixed in the part of the shaft last
referred to, the remaining two thirds protruding from the said part of the shaft.
On this protruding end of the plug the inner end of the other part of the shaft fits
and turns freely. Two bevil toothed wheels are fixed respectively near the inner
ends of the divided shaft. The boss or bush of the chain wheel works upon the
two ends of the divided shaft covering and protecting their junction. The axis
of the third bevil toothed wheel of the balance gearing works between and
gears with the two bevil toothed wheels before mentioned and is carried by the
chain wheel.
The outer ends of the two parts of the shaft pass through and work in bearings
carried by the framing of the machine and collars brazed on each of these parts
respectively abut against the said bearings and prevent the two parts of the shaft
from separating.
By these improvements the tendency in the tricycle or velocipede to a deflection
from a rectilinear path which occurs in tricycles and velocipedes in which balance
gear is applied in the ordinary way is avoided. Additional strength is given to
the shaft or principal axis. When the parts of the balance gear and shaft are
constructed and arranged according to this invention they are not liable to get out
of order.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents partly in end elevation and
partly in longitudinal section a portion of a central gear tricycle, the shaft or axis
carrying the central driving or balance gear being constructed according to our
invention; Figures 2 and 3 represent the two parts of the shaft disconnected.
The same letters of reference indicato the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, b are the two parts of the divided shaft or axis of the tricycle, the part a
having fixed on its outer end the travelling wheel c and the part b having fixed on
its outer end the travelling wheel d. Both parts a, b of the shaft or axis are
tubular and in the inner end of the part a a solid cylindrical plug e is fixed, one
third of the said plug being fixed in the part a and the remaining two thirds
protruding from the said part a of the shaft as represented. We prefer to fix the

page_text: plug e in its place in the part a by heating the end of the said shaft and driving
the end of the plug into the slightly expanded heated end of the shaft, but other
ways of fixing the plug in the shaft may be used. On the protruding end of the
plug e the inner end of the part b of the shaft fits and turns freely.
Near the inner end of the part a of the divided shaft, a bevil wheel fis fixed and
near the inner end of the other part b of the shaft a similar bevil wheel g is fixed;
h is the chain wheel carrying in its interior the usual bevil pinion i for gearing
with the two bevil wheels a, b and thereby connecting the two shafts together as is
well understood; & is the boss or bush of the chain wheel working upon the two
ends of the divided shaft and covering and protecting their junction (see Figure 1).
where it will be seen that one half of the bush is situated on an enlarged part of
the plug e fixed to the half shaft a and the extreme end of the half shaft benters
the annular space between the plug e and the other half of the bush ; is a collar
brazed near the outer end of the half shaft a and m is a similar collar brazed near
the outer end of the half shaft b; p p are the outer bearings for the shaft carried
by the frame g of the tricycle. In these bearings p, p the two parts a, b of the
shaft work the collars l, m abutting against the inner sides of the bearings p, p and
preventing the two parts of the shaft from separating as will be understood by an
examination of Figure 1. A third bearing for the shaft is used near the chain
wheel h. We prefer to connect the bearings 2, 1, r to the frame g of the tricycle
by means of screw pins t, t passed through enlargements in the frame q and
fixed by screw nuts, the bottoms of the screw pins t, t being formed into forks u
between which the snugs x, x on the tops of the bearings engage and are fixed by
cross pins.
The action of the balance gear applied or adapted to the shaft according to this
invention differs in no essential respect from that of balance gear of the same kind
applied or adapted in the ordinary way and we therefore do not think it necessary
to describe the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
Constructing the shaft or principal axis of central gear tricycles and other
velocipedes and parts connected with the said shaft or axis substantially as herein
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing for the purpose of
applying or adapting to the said shaft or axis balance gearing; that is to say,
fixing in the inner end of one half of the divided tubular shaft or axis, & solid
cylindrical plug on the protruding end of which plug the inner end of the other
half of the divided tubular shaft or axis fits and turns freely, the junction of the
two ends of the divided tubular shaft or axis being covered and protected by the
boss or bush of the chain wheel substantially as described and illustrated; also
preventing the two engaged parts of the shaft or axle from separating by means of
the brazed collars 1, m which abut against the end bearings of the shaft or axle
substantially as described and illustrated.
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